San Francisco — Following Apple’s controversial decision to discard all Google Maps services — including Street View — from the default Maps application from its upcoming iOS 6 release, but Google has found another home for its popular service. Popular navigation app Navigon is releasing a solid update to its iOS navigation app early this week that should please holiday and non-holiday travelers alike, with exclusive addition of Google Street View, providing users with a street-level image of their destination before starting a route.
So, before embarking on a journey, users can look at a full screen 360° view to get a better understanding of their destinations’ surroundings. Shortly before arriving at the destination, the Google Street View image slides in again, making it easier to identify the correct location.
Apart from Google’s Street View, this latest update also includes Navigon Cockpit as an in-app purchase. However, the use of Street View is the major new feature. It allows users to keep an eye on the street level images just in case they are having difficulty finding the right building, and Street View will automatically pop up as users approach their destination. Drivers will also be able to jump into a full-screen 360 degree view if they want to scope out the surrounding area.
The cockpit-like screen displays relevant stats about your travel, such as gForce, speed, horizontal and vertical position relative to the ground, plus adjustable speeds and altitude graphs. On top of that, there is a dedicated off-road screen with compass and altitude information for off-road driving.
Lastly, another feature called manual route blocking allows drivers to look at their current routes and tell the navigation software to ignore certain paths using a simple tap. The app then programs an alternative route automatically. In addition to all of that, Navigon says that the startup time and map rendering of the app should be much faster.
On the other hand, some other capabilities included with this update are improvements to the Custom Route interface and general performance optimizations. These are a nifty feature, but one that is not likely to see too much use during your average trip to the store.
Navigon USA is available for $29.99 from today with some discounts until July 16, when it returns to its normal price of $49.99. Cockpit currently costs $3.99, but will rise to $5.99 following its initial sale price.