Nokia announce free Maps (smart2go) solution
Published by Rafe Blandford at 9:27 UTC, February 8th 2007
Nokia has today announced that they will make their mapping and navigation solution (smart2go) available for free download. Initially available for S60 and Windows Mobile 5 it will later become available for other platforms. It is the same solution that is found in the Nokia N95. Mapping and route planning will be available free, but turn by turn voice navigation will be a premium service. Location is via any Bluetooth GPS. The download will be available from this Saturday.
Screenshots from the N95 Maps
Mapping and routing is available in over 100 countries with turn by turn navigation (at street level) available in 30 countries. Mapping can be downloaded over the air from a remote server or cross loaded from a PC. The application includes the ability to search by address (including postcode), view by category (nearest point of interest) and plan routes (show directions).
The platform contains over 15 million POIs that help people explore the most interesting sights, restaurants or accommodations around them. Customers can select their favorite locations and send them to friends by multimedia message, Bluetooth wireless technology, infrared or e-mail. They can also send map excerpts and routes or save map screen shots to the gallery on the device. Recognized brand names like McDonald's will have the option to place branded icons across the world's digital maps downloaded onto millions of mobile devices.
A Bluetooth GPS will be needed for positioning for those devices without a GPS built in.
There will also be a companion PC application that allows you to cross load (install) maps of specific areas to your phone. This will mean it will not be necessary to download maps over the air. You will be able to take the maps that you want with you. Nokia refer to this combined download from PC and download over the air solution a hybrid and that it is 'the best of both worlds'.
Nokia will be offering premium services, these include the aforementioned turn by turn navigation, but will also include city guides and other premium content. At a later date it will be possible to book services (e.g. a hotel) through the application, and advertising may appear at a future date.
Nokia will pre-install Nokia Maps in new Nseries devices and the software will be available as a free download (Smart2Go) for existing S60 devices.
"People will trust and use maps if they have those maps with them when they need them, and smart2go allows consumers the full freedom of which maps they want to carry with them. By offering Nokia Maps and smart2go for free on your mobile device, cost is no longer a barrier for anyone to enjoy the convenience of maps and routing on-the-go," said Ralph Eric Kunz, vice-president, Nokia, Multimedia. "Nokia is on track to build the world's most connected location based platform for mobile devices which also opens up interesting opportunities for future services."
Categories: Software
Platforms: Series 60, General, S60 3rd Edition
News Discussion
Maybe Nokia wants to become a content company as well as a hardware company, which would allow them to spread their bets commercially. They wouldn't be putting all their products in one technological basket.
I don't think this is meant to sell Nokia hardware at all, otherwise they wouldn't be giving the service away on Windows Mobile (their nearest competitor) and other platforms.
Indeed if they're giving it away on Windows Mobile and other platforms, who's to say that the "other platforms" don't include the iPhone?
"Its worth noting that the smart2go product is what Nokia acquired when they bought gate5. They already had Windows Mobile versions. I imagine it makes commercial sense to continue this."
Aha. Maybe it was a term of the purchase, to make sure that the Windows Mobile contracts were fulfilled?
Whatever the reason, it's quite a surprising situation.
Smart2Go always was cross-platform, I think, Nokia bought the product in from Gate5 ages ago. Today is it all coming to fruition.
The answer to the iPhone? Every Java-enabled smartphone in the world can already access Google Maps and have maps, routing and satellite photos for free. I'm not sure what Jobs was trumpeting as new, apart from the touch-control for zooming.....
Smart2Go as another free 2D solution is welcome, of course, but Nokia are hoping to make money from people upgrading to voice instructions, from companies advertising with POIs etc, and from a cut in people using affiliate services. And of course from selling more S60 smartphones to run all this. 8-)
Steve
Steve Jobs always does this, pretends Apple invented something that has been around for literally years. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the iWheel or iFire turning up soon... ;-)
The problem is he's surrounded by fans who believe him, and maybe he believes himself after a while.
Jobs is a superb salesman, perhaps the best in the high technology world, but he's not an innovator. Although many Apple fans hate to hear this, every triumph by Apple has just been a well-judged repackaging of work done previously by other companies.
The Macintosh's operating system was a repackaging of work done by Xerox, work which was also seen by Microsoft and which prevented Apple from suing MS over Windows' look and feel.
The iPod was a repackaging of work done by many other MP3 player manufacturers. It wasn't the first MP3 player, and it didn't bring anything new to the table.
iTunes was a piece of non-Apple software called SoundJam, which Apple purchased and... you guessed it, repackaged. It apparently wasn't even their first choice of software, but they were unable to obtain rights to the program they really wanted to repackage.
No, Apple did sue Microsoft over the gaphical GUI.:
Apple Computer, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., 35 F.3d 1435 (9th Cir. 1994)
The case was a huge mess and took 'till 1997 to settle when Microsoft agreed to "invest" $150 million into Apple.
Sure the GUI came from an idea Steve saw at Xerox PARC. Microsoft got to see it when they were hired to develop software for the first Mac. Doesn't matter really. The whole thing got us users out of DOS line commands.
The IPod, again nothing new. I had an MP3 player before there were IPods. But what it did again was improve the general user experience and force the industry to make changes.
The IPhone is nothing new as far as features. My Nokia E70 does everything and more than the IPhone. I will most likely not get one. I have my doubts too he will ever reach his magic "10 million" sold by end of 2008. But it will change things and the industry will have to respond. Geniuses or thieves, tech gawds or money grubbing scum, folks like Gates and Jobs do what they do and make changes.
Whilst this seems like a nice freebie paying for turn by turn instructions is a definite No No for me. I am much happier buying my software from Tom Tom and then using it with no running costs. Unless of course i feel the need for additional services such as the Traffic updates or the speed camera updates, but the speed camera locations can be found for free all over the web but i suppose for those that need an all in one easy solution this may suit them.
Marc
Whilst I dont really get the logic of announcing software for free download that isnt actually ready to download, I'm kinda thinking its a little premature to conclude its a con quite yet.
Wouldn't be the first thing from Nokia thats a little late now is it!!
Just a thought ;-)
Looks like we need to wait untill monday...
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