Nokia Maps 2.0 hits beta

Published by Rafe Blandford, Steve Litchfield at 22:34 UTC, February 8th 2008

Nokia Maps is approaching the release of its second major version (2.0). Currently it is in a semi-public beta, so you expect to see a few postings about this around the net in the next few days and weeks. The new version brings a number of improvements including a new pedestrian mode, enhanced driving navigation mode, satellite maps, much improved search and new real time traffic information. Read on for more details and screenshots.

New car navigation interface.

The driving navigation interface (Drive) has been much enhanced (see above), with proper turn indicators and transparent panels.

There's a new pedstrian mode (Walk), with no voice instructions but with “breadcrumbs” that are shown where you have been walking so you can easily see what direction to take. (Walk is included in the driving navigation license for car navigation but can also be purchased separately at a lower cost)

Satellite maps are now included (a la Google Maps) for 200 cities worldwide. The satellite maps are downloaded over the air and are saved automatically. Next time you start Maps, the satellite maps will be there, no need to download them again. There's a hybrid view that combines satellite view with the regular maps.

Nokia Maps 2

The usual 2D and 3D map modes are still available and there a definite performance improvement.

Improved search function with results listed by categories (i.e. streets, restaurants, towns).

Nokia Maps 2

Improved places (landmarks) functionality. Places can be saved as favourites and collections (folders) created.

Nokia Maps 2

Upgrade facilities are provided to convert old navigation licenses and maps to the newer formats. There's also a companion (new version of the) MapLoader utility.
There's real time traffic information handling that allows dynamic rerouting of navigation. This is available for 18 European countries and is a premium addon.

Nokia Maps 2

There are now some video items in an expanded group of city guides

Watch this space for more screenshots and opinions throughout February. Please note the version 2.0 beta is NOT available for general download, I'll post again as and when this happens! And no, I'm not going to email it to anyone, a full public beta will doubtless follow when Nokia's German team are ready...

Steve Litchfield

Categories: Software, Editorial Thoughts
Platforms: S60 3rd Edition

News Discussion

Orophin Anwarunya

"...when Nokia's German team are ready..."

So thats never then?!:tongue:

fernando20

I sure hope for cell tower triangulation!

elp

The improvement I'd like to see the most would be about performances. The current version of Maps is so pathetically slow when zooming and scrolling, even on a fairly powerful E90, it's not even funny. Searching for addresses is also terribly slow (you sometimes stand like a dick for 2 minutes while Maps searches only to get a "not found" error at the end). Apart from that, the current version already does the job fairly well.

DevilsRejection

i'm feeling a bit hurt, i got no email or notification about this.

Unregistered

Great a new version, lets hope that in this version right means turn right not left and they stop sending me off the highway and then back again on it just to reduce my driving distance by 5 meters. Thinking it is the quickest road...

Anyway I'd be happy to beta test it for you ;-)

Cheers Snoyt.

Unregistered

Maps died when Nokia disabled the free tracking feature. I don't bother about maps anymore.

Unregistered

i'd have to agree that what they need to work on now is performance. the performance of google maps, which is in java, completely puts nokia maps to shame. even on a top end nseries phone the scrolling and zooming is terribly jerky...

Unregistered

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBGvkmmSkWI

Rafe

Other views:

Ricky over at Symbian-Guru has his say here.

bartmanekul

But perhaps the biggest question of all -

is the routing better?

Rafe

Quote:

Originally Posted by bartmanekul

But perhaps the biggest question of all -

is the routing better?

Good point. For me (wrt to earlier version) at least there's been a gradual improvement form the beginning (unless I'm imagining things which is entirely possible)... The tendency to take weird shortcuts via a country lane at times is a bit annoying.

sturgeon

And is the licensing software any better? I am still fuming from when they told me I didn't have a license a day after I bought a 30 day one (and tested it!), as I needed voice navigation I had no option but to buy another one and when I complained to Nokia they told me it was my decision, hence my problem. They took the money for both and stuck the licenses end to end, so I ended up with a 60 day license I didn't need!

