New Topo Maps for Yosemite/Mammoth for iPhone from Tom Harrison Maps

[nwoods]

Tom Harrison has been cranking out a lot of new features lately (author of excellent maps and trail guide books). Many of his products are available on Android, and now he has released special iOS (iPhone) maps for Yosemite and Mammoth lakes areas. From the email blurb:

"The Yosemite High Country and Mammoth High Country shaded-relief topo maps have an 80-foot contour interval with trails, mileages, campgrounds, ranger stations, water features, peaks, and canyons. These new apps have GPS tracking without an internet or a cell signal needed. They also have a revolutionary new trail navigation system. You can place customized markers to record photos and notes, search points of interest, and identify the Latitude/Longitude or UTM coordinates for any place on the map.
Each app is only $2.99!"

Yosemite: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tom-h...gh/id526147144








Mammoth: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tom-h...gh/id513305346





Note: Mt. Whitney and Mono Divide apps later this summer.

[RobRed]

I'm trying to figure out the value of this app? There are a number of apps at this price point that give you those features and much more mapping. What am I missing? I'm sure Tom is a great guy and need to make a buck - I'm not being a hater just curious about this "revolutionary new trail navigation system".

[nwoods]

Good questions. I'm not familiar with any other iOS maps that let you trace out a route and give distance readings? And the quality of the maps Tom puts out are very good. It seems to me he doesn't just rely on the 1947 USGS topo's with half the useful content removed like so many modern maps I have seen these days. And, being highly regionalized and location specific, he has lots of place names listed, which make searching much easier. I say all this somewhat blindly, I myself have not downloaded these particular apps yet. I am on a money conservation effort these past few days, months, years! I do have some printed Tom Harrison map products, but not of the electronic stuff.