TomTom 1.8 (for iPhone)

TomTom 1.8 is a 1.32GB download. It's technically compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, but you'll want a device with an actual GPS chip for proper navigation accuracy.

TomTom's type-ahead feature tries to figure out what you want, although it wasn't quite as fast or responsive as the Magellan RoadMate 2.0.

Voice prompts were clear, crisp, and loud—or rather, as loud as can be given the iPhone 4's small speaker. They were also well timed, and the app pronounced street names correctly in almost all cases.

The 3D maps still look slightly drab, and don't animate as smoothly as Magellan's revamped RoadMate 2.0 app, but they're very readable.

TomTom boots quickly to a main menu that mostly contains toggles for various settings, such as muting the voice prompts or switching to night colors (which also happens automatically if you want).

TomTom 1.8 worked perfectly with iOS 4 multitasking; during one test, I could listen to music, run the app, and even take a hands-free call at the same time.

TomTom 1.8 includes several dozen voices in roughly two dozen languages; most don't say street names, but a few do. You can also purchase celebrity voices for the app via an in-app purchase; Homer Simpson is available for $5.99, but I didn't see any other choices during the review period.

TomTom's HD traffic plug-in deserves special mention. It puts up a bar on the right side of the screen that represents traffic conditions for your route along the way.

TomTom still leads in displaying route information. You get all manner of data across the bottom of the screen, all of which updates in real-time.

TomTom 1.8 works just like the company's standalone devices—a good thing, since the iPhone version is even faster to respond to key presses, at least on the iPhone 4.