Navigate from your cell phone

I've used a lot of GPS units; dedicated handheld units, dash mount portables, and built-in consoles. Telenav's offering made me a believer in using a smartphone (in this case, my Cingular Blackjack) as a navigation device.

Of course, in addition to the $10/month service you need either a bluetooth GPS receiver or a fully-GPS enabled phone.

On some phones, like the BlackBerry, Telenav can use the internal GPS radio, but most phones don't allow third party applications to access their GPS. I'm sure there's a reason for that but I doubt it's a good one. Regardless, linking up a Bluetooth GPS is simple and quick. It may even be the better choice since you can put the GPS unit on your dashboard where it can pick up a better signal from the satellites than it can inside the car.

First I'll tell you about maybe the only drawback. Since Telenav uses your phone connection, you need to be able to get a signal on your phone. That's different from the unconnected navigators, but I'm willing to live with.

Now here are some of the nice things about using Telenav:

• Its maps and database are NOT on your phone until you need them.That means they are always up to date.
• Since the service is online, you can also use it from your computer. And what's nice about that is making changes, such as adding new addresses and locations.
• Voice prompts sound like they are being spoken by a real person.
• You can phone your destination address in to Telenav rather than thumbing it into your phone. This means you can actually set up a map while you're on the go. The service sets up the directions and the route shows up on your phone.
• The "Biz Finder" lets you find pretty much any kind of business or service within an area you define. Categories include stores, medical facilities, businesses by name, parks, restaurants, and anything else you might need.
  

And here's the thing I like the best... find the closest, lowest price gas, then get a map to it. Telenav gets daily updates on gas stations and pricing, so even if you're in a strange city (or driving down I-95 in a different state) you can find the best price on gas.

There's more, like traffic conditions and rerouting, but that feature isn't available on my Cingular Blackjack yet. I found the service easy to use and even fun. It sells for $10 per month through most carriers, or directly from Telenav.