US tech blog Engadget has done a head to head of GPS navigation and maps of the leading contenders in the US, namely Google Maps, Ovi Maps and VZ Navigator for Windows Mobile and Blackberry. Google Maps comes out on top with some very strange caveats (“if you're staying domestic and won't need to be navigating out of any coverage gaps, its hard to find fault in Google Nav”) but it's worth reading the whole article to get a balanced view.

Apart from the strange right turn in the final paragraph to give the award to Google Maps (please discuss, politely, in the comments!) Ovi maps comes out very well:

Which is for you depends largely on where you're going. While Google's offering will get you from place to place in a pinch if you're outside of the US, it certainly won't make it easy, and if you're worried about international roaming charges it may not be a good choice. There's also the whole "no connection = no route" problem that you may encounter. Nokia's ability to work anywhere in the world and to do so without data makes it the choice for globetrotters or those who need the most reliable navigation in places with unreliable networks.

It’s worth nothing that the recent change to Ovi Maps to make it completely free has reminded many markets that not only is Nokia still in the game, but could be seen as leading the mapping and navigation field now. we’ve got more talk about this on the original news post, or you can read the Engadget write up in full, first.