Nokia Maps Gets an Update

I was fortunate to be able to test out Nokia's new Maps application for the N95 which is said to be released in a few days.  For some time people have been mentioning that the app needed improvement and not to mention a free trial of the Navigation.  Well the update will include that plus more!

Nokia Maps 1.0 updates:

• Navigation Trial:  3-day free Navigation trial
• New indicators:    GPS status, bandwidth indicators
• Map improvements:   Coloring, details, horizon, country borders & time zones
• Unified search:   All search methods in one menu & intuitive search interaction
• Improved category search: Multi-level search (Eat + Drink -> Restaurants -> Thai)
• Faster navigation start:   Starts before full route calculated, starts w/o GPS fix
• Faster MapLoader:   Download speed improved significantly & voice command download
• New regions:   India and Indonesia plus better coverage in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore (in total more than 100 countries/over 50 navigable)

This version of Nokia Maps is NOT the final version (for all of you who have downloaded the app through other channels).  The final version will include the 3 day trial as this one does not.

The Nokia Maps site has the prelaunch for other devices such as the N70, N72, N73, N76, N93i, 6110 Navigator and 6120 classic.

The application itself loads alot faster then before.  Since I haven't let the house today I don't have screenshots of travel, but Mark Guim who also got to test the app has a few posted on his blog along with his review.

Comments

[Duncan Sample]

Great! These updates will certainly help with the big choice of which satnav software to use on my new N95 when it arrives.

What are the POIs like (category search) in America? In the UK they're terrible. It finds a limited number of restaurants and pubs, and if you search for other things (eg. casino) it tells me the nearest one is in France :oP

[Samir]

Why on earth have they removed the N80 from the list now :-(
I have an earlier version on my N80 and everything was fine until this now. And where do you see the new maps for India and Indonesia? I downloaded the new version of Maploader 1.1 and now under Asia there is no India or Indonesia....

[Anup Rajput]

I have been able to download version 1.1 of Nokia Maploader, but although you mention that better coverage of India is available with this update, it does not seem so at all because the option to download India maps is missing from the Asia menu. Kindly check if you see the same on you maploader, if possible…

NOTE: I have also installed the N95 update for Nokia Maps.

[Scott]

I'm confused. What is the difference between Nokia Maps and Smart2go? My E61i came with three apps on it called Position, Navigator, and Landmarks, but I couldn't figure those out, so I downloaded Smart2Go. Instead of being named Smart2go however, the app installed as Maps.

I'm so confused. Help me please.

P.S. I have the Nokia LD-3W Bluetooth GPS module I use with it.

[Omar]

Lol! Scott, smart2go is Nokia Maps, they are both the same. Smart2Gos website is ran by nokia and so is the mobilenokia site which has nokia maps on it :) Positioning and Landmarks are part of your phone anyway. I also have the Nokia LD-3W receiver, its pretty good dont ya think ;)

[Omar]

Lol! Scott, smart2go is Nokia Maps, they are both the same. Smart2Gos website is ran by nokia and so is the mobilenokia site which has nokia maps on it :) Positioning and Landmarks are part of your phone anyway. I also have the Nokia LD-3W receiver, its pretty good dont ya think ;)

[Héctor]

Hi, I downloaded the Nokia Maps for the N93i and tried to use it in my N95 but it didn't worked, can somebody help me?

Thanks

[snoyt]

Map 1.0 for the N95 is now available for download via ovi.nokia.com. Works too. Also it looks like it uses less runtime memory 4 MB instead of 8MB.

[Mr Dog]

This maybe only for Australia, but who knows...

I normally use the navigation function on my drive down the expressway, so I can monitor my speed and record trip data, etc. After installing the new version of Maps, I noticed that once I drove down to the end of my street (my home is landmarked), the map went white, until just before I reached my destination (which was also landmarked).

With the new version it only seems to download a subset of the detailed maps - specifically around your landmarks - then fills in the rest dynamically using a data connection while travelling. This is probably why it is much faster to install the maps, and why it takes up less memory card space. I had configured my home WLAN point as the network device, so it could not use that to download new detailed maps on the fly.

So basically it looks like you need a packet data connection to enable downloading of maps. This is obviously a problem if you have a small data quota, or no packet data connection at all.

Wwhenever you pan or navigate to a new area, it downloads the detailed maps from somewhere, which requires a net connection. So if you want to pre-download the maps using a WLAN Access Point, you can pan around the map while connected by the WLAN (no GPS signal required).

[Diabo]

Nokia Map Loader only works on Windows, needs .net framework, and if you add a new map the map loader deletes all your existing maps so you'll have to download them all over again.

But you don't need Nokia Map Loader! http://nokiamaps.moo.no links to all maps on Nokia's smart2go server. Works with any browser on any operating system, including Mac and Linux. No need to install anything on your computer, so it works when you're in a hotel, school, at work, or in an internet cafe. If your phone talks WiFi or 3G you can add and update maps from your phone's web browser without even touching a computer.

[Sid]

I tried Nokia Maps on new E71. The Voice Navigation is grossly in accurate for the USA. A few days ago, I was reading a review on E71 by someone from Finland. He wrote the same problem i.e. inaccurate Voice Navigation. He was driving on the Higway and the GPS asked him to cut through 4 lanes to other side of the highway to take the exit. His comment was, "Disappointed that Nokia could not get the Nokia Maps work accurately in their own backyard"

Anyhow, in Boston MA, area the voice navigation was grossly inaccurate and erratic. Sometimes, it says distance 1.3 mile, then after a minute distance 2.9 miles, even I have not taken any turn. Just holding the E71 in hand and moving around changes the GPS location to absolutely inaccurate directions.
On other occasion, when I drove out of gragage, it said to make a U turn means I should drive back into garage to go to my destination - what a crap. Third time, driving same route thrice it gave me different route, distance, and directions each time.
Its definitely not worth the money.
I would advice download AMAZE from http://www.amazegps.com, which is free. AMAZE has all the features which Nokia Maps have with similar worldwide coverage. It is more accurate and better than Nokia Maps. Why waste your money on something expensive such is Nokia Maps which will definitely get you lost in a big city or may put you in a bad accident on a highway with its erratic inaccurate GPS Navigation System.