I find Apple’s default apps plain and boring. Don’t get me wrong, they’re easy to use and productive, but if you’re like me and crave extra pixels, then you’ll agree with me that they lack some flair.

This brings me to the app which I’d like to introduce you to, the lovely Cartographer by A Tasty Pixel. I mean, maps never looked this good!

When you open the app, you’re met with a gorgeous interface which resembles a shelf, each one holding a coffee-stained map. You are given the option to sync with your Google account, which means your maps and place marks are backed up and ready to use on other devices. I’m a big fan of this since I can bookmark all the places I’ve been to! In the settings page, you are given a few useful options such as the ability to enable offline mode, which allows you to continue using the app and GPS, while conserving your iPhone’s data allowance. Great for when you’re on holiday and you don’t want to be met with a hefty bill afterward for data roaming charges.

You are also given the choice to change the map source from Google Maps, which is the default source, to OpenStreetMap which is Wiki’s free world map and has offline mode. Doing so, will not cancel the app t stop syncing with your Google account. For me, Google maps are fine and I see no reason to switch, since I get signal pretty much everywhere I go and have had no problems with Google’s services (yet!). You can also change the units for distance from kilometres to miles if you’re used to the British imperial system like me.

Another key feature is the ability to create multiple maps, which is useful if you need each map to represent an aspect of your life e.g. A map to place all the famous landmark you’ve been to or want to visit. However, I find that one map is enough to satisfy my needs. Moving on to the maps themselves, they are displayed in a vintage style with fades of stains on the outside and antique-style buttons for creating a place mark and determining your location. You can navigate just like the default maps app, by pinching to zoom in and out and their’s even an arrow in the bottom right corner to let you change the view from map to satellite and even hybrid, as well as the ability to share your map on Twitter, Facebook and via email. This reveals the map scrolled up, which in my opinion adds a lovely effect.

However, their are a few but minor problems I have with the app such as the loading sign that appears every time I navigate back to my shelf of maps. I mean, even with a refresh button on the bottom left corner and only one map it finds the need to load and sync! Can’t it just sync in the background? Also, when you want to switch to satellite or hybrid mode or you feel that you want to share your map, you have to tap the arrow in the bottom left corner. This is different to the default maps app, which allows you to swipe over it which, to me feels more natural. However, all this could hopefully be rectified in an update.

All in all, Cartographer is a work of art on its own and in comparison to the default mail app, it boasts a better design and syncing features with your Google account. The little things, such as the red bookmark you get in the settings page or the ability to switch to imperial units of measurement make it a pleasure to use. But it still lacks features and that is why I can’t say it’ll suit your idea as a replacement for the default maps app. But for just £1.19, I’d say it’s worth a look at and as for me, I think I found my new maps app!