OK.. I have not really gone out of my way to recommend many pieces of software for the iPhone.. but I can gladly say that Navigon is one of those.

First off.. why GPS on my Phone?  Especially when I have it built in to my vehicle.. my wife’s vehicle..and a stand alone GPS unit for my Motorhome?

While I love the GPS application in my truck, it makes things extra handy.. the Navigon software is just so much better than my Pioneer deck . Sorry.. it just is.  I do use my truck Navigation when in my truck.. but so many times I have found myself in need of navigation and I am not in my vehicle.  So many times I have been on a vacation or a business trip that GPS comes in handy.  Normally (if I forget to bring mine).. GPS rental is $10 a day for a rental car.  That quickly lets this thing pay for itself in a matter of a couple trips.

I do have to say the POI search flow on Navigon leaves a bit to be desired.. but it does work.  As I read before.. someone suggested to spend some time with it.  Other than that, routes seem great, arrival times are almost always dead on.. and the guidance is amazingly accurate for a phone.  Check that.. just fantastic.. who cares if it is a phone.  It just works.

I had the AT&T navigator prior to this.. and at $10 a month, it was really a good service.  The problem I had was access when you don’t have signal.  That was bothersome for me.  I find Navigon and it’s 1.4GB download solves this.  :)

Anyway.. I’d just say get this app.  It is fantastic.  worth the money when you are in a pinch.  (but you will want to have it already to go since it won’t download OTA like the AT&T one will)

I have spent a couple weeks playing with Qik, the live streaming application available on Jailbroken iPhones.  I do have to say that overall, I am impressed.

I think one of the coolest features is the ability for people from the web to chat live with you while you are recording.  (if you are paying attention to that little box on the screen)  Honestly I have not done any live family feeds yet to othe family members, but that is where it would really come in handy.

Another great feature is the ability to send a notification to Twitter that you are broadcasting live.  That is quite cool.

Finally, the best thing so far from a technical standpoint has to be the fact that you can not only do this on WiFi, but on 3G it works quite well, and even on edge it will buffer your stream and eventually upload the entire movie.  Not great for those watching live.. but you get your video. Quite impressive.

I am sure over time these apps will only get better.  I’d love to see this app hacked and installed on one of those little Flip Cameras.  That’d be WAY better.  The camera on the iPhone is the main cause for crappy video.. no amount of software can compensate for that. 

Here is a sample clip from a hockey game.