geo2web.com

The company Nokia announced the release of the final version of navigational applications Nokia Maps 2.0. Since last February beta program has been downloaded 240000 times, said the company. The updated version of Nokia Maps includes several new features, such as media guides for cities, satellite maps, treatment for pedestrians and new interface. Download the [...]

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The Mapsters - Nokia Maps Launch

Video courtesy of http://thenokiablog.com/
So this is what happens when maps and drugs mix….

http://www.themapsters.com/ [click on the 23rd May]
only a teaser before that.

Source
http://thenokiablog.com/2008/05/22/preview-nokia-maps-20-mapsters-website/
preview-nokia-maps-20-mapsters-website/

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Nokia Maps 2.0 Goes Mainstream

Finally after many months of ‘Beta’ status the Nokia Maps 2.0 has made it available to the normal users.

So whats changed?
Well from version 1.0 lots but from the 2.0 beta version not very much (a few bugs)

A quick summary:
Car Navigation
Pedestrian navigation
Multimedia city guides

Car Navigation has navigation carousel with three pre-defined navigation views (navigation, arrow and bird-eye) with multi-stops route planner.

(Purchase required based on region 3 day, 1 month, 1 year subscriptions - there is a option for 3 days free trial - this now tied to the SIM card not the IMEI of the Phone - meaning if you change your phone you can keep you licence.)
SIM to SIM licence copying can be done.

Satellite images
Hybrid mode

**Note these two modes use either Wifi or GPRS for displaying the layer they DO NOT come with the MapLoader pre-installed onto a memory card.

Nokia Maps 2.0 uses digital vector data provided by Navteq and TeleAtlas
Either download directly to the nokia device or by using the Nokia Map Loader on a PC. Nokia Maps 2.0 and the current commercial version of the Nokia Maps Loader are freely available for selected devices.

Downloads
Nokia Maps 2.0
http://europe.nokia.com/A4984199
(select your device)

Nokia Map Loader v1.3.8 (for Vista/XP on the PC - use this to save money on data transfer fees)

If your feeling brave there is a new beta version of Nokia Maps 2.0

Created Feb. 11, 2008 but updated on May 08, 2008
nokia_maps_2.0_1803_3.1_u.sis
http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/applications

Other Nokia useful applications recently released.

Mapperz

Update of Nokia Maps 2.0 source:
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9390.html

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A few months back I asked VE blog readers for some advice on my next mobile. After investigating a bunch of phones I finally settled on the AT&T Tilt and have been using it for a month or so and totally loving it. Overall its a fantastic smartphone, and for a geohacker its the ultimate all in one dream gadget.

Before I get to what it was that sold me on the Tilt I should answer the question of why no iPhone for me. There are a bunch of rabid iPhone users right here in my workgroup at Microsoft and we have 2 Macs at home so certainly no shortage of evangelists in my life selling me on the iPhone. I was willing to live with the slower network access on the iPhone due to lack of 3G (even though it seemed unthinkable on a 500 dollar phone!) And I was OK with relying on a bluetooth connected GPS for my mapping needs (more on that in a moment - I couldn’t have been more wrong on this one). But in the end it came down to the fact that i couldn’t stomach buying such a closed, locked down computing device. A world where a single entity controls what apps you can and can’t run isn’t one our industry should be working towards. If I build an application I should be able to give it to you and you should be able to use it. I have no interest in developing on any platform, desktop, mobile or otherwise, that offers anything less than that. I’m trying to imagine the reaction if another software vendor had tried to float this 1998 thinking as a developer platform strategy In the end, lots of sizzle and flash (no, not that flash)in the UI and an excellent web browsing experience shielded by a velvet rope designed to control what applications the consumer has access to just wasn’t for me. If you read on you’ll see that I run a bunch of apps on my phone and it’ll become clear why the iPhone just wouldn’t do it for me.

Why the Tilt?
If you look back at my wishlist you see that on the surface the Tilt is a pretty good fit; superfast internet access (plus WiFi. the the AT&T 3G net is so fast I hardly use it though**), runs Slingplayer, keyboard, unlocked GPS, easy to develop for, etc… But as with any piece of consumer electronics, its how you feel after living with it for a week that really matters. The Tilt hasn’t disappointed; the build is amazingly good (slide the keyboard open to understand what i mean), its plenty fast and has lots of memory (256 megs, up to 32 gigs expansion via microSD)… My only gripe is that the installed browser is severely lacking in features which I took care of with Opera. Battery life is acceptable, but if you are running WiFi, GPS, etc… a lot, you’ll need to get it on the charger each night.

** while I hardly use WiFi to surf the net, I HAVE been using this app to turn my phone into a wifi Access Point. Totally sick! It uses the phones 3G connection to send/receive to the internet, and becomes a low power wifi router so anyone nearby can connect to the net using standard wifi via their Laptop.

What about Maps and GPS?
Killer! I had no idea how much having a built in GPS would change my life, until i lived with it. With my last phone i used an external GPS via bluetooth and found that when i needed it, i had often not brought it along. one more thing to remember to carry. as a result, over time I found I hardly ever used it. I’ve used the GPS on the Tilt more in 4 weeks than I have in the previous 2 years. when its always there, you start using it in ways you never would otherwise. one very nerdy example - i was at a music festival 2 weeks ago where parking was basically a giant open field, without lights or section marks. I snapped a waypoint each day when going in, then used the Tilt’s GPS to guide me back to our car each night.

I mentioned above that the Tilt with its unlocked GPS is a perfect for building your own applications. If you’re so inclined, I suggest getting started with the open source GPSTracker on Codeplex; very well written C# code that is easy to modify. I added KML export and a couple of minor features in 30 minutes! It will work with any WinMo device that has a GPS be it built in or Bluetooth.

And finally, if you have a WinMo or Blackberry and you haven’t installed Live Search Mobile, do it now, thank me later. Voice command, directions, GPS navigation, maps, aerial imagery, movie times, gas prices, Business Search… and the forthcoming release packs my favorite feature which I’m not allowed to tell you about just yet.

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::: via :::
Two blogs in one…. “Nokia aiming to banish paper maps” & Nokia Maps 2.0 Beta (pre-release)

BBC News Technology
“Nokia expects to sell 35 million mobile phones equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) in 2008″
Nokia Maps 2.0 Beta (pre-release)
What is new?

Pedestrian mode

Enhanced driving navigation mode

Satellite maps

Hybrid (satellite and important map features overlayed)

Vastly improved [...]

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::: via :::
Nokia GPS Internal vs External
“The Nokia Bluetooth GPS Module LD-4W is for you if you’re looking for a navigation solution to send you effortlessly on your way. The lightweight, slim design makes this technology a great travelling companion” (AND DON’T HAVE AN INTERNAL GPS BUILT TO YOUR MOBILE PHONE)

Nokia GPS Module - it’s [...]

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::: via :::
Yahoo! Go 3.0 (Beta) with Maps

Yahoo! Go 3.0 services:

oneSearch
Yahoo! Calendar
Yahoo! Address Book
Yahoo! Local
Yahoo! Maps
Yahoo! News
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Entertainment
Yahoo! Weather
Flickr
Yahoo! Mail

“Yahoo! Go 3.0 connects your device to these Yahoo! services in real time. You can manage your contacts on the device and changes are synchronized with your Yahoo! account. The application uses widgets [...]

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