Review: Sat Nav 2 iPhone App by Skobbler

Gone are the days when we needed to pack a TomTom or other SatNav device for our travels. Now, we simply bring our mobile phone.

I was always reluctant to buy a SatNav app for two reasons...

1. Price - most are over £25
2. App Size - often almost 1Gb of data is required for such apps

Then I came across Sat Nav 2 by Skobbler. It's got a tiny 40Mb file size and only cost £1.49. So surely it must be rubbish? Well actually, quite the contrary. 

The developers at Skobbler have identified a key problem with so many of the navigation apps - the amount of memory they take up is comparable to a few thousand songs - now which would you prefer? A SatNav app which gets used once a month? Or a few extra albums to diverge the musical tastes on the commute? The reason why so many apps have such a huge file size is due to their local storage of maps. This app on the other hand doesn't store the maps - it quickly downloads them as you set up a new route, storing them in temporary memory.

That "quick download" has two disadvantages;

1. If you are abroad, it will cost a fortune
2. If you don't have an unlimited data plan

Solution? Well for a few pounds extra, you can download specific maps for countries - UK, Ireland, France or many more - to be stored on your phone for offline navigation, saving you on data costs.

I've only had one car journey with it, but I must say, it is fantastic. The voice commands are non-intrusive, gently lowering the volume of your music to give directions. The visuals are lush and rounded, unlike so many of the free or budget apps available. And if travel really is that boring, you can upgrade to a Wallace & Grommet voice-over