Review: Confused.com’s parking app – Android version
I’ve recently been given the chance to take the new Confused.com parking app for a test drive, so here’s how it handles (sorry).
As with all driving-related apps, it’s probably best to use this app before you set off on your journey rather than be fiddling around with it while you’re driving. It’s ideal for finding car parks in areas that you’re not too familiar with, so would be great for holidays, visiting distant relatives, or for people who travel a lot to different locations with work.
It geolocates very efficiently if you want it to show your current location on a map (great if you’re feeling a little lost, or you want directions from A to B), or it can look up street names or postcodes for you. You have the option to view the search results – the names of the car parks and the two-hourly rates – on a map or as a list.
One of the parts of town I tested the app in had one car park charging £2.00 for two hours, and one street away the nearest car park was charging a socking £14.50 for two hours, so that’s quite a hefty potential saving you could make. If you were doing your Christmas shopping and staying all day, for example, it can really add up.
Tap on the name to get the following details: fuller price listings, disabled spaces, presence of CCTV, park & ride facilities, ability to pay electronically, public toilets, baby changing facilities, and total number of spaces. It’s possible to filter your search if any of these facilities are essential to you.
Once you’ve chosen your car park, you then have the following options: ‘get directions’ (print or voice-guided navigation, via Google Maps Navigation), ‘set a parking timer’ (no fines for getting back late!), and ‘share location’ (for use if you are meeting friends, to send text/email/Bluetooth).
Some minor ‘cons’: I tested the android version of the app on a Samsung Galaxy Ace, and found that it ran more slowly than its iPhone counterpart, although this was not a major issue. The app can not currently tell you when any given car park is full – if this functionality could somehow be added to later versions, that would be fantastic.
To sum up: This app is free, and it’s simple and easy to use. It could potentially save you a lot of money, especially if you need to use paid car parking on a regular basis. Appears to work best on newer phones with more processing power.
If you’d like a free copy of the app yourself, the Android and iPhone versions can be found on the Confused website’s app page.
