The Nokia 5800′s large 3.2 inch screen is perfect for viewing things such as the web, images and videos, but how about Sat-Nav? Today i’m going to look at an alternative to the Nokia Maps on S60 devices with a review of Garmin Mobile XT, a program I used to have installed on my old N82 and have recently transfered over to my new 5800.

Garmin released an update to their mobile GPS client last month which enabled touch support for the 5800 and upcoming N97. Now the 5800 boasts 2 fully supported GPS applications whilst other touch screen mobiles such as the iPhone are still waiting for turn by turn voice navigation. The new version of the Garmin software offers an easy, simple to use touch screen layout which makes use whilst driving a piece of cake.

Great features  included in the software that set it apart from the rest of the field include its online capabilities which include “Local Search” powered by Google, the ability to view Panoramic photos taken by others of your current location and up to date traffic and weather information.

The touch layout is very responsive and quick to calculate routes which can be programmed quickly just by simply entering the post code of your destination. Another nice part of the app is the clear and easy to understand voice guidance which is read out to you prior to the next action you need to take by a well spoken British woman.

The only real negative point about this software is that the refresh rate of the navigation could do with being increased slightly. Sometimes it freezes for the odd second or two and has to figure out what its doing which can get annoying at times. This however, I hope is easily solved in future releases. When you purchase the software you get free updates of the application via the Garmin website allowing you to keep up to date with such things as bug fixes and new traffic camera alerts.

To conclude, Garmin Mobile XT is still no match for dedicated GPS devices such as TomTom and Original Garmin Sat-Nav’s however it does provide a convenient and cheap way of navigating to those hard to get to places.

Garmin Mobile XT is available to purchase from Amazon UK from £58.72 with UK and Ireland maps.

Nokia Lovers come here from term:

Technorati Tags: garmin mobile xt, GPS, nokia 5800, s60 5th edition, S60V5 applications, sat-nav, Symbian S60 3rd Edition

Related Nokia Apps:

1. Dabr Review – Your Free Mobile Twitter Client
2. 5800 to be Updated with Capacitive Screen?
3. Eldar’s In Depth N97 Review
4. Stew – Your Route to Twitter on your Nokia 5800
5. Nokia 5800 “Comes With Music” hits Brazil and Mexico