German GPS firm Navigon has begun branching out into North America with its release of MobileNavigator North America Lite [App Store, Free]. Readers should note that the free lite version does NOT offer the active route guidance most users are looking for in a GPS mapping application, although it can display a user's position on its map and locate nearby points of interest. Full turn-by-turn functionality will be available in a future paid version.
Navigon released the full version of MobileNavigator Europe [App Store] at an introductory price of $94.99 in late June, but the application is currently priced at $139.99. Navigon is one of the larger players bringing turn-by-turn GPS solutions to the iPhone, with AT&T opting for the same subscription service used on other platforms and TomTom embracing a forthcoming hardware/software combination solution also competing for users' attention.