The Israeli Palestine dispute is a short term problem - Dr Craig Barrett, Intel
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Ovi Maps takes off
THE DEATH KNELL has sounded for satnav companies like Tomtom with the news that Nokia's Ovi Maps has clocked up 1.4 million downloads since its relaunch less than a fortnight ago.
While Apple have been taking pot shots at Nokia, labelling itself as the "largest mobile devices company in the world" and Google truly entered the mobile market with the Nexus One, the Finnish handset maker has been concentrating on getting its Ovi Maps application up to standard.
Free turn-by-turn navigation has been all but forgotten on Apple's devices and with Iphone map data not being cached your ability to get there depends upon whether you are within mobile data range.
Even the Nexus One doesn't currently have turn-by-turn navigation if you are outside the US.
Ovi Maps overcame this problem by storing its map data the old fashioned way, that is, locally, and with both driving and walking directions available for some 180 countries and in 46 languages, chances are good that you'll find your way home with a Nokia phone.
Ovi Maps is the result of Nokia's $8.1 billion purchase of map data firm Navteq in 2007 and finally it seems to be reaping rewards. According to figures released by Nokia, a million downloads were reached within a week of the relaunch, with China, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK reportedly lapping it up. The most popular devices using Ovi Maps apparently were the N97, 5800 Xpressmusic, 5230 and E72.
Nokia, perhaps sensing it's onto a winner, has stated that all its GPS enabled devices will from next month feature local country map data as standard, with travel guides from Lonely Planet and Michelin thrown in.
Upon the initial release of Ovi Maps the share prices of Tomtom and other dedicated satnav vendors fell sharply. The news that Nokia has posted encouraging figures will only serve to further humiliate an industry which has failed to keep up and innovate.
So while some may argue that Nokia missed the smartphone music-phone boat, it seems that Nokia has opted instead for the open road. µ
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i have got 5800 wiv ovi map in it ..but i dont fink its all freee coz ma network vodafone charges me every time i use ovi n how hell is tat free can ny one explain me bout dis plz thank u
I like Nokia phones, have bought them for years - even when they looked like a Nokia but had some dodgy Telecom Co branded Firmware instead.
I downloaded OVI, 'lo - there was even a Mac OS X install version! Did it work?, did it stuff! Error - the memory is in use by another application. restart phone entering flight mode. Error - the memory is (still) in use by another application. deleted OVI , deleted OVI forums and login and email and profile and I'll try again when Nokia have got the install problems solved on a Nokia device.
It should just work and it doesn't.
your mileage may vary
Here in Blighty operators like Orange and Vodaphone charge subscription for the maps. Perhaps it is time for the other manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, LG and Motorola also to buy or licence maps from satnav companies and give software bundled as free. Microsoft has always done it to make windows more attractive and now it is the smartphone market to follow suit. I use my phone as my satnav and saved some quid.
Buying a 5800 Xpressmusic last July was the best thing I could have done. I have been on the lookout for a new sat nav and I'm really glad I waited as I now have one for free. Thanks Nokia!
The USB on the 5800 is a Micro-USB which is very much a standard these days, perhaps not the standard you're used to but... just look at this for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-usb#Mobile_device_charger_standards
You can't get much more standard than that!
... they buy a profit-making company, and then give the product away with their phones. Fine. How much does that mean they're subsidising those millions of downloaders?
CoPilot on the iPhone is £25. Sure, Apple could put that on for free, then whack the price of the iPhone up, but this really proves nothing - other than Nokia has finally realised that it no longer controls the phone market, and is flailing about wildly trying to make itself relevant.
Just purchased the 5800 navigation model, which have greater support than free maps (thats what the salesman told atleast).
Have to give a lot of negative points to nokia (and most are perhaps better with other brands)
- Too many software & brand names & services. No idea what they do exactly and most of them having problems:
Ovi, MyNokia, PCsuite,Myshare,OviMusic, share..,share,..maps..blabla
didn't seem to work just one login information
- Store not working properly with Opera, and not so nice to browse with phone either
- Buggy pc software and too hard to find out what each software do
+ but the phone is working nicely and has great gui
- what's that usb connector ? wtf! why not standard one!
Finally an iphone killer. apple didnt know how to do this on the iphone the author is right. this will kill the iphone and apple can go to backrupcy. i will DEFINITELY buy an nokia. love ovi maps!
At first sight 180 countries seem to be a lot, one could think that will never be lost on Earth.
But for me the experience was a rather disappointing. I live in Romania, and the Romania map has about 2 MB, this means that only the main roads are on the map.
This being the case, for me Ovi Maps is useless.