Another in our series of beginner tutorials for the Nokia 5800, Tzer2 looks at using GPS and Nokia Maps on this device and on S60 5th Edition. Items covered include how GPS and positioning work, how to send your location to friends and how to spy on top secret government installations(!)
Read on in the full article.
I've used nokia maps on my N95, N95 8gb, N96 and now my 5800. I was dissapointed to see that only recently Nokia have amended the postcode search facility to the first 4 characters of the postcode. To navigate you need to know exactly where you are going, TOMTOM, Garmin and Navigon all use full postcode searching, I know - I've used them all.
Also the alogorithm Nokia maps uses for fastest, shortest routes is beyond me, it'll send you down single track farmyard lanes when there are obviously quicker, faster, shorter routes. The day it sent me round 3 sides of a block instead of the obvious one side was the day I ordered Garmin Mobile XT. I think that Nokia maps has degenerated to a novelty item on the 5800, nothing more than a showcase of an "almost but not quite" application.
Sadly I paid for navigation on nokia maps. Also, why can't the user download or update the maps facility, it's not on the nokia maps page? And, why is there no sign of 5800 support on Nokia maps 3 ?
Finally I think Nokia maps is saved by google maps, do your full postcode search there, save it as a favourite and then it can be picked up in nokia maps - see nokia maps ain't so bad !
Another good write up by the way !
No, see my other news post. It's a server problem at Nokia's end and they're fixing it..... It *wasn't* intentional.
Thanks for the reply, I've contacted Nokia several times about this. The first reply i received was this is how nokia maps has always worked, then they said it's how it's going to work (so tough !). Good to see that there is hopefully light at the end of the tunnel, I do try and persevere with apps that are native to the device - please keep us posted if you hear anything from Nokia !
And, why is there no sign of 5800 support on Nokia maps 3 ?
Probably because Maps 3 is still in beta, and the 5800 is the very first S60 5th Edition device.
Maps 3 should be out on the 5800 by June though, because it's being bundled with the N97.
Also, why can't the user download or update the maps facility, it's not on the nokia maps page?
I'm not sure what you mean by downloading the maps facility, but you can download maps onto your computer using the Nokia Map Loader, then transfer them to your phone, as noted in the article. Here's the download page (scroll to the bottom to see the Map Loader section):
http://europe.nokia.com/A4984199
I think that Nokia maps has degenerated to a novelty item on the 5800, nothing more than a showcase of an "almost but not quite" application.
I'm sorry, but you're talking entirely about problems in navigation and route-planning (which are as Steve noted problems on the server rather than in the application itself). There's a LOT more to Nokia Maps than that, as anyone reading the tutorial will find out.
I don't have a car so I never really use the navigation aspect at all (though I did for the sake of researching the tutorial) but I still use Nokia Maps quite a bit.
Because I'm on foot and on public transport, I don't really need to know the exact route as the bus or train or taxi driver already knows where they're going, and finding the way to walk from one place to another isn't difficult to do on a map. So automated navigation isn't really my top priority.
My main uses for Nokia Maps are:
1) To tell me exactly where I am 😊 Simply showing my location on a detailed map is probably the thing I value the most on Nokia Maps, it stops me getting lost.
2) To find out and show me where I need to get to. For example I recently used it while on a trip to find the nearest pharmacy. That was a really important bit of help because I might have missed my train and been without medicine for the journey, but Maps told me there was a pharmacy just round the corner from the station.
3) To tell other people where I am. Nokia Maps' "send" function sends an exact postal address for your current location, or any other location, even if you don't know the address yourself. That means the recipient doesn't have to have a GPS phone because the address is entirely in the text message, and I know that it will work with all mobile phones. That's also quite nice to know in case I'm in an emergency and have to ask for help.
4) To store my favourite places so I can see where they are on the map. For example, on the same trip I found a really good restaurant and saved it to "My Places", so I can easily go back to it the next time I'm in town.
Obviously problems with postcode lookups aren't acceptable, especially as navigation is a pay-for service, and if it carries on then people should demand some kind of explanation and/or compensation from Nokia (in the UK that would be through trading standards I think). But it's a bit harsh to describe Nokia Maps as a "novelty" because one aspect is having problems.
So apart from number 3 (which is a great idea!), you could probably get by on Google maps? At least that's what i use around London. I prefer it over Nokia Maps 2.0 (gave up trying to get 3.0 installed).
I had a good play with Nokia Maps 2.0 on the 5800 and 3.0 beta on the N82 (liked the new buildings feature. Not easy to get beta working on the N82).
Personal opinion. Route planning algorythem is very poor. If you want it for navigation, I suggest you check out CoPilot or Garmin (garmin is card locked).
