Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS mobile platforms together accounted for a record 92 per cent share of all smartphones shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to new data from Strategy Analytics.

Android, the undisputed leader of the industry, captured an impressive 70 per cent share of the global smartphone market in Q4 2012, up from 51 per cent a year earlier, the research firm said. Apple’s iOS took 22 per cent during the period, and all other smartphone platforms combined accounted for the remaining 7.9 per cent.

“The worldwide smartphone industry has effectively become a duopoly as consumer demand has polarized around mass-market Android models and premium Apple designs,” Scott Bicheno, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement.

Phone makers shipped an estimated 152.1 million Android smartphones globally in Q4 2012, up from 80.6 million units a year earlier. For the full year, almost half a billion Android smartphones were shipped worldwide.

“Android’s challenge for 2013 will be to defend its leadership, not only against Apple, but also against an emerging wave of hungry challengers that includes Microsoft, Blackberry, Firefox and Tizen,” Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Apple grew 29 per cent annually, shipping 47.8 million smartphones worldwide in Q4, and 136 million in all of 2012, according to Strategy Analytics.

Overall, global smartphone shipments grew 38 per cent annually, totalling 217 million units in Q4 2012 from 157 million units a year earlier, the research firm said. For the full year, smartphone shipments reached a record 700 million units, increasing from 490.5 million units in 2011. Shipment growth slowed from 64 per cent in 2011 to 43 per cent in 2012 as smartphone penetration began to mature in developed regions like North America and Western Europe.

In other news, recent research from IDC revealed that while Samsung and Apple lead the market, Huawei and ZTE both made gains to earn a spot among the top five smartphone vendors in Q4.

by Angela Moscaritolo

Apple today released iOS 6.1, which adds LTE support for more carriers and the ability to purchase Fandango movie tickets via Siri for US users, among other things.

“iOS 6 is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and with nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in a statement. “iOS 6.1 brings LTE support to more markets around the world, so even more users can enjoy ultrafast Safari browsing, FaceTime video calls, iCloud services, and iTunes and App Store downloads.”

The update adds 36 iPhone carriers and 23 iPad carriers to the list of those that support LTE, something Apple CEO Tim Cook first tipped during an earnings call last week. LTE is available on iPhone 5 and the cellular versions of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad.

LTE will now be available from carriers in regions like Italy, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, the Philippines, and several Middle Eastern countries, Cook said last week. A full list of those carriers is available on Apple’s website.

Meanwhile, users with a Siri-enhanced iOS device will be able to purchase movie tickets via the Fandango app using Apple’s voice assistant, but only in the US. On the music front, iTunes Match subscribers will also be able to download individual songs from iCloud.

In addition, Apple said iOS 6.1 adds a new button to reset its Advertising Identifier, which controls how your Web activity on the iOS device is shared with advertisers. You can find it via Settings > General > About > Advertising.

To see if iOS 6.1 is available for your phone, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update. The update requires at least 1GB of storage to download and will take about a half hour over Wi-Fi. You can also connect your device to your PC and download via iTunes.

Your device will need to reboot once the update is installed. You will then have to re-enter your Apple ID credentials for iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime purposes.

by Chloe Albanesius

Riding on the heels of the recent U.S. lawsuit against Google for Safari tracking, Apple users in the U.K. have now launched their own similar case against the Web giant.

Peeved that their online privacy was violated, roughly a dozen people are suing Google in a class action suit, according to The Guardian. The case alleges that Google secretly tracked their Internet habits via cookies in theSafari Web browser. The lawsuit revolves around the way Google may have sidestepped Apple’s security settings on the iPhone, iPad, and desktop versions of Safari.

“This is the first time Google has been threatened with a group claim over privacy in the U.K.,” Dan Tench, a lawyer at the London-based firm Olswang that is representing the plaintiffs, told The Guardian. “It is particularly concerning how Google circumvented security settings to snoop on its users. One of the things about Google is that it is so ubiquitous in our lives and if that’s its approach then it’s quite concerning.”

The plaintiffs want Google to say how it used the information it allegedly got its hands on, according to The Guardian. Additionally, they want to know how much of their personal data was supposedly taken and over what period of time. They are suing Google for breaches of confidence and privacy, computer misuse and trespassing, and breach of the Data Protection Act of 1998.

