Tech deals: skobbler satnav app for iPhone now free

We brought you news back in May of the UK launch of skobbler, the iPhone navigation app, and more news has just come in that an ad-supported version is available free.

The cut down version - you won't get speed camera alerts like you will on the £1.19 paid-for app - uses OpenStreetMap and relies on crowd sourcing information in order to update maps quickly. This means that any difficulties or delays motorists or pedestrians come across can be highlighted, making for consistently updated and, more importantly up-to-date maps.

Compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, you'll get turn by turn navigation, both visual and voice guided, day and night display modes, pedestrian mode and auto continuation of navigation after incoming calls.

Talking about the iPhone app, co-founder of skobbler, Marcus Thielking, said:

"skobbler is the first truly usable voice-guided sat nav solution to use free map data that can be edited. All those who have edited the map have experienced a real sense of achievement. Everybody can make sure that their respective neighbourhood has the best map coverage. Editing the OpenStreetMap is already an ongoing project for many, which in turn ensures that the accuracy and usefulness of the data will continue to rapidly increase.

The company talks of how it has sent "shockwaves throughout the established navigation industry with competitors across Europe and US drastically cutting their prices", with skobbler also citing a number one spot in the US navigation app charts as well as being the best-selling navigation app in Germany for the last 6 months.

Can skobbler's open-source approach fight off the competition from the big satnav players? Let us know in the comments.