It's certainly the way to go, unfortunately they're still trying to make this subscription model work.
Take the hit, steal the march - Ovi Maps Navigation should go free NOW
Arthur wrote:What's being forgotten in this conversation is the general robustness and usefulness of the mapping application and I'm sorry but Google Maps walks all over 'Ovi Maps', errr... 'Maps on Ovi' or whatever it's called this week.Google wins.
I don't think it has been forgotten, I think it's more that it's just not true. With Google maps if you can't get a connection, or can only get a basic connection then you can't see your map or you have to wait for it and try and navigate across a blank screen until the map appears. That's just not good enough and it's a billion miles away from robust and useful. Google can never win while it's like that, and it will always be like that as long as google need to collect data about where people travel. I've tried to use Google maps and dumped it.
seki wrote:Google Maps: requires a connection (bad if you pay a lot for data)
Ovi Maps: doesn't require a connection (provided you have preloaded the maps)Google: Indoors/built up areas - still very accurate.
Ovi: requires a third party add-on to gain any accuracy, not well supported yet.Google: Has pretty good world wide coverage.
Ovi: Has fairly good world wide coverage, but NOT in Japan (where I'm forced to use MGMaps or some other variant)Google: Widely available for pretty much ANY device.
Ovi: restricted to Nokia (correct me if I'm wrong)The above applies just to Maps .. not navigation.
Navigation requires accuracy in positioning I'd stick to Google maps, until Nokia include cell positioning as part of the Assisted-GPS. What needs to happen is with A-GPS on .. it starts with that then if it gets a GPS lock that helps the Assistant (sort of turn it on it head)I've also not had a problem with the N97's GPS. It works well even at high speed!
All very correct, apart from accuracy. I find Nokia maps is extremely accurate, and within the width of a road. I am not sure how a third party add on can be much moer useful.
However, I would still much rather use a cheaper, better dedicatged sat-nav. I could uninstall all the maps apps from my phone and not miss them.
st1100flyer wrote:I have just checked the Ovi Maps Site and the current price for a 1yr subscription is �52.99p for Drive Europe. The Walk facility seems to have disappeared.
The walk facility is now offered free on all devices. Just download the latest version of Ovi apps. Drive, as you know, is chargeable.
Never happen. Google is giving maps away for free, Apple is hiring a mapping engineer, and Nokia will sit and think about it while everyone else moves forward. Even if they did it, Google and Apple have shown how to deliver a better user experience with existing technology. They've both proved that not having the latest and greatest hardware but better software is what consumers want. Nokia is lost somewhere in between. Offering not the best hardware + along with seeming terrible software = terrible user experience.
Here's to hoping that Nokia does the right thing here for once.
Since my sat nav was feeling its age I decided to subscribe to Ovi maps on my new 5800. Its very convenient to have sat nav at hand but I am not sure it is worth paying for. Even on the fast route settings you are routed the long way round. I find the only way to use it is to plan your route on line (cant get it to work in Vista by the Way), adjust it to the best route and sync. The best example of poor route planning is the following: My home on the outskirts of Brighton to Hammersmith in London, on a Friday at 7pm. It took me into Brighton, back out again, into South London via Croydon, South circular to Sheppards bush and then onto Hammersmith, a journey time of over 3 hours. The correct route should have been out of Brighton via one of the outer roads, M25 to M4 and straight into Hammersmith journey time 1hour 40. I will not be renewing my subscription.
malerocks wrote:The walk facility is now offered free on all devices. Just download the latest version of Ovi apps. Drive, as you know, is chargeable.
Incorrect.
Walk Navigation is now called City Explorer (about 10 Euros for life, global)
Devices that ship with Maps 3.0 have this included (N86, 6730 etc etc) devices that upgrade will need to purchase this license unless they've purchased a Walk/Drive license in which case the walk side of it will continue until the license expires.
djmuzi wrote:
For N-Series Devices it MUST be free! I payed 400 EUR for my N86. For this price the phone should include full licence.
What about E-devices? I paid over 700 for an E90 😉
I paid �45 for 3yrs for my nokia maps when it came out. That price I thought wasreasonable but what they are chargiong now is a joke. I wont be renewing it unless they put the price back to �45 for 3 yrs or obviously free. I had an n95 8gb when I got maps and still using it now on my n97 (with a nokia LD-4W bluetooth GPS as the n97 GPS sucks so bad).
P.S. I just leave my shutter open ALL the time so it doesn't scratch the lense. Just hold down the camera button to start it up.
i've been saying ovi maps should be free on EVERY nokia phone for a long time now. just think of the marketing power that nokia would have if they offered free ovi maps just by being a nokia phone user! it is a huge advantage in the industry for nokia to use their "might" to muscle around everyone else, because frankly the other manufacturers could not compete if nokia did this.
RogerPodacter wrote:i've been saying ovi maps should be free on EVERY nokia phone for a long time now. just think of the marketing power that nokia would have if they offered free ovi maps just by being a nokia phone user! it is a huge advantage in the industry for nokia to use their "might" to muscle around everyone else, because frankly the other manufacturers could not compete if nokia did this.
Ovi Maps is free already.
It's just the nav that needs payment.
available to more devices .. not just Nokia's .. for a fee.
I do not need Navigation .. I can read a map .. if its good enough.
Here's another idea. Make Ovi Maps the best Sat Nav software on the planet bar none! Give away the first 6 months, then charge a yearly subscription from there on in.
Nokia. Make it better... actually, no, make it the best navigation software anyone has ever seen. And then advertise it as such.
Surely even Nokia can't write off the money they spent on Navtech? It was a massive amount.
As people have pointed out Google Maps downloads the maps through a data connection. That is both the advantage and disadvantage with Google Maps in my opinion.
This is also where OVI Maps is better in my opinion as you can download the maps in advance. I do agree with your idea that the satnav could be released free for a limited time.
However I also see that this is done partially in the different range of Nokia handsets where handsets have either free walking navigation, free driving navigation or both.
As for the premium services, most average users don't really have need for that. Weather forecasts can easily be accessed via other applications and traffic info is only something you would need if you drive to work. (If you do, you probably also know when the traffic peaks are).
The only thing left of the premium services package that is suitable for the average users are the travel guides which can come in handy.
However they were/are limited by the languages that your handset supports.
A friend of mine bought a travel guide for Japan and it showed up with only squares and characters that didn't gave much meaning, due to the fact that names on the street was, not surprisingly written in Japanese.
So all in all, to Nokia's defense I think they do, do a decent job in competing with Google Maps. That said I would of course not mind if I suddenly was blessed with a free one year navigation on my handset.
But as the situation is now, this only comes with (some) new handsets.
Nokia to offer free navigation
Congrats Steve!!! Mr. Nostradamus... 😊
Looking on Nokia Maps I was astonished to discover that the only country missing from the world is ISRAEL...they don't know Israel exists or they still don't recognize its existence !!??
(I am an ordinary Romanian, not Israeli)