Czech Republic
Very
good
 |
Locus Pro - GPS Tracking and Offline Maps Galore
Tested version: 1.13.3
Latest version: 2.2.3
Requires Android: from 2.1
|
Summary
Stuck in the middle of the woods? Looking for a beach? Or just trying to find your way around the city? Locus Pro offers you a combination of useful maps and GPS tracking to help you get through any natural or urban jungle.
Find out how to navigate around the planet with this app in today’s review.
Features & Use
Section rating:
Locus Pro is an all-around navigator with comprehensive tracking and map services. After you download the 4,70 MB large app, you’ll see a welcome screen with a description of what the is all about. In a nutshell, the developers of Locus Pro are marketing it as a multi-function tourist app that can be used both on vacation and in everyday life.
Sounds impressive. But instead of reading through the long introduction, it’s better to get right down to it and try out the app.
Let me just say that the app has so many features and options that I am going to have to limit myself to the most important ones. Otherwise this review could go on for pages and pages.
Let’s start off with the main bar at the top which has the following buttons:
1. Main menu access
2. Information panel with different values:
- Title
- Map
- GPS
- Coordinates
- Guide
- Track record
- Time, battery
Moving on, the last three buttons are customizable and can be set to fit your needs. By default the buttons are in this order:
3. GPS (turn GPS on/off, view different stats)
4. Data manager (POI, Tracks, Import, Export)
5. Map manager (selection of online and offline maps for download)
These three buttons can be switched out for one of the following:
- Functions: Search, Track record, Parking, Share, Add new route, Augmented reality, My Maps, POI alert, Custom screen, Geocaching tolls, Weather and Navigate to
- Screens: Map manager, Data manager, GPS, Compass
- Various: Add up to two extra buttons to the main bar.
Long-tap any button and select Change to replace it with another one.
The bar at the bottom of the screen is dedicated to map use. Button #1 takes you to your current location on the map, Button #2 rotates the map, Buttons #3 and #4 are for zooming in and out, and Button #5 locks your current viewing position.
As you can tell, Locus Pro offers an unbelievable amount of options and functions for basically any occasion. Another great thing about the app is how it interacts with topographic maps. There is also a huge number of different maps to choose from (including WMS, OSM and regional OSM maps, ArcGIS, MapQuest and more) – all of which can be downloaded and viewed in offline mode. This way you will never stray from the right path – even without an internet connection.
The download section of the map manager is especially handy because it allows you to create your own fully customizable maps. Here are the different options:
- This screen: downloads the current map view as is.
- Select area: download any area which you have selected with your fingers.
- By country: download selected countries only
- Select path: download a specific user-defined path
- Select POIs: download areas based on points of interest
You can navigate around the map with your fingertips, using multi-touch or the magnifying buttons to zoom in and out. Not only can you always view your current position, but the app also tells you which direction you are facing.
And it’s not just the maps that are awesome. Locus Pro also has some extremely useful features fot your day-to-day problems. Forgot where you parked your car? Not a problem because the app comes with a parking feature that can track your cars location.
Bottom Line:
As I said, it’s very difficult to cover all the features Locus Pro has to offer in one test report. As far as I could tell, this app is very impressive in terms of the amount of options, functions, maps and other cool stuff that it has to offer. Locus Pro may look a bit daunting for a first-time user, but the app is structured in such a way that you’ll never feel lost or confused. For all people that are into outdoor activites, the app offers some impressive GPS tracking capabilities even out in the wild.
Before you invest in the full version, it makes sense to check out the free version (Locus Free). Be aware that the app comes with a whole set of limitations, but it gives you a good impression of how it works.
Screen & Controls
Section rating:
Locus Pro is packed with some amazing features. But it’s also important to take your time to figure out how everything works. It may take a bit of getting used to, but this will allow you to understand the full potential of this app. Other than that, the app is pure joy!
Speed & Stability
Section rating:
The Locus Pro app runs smoothly on my Nexus S. The different menu subsections open quickly and it takes just an instant to download maps. Navigating is also super easy and fast. No crashes, no worries, no lags.
Price/Performance Ratio
Section rating:
Locus Pro costs around $6.45 which is a hefty sum, but the features and usability of the app make it totally worth it. Before investing all of that cash into this app, I would recommend downloading Locus Free and playing around with it for a while.
Developer
Top App:
Locus Free
Irreplaceable application for hiking, geocaching and your everyday life. Locus offers (...)
Irreplaceable application for hiking, geocaching and your everyday life. Locus offers (...)
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Market Comments
Aleksandr, Apr 22, 2012
Getting more complicated I like Locus. I used to use pro version a lot, but it's getting more and more complicated. As more futures added it's getting slower. At some point I switched to MyTrails. I think mytrails is a sample how app supposed to behave. Fast, responsible, easy to use, without complicated futures that I don't need.
Simon, Apr 22, 2012
fantastic app 5star fantastic app and well worth paying the small fee to get the pro version.
shillelagh, Apr 22, 2012
A Swiss Army knife of location tools Everything you need in a location application!
rithambhara, Apr 22, 2012
A-1 This is loaded with alluring features. Highly customizable. After the latest update, everything is perfect. Addition of-link program-is remarkable. Hats off Sir.Still I several times found application like Navdroid was faster in re routing and voice guidance too. Is it not possible to make it fully functional offline application? Depending on internet for re calculations renders it slower and inconsistent.
Dr., Apr 22, 2012
Wonderful This is loaded with alluring features. Highly customizable. After the latest update, everything is perfect. Addition of-link program-is remarkable. Hats off Sir.Still I several times found application like Navdroid was faster in re routing and voice guidance too. Is it not possible to make it fully functional offline application? Depending on internet for re calculations renders it slower and inconsistent.
Joibel, Apr 21, 2012
Marvellous Full of everything one wants in a mapping programme, except for navigation which is rough. Map choices, offline maps, tracking, geocaching and many others all integrated.
kurt, Apr 21, 2012
Fantastic! This is a fantastic ap. I've been using it for about 4 months, mainly for bicycling. I plan bike routes along cycle paths and country lanes, mostly in the South West of England or Germany as gpx files and then import them to Locus Pro to use while riding. I set Locus Pro to keep my position in the centre of the screen near the bottom with about a kilometer showing in front of me. I can then easily ride routes I've never taken before without ever referring to a paper map.
Doombadger, Apr 21, 2012
Awesome Definitely worth the tiny amount asked. Epic app. Updates make it even more essential. BUY IT!
dupre, Apr 18, 2012
amazing app! But the mapping universe needs to revert to one year ago, pre-pay wall, when wer had fast highly detailed & easy map downloads. Really, sign me up for a reasonable payment subscription & I'm in.
Erik, Apr 17, 2012
Best GPS program out there I have put this application through all sorts of activities including hunting, hiking, skiing, biking, jogging, boating and navigating via car. I absolutely love the track recording and export features. The add-ons are an absolute must especially if you want to use more maps. I really enjoyed this application the most during hunting season as I would use it to find scrapings, take photos marked at specific points and later use those tracks to check on activity on a later date. This app has also been ridiculously helpful when biking, as it can import "My Places" from Google so I can plan a route on the computer and import it into Locus. The customization seems to be limitless. I've been using this program for over 2 years now and nothing else out there comes close. Spring for the pro version, well worth it!
Ben, Apr 17, 2012
Awesome. Lets you make a custom route and navigate it! Any chance of getting google maps integrated? Speaking street names would be great.
Matthias
Nice review ;)
Best things you didn't mention:
- very responsive developer
- very constant development of new features
- nice addons available (maps, vector maps, contacts, geocaching, ... )
Cheers, Matthias