In November, a U.S. judge agreed to fine Google $22.5 million in a similar case. In this suit, the Federal Trade Commission also claimed that the Web company illegally bypassed user privacy settings in Safari. The FTC and Google previously reached a settlement in August when the company agreed that it “placed an advertising tracking cookie on the computers of Safari users who visited sites within Google’s DoubleClick advertising network.”

At that time, Google said it takes privacy very seriously and that it didn’t intentionally sidestep Safari’s default settings.

According to The Guardian, damages in this suit could be in the millions since the U.K. has 10 million people who use the applicable Apple products and could sign on as plaintiffs.

CNET contacted Google for comment. We’ll update the story when we get more information.

Apple have now released the latest version of their operating system, iOS 6.1, for the iPad and iPhone. The important question is what new features does iOS 6.1 bring to Apple devices ?

Well, the major new addition is support for more 4G LTE networks worldwide with another 36 carriers now supported which brings the total number up to 56. However, this is pretty irrelevant to UK users because the smartphone was already supported on EE’s 4G network.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth updating because the update also includew a number of other important additions. One such addition is the option to download individual tracks from iMatch , which was strangely removed in iOS 6.

Apple have also added a new button to reset the “Advertising Identifier” which is what advertisers use to bombard users with targeted adverts. You’ll now be able to reset the data , as well as having the option to opt-out of receiving targeted adverts.

US users will also now be able to use Siri to book cinema tickets thanks to the Fandango application.  In essence users will now be able to order tickets using their voice alone, which is surely a sign of things to come.

iOS 6.1 also includes a number of security and bug fixes which are always an important inclusion in any operating system update. While, the overall speed and reliability of the operating system has also been improved.

iOS 6.1 is available to download right now on the iPhone 3GS and later and the iPad 2 and later. As always 3G recommends you backup your data before installing the update in-case anything goes wrong.

By Simon D Thomas

Open Roads Films announced this week that its Steve Jobs biopic jOBS will hit theatres 19 April – the same month that Apple will celebrate its 37th anniversary.

The Ashton Kutcher-led film will debut at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and serve as the closing-night film of the week-long event in Park City, Utah.

The biopic chronicles Jobs’ rise from college dropout to exalted entrepreneur and household name. Or, as Five Star Feature Films put it: “The film covers Jobs from his early years as an impressionable youth and wayward hippie, through his initial successes and infamous ousting, to his storybook return and ultimate triumphs as a man who set out to change the world and did just that.”

Principal photography for jOBS began last summer, shooting early scenes in the actual Los Altos, California house and garage that played an instrumental role in Jobs’ early Silicon Valley life. The ‘Apple Garage’ was the site where Jobs and Steve Wozniak assembled much of the first 50-unit order for Apple-1 computers in 1977.

The same locale is featured on the film’s website, which currently reads “What emerges from this garage will change the world forever,” above the 19 April release date. Interested fans can sign up to receive emailed production updates from the studio.

“[The movie] will shed new light on Steve Jobs’ most defining and personal moments, motivations, and the people that drove him,” Five Star said.

One of those people is creative partner and Apple co-founder Wozniak, played by Josh Gad from Broadway’s Book of Mormon.

Kutcher and Gad made their first appearance as their famous alter-egos in the minute-long clip released by Five Star this. The two can be seen walking through a parking garage, talking tech, and sparking the initial idea of an operating system and the personal computer.

Helmed by relative Hollywood newcomers Joshua Michael Stern and Matt Whiteley, the film also stars Dermot Mulroney, James Woods, Matthew Modine and J.K. Simmons.

But there’s one more thing: A second Steve Jobs flick is in development, penned by The West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin, who proved that he can wholly encapsulate a real-life tech tycoon with 2010′s The Social Network.

Sony Pictures confirmed in May that Sorkin is writing a screenplay that will turn Walter Isaacson’s biography of the Apple’s late CEO, Steve Jobs, into a feature film. There have been no details about a release date or casting announcements for that movie.

by Stephanie Mlot,

Shortly after the launch of the original iPhone in 2007, it was clear that Apple had a certifiable hit on its hands. It was the first smartphone that earned the name – the first mobile device that could put a smile on your face just by doing its job. But more recently the news has brought stories of production cuts and muted reactions to new devices. The iPhone is still a great phone, but little by little those smiles from 2007 are going away. Let’s take a look at how Apple can turn those frowns upside down.

Hardware

It seems like Apple is adept at setting trends, but not so good at recognising them when the market is moved by its competitors. The current and on-going increase in screen size is the most prominent example.

