Ovi Maps now down to 'admin charges' levels for older phones

Unregistered wrote:If you purchased your FP1 phone and it didn't have maps, why do you suddenly think you are entitled to maps?

Check out:
http://events.nokia.com/ovimaps/index.html

Read the headline on the page:
"Navigation on your Nokia is now free.....That�s free navigation for everyone. Forever."

Let's read on:
"Until today, Navigation has been kept in the hands of the few. Today that changes. We realised that billions of people around the world already have mobile phones that are perfectly suited to delivering Navigation. So we�re going to let them do that. From this day on, Navigation on your Nokia, with Ovi Maps, will be free for everyone, everywhere, to get people to the places they love. Now, and forever."

Seems pretty clear to me!

whiners! you bought the phone and it is still the same phone! wtf guys.. Nokia need to spend money on innovation and not lazy freebies. What did you expect buying fp2 with 9.5 already in the mix?! be thankful for what you get - fp2's are STILL excellent phones and i have one my self. There is a break in compatibility due to touch vs buttons - face it.

Buy another phone if you want .. who would care? Why would one wish for a customer that shouts about details and wants everything for free? Seriously -- get a grip!

Fred* wrote:Just so you don't try this new service on an E71. I did and now the GPS doesn't work at all. It looks like (from the advice of a Nokia Store employee) that the only solution is to downgrade to the old maps. Thanks for nothing Nokia! Couldn't they say it wouldn't work on an E71????

Doesn't the fact that the E71 isn't listed as a supported device count as telling you that it doesn't work on an E71?

The complaining on this site is beyond belief!

Unregistered wrote:Because Nokia's told us.

Check out:
http://events.nokia.com/ovimaps/index.html

Read the headline on the page:
"Navigation on your Nokia is now free.....That�s free navigation for everyone. Forever."

Let's read on:
"Until today, Navigation has been kept in the hands of the few. Today that changes. We realised that billions of people around the world already have mobile phones that are perfectly suited to delivering Navigation. So we�re going to let them do that. From this day on, Navigation on your Nokia, with Ovi Maps, will be free for everyone, everywhere, to get people to the places they love. Now, and forever."

Seems pretty clear to me!

Clear? Really? So, those people who purchased N95s and N82s etc had read that statement before they purchased? Even though they purchased before the statement was published?

They can't lose what they didn't have. Case dismissed.

Unregistered wrote:Clear? Really? So, those people who purchased N95s and N82s etc had read that statement before they purchased? Even though they purchased before the statement was published?

They can't lose what they didn't have. Case dismissed.

Surely that's clear and understandable? All comes down to bad PR by Nokia.

Hardeep1singh wrote:Never thought I'd say this but Nokia is turning into a bigger devil than.... Apple.

People who bought their iphones before I bought my Nokia are still getting support and my N82 is prehistoric and unsupported in Nokia's eyes.

You conveniently forget (or are ignorant) about the fact that you continue paying for the goddamn iPhone even after u supposedly buy it. It costs more than a comparable Nokia over the period of the 2 year mandatory AT&T contract.
With a store bought fullprice Nokia, you paid the entire sum upfront and got a decent to use phone that's far more capable than the iPhone, open to installing apps/using with any SIM card/replaceable battery etc etc.

Apple customers are tied in to Apple for 2 years and are paying (through their noses) for the privilege of using the great iPhone, so they bloody well better get support for it.
Your N82 (and mine) came with the usual 1 year replacement warranty that included free customer support. What more do you want?

If you're too cheap to buy a map license even after now that the price has come down, you can still find cracked versions of Ovi Maps on various other mobile forums.

Unregistered wrote:I don't care what it costs Nokia. I don't agree that some of us should have to pay for Ovi maps while others get them for free. I have an N95 8GB. It isn't a cheap phone and it is still in contract. Yet when I try to use Ovi maps it just tells me I have to pay. I an VERY, VERY annoyed over this. I have always bought Nokia phones but, if they don't give me the maps for free, my next phone will NOT be a Nokia!!

Sorry dude, your contract was with your mobile operator, not with Nokia.
As far as Nokia goes, they sold the phone at full price to your operator, who then interfered with the phone's firmware to lock it down to their SIM cards, and under your contract terms, you can only seek out your provider for tech support.

Nokia's got nothing to do with this.

Unregistered wrote:1. People have GPS enabled Nokias bought a while back.
2. People read a Nokia release telling them they will get free navigation on their phones (see the link above)
3. People then find out Nokia might not after all give them free navigation and are therefore disappointed.

