Nokia has today announced that the new version of Ovi Maps, which was announced on Thursday 21st January, has been downloaded 1.4 million times. The 1 million downloads figure was reached just one week after the launch. The new version of Ovi Maps offers worldwide pedestrian and car navigation, along with other premium features including traffic information, city guides and more, all for free, forever.

The numbers should be seen in the context of the number of currently compatible devices, around 20 million, which means there has been a conversion rate of 7%. That is an unprecedented number for a 'new' Nokia service, especially as it requires an active decision by to user to download and install the new version. Moreover, the download and conversion numbers will continue to grow significantly throughout the coming weeks. From March, all GPS-enabled smartphones will ship with the new version and local country maps pre-loaded.

Nokia says that the top countries for downloads were China, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain. It is interesting to see China heading this list, which demonstrates that Ovi Maps is enjoying success in both the emerging and mature markets. The most popular devices downloading the new version were the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia N97, Nokia 5230 and Nokia E72.

"We’re averaging a download a second, 24 hours a day," said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Nokia. "When we announced free walk & drive navigation we knew it would be a game-changer. The number of people now using their Nokia for navigation, and as a result looking for more location-aware software, is growing faster than even we predicted."

"This is great news for our 3rd party application developers. Within a matter of days there is an installed base of more than 1 million active users all potentially hungry for new and innovative location-aware apps," continued Anssi Vanjoki. "For the operators too there is a growing opportunity to sell more data-plans and a complete navigation package to existing and new customers."

You can download Ovi Maps from the Nokia website, via the 'SW Update' application on your phone or via Ovi Store. Currently, compatiable phones include the Nokia 97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition, Nokia E52, Nokia E55, Nokia E72, Nokia 5230, Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia 6730 classic and Nokia X6. Nokia plans to extend this list on a week by week basis, so watch this space.