The company used a 3.5in display until 2012, when it bumped it up to 3.99in on the iPhone 5. It was the right move in spirit, but completely wrong in execution. The screen didn’t get wider at all – just a little taller. This doesn’t make reading or web browsing any better, and the device feels odd because of its stretched proportions. In fact, the software barely takes advantage of it. It almost felt spiteful, like Apple was giving the unwashed masses the larger screen they craved, but at the same time the company was refusing to do anything useful with it.

It’s time Apple reacted to the trend towards larger screens that don’t adhere to Cupertino’s strictly defined ideas about ergonomics. When you look at a device like the Galaxy S3, it’s clear that you can make a phone with a big display that doesn’t end up being unwieldy. A somewhat larger panel needs to happen. A well-designed 4.3in LCD with a thin bezel could work perfectly, and if it’s higher resolution to match the new 1080p Android phones, that’s all the better.

Apple’s proprietary connectors have also become increasingly tiresome as other platforms have standardised on micro-USB. You don’t need to worry about buying expensive cabling just to charge your phone with Android or Windows Phone, but Apple just moved from one proprietary standard to another.

The Lightning connector does some stuff well, such as video output. The reversible plug is also neat, but it’s kind of silly to force users into this in the first place. Apple would get massive amounts of goodwill if the next iPhone at least came with a simple micro-USB adapter bundled. Why not just let users charge their phones with the most common type of phone connector. Including the existing 30-pin adapter is also a possible solution (people have plenty of those around). Apple doesn’t have to stop using Lightning, but £25 for every phone charger is ludicrous.

If Apple continues to follow the tick-tock style of incremental change it has thus far, the next iPhone is going to be a 5S instead of an iPhone 6. That would be a serious error. A spec bump isn’t going to bring the iPhone back to the forefront of the smartphone market.

Software

However, where Cupertino needs to focus most of its attention is the software experience. Why? The iOS platform is the most outdated of any modern OS. Even if you haven’t touched an iPhone in years, you can pick up and use an iPhone 5 with little issue – and that, believe it or not, is a problem. Keeping things consistent to reduce confusion among existing users is certainly something to consider, but it comes at the expense of innovation.

The iPhone’s home screen is so far behind the times it’s almost embarrassing to see Apple still relying on it. The grid of icons is easy, and maybe it made sense when touchscreen interactions with a smartphone were new, but it’s far too limited now.

The iPhone home screen shows no contextual information – even the weather icon is completely static. There is no easy way to sort through your app icons either. You’re left to tediously move them from one screen to the next until you have the apps you use most where you can get at them, and the non-deletable stock apps are shoved off in a folder someplace. Apple absolutely has to rethink the way the home screen works in iOS. It’s the primary way most users interact with the phone, and it’s way behind the competition.

Keeping the home screen simple has also crowded important features into less accessible places. For example, the settings menu for iOS hasn’t gotten any more convenient to use in the last six years. Actually, as more features are added, it’s only gotten more congested. Digging down three levels to toggle a radio button is bizarre when you should just be able to do it from the home screen.

Basically, Apple needs better sorting of apps, and a widget framework – even if it’s limited in scope.

In the same way the simple grid of icons might have made sense when capacitive touchscreens were new, skeuomorphic design helped people get used to a digital environment. Replicating a piece of paper, leather stitching, or a 3D button surface has become a little cheesy, though. I don’t think anyone is impressed by it anymore, and Apple should work on a more mature design language for its chrome before iOS starts looking outright foolish.

Perhaps the biggest bit of negative press Apple got last year was related to Apple Maps. Even if Apple has to buy its own fleet of satellites, it cannot release another device without fixing the issues in Maps. This is the kind of product that should never have gotten past the testing phase. I have to believe Steve Jobs would have refused to release Maps in the state it was in if he was still around. The mea culpa from Tim Cook a few months ago was nice, but it’s time to spend some of that massive cash reserve to make Maps better.

Unlike some of the competition, Apple makes both the hardware and the software in order to put out one monolithic device per year. There are some things that won’t change, and this is probably one of them. Apple is the iPhone – it just needs to make it better. Apple and the iPhone aren’t going anywhere, but 2012 was the first time the iPhone became just another smartphone. The device is still selling briskly right now, but the time to correct your course is not after you’ve hit the iceberg. The time is now.

For further thoughts on the future of the iPhone, have a look at this article: Could a budget iPhone mini help Apple regain smartphone supremacy?

by Ryan Whitwam

A US court has approved the sale of Kodak’s digital-imaging patents to a group of technology interests which include Apple, Microsoft, and Google.

