Nokia Launches Nokia Maps 2.0

At the Mobile World Congress Nokia announced that the beta version of Nokia Maps 2.0 is ready for a spin. Nokia Maps has taken its mapping and navigation experience to the next level by enhancing its pedestrian navigation, adding multimedia city guides, offering satellite images, and sporting a redesigned user interface.

Maps 2.0 adds Walk, a pedestrian-focused navigation component, while still offering Drive, the car navigation system. Walk efficiently gets you from A to B with visual turn-by-turn guidance. It helps you locate yourself by offering information about surrounding buildings, streets and parks (including pathways). In newer handsets like the 6210 Navigator, it even indicates the direction of motion, using the handset's built-in compass for orientation.

Nokia Maps 2.0 also adds the option to purchase multimedia guides that feature photos, videos and audio streams to make your journey even more exciting. As with the previous version of Nokia Maps, users will receive a free 3-day Navigation trial, for Walk and Drive, plus an additional free 10 minute City Guide trial.

"By taking navigation services out of the car and onto the sidewalk, Nokia is enabling people to explore and discover what's around them with the confidence of a local," said Michael Halbherr, vice president, Nokia Location-Based Services. "By combining the integrated compass of the Nokia 6210 Navigator with the speed and accuracy of assisted GPS, Nokia Maps 2.0 provides a unique experience with which other less accurate mobile navigation applications can't compete."

Nokia Maps 2.0 will also have, for an optional fee, real-time traffic feeds with dynamic rerouting in 18 European countries. With vector maps provided by TeleAtlas and Navteq, Nokia Maps now has maps covering over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable. It can also lead you to the nearest transit station using localized icons in 17 cities. While you are riding on the Metro you can discover and explore new places using the hybrid satellite views or purchase one of the new multimedia city guides from companies such as Berlitz.

Nokia also announced that it is planning to bring Nokia Maps to the mass market with a Series 40 version, to be ready later this year.

To download the latest version of Nokia Maps (2.0), click here. The current version of Nokia Maps and the Nokia Map Loader are also freely available for download for select devices.