Surely that's clear and understandable? All comes down to bad PR by Nokia.

If it's bad PR it still doesn't entitle people to a freebie.

Nokia are giving free navigation forever to everyone who buys the right phone. That statement is for new purchasers, not people who got a retrospective gift. It seems some are a little slow on the uptake.

shadamehr wrote:Another example, as I mention in my post two up above, of utterly pathetic, ridiculous, and totally IRRELEVANT analogies, that are no analogy at all.

[B]Since when did Nokia give you updates to your Blackberry Curve, for Ovi Store, Ovi Chat, Nokia Messaging, etc etc and so on and so forth...

LOL! Caught a big one there! Fishing has never been so easy.

Can I recommend a nice calming drink of camomile tea!

Unregistered wrote:Because Nokia's told us.

Check out:
http://events.nokia.com/ovimaps/index.html

Read the headline on the page:
"Navigation on your Nokia is now free.....That�s free navigation for everyone. Forever."

Let's read on:
"Until today, Navigation has been kept in the hands of the few. Today that changes. We realised that billions of people around the world already have mobile phones that are perfectly suited to delivering Navigation. So we�re going to let them do that. From this day on, Navigation on your Nokia, with Ovi Maps, will be free for everyone, everywhere, to get people to the places they love. Now, and forever."

Seems pretty clear to me!

However, if you then tried to update Ovi maps for your phone and/or get a free license, it became clear which phones were supproted and which were not. I agree that the press release could have been made clearer, but those people who think they have some divine right to all of the freebies that owners of newer phones have are deluded.

And boy, doesn't shademehr like to shout, especially when most of what he's shouting about is total crap...

When am I going to get free Nokia maps with route guidance on my Nintendo DS? Nokia said free maps for everyone, so where is maps for my Nintendo?

That is really great, even if its not free, its absolute bargain. Nokia thank you at least for this, and I tthank also to AAS team and readers, which I think helped much with pushing Nokia to do this.

Unregistered wrote:

http://events.nokia.com/ovimaps/index.html

Read the headline on the page:
"Navigation on your Nokia is now free.....That�s free navigation for everyone. Forever."

Let's read on:
"Until today, Navigation has been kept in the hands of the few. Today that changes. We realised that billions of people around the world already have mobile phones that are perfectly suited to delivering Navigation. So we�re going to let them do that. From this day on, Navigation on your Nokia, with Ovi Maps, will be free for everyone, everywhere, to get people to the places they love. Now, and forever."

Other than the fact that some will moan and gripe whatever happens, I think it's these quoted statements by Nokia and their failure (even now) to revise the advertising that's really getting peoples goat.

Personally I'm a very happy E71 user. I like Ovi maps, but hadn't liked paying the license fee to enjoy voice navigation, considering it too expensive for my very occasional use. I have therefore got by with the odd free trial license or purchased the occasional 1 or 5 day option. This has largely met my requirements. I could buy a lot of licenses for the price of the new (and not significantly improved) E72.

Like many, I was excited to see the announcement that voice navigation would be free for all, and figured it was great marketing move by Nokia, attracting new buyers to the platform and retaining existing users - who would eventually be tempted to buy another Nokia handset. I was also impressed that Steve L's free navigation forecast had finally come true 😉

Even today, with the burgeoning disquiet on this and many other forums, Nokia fail to correct the misleading 'free for all' statement. It's this failure that I find most irritating.
It really wouldn't take much effort to correct the misconception and just tell people that their not going to get Ovi maps with Navigation on their legacy S60 3rd Edition FP1 etc. phones, it's going to be free for new purchases only. I'd be happy with that!

Right now I'm really pleased with the new pricing model for Europe voice navigation, it's an affordable option for an E71 user. Yet that doesn't appear to have been officially announced, which makes me suspect that things could still change yet again. Are some people going to buy these new reduced price licenses, only to find that 2, 3, or 6 months later it all go free? It could yet easily do so; there's no obvious technological reason why free license codes could not be distributed today for Ovi Maps on many existing Nokia mobiles (e.g. Maps 3.01).

Uncertainty breeds discontent ...

mushroom_daddy wrote:

Even today, with the burgeoning disquiet on this and many other forums, Nokia fail to correct the misleading 'free for all' statement. It's this failure that I find most irritating.
It really wouldn't take much effort to correct the misconception and just tell people that their not going to get Ovi maps with Navigation on their legacy S60 3rd Edition FP1 etc. phones, it's going to be free for new purchases only. I'd be happy with that!

