[iVento]

Sygic India: GPS Navigation absolutely FREE!

FB Update by Sygic:

"Now anyone can navigate India on their Android smartphone or tablet without relying on cellular data or an internet connection. Available on Google Play"



Related News:

App developers are struggling to make money in India because of low credit card penetration, according to Michael Stencl, CEO of maps provider Sygic, which has now dropped the $5.58 fee to download its GPS navigation app. As Indian Android owners remain reluctant to purchase apps, mapping providers are turning to features such as offline availability to compete with Google, which has grown in stature since launching turn-by-turn navigation and live traffic updates for Indian smartphone users last year.

Stencl told TechCrunch it was forced to eliminate the fee for the Android version of the Sygic India: GPS Navigation app because of low daily sales in India (~$250 a day) — about a sixth of sales in the United States (>$1,500 a day). Meanwhile, Sygic’s iPhone app, which also uses data from local digital cartographer MapmyIndia, still costs a prohibitive $27.99.

“Our Sygic & MapmyIndia app has been one of the most successful and top-grossing in India on Google Play, but India still has a very low penetration of credit cards, which makes it difficult to monetize there successfully,” Stencl said. ”In order to maintain a competitive marketshare, we have decided to make our app free, and wait until the market in India is more developed.

“Over the past four years, Sygic has witnessed revenue growth of nearly 250%, and we feel that by continuing to invest development resources in key geographies like India, and maintaining a customer focused strategy, we will be able to extend our leadership position globally.”

While Indians downloaded 150 millions apps from the Google Play store by October 2012, only 0.5 percent of customers paid to download these apps, according to a recent report called “India’s mobile internet 2013” by Avendus Capital. The average price was just over $1, and Avendus estimates the Google Play store sold about $2 million worth of apps this year. However, the report predicts that the Indian app market will grow five-fold by 2016, to be worth about $30 million.

India’s credit card adoption languishes at around 20 percent, according to a 2012 HSBC report, but credit spending could pick up in the future as more cards have been issued in recent years.

Sygic’s new free app also works offline, which is a useful feature in a country where the network coverage is sporadic as you move around cities and into the rural areas. TomTom recently released a local version of its Android navigation app, which costs about $30, and also works offline. It also allows users to search for a location based on a nearby landmark or point-of-interest (this is the most popular, and usually the most accurate, way to get around cities in India). So far the TomTom app has been downloaded between 10 and 50 times, compared to over 10,000 downloads for the Sygic app. It’s still a far cry from Sygic’s 30 million global downloads.

The offline availability is a key differentiator from incumbent Google, which is increasingly integrating Waze’s social navigation and traffic data into the Maps apps, following the search engine giant’s recent $1 billion acquisition of the Israeli startup.


Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/23/poo...-app-for-free/

[ankan.m.blr]

Sygic app and Sygic maps are 2 different downloads, right? I checked sometime back in google play; sygic app was ~ 40 MB apk where as separate maps where available for each indian state (KA map ~ 300 MB). Is it not clear if only the app is free or both the apps and maps are free.

[raj_5004]

I just downloaded Sygic India (MapMyIndia Sygic). The normal Sygic is free, but it is just a 7 day trial.

Sygic India is totally free in the literal sense. After downloading the app, it will prompt you to download the maps. I downloaded maps for Mumbai, yet to try it out. The features sound good though.

I have used the normal Sygic (TomTom maps) in the UK and it is awesome. I will try Sygic India now and update.

[smartindboy]

Downloaded the app when it was available for free, and used it last weekend.
The maps are good.

Once you download the app, you can select the state maps that you want to download, and they were also free.

Highly recommend this. Google play link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...sygic.aura_mmi

[Recompose]

Why the discrimination against iOS users?

[iVento]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Sygic app and Sygic maps are 2 different downloads, right? I checked sometime back in google play; sygic app was ~ 40 MB apk where as separate maps where available for each indian state (KA map ~ 300 MB). Is it not clear if only the app is free or both the apps and maps are free.

First you install the app from Google Play.
Then the software will run an update (around 200MB).
Maps are separate components. From My Sygic control center, you can install the maps. If you choose all maps, then that gonna take around 800MB.
The complete setup takes around 1GB.

[CRV2010]

Originally Posted by Recompose

Why the discrimination against iOS users?

Same thought here, they should have made it free for iOS too.

[pahwa]

Originally Posted by iVento

Sygic India: GPS Navigation absolutely FREE!

FB Update by Sygic:

"Now anyone can navigate India on their Android smartphone or tablet without relying on cellular data or an internet connection. Available on Google Play"

Thanks for sharing this. Very useful. Downloading the Sygic India app and maps now and will share my feedback with here.

[fiat_tarun]

I downloaded this last week and got the maps for Karnataka & TN. Tried it once in Chennai and it worked well, but coverage as such is better in google maps (shops, restaurants, offices on the map)

[iVento]

Originally Posted by CRV2010

Same thought here, they should have made it free for iOS too.

Sygic guys are very aggressive in Marketing. Like them in FB! They always run many campaigns. Never know, very soon they will make even iOS app free.

Some time back, I have bought 2 licenses. I paid Rs.1399/- & Rs.299/- respectively

No idea whether the free version is a "limited features" version. Someone can test it & post a feedback.

[madhu33]

Have got Sygic installed along with maps of 6 Indian states since last 6 months.
However i am not too impressed with the GPS signal reception / practicality of the app over the Google navigation .

Sygic also drains battery like anything in my Galazy S 3.
It is highly unlikely to leave any juice in your phone battery (even while charging it while on the move) on a long trip of say 150 kms.

I found the app quite useless on Samsung Galaxy S 3.

[Chetan_Rao]

There are two different versions in the Play store. I downloaded the one tagged 'India'. The application itself is a 40MB apk, maps separately downloadable state-wise.

I downloaded maps for 3-4 states, also used it for navigation within Bangalore for a couple of days now.

Works like a charm, and doesn't seem like a trial version (I checked everywhere within the app settings). Will find out anyway if it throws a "trial over, feed me money" notification sometime soon, though I don't expect it.

GPS is a heavy drain on the battery though, and even a car charger can't keep up over longer duration of usage.

[bullboy]

will these maps work with destinator ?

[iVento]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

There are two different versions in the Play store. I downloaded the one tagged 'India'.

GPS is a heavy drain on the battery though, and even a car charger can't keep up over longer duration of usage.

Yes. Sygic has 2 versions. One is "Sygic: GPS Navigation & Maps" & Another one is "Sygic India: GPS Navigation"

As far as Sygic: GPS Navigation & Maps is concerned, Play Store description clearly says that it is a 7 DAYS TRIAL - Unlimited license.

This is the link to the FREE version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...aura_mmi&hl=en

I think Sygic page is facing heavy traffic at this moment. It takes ages to load the page.

[Darth_Vader]

This news is Ouch! for people who have so far paid for Sygic App on Android.

http://www.thinkdigit.com/Car-Tech/S...ree_17709.html