OffMaps, Maps without the cost!

OffMaps (US$2.99), is your new travel companion. OffMaps is another GPS map application, which is dominated by the big guns of the navigation industry. This clever little app was created by Felix Lamouroux (CurlyBrackets). With OffMaps, you do not need to pay top dollar for hundreds of megabytes worth of maps, but rather the very minor price of the app, and download (for free) the maps which you actually want!

You may or may not be wondering how all this actually works. I know I was. OffMaps sources its maps from OpenStreetMap (openstreetmap.org) - which dubs itself as "a free editable map of the whole world." Essentially, OpenStreetMap is the Wikipedia of maps, allowing users to freely edit it as needed. However, because of this, OpenStreetMap may not have detailed coverage of all areas, so it is important to check that the particular sections of the map which you require are covered. (Even if they aren't, the benefit of OpenStreetMap is that you can edit it yourself!)

OffMaps works in two modes, online and offline. Kind of simple, I know, but it is the offline mode that really makes this app worthwhile. In online mode, OffMaps bears strong resemblance to the built in Google Maps app. It is in offline mode however, where OffMaps (hence the name), really shines. With a bit of prior planning, maps can be downloaded for the areas which are necessary for you to reach your destination, and then some - over a wi-fi connection of course. Offline mode then allows you to re-load these maps, straight from the iPhone, without incurring a mobile data cost. This also means that the maps load quicker, due to the fact that they are coming straight from the iPhone, and not over a data network.

Overall, OffMaps is the money saving navigation buddy that you've always wanted. It provides the same basic functionality of all the big guys, minus the hefty cost, and saves you those high data download fees incurred from your mobile provider.
I would like to thank OffMaps developer, Felix Lamouroux, for his early support of MyAppSource. Without caring developers such as himself, we wouldn't be hear today.

MyAppSource Rating: Four Stars!

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