I have been using the AT&T Navigator powered by TeleNav for the past three months.

The TeleNav is an assisted GPS solution offered by MNOs to their subscribers for a monthly fee, generally about $9.99 per month.

I was able to get a free six-month review account.

Installation
Installation was a snap on the two phones I used it with, since both of them, an LG eXpo and an HP iPAQ Glisten - and has virtually all AT&T smartphones - had the TeleNav software installed.

Activating TeleNav is as simple as starting the program, entering your phone number, a confirmation code, and there you are.

TeleNav in use
Start up TeleNav, accept the warning and liability for using it while driving, and then enter the address of your destination.

Easy.

In use, TeleNav Navigator is relatively quick, and works well.

I have used it as an adjunct to the in-car nav systems in the rigs I drive. It worked.

Cons
The cost. The use of TeleNav requires a $10 fee per month…in perpetuity. This open-endedness means that over the course of an average 2-year cellphone contract, the cost of TeleNav is $240.00 or thereabouts. Now think of how many standalone GPS devices you can actually buy for that amount.

Battery life. The use of assisted GPS, means that when TeleNav is in use, there is an open link from the phone to the AT&T mothership during that whole period of time.

Doesn’t seem like much, but the effect on battery life is profound: battery life is cut to a quarter or worse. With the LG eXpo, battery life was cut to approximately 40 minutes, and the iPAQ had its battery life cut to about 45 minutes.

This borders on the unacceptable. As it means that the use of the TeleNav requires that whatever device is running on be tethered to a power source.

As a result, while we do agree that this is a good product, unless there is some price ‘normalization’, and something done to mitigate the battery drain, we can only recommend its use in dire circumstances. Ad hoc too.

Resources used

• HP iPAQ Glisten
• LG eXpo
• 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 <- Courtesy of Maybach of Westminster
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL450
• 2010 Saturn Outlook <- Rental car, traipsed through western Ohio in it.

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