Satellite navigation device manufacturer TomTom has announced a new app aimed at helping drivers avoid speed cameras.
The iOS app, which launched this week, is designed to warn European drivers when they are approaching speed cameras, with a color-coded warning system telling drivers to slow down if they are traveling too fast.
While the car is in motion, it informs drivers of speed, the type of camera waiting ahead and the remaining distance to reach it, with TomTom claiming that it covers some 95 percent of fixed camera locations.
Thanks to the phone's connectivity, the app also offers real-time updates for mobile speed cameras, with a 'one-tap' system for reporting when a new mobile camera has been spotted.
The app is free, but a subscription to the speed camera service costs (€4.99) per month or €29.99 per year -- meaning drivers will have to weigh up the benefits of the speed camera functionality, which is also included in TomTom's more expensive TomTom Navigation app, which retails for €69.99 for the whole of Western Europe.
Users should also note than in some parts of the world, including Switzerland and France, services that warn of speed cameras are illegal and could result in a hefty fine for users -- TomTom says that its app will work in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
TomTom's latest move is an interesting one -- it hasn't been shy to distill its vast knowledge of road networks down into app form, but this is the first time that one specific feature has been stripped out of the navigation package and released as a standalone app.
It could pave the way for further functionality available without the full turn-by-turn navigation services, such as points of interest, traffic warnings or eco routing.