Free Navigon GPS now on iPhone -- well, sort of

As you may have heard by now, the recent 3.0 software upgrade for Apple iPhone means GPS companies such as Navigon and TomTom can create real-time navigation apps for the smartphone. Well, it's here. Navigon has just released a "lite" version of its North American mapping app, for free, but beware of a couple of caveats.

While Google Maps is included on the iPhone, it only provides top-down version of the roads and doesn't give you audio turn-by-turn directions (rendering it useless if you're behind the wheel).

Navigon today released a "lite" version of its MobileNavigator North America app, now available for download at the iTunes App Store -- and it's completely free.

But you should probably know two things:

1. It doesn't contain "active route guidance," therefore  you can't use this lite version as a GPS navigation solution because you can only find your position on the map (anywhere in Canada or the U.S.) and find nearby POIs (points of interest) such as restaurants, banks, hotels and gas stations. You can also enter an address, but you can only simulate the navigation process (and will see and hear the route info) found in the full version, coming "soon."

2. It's a hefty download at 1.29 gigabytes. Yes, you read that correctly: 1.29GB. Even if you download this massive app via your high-speed Internet connection, you must have enough room on your iPhone to install this sucker.

Still, it's pretty exciting news for iPhone owners.

Other neat features that will be bundled in the full version:

* Includes latest map data from Navigon
* Can be used in portrait or landscape view
* Includes the "lane assist" feature on highways/freeways
* Includes night and day modes, and multiple 2D and 3D views
* Map and feature updates are handled automatically (via iTunes sync)
* Has a "Take me home" button
* Choose from English, Spanish or French

So, is this something you'd use or do you prefer a standalone GPS solution?

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