Right now I'm really pleased with the new pricing model for Europe voice navigation, it's an affordable option for an E71 user. Yet that doesn't appear to have been officially announced, which makes me suspect that things could still change yet again. Are some people going to buy these new reduced price licenses, only to find that 2, 3, or 6 months later it all go free? It could yet easily do so; there's no obvious technological reason why free license codes could not be distributed today for Ovi Maps on many existing Nokia mobiles (e.g. Maps 3.01).

Uncertainty breeds discontent ...

A reasonable analysis.

I think that Nokia has lowered the price to test the waters. If a significant number of people stop complaining, they will probably not release Maps updates for FP1 devices.

I very recently bought a E71 (unlocked, NAM) and the navigation bit is not an issue for me. A bigger concern is this, "What is Nokia's policy on supporting older yet active products?" The press release is disturbing in multiple ways:
1. The original intention was to support all GPS enabled smartphones in market. Nokia underestimated the effort, time and hence cost.
2. The PR folks went overboard with it and now do not know how to fix their mistake.

As mushroom_daddy implies, a clear statement would help dispel the discontent. Ignoring the issue, as Nokia seems to be doing, would only make the it worse.

Unregistered wrote:A reasonable analysis.

I think that Nokia has lowered the price to test the waters. If a significant number of people stop complaining, they will probably not release Maps updates for FP1 devices.

I very recently bought a E71 (unlocked, NAM) and the navigation bit is not an issue for me. A bigger concern is this, "What is Nokia's policy on supporting older yet active products?" The press release is disturbing in multiple ways:
1. The original intention was to support all GPS enabled smartphones in market. Nokia underestimated the effort, time and hence cost.
2. The PR folks went overboard with it and now do not know how to fix their mistake.

As mushroom_daddy implies, a clear statement would help dispel the discontent. Ignoring the issue, as Nokia seems to be doing, would only make the it worse.

It's not a big deal. It will be forgotten in a month. There are always stirrers and troublemakers who make a lot of noise but most people are perfectly reasonable and can understand that the world and Nokia doesn't owe them everything.

Nokia made their map app free to sell more phones. Making Ovi Maps free on old phones means there's less reason to buy a new phone, so of course Nokia is not in a hurry to release the free version for older phones.

So... I think I read all the posts, but there were so many I'm starting to forget things... and would like to hear someone confirm something. 😊

Is it correct that the Nokia N82 can get Ovi Maps 3.03/3.04 but you pay about $16.99 for the US maps and about the same for the Europe maps? (Or is "Drive Europe" just for driving? How much are the walking maps?) Or is it an older version and you just get the data for that price? If so, how does that older version compare to 3.03/3.04?

Sorry about all the questions... I still have a N73 (no gps) and have been looking for a new phone for a few months. I would like a phone with a decent camera and xenon flash. I've been waiting for the next wave of models to be announced, but I'm starting to wonder if I should get one of the current ones and then wait for the Symbian^3/^4/MeeGo changes to have settled and get a new device then.

These ramblings are actually somewhat relevant to the topic. :P

To me getting the current Ovi Maps (3.03/3.04?) on the N82 for about $17 seems like a great deal. In a way it boosts the older models closer to the newer ones. I would probably be happy with the N82 for a year or two until some xenon-tastic Symbian^3/^4 or MeeGo devices start appearing.

But I'd like to know more about what kind of Ovi Maps the N82 has before I go down that path.
(N97 Mini also seems like a decent device and is of course a much more current model. I would probably get some camera envy when the Vivaz phones and other Q3/Q4 phones come out though.)

Thanks for any helpful info!

Prices dropped for New Zealand too. Only $19.99 for 1 year which I think before was about $60 or $70

I own a Nokia N82. I just check ho much this costs. The proce has dropped by around 90%. it now costs ZAR110.99 (South African Rands) for the year. That is equivalent to $14.79 for the year. This is pretty cheap when compared to the previous price of R579.00 per year.

I also expected it to be for free but I am not complaining. My next phone will be the E72. Hopefully, it will be for free

Well, when I got my N95 8gb some 2 years ago, the cost of this service was standing at the region of 90,00 euro per year (per country? I don't remember).
I welcome Nokia's offer and confirm that, I have already grabbed it.

