Wayfinder Navigator 8 review

The Wayfinder software and website is a unique approach to satellite navigation that takes advantage of your mobile phone, as long as you have a fast GPRS or 3G connection.

As such, the software is dependent on your phone for its display, controls and features, and is hard to compare with traditional standalone satnavs.

The price quoted here includes a Bluetooth GPS receiver and one year's subscription, but if you already have a GPS-equipped mobile phone you need only pay £40 per year for the software. However, this includes maps only for the UK and Ireland; the rest of Europe costs an extra £20. If you're travelling abroad, you can pay another £20 for North America, South East Asia or Southern Africa, giving you the flexibility to pay just for what you need. Maps are downloaded on demand for a particular journey, in order to get the latest version, so you'll need to factor data costs into the overall price. Maps can be cached on your phone to reduce repeat download charges, though.

All the extras soon add up. Traffic information, premium weather services, city guides and even speed camera alerts are all available separately for an extra annual fee. Bundles are available that reduce the cost over a longer subscription period, but if you opt for everything you'll be paying over £100 per year.

We tested the Navigator software on a Nokia E60 phone, which has a 352x416-pixel screen and no built-in GPS receiver. Once the software was installed, it was easy to pair the phone with the Bluetooth receiver. The GPS signal was unreliable, though, and we occasionally had to reconnect the phone to the software to get it to work. However, with the right positioning, the receiver picked up a signal in less than a minute and happily worked inside a coat pocket.

The interface was clear and the voice directions were precise. There are points of interest, including petrol stations and train stations, and you can add extra categories. Oddly, though, street names aren't shown on the map. Recalculating a route after a missed turn took a couple of seconds, and the slow screen update speed didn't compare well to dedicated satnavs. Calculating routes was quick, with a short route within London taking seven seconds, and a route to Edinburgh 25 seconds.

It's advisable to use the Wayfinder website for entering and managing Favourites, as these are instantly available on your phone and let you enter new routes more quickly. The website also lets you report problems with the maps, but the software doesn't include a roadblock-avoidance system.

Wayfinder Navigator is an interesting idea, but it lacks the features found on dedicated satnavs, while its performance and interface are dependent on your phone. If you have a GPS-enabled 3G phone it's an inexpensive option, but the Binatone Carrera X350 is a better choice for £70, as it isn't subscription-based.