Nokia held a press conference this morning and announced a new version of Ovi Maps (available for download at www.nokia.com/maps) and more importantly for us Canadians they said that turn-by-turn navigation will now come for free on all Nokia smartphones:
“Starting this spring, all compatible GPS-enabled Nokia smartphones supporting new Ovi Maps will include global maps, voice-guided car and pedestrian navigation and premium content for free, ready out-of-the-box for the lifetime of the device and the content – meaning consumers no longer need a navigation license because it’s all included in the smartphone.”
So this Spring, possibly in time for the sweet N900 to arrive! Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Nokia said “We want to make using your mobile for navigation as familiar as using it to send a text or take a picture. We believe that making the best maps with voice guided navigation available for free will be the catalyst to do this. Why have a mobile phone and a separate car navigation system that works in only one country or region? Put the two together, make it free, make it global and you have something that is truly useful and can help you get around almost any city in the world whether you’re on foot or driving.”
Sounds good to me! Here is the full Canadian press release:
“The world is now free. Today Nokia is making an announcement that will change the future of navigation – from now on navigation will come for free on all Nokia smartphones.
Starting this spring, all compatible GPS-enabled Nokia smartphones supporting new Ovi Maps will include global maps, voice-guided car and pedestrian navigation and premium content for free, ready out-of-the-box for the lifetime of the device and the content – meaning consumers no longer need a navigation license because it’s all included in the smartphone.
Anyone, anywhere can enjoy the best navigation on their Nokia smartphone as it uses unique technology and covers 75 countries in 46 languages. So what makes Ovi Maps better than Google Maps — the advantages are endless!
Navigate from your pocket not just in your car – Ovi Maps includes both car and pedestrian navigation with short-cuts via pedestrian zones to navigate through a park or path. Google Maps currently only offers drive navigation.
Jet setting around the world? No problem – Ovi Maps is available for 180+ countries, navigation in 70+ countries and in 40+ languages. Google Maps is currently only available for the US.
Reduce large phone bills – Ovi Maps comes preloaded in the device meaning an online connection is not needed for routing and navigation. Ovi Maps works even without network connection. With Google Maps users can navigate offline but need a connection when recalculating routes. Ovi Maps uses 55% less data than Google Maps and is 10 times more efficient. For example: a 20 km trip with A-GPS and traffic updates uses 2 Megabytes of data with Google, but only 200 Kilobytes with Ovi Maps
Enjoy premium content – Global 5-day weather forecasts, event information by Wcities, editorial travel content by Lonely Planet and Michelin are all included with Ovi Maps. Google does not offer premium content.
Avoid traffic jams – Ovi Maps includes traffic & safety services in 10+ countries, including Canada. Google does not offer safety service and traffic service is only available for the US.
Parlez-vous français? – Ovi Maps offers voice guidance directions in 38 languages, with text-to-speech functionality in nine languages. Google Maps voice guidance is only available in English.
Share with your Facebook friends – Publishing location and status updates to Facebook and sharing with your friends is easy with Ovi Maps.
With today’s announcement navigating with your Nokia will be as natural for Canadians as sending a text or taking a picture and it’s all free!”
Anyone, anywhere can enjoy the best navigation on their Nokia smartphone as it uses unique technology and covers 75 countries in 46 languages. So what makes Ovi Maps better than Google Maps — the advantages are endless!
Navigate from your pocket not just in your car – Ovi Maps includes both car and pedestrian navigation with short-cuts via pedestrian zones to navigate through a park or path. Google Maps currently only offers drive navigation.
Jet setting around the world? No problem – Ovi Maps is available for 180+ countries, navigation in 70+ countries and in 40+ languages. Google Maps is currently only available for the US.
Reduce large phone bills – Ovi Maps comes preloaded in the device meaning an online connection is not needed for routing and navigation. Ovi Maps works even without network connection. With Google Maps users can navigate offline but need a connection when recalculating routes. Ovi Maps uses 55% less data than Google Maps and is 10 times more efficient. For example: a 20 km trip with A-GPS and traffic updates uses 2 Megabytes of data with Google, but only 200 Kilobytes with Ovi Maps
Enjoy premium content – Global 5-day weather forecasts, event information by Wcities, editorial travel content by Lonely Planet and Michelin are all included with Ovi Maps. Google does not offer premium content.
Avoid traffic jams – Ovi Maps includes traffic & safety services in 10+ countries, including Canada. Google does not offer safety service and traffic service is only available for the US.
Parlez-vous français? – Ovi Maps offers voice guidance directions in 38 languages, with text-to-speech functionality in nine languages. Google Maps voice guidance is only available in English.
Share with your Facebook friends – Publishing location and status updates to Facebook and sharing with your friends is easy with Ovi Maps.
