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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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 Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:05 pm Post subject: Skobbler launches in UK - iPhonew navigation for £1.19 |
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 Skobbler, the OpenSource navigation app, has launched in the UK Appstore.
Using OpenStreetMap data, Skobbler allows motorists and other users to easily report map errors and make corrections that are fed back to the OpenStreetMap community for the benefit of all users.
Map are delivered over the air (OTA) and so you benefit from constantly updated and improved map data as the user base grows. When launched in Germany, Skobbler quickly became the No1 selling navigation app for iPhone.
Although it has many rough edges, the fact that your corrections are incorporated back into the master OpenStreetMap data makes this unique amongst navigation apps. Instead of months or years before corrections are incorporated, OpenStreetMap reduces this to days. The more users submitting corrections, the better the data becomes.
We've reported on OpenStreetMap on many occasions and covered the unique benefits it brought to aid workers in Haiti. With hundreds of GPS equipped aid workers feeding back corrections the data rapidly improved. Where previously, only a very basic map existed, the map data is now the equivalent, if not of better than that available for European or US cities.
Skobbler offers turn-by-turn navigation, voice guidance, and of course, editable maps. It is available today in the Appstore at a launch price of £1.19 (normal price £2.39).
What are you waiting for!
For more information visit the Skobbler website at www.skobbler.co.uk.
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MaFt
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 15134
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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i like how they use an image from google maps on the home page 
looking at the graphic for the 'next turn' i can't help thinking this is somehow related to Roadee (also started in Germany and uses OSM). similar price mark too...
however, a quick google (with translation on!) reveals they're not. just coincidence i guess!
is the app actually 'OpenSource'? i don't see any mention of this anywhere... if it IS then I might ask for the code so I can compile it and make my own for free 
MaFt |
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MaFt
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
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Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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furthermore... it looks like they've borriwed navigon's turn signals and countdown as well as copilots arrow-and-circle marker! as well as roadee's orange colour scheme
still, worth a play though! |
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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Indeed I thought it had a smattering of Navigon about it.
I suspect 'OpenSource' refers to the use of the OSM data but I have no info on that.
It's not half as bad as I'd feared and anything that encourages us all to add to OSM map data is to be welcomed with open arms in my opinion.
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MaFt
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
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Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 1:12 am Post subject: |
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i like how it has the 'bug' icon for making on-the-go amendments. not had a full-on play with it yet but i recall you could correct things such as missing roads, wrong turn restrictions etc.
on my brief use tonight it seemed to lag a bit in updating the map - however i was using wifi tethering to my android phone to use it's data connection so it may have been a delay caused by that...!!
i'll have a proper play tomorrow. i know my area is fine as i've spent a lot of time mapping it - i've even gone as far as walking around the perimeter of playing fields and the local cricket club to add some green to the map... i'm going on a drive to the far side of keighley tomorrow so we'll see how it copes where i've not already mapped the place
MaFt |
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magnetic
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Joined: May 14, 2010
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| The app is not Open Source, the article is misleading in that sense. |
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magnetic
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Joined: May 14, 2010
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 8:46 am Post subject: |
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| Darren wrote: | Indeed I thought it had a smattering of Navigon about it.
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That's interesting, as skobbler was founded in September 2008 as a management buy-out of Navigon.
Anyway, all turn signals look the same to me, that's not important  . |
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jkljkl6
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 12
Location: SE London
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 9:24 am Post subject: |
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Does anyone know if this works abroad? My (possibly naïve) assumption is OSM is open and global so theoretically this "should" work anywhere.
Admittedly I wouldn't want to use data roaming for any length of time but it could help out in a pickle or in countries where all the others seem to have forgotten. Until recently Google didn't seem to know that Cyprus even had roads where OSM still leads the way (literally). |
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MaFt
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 15134
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 9:58 am Post subject: |
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| jkljkl6 wrote: | Does anyone know if this works abroad? My (possibly naïve) assumption is OSM is open and global so theoretically this "should" work anywhere.
Admittedly I wouldn't want to use data roaming for any length of time but it could help out in a pickle or in countries where all the others seem to have forgotten. Until recently Google didn't seem to know that Cyprus even had roads where OSM still leads the way (literally). |
it would but roaming charges would be extortionate! on a relatively short journey yesterday, about 10 miles, it used just under 1mb of data. from memory O2 charge about £7 per mb...
MaFt |
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W6tty
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Joined: May 08, 2006
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 10:09 am Post subject: Camera database |
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| Can the speed camera database be used in this app? |
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 10:12 am Post subject: Re: Camera database |
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| W6tty wrote: | | Can the speed camera database be used in this app? |
Not as it stands currently, no.
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Darren Griffin |
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Glyn
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 10:57 am Post subject: |
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I was going to buy this until I read the few reviews that have been written about it on iTunes.
One Star does not bode well for the first incarnation of this app.
Sounds good though...hopefully it will improve in time. |
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| Glyn wrote: | I was going to buy this until I read the few reviews that have been written about it on iTunes.
One Star does not bode well for the first incarnation of this app.
Sounds good though...hopefully it will improve in time. |
It's better than that and the reviews are very unfair. At the price I can't see how anyone feels it fair to slate it.
It's a start and much better than I'd anticipated.
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Darren Griffin |
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MaFt
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 15134
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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| MaFt wrote: | it would but roaming charges would be extortionate! on a relatively short journey yesterday, about 10 miles, it used just under 1mb of data. from memory O2 charge about £7 per mb...
MaFt |
oops - typo! that should have been 2mb!!
6.6 miles today used 1.4mb (1.1 down, 0.3 up)
MaFt |
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NickG
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Joined: Nov 09, 2003
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| Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:33 am Post subject: |
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| Darren wrote: | | It's better than that and the reviews are very unfair. At the price I can't see how anyone feels it fair to slate it. |
I don't think the reviewers realise that the mapping isn't really finished yet, or that it's just user-created maps. You could argue that they shouldn't really charge for it until the maps have been made a bit better, but then again, it's not the data you're paying for - and I'd probably pay £1.19 just to get a decent tool which allowed me to submit OSM corrections (or notes to myself) on the go.
What's nice though, is that I added a few new roads in Southampton and less than 1 hour later, they're in Skobbler!
It's also highlighted that it's a very different thing entering streetmap data for the purposes of drawing a static map, to actually correctly linking in all the junctions and turn restrictions etc. In my area, the streetmap data looks perfect on the web (more complete/current than Teleatlas or Navtec) but in the Skobbler app the mapping is unusable due to tiny errors you can't even see in the rasterised tiles (roads not linking up, turn restrictions, private roads listed as public, missing sliproads etc etc). I've fixed my local area but unless there are a few thousand people doing the same thing in other areas, it's going to be quite a while before this app of any use to anyone for reliable navigation. Apps like this should hopefully give it a bit of a kickstart |
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