The other members of the collection that bought Kodak’s patents include Adobe, Research In Motion, Samsung, a unit of HTC, Fujifilm, Facebook, Huawei, a unit of Amazon, and Shutterfly – which purchased Kodak’s online photo services last year for $23.8 million (£14.8 million).

The $527 million (£328 million) deal, which should take about 45 days to close, was settled for much less than the company wanted, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Kodak originally hoped to take home $2 billion (£1.2 billion). As a result, Judge Allan Gropper of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan called the deal “disappointing.”

“The amount in transactions, which are complicated and integrated, are the highest and best value available to the debtors,” said a Kodak lawyer.

The sale of 1,100 Kodak patents is expected to help the company pull itself out of bankruptcy in the first half of 2013. The patents include 700 related to digital camera LCD viewfinders and 400 for image capture and manipulation and network-based services.

“With the Court’s approval of the sale of our digital imaging patent portfolio, we have achieved one of Kodak’s key restructuring objectives, while positioning our Commercial Imaging business for further growth and success, and enabling Kodak to repay a substantial amount of its initial lending,” a company spokesman said.

On 19 January, 2012, the famed photography and film brand announced that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as well as sue Samsung for patent infringement in an attempt to restructure debt.

“After considering the advantages of Chapter 11 at this time, the board of directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak,” CEO Antonio Perez said last January.

In August, Kodak announced that it would sell its film business. A month later, the company cut 1,000 jobs.

In the year since, Kodak has fought an ongoing battle with Apple over digital imaging patents, with both companies claiming they owned the patents in question. Kodak reported $3 billion (£1.9 billion) in earnings from licensing the patents, while Apple said it owns 10 of the patents due to work the businesses conducted together in the 1990s.

by Stephanie Mlot

Size and weight

Both the Apple iPad mini and Amazon Kindle Fire HD fall into the 7in tablet category. Apple’s reduced form factor offering has nearly an inch more screen real estate, measuring 7.9in, while the the Fire HD falls more stiffly in line with its segment, sizing up at exactly 7in. The iPad mini’s classic minimalist design is typical of its iconic manufacturer: measuring just 7.2mm in depth and weighing just 308g, it’s the kind of super-svelte product we expect from Jony Ive and his team. The more utilitarian Fire HD is a fair bit chunkier, with a girth of 10.3mm and a weight of 395g – extra heft that could prove a bit taxing if you’re planning long reading sessions.

Display

Apple’s iPad mini has been roundly hailed as an instant classic since its October 2012 launch, though its display has attracted some muted criticism. Fanboys clearly hoped the device would feature the Cupertino-based firm’s famed Retina standard - an iPad mini with Retina is rumoured for later this year – but it falls short of this expectation with a resolution of ‘only’ 1,024 x 768 pixels at 163ppi. The Kindle Fire HD’s smaller screen packs superior specifications: its 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution features a density of 216ppi. Both displays are built on IPS LCD technology.

Storage and memory

Apple’s iPad mini features a full range of options for content hoarders: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models are available. The Kindle Fire HD comes in 16GB and 32GB iterations. Neither device features a memory card slot, so media-first consumers are advised to consider their on-board storage needs wisely and purchase accordingly, though price obviously becomes an issue with the more capacious Apple products. With regards to memory, teardowns of the iPad mini have put its RAM at just 512MB. Although that’s not not much memory compared to most Android tablets, our iPad mini review notes that it “never feels slow or underpowered.” The Kindle Fire HD packs a more standard 1GB of RAM that should confidently handle most tasks.

Processor and battery

Apple’s A5 chipset, as used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, features a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU with an estimated clock speed of 1.5GHz, complemented by a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU. The Kindle Fire HD sports a TI OMAP 4460 SoC under the hood, also based around a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, though with a lower clock speed of 1.2GHz. The Power VR SGX540 GPU used in the Fire HD is outdated to say the least – it’s found on ancient smartphones like 2010′s Samsung Galaxy S and 2011′s Galaxy Nexus. Actual performance obviously can’t be measured by specifacation alone, but on paper this is a clear win for the iPad mini – even though its processor is nearly two years old itself. With regards to battery life, there’s little to choose between the two: both devices are thought to pack 4,440 mAh batteries, with run time of up to 10 hours and 11 hours for the iPad and Kindle respectively.

