An app every prepared smart phone owner should have

How many times have you been trying to load a web page on your phone and realized that you have no data connection? How frustrating is that? Now imagine that you are lost, no idea where you are, no data connection, running low on gas, and instead of a web page you are trying to get a map. Your phone has your latitude and longitude so you know where you are, just not how to get any where.

I used to drive from one of California to the other for my job and while I have never been in the situation described above, it was always a concern. I have changed jobs and don't travel as much, but I still have paper maps of the entire state in my car; don't feel comfortable without them. I used a GPS navigation device for my main navigation, but I like having backups.

I have found a couple of apps that everyone with a smart phone should have, one for iOS (Apple) and one for Android. On iOS it is called MapsWithMe and on Android it is called MapDroyd. Both of them are free and store map data your phone and don't rely on an internet connection for maps. You always have a map in your pocket. Unlike a number of similar apps that charge for the maps, these ones provide maps at no charge. They rely on the OpenStreetMap project (OSM), a worldwide open map repository. Think Wikipedia for maps. They are highly accurate and very detailed. Apple has started using OSM for some of the map data on iOS (the Maps app is still Google, but iPhoto uses OSM to show where pictures were taken).

These apps use the GPS built into most phones to get location data so it knows exactly where you are. The free versions don't provide navigation, they each have a paid version for that, but you at least have a map and can find your own way.

Both apps let you download maps by state (in the United States, other regions have similar divisions). I have downloaded California, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, the states I visit or am likely to visit the most, and it only uses 253 MB of data on my phone. That is around .25 GB (most phones have at least 16 GB). All of North America is around 2 GB, easily will fit on most phones.

So, if you have a smart phone and are worried in the slightest about finding yourself in the middle of nowhere without a map, get these apps. They might save your life.

UPDATE
A friend of mine brought up that these apps will save you on data charges as well. Hadn't thought of that.
UPDATE 2 10 May 2012 So I found out that MapsWithMe has an Android version. I like the way they render maps better than MapDroyd, looks a little cleaner and more like Google Maps. I have them both installed and will play more with them. UPDATE 3 26 May 2012 I found another app I have used before. It is called Navfree USA. There is a version for the US and another for the rest of the world. Don't ask me why. But they use OpenStreetMaps for navigation as well as maps. And they have a pretty good list of POI's. So far it has worked great. Not going to replace Google Maps with Navigation yet, but at least in a pinch I will have something.