NavFree USA

[blizzardnorth]

Hello,

First off... Just wondering if anyone has had any experience installing this app yet. I tried searching the forums but came up with no results. Found on Engadget.com that NavFree launches free US iPhone navigation app with offline map data.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/20/navfree-launches-free-us-iphone-navigation-app-with-offline-map/

My problem is it says in the app store that the size of the app is 1.8GB, but I had over 2GB free and it still wouldn't install. I've had this issue before with grand theft auto. Correct me if i'm wrong but some apps go through a kind of decompression when they hit the iPhone. I'm currently deleting my ~75-150MB apps one at a time in order to pin-point the exact threshold GB requirement...


As of right now... When I go to General>About>Available I have 3.8GB free... and still not installing...

 

[blizzardnorth]

I should comment that the error I am getting is when I hit install in the app store on my 32GB iPhone... and it reads "There is not enough space to download 'NavFree USA'. Please delete some photos or videos."

 

[sinsin07]

Trying clearing 3.9 to 4 gigs of space then try it again. Then you can put back what you removed, ie pics, music or video. Had similar issue with Tom Tom update today.

 

[Alisstar]

I don't know much about how or why this happens, but the phone needs more than the amount of free you currently have available. If you clear up more space you'll be able to install your app. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me on the matter can help. Remove some videos or songs and the app will install.

 

[blizzardnorth]

And the answer is....drum roll please.... A whopping 4.5GB of space needed to be unused for NavFree USA to even install itself onto my iPhone 4. Wow.. I hope it's worth it... I'll report back on functionality.

It was very painful deleting my apps, one-by-one... Ah, but i haven't even played/used most of them for months anyways...

 

[STravisC]

me to i had 4.4 gb free, nope had to go up to 4.5 and it says its gonna take 3 hours to download?

 

[peteisanidiot]

i already paid for and have been using tomtom since it was released for iphone. i have to say this this app is close but definitely not quite there. still, for a free app it's pretty thorough. some minor sloppy interface issues but in terms of plain gps functionality it's quite good.

 

[nutmac]

I downloaded the app from a Mac, then transferred over to iPhone. Doing so does not require freeing up space (beyond having about 2 GB for the app and data for other apps).

Beyond my initial impression, however, the app just isn't very usable. Issues:

• Entering street address is extremely slow and confusing (entering house/unit number is impossible, for instance).
• Google search is the only semi-usable way to enter addresses, as it does not read addresses from your contact list either.
• The UI needs retina display (iPhone 4) badly. It seems all the elements, including text, are graphics-based (rendered for 480x320 resolution).
• The app does not run in the background (neither fast app switch or background location service).
• The app requires lots of memory to run. I had to restart the phone once to get the app running.

 

[vincenz]

I installed this on my wifi ipad but I haven't gotten to trying it yet it. I'm guessing it's a you-get-what-you-pay-for sorta thing.

 

[wowotoe]

I installed it yesterday thru Wi-Fi on my iPhone 4. Took a while to download but installed without a glitch. The first time it launches will prompt you to activate the U.S. map data.

Unfortunately, despite the map data is stored in the phone, I found the map drawing is very slow. Any zoom or moving the map will require some lags for the map to properly updated itself.

Another big problem is it cannot find my home address!! If you read the reviews from app store, many people suffer the same thing. Why should I use a GPS app if it cannot properly find my own home address?

If you cant afford Tomtom, then I suggest you to get the Waze. The map is beautifully rendered with super quick redraw. And it's FREE too!! It's really fun to drive on the road with Waze and interact with other Wazers around you

 

[iphone1105]

I installed this on my wifi ipad but I haven't gotten to trying it yet it. I'm guessing it's a you-get-what-you-pay-for sorta thing.

You expect to get turn by turn on a non 3G iPad? You do know you have no GPS right???

 

[nutmac]

I gave the app another chance. After adding several destinations to favorite using Google feature (a bit awkward but much more functional), I've started using it more. Routing algorithm is fairly solid, although I wish it notifies a bit earlier. It has a good selection of voices (I like United States - Ed) and like one of the earlier poster said, maps are pretty attractive.

If NavFree fixes address entry and add multitasking (fast app switching, background location polling and voice notification), you have something here. Since it is an iPad 3G app, they should also enable retina display UI (things look very fuzzy on iPhone 4). If they can manage to squeeze in traffic and iOS contact list support, this app can become a real winner.