In my search for the top GPS products, I use scientific criteria and analysis developed over the past 20 years of testing devices. This method weighs various factors, such as the color of the device, the expressions of people who see you using it, and the waiter’s inquiries about it when he is serving your lunch.

I also have another category, which indicates what I call the popularity index. While I’m at Starbucks, I set the navigation product on the table next to my triple-espresso, high-protein venti latte and wait to see how many people ask me about it. I make notes of their ages, varying levels of interest, and hairstyles.

I took the new Blackberry Curve 8310 smartphone running Telenav navigation software on a trip into town for dinner. Noah Dye from Lewis Public Relations, which represents Telenav, sent me a fully loaded Curve to try out, and it was worth waiting for.

It gives you that James Bond feeling of slipping a Walther PPK into your alligator-hide shoulder holster before heading to the casino. This smartphone definitely got the attention of the waiter, as well as many looks from Starbucks patrons during an after-hours coffee run.

The Blackberry and the Telenav software complement each other to form a sleek combination of easy-to-use features. The large screen of the Curve provides an automobile-PND-like experience, and the Telenav maps provide door-to-door directions in an easy-to-read format, whether in 2D or 3D mode.

The Blackberry GPS achieved good signal acquisition times, but did not provide any real satellite information other than the number of satellites you’re locked onto, their location, and range of position. This, of course, is more than enough for the average user. The Telenav maps loaded pretty quickly from their server via the AT&T network. The map quality was excellent and the directions, via voice or   screen, were clear and easy to follow.

The question that has been bugging me, not to mention industry manufacturers that sell automobile PNDs, is the threat posed by smartphones with robust navigation software, like the Blackberry Curve. Will it erode PND sales? I’m not sure of the answer … yet. But I do know it is pretty nice having a converged device that provides all of the features I need.

Editor’s Note: this review originally appeared in our sister publication, GPS World.

Comments are closed.