Top Selling iPhone Navigation app, skobbler, Launches in UK for GBP 1.19

BERLIN, May 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

- The Revolutionary Alternative to Sat Nav Gadgets and Pricier iPhone apps (Includes Free Map Updates for Life)

skobbler (http://www.skobbler.co.uk/), Germany's best-selling iPhone navigation app (more than 150,000 sold), launches in the UK today at an introductory price of GBP 1.19 (normally GBP 2.39). This affordable sat nav app puts the power in users' hands, letting motorists (and pedestrians) join forces to update maps far faster than ever before.

This community-led approach, known as crowdsourcing*, is what makes skobbler unique. It uses free maps from OpenStreetMap ( http://www.openstreetmap.org/), and lets motorists highlight issues and correct them quickly. As a result, all users benefit from consistently updated maps without paying for expensive and already out-of-date updates.

Whenever a skobbler user finds a problem with their route - e.g. a new one-way street or a new layout - they can use the skobbler app to report the new information to the huge and immensely active OpenStreetMap community. Whenever an error is fixed, it only takes a few days for it to be visible to all users. Just like online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, the more users update their own surroundings, the better the map and skobbler navigation will be for everyone.

Fully Featured Navigation

skobbler is well featured, with the mod cons you'd expect to find on more expensive sat nav gadgets and applications:

    - Turn-by-turn GPS navigation

    - Visual and voice-guided navigation

    - 2.5D bird's eye view graphics

    - Day and night display modes

    - iPod music playback during navigation

    - Automatic continuation of navigation after incoming calls

    - Pedestrian mode

    - Take me home function

    - Dynamic map updates at no extra cost

    - User-editable maps of UK and Ireland (OpenStreetMap data)

    - Bookmarks for favourite destinations

An end to motorists' frustration

"We think this is the future of sat nav," says Marcus Thielking, co-founder of skobbler. "Why spend a fortune on a sat nav gadget when the power is already there in your iPhone? This affordable iPhone app doesn't just unlock that power, it also lets motorists join forces to put an end to the frustration that's so common with other sat navs. You can either report a map update or edit the map yourself online. There's no need to wait for months for map improvements, and updates won't cost you a penny."

* Crowdsourcing: Coined in 2006, the term refers to online communities collaborating to solve problems, often as an alternative to a commercial service. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing. Wikipedia itself is a popular example of crowdsourcing.

Price, availability and compatibility:

skobbler is available on the App Store for an introductory price of GBP 1.19 for a limited time at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/skobbler-navigation-uk-ireland/id329340711?mt=8 . The skobbler app is compatible with iPhone 3G and 3GS. You can find further information on recent developments at http://blog.skobbler.com.

About skobbler

Berlin-based skobbler (http://www.skobbler.co.uk) has been independently developing navigation software for mobile phone platforms since 2008. skobbler's management team have a wealth of industry experience due to their former management positions at renowned navigation provider NAVIGON AG.

skobbler topped Germany's Apple App Store sales charts within 24 hours of its launch, and has stayed at the top of the navigation category ever since. Sales figures exceed 150,000 units, making it the top-selling navigation app in Germany. skobbler will be made available internationally (Europe, US, Russia) during Q2/Q3 2010.

About OpenStreetMap (OSM)

OSM is a free open source project that follows a crowdsourcing approach (it is often called the "Wikipedia of maps"). The OSM mappers constantly add new free information to the map and continuously improve its quality. New streets and points of interest are added by the minute and displayed on the OSM map. There are currently already more than 250,000 registered mappers around the world and numbers are rapidly increasing. Since 2004, the number of registered mappers has increased ten-fold every 18 months. Especially in most urban areas in Western Europe, the OSM map has already reach a level of detail which is matched by hardly any other corporate map in the market. "In the end, well set-up crowdsourcing beats any corporate approach when it comes to data-intensive problems. Wikipedia shows just that", says Thielking.

SOURCE skobbler