Nokia Maps User wrote:It seems quite many people got the licensing model wrong. It is NOT a subscription based model, one has to pay only once for the choosen license period (1week, 1month, 1year). It's more like a "pay as you go" type of service, which is indeed very appealling for those who aren't heavy navigation users.
I'm not a high navigation user, but I just borrow a TomTom when I need one, usually from my brother. He and his wife also both use the same device which is otherwise stored at home when not in use. It's not a carry everywhere essential piece of equipment for those who aren't heavy nav users.
I give this business model 12 months in its current form, customers just won't tolerate it, it's too messy, frankly stupid and unattractive.
I predict that the service will be paid for through the standard monthly operator bills as a competitive offering by the service providers. Much tidier to have it consolidated into a single phone service bill and to some extent it can be hidden there too.
I give this business model 12 months in its current form, customers just won't tolerate it, it's too messy, frankly stupid and unattractive.
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How is Nokia's model all that different than buying a new navigation package to take advantage of new map data and a larger POI database (and possibly features)?
Two years ago, I was using Tom Tom Navigator 6 for Windows Mobile. Last year, I switched to iGuidance 4 for the reasons listed above. Tom Tom does not offer updated map data for their Windows Mobile products. Only software updates. Neither does iNav. To get the latest map data, you need to buy a new version every year.
Now that I'm using an E90, I'm using Nokia Maps. I paid a 1-year fee for North American navigation (cheaper than either of the packages listed above), and I'll probably do so again when my subscription expires.
The Nokia greed is becoming more and more clinical. I dont understand who will ever want to pay (and not one time payment but a subscription!) for that joke of navigational services on Nokia smartphones (compared to standalone navigation systems). Nokia now even removes the free route calculation?!! Thats really something. BTW, I am still using N95 with the original Maps, which offers not only the free route calculation but also the free unlimited all regional tracking mode and I am not falling for all their con Maps changing firmware updates, so beat it, Nokia.
So there I was, with Nokia Maps 2 loaded up with map data for most of western europe, paid for a month of western europe routing, and though I'd go.
Under maps 1.0, you wouldn't need to go online to do anything other than download chunks of map data for areas that you hadn't pre-loaded. This made getting turn-by-turn routes overseas simple.
Now, with maps 2.0, it's pretty much impossible for it to calculate a route at all without going online, and burning up expensive roaming 3G data bytes. What's more, you can't calculate it whilst on wifi, and then drive off.. Not easily. It insists on recalculating the entire route (online) every few minutes, even if you haven't deviated from the route - burning up more money on roaming 3G data..
When I did allow it to go online and calculate turn-by-turn directions, it always got confused when dipping out of GPS coverage (e.g. driving through a forest).. "Follow the course of the road for 12km.." Sounds good, then 2 minutes later.. "Make a U-turn".. (which I ignore).. Then "Follow the course of the road for 9km".
What a useless program!
Bought a 1 month license, loaded the software, and went to Italy on holiday. Only pedestrian mode worked, and then it chose the most convoluted route possible. For a destination 200m away, it would send you on at least a 2km route. We then hired a car, but "Drive to" never worked once. Just sat there with "Calculating Route" on the screen. Eventually worked out that it could direct you down a straight road as long as it was not more than 300m long. Over that distance, or at the first intersection, it just kept on trying to "Calculate Route", sometimes for up to 20mins before I'd snap and turn it off.
Waste of money.