(Slightly incandescent) s.

davekolmer

Is the 3D view improved over the original Nokia Maps? Whenever I go to 3D in v 3.1, north is up only, instead of the map moving to keep the heading up.

Unregistered

What nokia needs to do is stop ripping people off and make it free. Whats the point for that ill buy a standard GPS with better performance.

Unregistered

Rafe/Steve, can we save the bread crumble trail? I.e. did they add logging and track/route loading? What are the prices for the traffic info?

Talking about performance, I think Map24 mobile thingy is the fastest and smoothest map-app on the N95 without local storage. It also has the lowest data-usage with the maps being vectorgraphics.

snoyt(.vox.com)

dergal

"What nokia needs to do is stop ripping people off and make it free. Whats the point for that ill buy a standard GPS with better performance."

Your absolutely right - I mean if its a similar price for a GPS unit as it is for the software, I know which one I would pay for - especially as v1 of he software did not compare to TomTom at all!

Gerry

Unregistered

Nokia Maps 2.0 Beta and Nokia Map Loader 1.3.5 are now available at: http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/maps

Unregistered

Appears Download has already been taken down?

bitflung

nokia maps is still up at beta labs - weren't you able to download it? i just got it a minute ago: 11/02/2008 @ 10:06am EST

btw: nokia maps satnav has been plenty good for me, i dont agree with all the naysayers who want the feature for free. i've purchased the 3 year nav option and haven't regretted it even for a moment - and i bought the license back on maps 1.0 - the original software that shipped on my n95-1 back in july.

-jared

Unregistered

Just wondering how they are going to handle the 3 year licenses from Maps 1.0 as you can no longer buy the equivalent packages on Maps 2.0

e.g. No longer possible to buy UK + Western europe for 3 years. Lets hope they don't expect me just to dump two years worth of license.

Hmmm

Aside from that possible issue, it looks much better than the last version and managed to upgrade without wiping my landmarks :)

Unregistered

The beta is only available for FP 1 phones, this from the Nokia site (http://betalabs.nokia.com/blog/2008/...ta/#comments):

> Note: this does *not* work on S60 3rd Edition devices, only the ones with Feature Pack 1.

Shame they left most of the current user base out in the cold. Also, people have been reporting tat once it is installed you can't remove it without reformatting your phone's memory - even if you have installed it on a SD card.

Looks like it is best avoided for now...

Unregistered

Could it be that you can't purchase navigation for Western Europe at all with v2.0? I had a look through the list of available areas and I couldn't find it. Not any good if you i.e. want to drive from the UK to Germany and have to purchase navigation for three different areas.

Unregistered

> once it is installed you can't remove it without reformatting your phone's memory

"If your phone has an older version of Maps application in its firmware, it is not possible to uninstall the Beta version. To go back to the old Maps version, you will have to first remove e:\cities folder from your memory card and then install the older version from maps.nokia.com."

> Just wondering how they are going to handle the 3 year licenses
> from Maps 1.0 as you can no longer buy the equivalent packages on Maps 2.0

"A note, xxx-day license activated is displayed where xxx is the amount of days left on your license"

-----------

I experienced some baffling moments before I understood that in the big screen of E90 the menus "Options" and "Exit" have been incorrectly programmed, taking each other's place.

Unregistered

This new version of Nokia Maps is more prone to endless "calculating route" loops than earlier version. Another almost buglike behavior is to stubbornly clinging to an old route despite the new direction the vehicle is advancing. A few days ago it recalculated 4-5 times a "new" route whose only purpose was to lead me to back to the old route. The point where it gave up and calculated the right route: 24 km via the old route, 17 km via the new route. I did not see the old Maps-version behave so stupidly. Note that I had the "shortest" route option on. And I was in the city are with enough routes to choose.

Unregistered

Hi, I tried to delete the cities folder and then uninstall the maps application but unsuccessfully. In order to go to the older version, I have installed the upgrade file, which is nokia_maps_1_0_upgrade_ROM.sis and then I got the older version back.

I hope this helps you.

Adnan, UAE

Full thread: 34 Comments / Post New Comment

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