Software

Apple’s latest mobile platform, iOS 6, seems to have found its feet after a disasterous debut headlined by the Apple Maps debacle. The new OS is every bit the slick, user friendly experience people have come to expect, and one of the benefits of Apple’s fiercely proprietary ecosystem is that updates come instantly. The Kindle Fire HD is a very different proposition, running a heavily modified version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s unrecognisable from stock ICS and features a bevy of potential annoyances: unless you buy your way out of it, advertising is fed to you at a number of turns, including the lock screen. You’re tied to the Amazon ecosystem, too, so there’s no Play store access, and the hugely customised nature of the Fire HD’s OS means that updates are going to be scarce, if they exist at all. Android fans are certainly going to find plenty to take issue with on the Kindle Fire HD and should probably stick with the Nexus 7, but even non-nerds are likely to find iOS 6 a more pleasant overall experience.

Camera

The Kindle Fire HD provides a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera capable of 720p video. Apple’s iPad mini ups the ante considerably, packing in a 5-megapixel rear camera in addition its 1.2-megapixel front snapper. The rear camera can shoot Full HD (1080p) video, and while a device nigh on 8in isn’t the most appropriate photography device in our opinion, users who see the additional capabilities as important will probably lean towards the Cupertino firm’s offering.

Connectivity and wireless

If it’s cellular connectivity you’re after, the iPad mini is the only way to go: not only will Apple’s mini-tablet link you up with 3G networks, but you’ll also be able to enjoy high-speed 4G LTE if you sign up with EE - £15.99 a month on a rolling contract with 5GB data allowance. The Kindle Fire HD is tied to Wi-Fi for the time being, but comes up trumps with regards to input/output offerings, sporting a micro-USB port and an HDMI socket. Apple favours its proprietary Lightning port over the former and lacks the latter entirely. Extras like NFC, which are increasingly common on smartphones, aren’t really as relevant on tablets and both devices lack the technology.

Price and opinion

There’s little question that the iPad mini is a superior product compared to the Kindle Fire HD, featuring a nippier processor, two cameras, better software, and 4G LTE compatibility. Given it’s an Apple product, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that these features – especially 4G – come at a premium. For £269, you’ll get a basic Wi-Fi-only iPad mini with 16GB of onboard storage, with a £100 jump to £369 if you want cellular connectivity as well. A fuller package featuring 32GB of onboard storage and the option of 3G and 4G clocks in at the considerably dearer sum of £449, while the full monty – 64GB and cellular –  will run you £529. It’s definitely tagged well ahead of the competition and only Apple could get away with this kind of borderline charlatan approach to pricing. Ethics aside, it’s still probably worth it.

The Kindle Fire HD, on the other hand, falls in line with the Android competition at a budget-friendly £159 and £199 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. It’s not without its merits – its sharp display is a particular strength, and an HDMI port is hugely desirable – but for us it’s difficult to look past the deficiencies in the software department. Frankly, we just wouldn’t pay be tied to ICS forever, have no Play Store access, and be held to ransom by advertisements. Critics who claim the Kindle Fire HD is little more than an Amazon store you can physically hold are being unkind – but they’re not far wrong, either. As far as Android tablets go, the Google Nexus 7 is still top dog.

	Apple iPad mini	Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Display
Screen size	7.9in	7in
Resolution	1,024 x 768 pixels	1,280 x 800 pixels
Pixel density	163ppi	216ppi
Type	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Processor and battery
Family	Apple A5	TI OMAP 4460
CPU	ARM Cortex-A9	ARM Cortex-A9
Cores	Dual-core	Dual-core
Clock speed	1.5GHz	1.2GHz
GPU	PowerVR SGX543MP2	PowerVR SGX540
Battery	4,400 mAh	4,400 mAh
Claimed life	Up to 10h	Up to 11h
Storage and memory
RAM	512MB	1GB
Internal storage	16GB / 32GB / 64GB	16GB / 32GB
Card slot	No	No
Camera
Rear	5-megapixel	No
Front	1.2-megapixel	1.3-megapixel
Video	1080p	720p
Wireless
Cellular	4G LTE	No
Wi-Fi	802.11 a / b / g / n	802.11 a / b / g / n
NFC	No	No
Bluetooth	v4.0	v3.0
Connectivity
Charging	Lightning port	MicroUSB
HDMI	No	Yes
Dimensions
Size	200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm	193 x 137 x 10.3mm
Weight	308g / 312g	395g
Operating System	iOS 6	Android 4.0
Price	Wi-Fi / Wi-Fi + Cellular 16GB: £269 / £369 32GB: £349 / £449 64GB: £429 / £529	16GB: £159 32GB: £199

