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Wisepilot is the third voice guided satellite navigation application I have reviewed here at CrackBerry in the last few months. Both Telmap and Gokivo were great apps and were free however there are a few things that set Wisepilot apart. Although a free download, you initially only get a free trial for five days and then you have a couple of options. You can either continue using the free options or you can upgrade to use the premium serves. The question I have been asking myself is are they worth the money?  

The Review

Developer: Appello Sysyems AB Version (at time of review): 4.6.3
File Size: 2436 KB
OS Requirements: All (GPS required)
Cost: Free trial for 5 days
Website:

I have been using Wisepilot on two BlackBerry smartphones over the past couple of weeks. First on the Torch 9860 and then on the 9810 both due to their screen real estate. Before we dive too deep into the review I think I should make a few things clear about what you get for free and what you then have the option to pay for.  

Features that are free at all times:

  • 2D Worldwide Maps - always automatically updated and synchronized with your phone.
  • One Line Search - assist you to find nearby places, persons, businesses and addresses.
  • Nearby - find places within different categories e.g. Parking and Eating & Drinking.
  • Destination Details - find a place and automatically view the distance and travel time.
  • Weather - five day forecasts for any destination in the world.
  • Share Places - tell your friends about your favorite places by SMS, e-mail, Facebook or Twitter
  • My Wisepilot - your login protected personal web pages where you can manage your info and administrate destinations and trips.

During the free trial you also get access to the following premium features without charge:

  • Voice guidance - live instructions for how to proceed to your destination.
  • Lane Assistance - get in the right lane as you approach an intersection.
  • Junction Views - prepare your motorway exit in advance with a guiding display.
  • Speed Limits/Alerts - displays speed limits while driving and alerts if you exceed the limit.
  • Speed Cameras - be alerted when approaching a speed camera.
  • Live Traffic - up-to-date traffic info helps you plan your trip. Avoid queues, accidents, road closures and other incidents.
  • Route of your choice - the shortest route isn't always the best, choose between multiple options e.g. avoid motorways, fastest and easiest.
  • Night Colors - day and night mode for navigation.
  • 3D worldwide maps - always automatically updated and synchronized with your phone
  • Abroad Mode - reduces data usage by limiting functionality.
  • Follow Me - share your trip and let friends follow you in real time with updated map and arrival time.
  • My Trips - view and edit your finished trips.
  • Trip Recorder - record your movement to see how far and quick you've traveled.

After the trial if you fancy going premium then you have the following options:

  • Live traffic updates: £26.99 for lifetime live traffic updates (including up-to-date traffic information which lets you re-route according to any delays)
  • Speed cameras: £7.99 for lifetime speed camera updates (including alerts when driving above the speed limit or when you're approaching a speed camera)

Opening up Wisepilot you are presented with the following menu. Here you have clear and precise options to assist you with what it is you need to do. You will notice that there are adverts at the top of the screen. I presume these are removed if you upgrade to the premium version but in the mean time they are not intrusive.

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Unless you are intending to travel to one of your favourites then most of the time it will be the 'Find' tab that you will select. Here you get a selection of options from people, business, addresses and most importantly (in my opinion) addresses.
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The 'Places' tab is quite interesting. As you can see from the below screen shot there is a massive list of options available to you. Select the category you require and you will be presented with the list of choices which are shown with the nearest one being at the top of the list.

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As I mentioned just now; finding an address is the option that I use most when using a sat nav application. Wisepilot make things as easy as possible - just fill in the boxes and then choose if you want to walk or drive to your destination. You have the option to view the route on a 2D map if you so desire but the fun begins when actually setting off on the journey.

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So taking a look at the actual navigation screen you will see that things are pretty clean and crisp. There is the right amount of information on screen but nothing apart from the map that is too in your face. Like many other similar apps you have the choice of both day and night colours and the two are more or less the same just with the background being darker on the night one for obvious reasons.

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So up at the top left of the screen we have a direction arrow telling us when our next turn will be and beside that is the name of the road you will be entering. Over on the right is the speed limit for the road you are on - a nice reminder to stay within the law! Down at the bottom of the screen we see the distance to destination, our arrival time and current speed - all nicely laid out and kept simple.
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Wisepilot as you can see works in both landscape and portrait mode so you can choose to have your BlackBerry positioned just how you like it. Perfect for Torch owners.
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Touching the screen while in navigation mode will pop up the below menu. As you can see here you are provided with some important features and options to assist you in your route. Clearly operating this screen should only be done when stationary for safety reasons - we wouldn't want anyone taking their eyes of the road.

The options are straight forward and the icons are nice and large. Down at the bottom (above the 'Stop Navigation') is the volume bar. Here you can slide the volume to suit you. This can be done either buy touch (if you have a touch screen BlackBerry) or also by using the optical track pad. 

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If you need to have a look at the 2D map of your planned route you can just press the 'Route Overview' tab and the map will be presented. Depending on the distance you are travelling you can use the on-screen zoom in/out tabs to look more closely at where you will be passing through.  



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At the base of this screen are three very small tabs. The left one is the map, the middle is the distance to your destination (and you also have the ability to add stops here), and finally on the right is the list of directions as seen below.


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With social integration if is easy peasy to let your friends know where you are off too. Im not sure this is a big selling point for the app but at least it is there if you want to use it.

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The last feature I thought was worth mentioning is the ability to have warning notifications if you exceed the speed limit. You also have the ability to decide how far over the limit you want Wisepilot to warn you which is a nice option if you ask me. You get the option to have both sound and visual warnings or just one of them.



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Wisepilot
by Appello Systems AB

Pros

  • Wisepilot has made a great job of their app. It works perfectly and the UI is smart and attractive. Getting lost is a thing of the past!

Cons

  • The only downside to Wisepilot is really that you have to pay for the premium features but I suppose you wouldn't get free traffic etc on any other platform either. You will need an in-car charger as any GPS app will increase you battery drain.

The Bottom Line

I think if you spend a lot of time driving then the premium features of Wisepilot are well worth the money. Remember - they are a lifetime membership, not just a year. The big question though is will we see (or need) the app on BlackBerry 10? Overall I have been very impressed. Download Wisepilot Navigator for your BlackBerry smartphone Wisepilot web link

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