CoPilot GPS Navigations released for Windows Phone 8, we take it for a drive

CoPilot for Windows Phone 8

One of the reasons I ended up switching back to Android from Windows Phone was I couldn’t find a good GPS app that would work as well as CoPilot on my Android phone but now ALK Technologies have launched a Windows Phone 8 app.

The app is a full satnav with 3D turn by turn navigation, offline maps, router planning and local exploring for Windows Phone 8. The app works on devices like my own HTC Windows Phone 8x and Nokia’s Lumia 920 and 925. The basic app is actually free and you get 14 days of 3D guided navigation, after the 14 day you can purchase the navigation option or use it for routing planning with access to the offline maps.

So how does it compare to the Android and iOS versions?

When you start up the app you download a regional map, which you will need to do over WiFi. Once you have the map downloaded you can start using the app, you can setup your home and work locations as well as other favourites. You pick a destination and you get a 3D navigation view which shows you the route to take, it has voice navigation as well as the on screen instructions and lane instruction. If you take a wrong turn it quickly calculates a new route. The display and instruction are very clear and its very easy to see your route and where the next turn is.

Also included is one year of ActiveTraffic (£9.99 per year) where it will estimate the traffic on your route and warn you of delays, it will offer suggestions of alternative routes and I found the suggested routes were very good. I have got used to this feature on my Android device and it really is a time saver. There are points of interest built in with data supplied by Yelp, Google, and Wikipedia. You can browser by name or category and it gives you contact details as well as the option to navigate to the POI. When you get to your destination CoPilot will give you walking directions to complete your journey which is very handy if you can’t park near your destination.

One nice touch is if you navigate away from the app in to another app like music or email it will warn you of an impending turn coming up so if you get a call while using the app to navigate you won’t miss a turn. Also the app resumes exactly where you left the app.

I have been using CoPilot since I first got my G1 Android phone and have stuck with it on all my devices since then. It’s great to have such a solid GPS app for Windows Phone, Nokia Drive is a little on the basic side for me. All you need is a cradle and a charger in the car and you have a complete SatNav solution.

The app is available for free from the Windows Phone Store and the full navigation package costs £17.99

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Press Release:

CoPilot® GPS Navigation Arrives on Windows Phone 8

Popular free mapping, trip planning and car navigation app is now available for Windows Phone 8.

London 13th June 2013:  ALK Technologies Ltd, a leading provider of navigation and GeoLogistics™ software, is pleased to announce that its freeCoPilot® GPS navigation app is now available for Windows Phone 8 Smartphones.

CoPilot GPS brings quality easy-to-navigate offline maps, powerful route planning tools and local exploring to Windows Phone 8 devices such as Lumia 920, HTC’s Windows Phone 8X and Samsung’s Ativ S – at no cost to the user. Detailed street maps and points of interest of an entire country are stored on the phone, allowing users to calculate routes and get driving or walking directions even when there’s no mobile network coverage.

“People depend on their phones for maps and guidance. Yet online mapping apps can be costly if used abroad and unreliable in places where there’s limited mobile internet coverage”, said David Quin, head of consumer applications at ALK Technologies.”CoPilot is designed for use offline, providing guidance even when there’s no mobile connection. It’s been incredibly popular on Android and iOS, and now we are delighted to extend this experience to Windows Phone 8 users too.”

The free CoPilot GPS app includes 14 days use of full voice-guided 3D car navigation features and CoPilot’s real-time traffic service, ActiveTraffic™. After 14 days users can continue to enjoy free and unlimited access to offline maps and route planning, or upgrade to unlimited turn-by-turn navigation via in-app purchase.
Free features in CoPilot GPS for Windows Phone 8 include:

–          Premium quality street maps stored on your smartphone for offline use

–          Millions of Points of Interest (POIs) built-in

–          Powerful trip planning with a choice of 3 routes and drag-and-drop route editing

–          Unique CoPilot itinerary optimiser to calculate the best way around multiple stops .

–          Driving directions: manually scroll through the turns to your destination

–          Walking mode to explore unfamiliar cities on foot.

–          Comprehensive local search with integrated Yelp, Google, and Wikipedia.

–          Global map regions available to purchase and store on your device for data-free roaming abroad

CoPilot GPS launched across iOS and Android platforms in April 2012 with over 4.5million app downloads in its first year.

3 thoughts on “CoPilot GPS Navigations released for Windows Phone 8, we take it for a drive

  1. I use Copilot on the my Nexus 7 and its rock solid – obviously the Active Traffic doesnt work (as my Nexus 7 is wifi only), but its great with a large screen and the battery is good for around 5 hours without charging – which is good enough for most journeys

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