Updated 26 May, 2012, 4:18 pm IST

Freeware Mobile GPS Apps

07 Oct, 2009, 12:00 pm IST | by Shayne Rana

For those avid travelers looking for free apps with Maps for GPS-enabled handsets - here are a few.

Location, Location, Location. And I don’t mean that like movie directors do but from a mobile maniac’s perspective, this particular aspect has become a rather integral part of the Social Networking slash mobile-toting, traveling, techie. It seems like it’s vital to everyone these days for techies not only to let the world know what it is they’re doing from time to time, but where they’re doing it. Of course it’s not just services that let you know where you are but those that also help you find your way. GPS software to be more precise and especially those that don’t cost you an arm to buy and subsequently pay yearly fees for updated maps.

I’m definitely not condoning those of course. They do offer a whole lot more than the freebies do in terms of details at every location as well as better driving instructions that turn your Mobile handset into a thoroughbred GPS navigation system.

But for those of you looking for smaller, less costly and by that I mean free apps, take a look at some of these.

Google Maps with Latitude
To start off with the most obvious, Google has one of the best GPS/Non GPS enabled applications in their Google Maps. There might be a handful of handsets that don’t support it or have issues running it, so hopefully you won’t have them dear readers. Besides providing you with exceptional information of anything and everything around you, Google Maps allow users to look for specific searches in a given area vicinity and can also give you directions on how to get there. Your handset needn’t have a GPS antenna, but you will require a GPRS or WAP connection to use the maps. Some handsets also allow you to capture images via the camera and with Geotagging you can pinpoint the location on Google Maps.

I do recommend signing up to Google Latitude. It’s a great way to see where your buddies are and they can also let you know what they’re up to. You can also contact them via the same service via IM, SMS or a phone call. The service allows you to control the information you wish to have posted about what you’re doing so it’s quite safe if used responsibly. This addition to the Maps also allows users to send directions to their specific location. It’s ingenious.

We-Travel
For the avid traveler using a java based handset, We-Travel could be the perfect freeware map application for you. The application stores Map data onto the handset so make sure you have enough space available on your memory card or handset. This app works just like you’d expect any GPS software with GPS enabled handsets to work. It comes complete with Points of Interest, 3D maps and Voice Guided Navigation. You won’t even need to be online to use the application as the maps are already on your phone. This way the application can still provide you with directions even if you’re out of coverage area.

You can also save the trips you made and upload them onto the We-Travel website to share with others or review at a later date. The same trip will allow you to import the data to other apps like Google Earth. Did I mention it’s all free of charge?

TrekBuddy

For those of you with GPS enabled handsets and no provisioned software (annoying isn’t it?) you could consider TrekBuddy, a freeware application for J2ME handsets. The app is quite like most others in terms of features. It will allow users to send location information via SMS to others using the system and offers a Compass screen as well and has provisions for basic GPS tracking and giving simple touristy type of information. It also allows users to geotag images and pinpoints them on the map. It can load maps stored on existing handsets.

Tags: GPS enabled , Windows Mobile , Java , Maps