Navigation Shortcuts is a nifty app for your Windows Phone 8 device that lets you create...well...navigation shortcuts. The shortcuts will launch whatever navigation app is installed on your Windows Phone and create turn by turn directions to get you to where you need to go.
You can pin shortcut tiles for your destination to your Start Screen, launch navigation shortcuts with voice commands or tap on a destination within the app to launch directions.
While there's not much to Navigational Shortcuts, it's a handy app to have by giving you quick access to your navigational needs.
Navigation Shortcuts' main pages include a "History Page" that shows your shortcuts, a "New Page" that lists your most recently created shortcuts, a page listing of other apps from the developer and a "Menu Page".
From the Menu Page you can create a new destination and access Navigation Shortcuts settings. Settings include turning on/off your location services and backing up your shortcuts on Skydrive.
Adding a destination is done by a map search or manually entering the longitude and latitude of the destination. In using the map search you can scroll around the map, search it by keyword or tap the "me" button and use your current location. Tapping the map destination automatically fills the long/lat fields on the new destination page.
Once you have the destination fields complete, you can add a custom photo for the shortcuts thumbnail and a custom icon. From there all you have to do is tap "Save Location" and you're done.
Once created, the navigation shortcut will appear on your History and New pages. Just tap on the thumbnail to launch your navigation app and have turn by turn directions generated. Navigation Shortcuts will work with any navigation app that uses the Microsoft drive-to app launching standard. On the Nokia Lumia 920, the app launches Nokia Drive and on the Samsung ATIV Odyssey, Verizon's Navigator is used.
Tapping and holding on the thumbnail pulls up a menu that will let you pin the shortcut to your Start Screen, edit the destination, delete the shortcut or initiate navigation.
Navigation Shortcuts also supports voice commands. Just hold the Home button and say, "Navigate" and your destinations name. Your navigation app will launch with directions listed for that particular destination.
Navigation Shortcuts is a nice, somewhat simple, Windows Phone 8 app to create quick and easily accessible navigation shortcuts. When traveling you can create a shortcut to your hotel, where you parked your car, or simply create one for your home address for easy access.
There is a trial version available for Navigation Shortcuts and the full version is currently running $1.29. You can find Navigation Shortcuts here in the (opens in new tab) Windows Phone Store.
