| Developer(s) | Nokia |
|---|---|
| Stable release | v3.06 / June 22, 2010[1] |
| Preview release | 3.08[2] |
| Operating system | Symbian OS, Maemo, Meego Harmattan and Windows Phone 7 |
| Platform | S60 |
| Type | Web mapping |
| License | Proprietary freeware |
| Website | maps.nokia.com |
Nokia Maps (formerly Ovi Maps, "Ovi" meaning "door" in Finnish) is a free mapping product and service by Nokia for its mobile phones and smartphone multimedia devices. Nokia Maps includes voice guided navigation for both pedestrians and drivers for 74 countries in 46 different languages and there are maps for over 180 countries.
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The Nokia Maps software began its life in 2001 as Smart2Go, a generic 3D-map interface for access to tourist information on mobile terminals. It was developed by an EU Consortium named TellMaris.[3] Nokia gained the rights to the software when it acquired the German route planning software company Gate5 in August 2006. It then made the Smart2Go application free to download.[4][5][6][7][8] Nokia Maps was expanded in October 2007, when Nokia acquired Chicago-based digital map supplier Navteq to build further on their Smart2Go mapping application.[9][10][11][12] Maps is part of the Ovi brand of Nokia's Internet based online services. Ovi Maps provides offline maps which have the advantage of not requiring an active data connection or even network coverage on the handset. Maps can be loaded onto the phone with Nokia Ovi Suite[13] (for Microsoft Windows only) or through a web browser[14] (on any operating system), with recent versions, directly over-the-air.
On January 22, 2010, Nokia released a new version of Ovi Maps (v3.03) that allowed free turn-by-turn navigation for many of its cellphones.[15][16] Nokia Ovi Maps have currently 27 million users, which is expected to double. Nokia has over 84 million GPS-enabled devices in the market. Nokia has established one of the largest audiences for mobile location-based services. By the end of 2011 the market is expected to be getting toward 200 million.
In April 2011, Nokia released a beta version of 3D maps[17] that covers 20 cities in the world. By August 2011, the coverage has expanded to 23 cities. The 3D maps are said to be produced by combining LiDAR scanner data for 3D modeling with HD aerial photos for realistic texture mapping. The software runs as a plugin to the web browser. Unlike the 2D maps which were designed for Nokia mobile devices, the 3D maps require hardware supports that are not usually available on mobile devices. The Nokia Maps version 3.06 for S60v5 and Symbian^3 devices. It supports pinch-to-zoom for the latter operating system.
In May 2011, Ovi Maps was renamed back to "Nokia Maps".[18]
Additionally, there is also a version of maps for Nokia N9 with the Meego OS. In October, Nokia announced maps & drive for Windows Phone 7 ( Mango ) as well, which will appear on their Lumia phones - Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800.
The latest version of Nokia Maps( version 3.08 for Symbian 3 devices) include:
Nokia Maps is also available on a website, at http://maps.nokia.com. The website works on all major browsers. There is also a website specifically for mobile devices, at m.maps.nokia.com, which can be accessed by HTML5-based mobile phones and tablets, i.e. devices running iOS and Android.
Additionally, on maps.nokia.com, users can have:
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