by James Laird,

TomTom’s iPhone app continues to offer highly accurate navigation and the most informative display on the market. The company’s HD traffic plug-in and celebrity voice packs also remain big draws, although both cost extra as in-app purchases. The problem is, the competition has caught up and surpassed TomTom’s app in many ways – and the likes of quality free solutions, such as Google Maps (freshly reintroduced to the iPhone), make TomTom’s £27 asking price especially difficult to stomach.

User interface

I tested TomTom on an Apple iPhone 5 running iOS 6.0.2. The app boots quickly to a main menu that lets you navigate to a destination, modify your route options (if one is already in progress), browse the map, plan multi-segment routes, or change settings. Tap the Navigate To button, and you’ll see options for navigating to your home, favourites, recent destinations, specific street addresses, and so on. You can also navigate directly to contact addresses, geotagged photo locations, coordinates, or points on a map as well.

For the most part, keying in street addresses was a smooth process in my tests. Just as with the company’s standalone navigation devices, you input the city first, followed by the street name, and then the street number.

Searching for points of interest (POI) is also standard fare. However, TomTom’s POI database isn’t the greatest, and the category breakdown continues to make little sense. Food stores, hardware stores, electronics stores, and more are all lumped together in one overcrowded category labelled “shop,” while there are dozens of top-level categories for things like veterinarians, water sports, tennis courts, and tourist information offices, which is misguided to say the least. Another issue: TomTom has removed its Google local search feature, so it’s not possible to get around the internal POI database anymore as you could in earlier versions of the app.

Performance

Once on the road, TomTom’s app is easy to use but not particularly attractive, with bland graphics and choppy animation that’s more reminiscent of a three-year-old standalone GPS. That said, TomTom still leads the pack when it comes to displaying route information. You get all manner of data across the bottom of the screen, all of which updates in real-time.

The main display shows the current street, the next turn off, how far away it is, your current speed, the speed limit of the current road, and the estimated time remaining, distance remaining, and estimated arrival time. You also get 3D lane assistance views, which help with complex motorway or inner city street layouts, although TomTom’s iPhone 5 optimisations missed this screen, as it’s blurry and appears with black bars to either side.

One annoyance is that clearing a route still takes three taps on three separate screens, which is at least two too many. Rival Garmin, in contrast, offers a clear “End Trip” button at the bottom right at all times. That makes it easy to end navigation if you’re looking for a parking spot near your destination, or decide mid-route that you no longer need guidance. The latter is a common occurrence if you’re coming back from a new place and need navigation just to get to a major motorway, at which point you know the rest of the way home.

In a series of route tests, TomTom performed exactly as expected, which is to say very well. The company’s IQ Routes feature adapts estimated arrival times and matches them to real-world data collected from drivers. Combined with daily Map Share updates, which you can download right from the phone, TomTom’s app is arguably more “plugged in” to current road conditions than the competition.

Voice prompts were clear, crisp, and loud. They were also well timed, and the app pronounced street names correctly in almost all cases. TomTom 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, with options for the likes of Homer or Mr Burns from the Simpsons, or Darth Vader or Yoda from Star Wars.

The HD traffic plug-in deserves a special mention. It places a bar on the right side of the screen that represents traffic conditions for your route along the way. It’s very impressive, and the traffic readouts update very frequently, and always accurately reported what was ahead – even on secondary routes, which was a nice surprise.

In one particular case, it insisted I exit a normally empty motorway earlier than usual. As I thought, “nah, let me ignore it and see what happens,” right past the exit, I saw brake lights as everyone ahead came to a stop. I exited just in time. The only downside is that HD traffic is an in-app purchase so you’ll be paying extra for the service.

Verdict

All told, TomTom remains a solid GPS app, but it’s getting on in age, certainly in terms of its appearance and clumsy POI searches. Also, the choppy animation is far from ideal, and the removal of Google local search is a real downer. Celebrity voices and the HD traffic plug-in are smart features, but you have to pay extra for these on top of the basic £27 asking price. The trouble is, aside from slightly less efficient routing (for driving, at least) and a less informative display, you’ll likely be just fine with Google Maps on the iPhone, and that doesn’t cost a penny.

by Jamie Lendino