2011-11-17T15:00:00.001-05:00

Today marked the launch of Navigon 2.0, a turn-by-turn navigation app for the Apple iPhone (and other platforms). First thing I noticed when updating my app was that it was significantly smaller. Previous iterations were around 1-2 GB in size, however this one weighed in at a mere 250 MB. Turns out, the Navigon team dramatically rethought the approach to distributing maps: Even though I have the USA & Canada version, I did not have to download the maps for all regions in USA and Canada at once. Downloading only the maps I use (Ontario, Quebec, and New York) weighed in at around 50-70 MB, a much better idea than the 2 GB from before. For some reason, Apple hasn't clued in on using delta updates for App Store apps yet, so this method of updating the app should help mitigate updates that are massive in size. In-App Purchases, such as the Panorama 3D that I have, are still full-size, i.e. 729 MB ...

Next thing we notice is the new UI. Some screenshots follow, and we see the start screen has been totally revamped. "My Destinations" now include both your favourites and recents, separated by an adjustable slider. What a nifty idea! Also, from the get go, a 3D map of your surroundings is shown behind the buttons, which can be removed by sliding up (Notification Center style) or pressing the top left button. Another nifty idea! Flipping through the app, I noticed some minor settings menu rearrangements as well as a new design. The settings menu now resembles Android menus, with large, full-width menu items. Not a fan at all since it is a waste of vertical real estate.

I am running this app on an iPhone 4 and must say that it eats up a considerable amount of RAM and CPU. From previous versions, Reality Scan offers acceptable framerates (10-20 fps I think) however now I can get barely 1 frame per second (no joke). This renders Reality Scan virtually unusable, and sometimes it doesn't even load properly (see screenshot). Also, this app seems to eat up a lot more RAM than before, since exiting it, using other apps, and returning to it almost always causes it to load from the beginning again. Seeing the loading screen (screenshot) a lot more often now. Is Navigon's in league with Apple in making us upgrade to the iPhone 4S?

Some other minor changes include new maps, more in-app purchases (yay ...).

Overall this upgrade is very well-received. I really like the ability to download only the maps I need (thus cutting down on device storage and update times), new maps, and the new UI. I do not like the performance degradation on the iPhone 4, namely the Reality Scan being slow to the point that it's unusable and the inability for the app to multitask for any practical period of time. Also, because this app is on sale for $29 CAD, it's a steal. I remember when I got the app, it was on sale from $99 to $69 ...

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