The Samsung Galaxy Note II is already one of our favourite devices (see our review here), and now it becomes even better value. Samsung Electronics SA has partnered with Garmin Southern Africa to offer the Garmin Navigon navigation app on all Samsung Galaxy Note II devices  at no additional cost.

“We are thrilled with this partnership as it provides our Galaxy Note II users with the ability to experience true turn-by-turn navigation on their mobile devices without needing to be connected to the internet resulting in extended battery life and reduced data costs,” says Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa.

The NAVIGON by Garmin application is currently available for download from the Samsung Apps store, for the Galaxy Note II. Once the app is installed, users only need to download all the available local maps once – through their Wi-Fi connection – to get a complete navigation solution on-the-go. As the app relies on the device’s GPS receiver as well as the pre-loaded maps, full function navigation is enabled without the need forany internet connectivity. Furthermore, new Galaxy Note II devices will soon come out with the NAVIGON application pre-loaded.

The additional benefit of the once-off download is that route changes will often be taken into account faster, since route calculation will be done on the device without being dependant on network coverage.

Included are on-board NAVTEQ maps of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia. Furthermore, the following features can be found through this application:

• 2D & 3D map view
• Turn-by-turn voice guidance
• Intelligent Address Search
• Power Saving Mode
• Weather Live
• NAVIGON MyRoutes: recommends the best route every time, adapted to your personal driving style.
• NAVIGON Reality View Pro: thanks to photo-realistic displays of exits and the actual junction number, you’ll be able to follow the signs.
• Last Mile & Pedestrian Navigation: guides you along the last meters of your journey to your destination after parking your vehicle.
• Google Local Search: users have instant access to the most up to date point of interest (POI) search results**
• Google Street View: Shows real pictures of the destination and its surrounding, where Google Street View is available. This feature requires an online connection mobile network coverage and data charges may apply**
• Further features include navigation to contacts, coordinate input, automatic day and night mode and much more.

Additional premium features and services allow users to customise GARMIN’s NAVIGON app to meet their specific navigation needs. Three premium packages are available and can easily be added to the application by using the in-app purchase feature:

1.           The Safety & Relax Package (R156.00): provides Lane Assistant Pro, Red Light Camera Warnings, School Zones and Speed Warnings.

2.           The Sound & Fun Package (R104.00): adds text-to-speech, announcing street names in addition to directions, and International Voices with different dialects, to lighten up the journey.

3.           The Cockpit Package (R53.00): displays relevant driving data in real time on a cockpit-like screen. Captured data includes gForce (current and maximum value), speed, horizontal and vertical position, and an adjustable speed and altitude graph.

4.           The Super Package (R312.00): includes the Safety & Relax, the Sound & Fun and the Cockpit Package at once.

“This partnership with Garmin ensures that our customers have the best possible turn-by-turn navigation experience on one of the most innovative mobile devices in the market today,” concludes Fleischer.