I'm sure it used to cost less and offer a 3 year option which made it better value. Not that it's getting to the point of being 'ok' the price seams to have shot up and the 3 year option is no longer there.
Just my opinion of course, you can get a 7 day trial from the Nokia site and try it yourself.
Zuber
So apart from number 3 (which is a great idea!), you could probably get by on Google maps
Yes, possibly, but AFAIK Google Maps doesn't track you on the map while you're moving? Or does it do that now? I really do need on-map tracking as one of the things I do if I'm unsure where to get off a bus in a new town is save my destination as a favourite location, and then track my position as the bus gets near to it. I also like to have the map centred on where I am while I'm walking so I can occasionally glance at it to check my progress.
In the end though I'd rather use a mapping app that's integrated with the rest of the phone, for reason number 3 and others. And looking at this realistically, Nokia Maps is built into the phone so it's the one most people are likely to use, which is why we did the tutorial about it. But I'm perfectly willing to do third party app tutorials too (I did an Opera Mini one last week) so maybe I should do Google Maps as well? I'll add it to the list. 😊 These tutorials aren't necessarily endorsements, they're just advice on how to use something if you want to use it. We're trying to cover all the most popular options on the 5800, so popular third party apps may well get included eventually, as Opera Mini has been.
By the way, sorry if it sounded like I was plugging Nokia Maps in my previous replies. I'm not saying Nokia Maps is the best solution for everyone, just that there's more to it (and more to other mapping apps too) than just route-planning and turn-by-turn guidance. IMHO it's a general problem in sat nav reviews that they concentrate so heavily on car journeys, when so many of a modern sat nav app's functions are to do with non-car tasks.
In a way this is all part of the change in satellite navigation devices and apps as they're starting to move out of the car and into people's pockets. GPS was originally dominated by in-car route-planning because the early GPS units were only really practical to take with you in a car, just like mobile phones started out as car phones (hence "The Carphone Warehouse" selling mobiles today). However, the relatively low price and small size of devices like the 5800 mean the road navigation abilities of GPS become less central. It's now quite plausible that someone who doesn't own a car might still own and use a sat nav device. If sat nav gets even cheaper (which looks like happening), it could conceivably become as widely-used as text messaging, even in regions where people don't generally own cars.
Regarding which mapping app is best, it'll vary depending on a person's requirements and where they live (map data in one region may be higher quality than in another region). The important thing is that navigation application publishers can all create navigation apps for S60 5th Edition if they want to, and Garmin have already done that, so people can change to another application if they want to. If the mapping app makers including Nokia have to work harder to earn customers, the customers are bound to benefit from that with lower prices and raised quality.
Google does send your location, and other people can track you on google earth/maps in a browser or on their phone so it's more accessible/well known than Nokia maps. It's under the options menu, select 'latitude' to use google latitude.
Google does send your location, and other people can track you on google earth/maps in a browser or on their phone so it's more accessible/well known than Nokia maps. It's under the options menu, select 'latitude' to use google latitude.
It's not more accessible if it requires the recipient to have a web browser.
The point that impresses me about Nokia Maps' "send" function is that it sends an ordinary postal address as an ordinary text message, so it works for sending to absolutely any mobile phone model. Even the most primitive phone would be able to receive location texts from Nokia Maps, and the recipient can then look up that address by whatever method they prefer (a printed atlas, a public information kiosk, an online map service, or maybe they know the street's location themselves).
Incidentally the NM "send" function also sends a data file as an attachment so if the recipient does have an advanced phone they can use the message to look up the location on a map automatically. I'm not 100% sure which apps support the attached file type, but obviously Nokia Maps would.
Paying a subscription for satellite navigation? I don't think so. I would have to be an idiot or have more money than sense.
Paying a subscription for satellite navigation? I don't think so. I would have to be an idiot or have more money than sense.
You only pay for the route-planning turn-by-turn stuff and the traffic info. The rest of Nokia Maps is free. In fact the route-planning is free too if you do it through the Ovi Maps website.
I've never heard of a totally free sat nav app with turn-by-turn navigation.
Tzer2 wrote:
I've never heard of a totally free sat nav app with turn-by-turn navigation.
But there are many that you buy the device and don't have to continue paying. Very cheap dedicated devices that do the job much better, don't use airtime and have user interfaces suitable for use in a vehicle and come with suitable mounting equipment.
Tzer2 wrote:
I've never heard of a totally free sat nav app with turn-by-turn navigation.
Is Sygic McGuider still around?? Thought that was free, or it used to be (maybe just while it was in beta).
But there are many that you buy the device and don't have to continue paying.
i'm thinking about giving my teenage son my 5800, with me getting the n97.
whats the best tracking option (preferably not easy to disable).
The Nokia 6110 Navigator has totally free turn-by-turn naviagtion software built in.