Good or bad strategy with free navigation for certain models isn't my problem or thing I can change or we can change. In every kind of business you will always reach the point: COSTS/EARNINGS - and the way you look at this point will generate strategy for the market. So Nokia looks at the market - OLDER phones (1 year phone is already OLD) will die sooner or later and will not bring any EARNINGS so we will invest in new models and we need to sell new phones as much as possible and as quick as possible to provide EARNINGS. We give for end users a carrot (Free Nokia Maps) to increase pressure for buying new phone. And that's it.

PS. don't forget about competitors 😊

This is interesting, and good to see.

Funnily enough I just purchased 30 days navigation for my E51 about a week ago (approx $10), and now I can get a year for not much more. I'm not at all unhappy about this; the use I made of Ovi Maps on my trip last week was well worth the $10. I won't hesitate to extend it for an additional year now. Nokia have really done the right thing here, and as I didn't really expect to see free navigation appear for older phones like mine, I am delighted to see this.

Interesting also in conjunction with the recent news about demise of Wayfinder (for which I have a license on my N800). That is a shame, but as others have commented, map updates were never forthcoming, and frankly despite the relatively tiny screen, ovi maps 3.1 on my E51 is infinitely better than wayfinder (I'd say it did make some "interesting" route choices on my drives around Chicago this week, but it sounded like my colleagues with various other GPSes had the same experiences).

Is it my imagination, or have the Travel Guides and Walk Navigation been removed as part of this change?

I can't complain about something that was never promissed to me whan I purchased my N86. In Canada, it's reduced to $15.95 cdn for the year, I will not think twice about getting it.
Free would be better, but it's not, and I can live with that.

Unregistered wrote:LOL! Caught a big one there! Fishing has never been so easy.

Can I recommend a nice calming drink of camomile tea!

I take no abuses, nor even advice, I'm sad to say, from any of the millions of 'unregistered' users of this site.

The majority of registered users have told rafe time after time after time after time after time, that the "unregistered, and thus anonymous posting facility", is the absolute death of this site.

But he won't listen, as it would seem (I challenge you to explain it better rafe mate if not) that quantity is more important to this site, and of course advertising revenue, than quality...

*lol*

So, to boost sales of new devices, they drove 80% of Nokia owners nuts and they did with the expense of multi billion company. Acquisition looking worthless now.

While on it, they also drove a company who codes for Symbian for years, out of business.

Their most successful handset owners, E71 and they should be proud that they are _still_ using that handset, it is NOT like E71 owners are "poor" or anything, they are just happy with their device are all nuts to them now.

BTW, I finally saw an E72, if Nokia thinks I will "upgrade" to that plastic, cheap looking junk for "maps" while it is clear Google maps/free nav is on the way for _all_ devices, they are having a dream which is only possible in Finland I think.

Do a favour to 20%,*make 80% otherwise dedicated users mad. That is one thing only and only Nokia can do. Even Microsoft can't do it.

Unregistered wrote:When am I going to get free Nokia maps with route guidance on my Nintendo DS? Nokia said free maps for everyone, so where is maps for my Nintendo?

Funny you mention that brand. Nintendo and Sony brands should be never mentioned while whining on behalf of Nokia and attacking people.

Nintendo DS and Sony PSP had _amazing_ enhancements in their lifetimes, ALL for free. Compare a PSP 1.x to current PSP and be amazed.

So, it is not really "stupid" to make a favour to your users and get good , FREE PR in return. If you give a $100 worth thing (compared to iPhone commercial stuff) for free, that guy/gal stays on your brand, feeds _your_ scene with his/her money. Otherwise? Let me tell what will happen: Google Maps will sure add navigation for free, on Android first and iPhone next. It will take ages on Nokia if it even happens. Why? Because, Nokia pissed them off on their trendy/new segment.

Unregistered wrote:Well, when I got my N95 8gb some 2 years ago, the cost of this service was standing at the region of 90,00 euro per year (per country? I don't remember).
I welcome Nokia's offer and confirm that, I have already grabbed it.

Exactly, it's a superb deal, and although not technically free, its near as dam it for what it costs, and what you get for your small outlay.

On unregistered comments - there's a fairly even split from those who like them and those who do not. Those who do not tend to be fairly vocal though!

The intention is to allow people who might not otherwise comment to do so. That said there is a change coming to the commenting system in the near future.

I have about 4 Nokias serving as backup phones at the moment. I don't expect them to have free navigation as that wasn't the case when I bought the phones. So in other words, shut the fk up, please!