As well as the iPhone app reviewed, the SmartNav system is also available for Blackberry, Nokia and Windows Mobile devices

I tested the Smartnav iPhone app in the car on longer journeys and also commuting to work on my bicycle. The Smartnav operates using a very simple screen, with only a green arrow indicating the direction to travel in. It is not map based at all, which takes a bit of getting used to. You will, for example, not see the road names of roads you are passing or approaching. Because of the lack of a map based display, I get the feeling that you have to know an area a bit already to use Smartnav.

The main feature of this app is that it provides live traffic updates. You can set the app to receive traffic updates every 1, 5 or 10 minutes. Based on the updates it receives, it will tell you how long you can expect to be delayed on the route you are travelling “there is slow moving traffic, you will be delayed by approximately 5 mintutes”. Or, if the road is clear, you will be informed that there are no known issues.

Smartnav is very simple to operate, and once you have keyed in your destination the Smartnav lady (there is only one default voice) gives you a summary of your route, listing all the roads you will take. It does however take a few minutes to find its bearings and step into action, which can be a bit frustrating if you want to just drive away.

A benefit of using the Smartnav in the car is that the verbal instructions have a level of accuracy that other navigation system do not have. At sections in the journey where the direction you need to travel in is ambiguous, Smartnav is really clear on exactly where to veer left or right and by how much. Having said this, the voice of the woman does get rather irritating, she does speak a lot in rather a long winded way, i.e. “Smartnav is recalculating the route to your destination”, rather than just “recalculating”.

On the down side, on a few occasions the on the motorway the Smartnav lady told us that we were no longer on the planned route and a split second later changed her mind and said that we were back on route.

Several times when I deciding not to follow the calculated route, the Smartnav lady took quite a while to work out where I was, but once she did so she quickly recalculated and again listed all roads that I would take.

The first time I tried to use Smartnav for my cycle commute to work, it only directed me about twice on a 5 mile route. I decided to give it another go on the bicycle, and the results were remarkably different. As I intended to take some of the back, cycle routes, I obviously veered off the recommended route several times to avoid going on the main roads. Each time I did so Smartnav recalculated my route very quickly and warned me several times of slow moving traffic. The impact of slow moving traffic is minimised by commuting on a bicycle, but quite often roads on my usual route is closed due to an incident. Early warnings of such instances can save a lot of time and frustration.

In summary, its USP (the live traffic updates) is obviously very clever and it’s great when you are setting out on a journey, but there are too many other little niggly points about the app which would put me off using it as a replacement to a Tom Tom, say. I’d rather listen to the updates on the local radio and stick to my sat nav.

For more details and how to buy see: www.trafficmaster.co.uk.

Lifetime support costs just £24.99 for iPhone, and £34.99 for other handsets.
Also available in monthly or annual subscriptions