Today Nokia introduced HERE, with which Nokia aims to inspire a new generation of location services and devices that make the mobile experience more personally significant for people everywhere.
“People want great maps, and with HERE we can bring together Nokia’s location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world,” said Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop, in the press release. “Additionally, with HERE we can extend our 20 years of location expertise to new devices and operating systems that reach beyond Nokia. As a result, we believe that more people benefit from and contribute to our leading mapping and location service.”
To further extend its location services, Nokia is launching a maps application for iOS under the HERE brand. Based on HTML5, it will include offline capabilities, voice-guided walk navigation, and public transport directions. The application is scheduled to be available for free download from Apple’s App Store in the coming weeks.
Nokia further announced a strategic partnership with Mozilla to bring new location experiences to the Firefox OS. Nokia plans to debut a mobile Web version of HERE Maps for the new Firefox OS next year. The companies are working together to give people the best mapping experience on Firefox OS.
Nokia also demonstrated an Android OS-based reference application and announced plans for the availability of a HERE SDK for Android OEMs in early 2013. This is aimed at enabling partners to create location-based applications for Android devices with Nokia’s leading content.
To advance the 3D capabilities of HERE, Nokia announced the planned acquisition of Berkeley, Calif. company earthmine. The company’s reality capture and processing technologies will become integral parts of HERE’s 3D map making capabilities. Nokia expects the transaction to close by the end of 2012.
“Maps are hard to get right – but location is revolutionizing how we use technology to engage with the real world,” said Michael Halbherr, Executive Vice President of Location & Commerce and responsible for the HERE brand, in the press release. “That’s why we have been investing and will continue to invest in building the world’s most powerful location offering, one that is unlike anything in the market today.”
As part of its announcement, Nokia introduced LiveSight(TM), a technology based on a highly accurate, 3D map of the world. LiveSight(TM) provides the most precise and intuitive augmented reality experience and uses a phone’s camera viewfinder to make discovering the world as easy as lifting up a phone. Nokia City Lens, which was developed exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices, is the first application providing a LiveSight-enabled experience.
“Establishing a new brand is the right move for Nokia in the map and location business. Nokia’s assets in this space are world class. We believe mapping and location will be increasingly important to developing next generation devices and services across a wide array of segments,” said Crawford Del Prete, Executive Vice President and Head of worldwide research at IDC, in the press release.
Source: Nokia
Lets see how good it is when paired with substandard Hardware and even worse Win OS .
The satellite view in my part of the world is more than 7 years old… And the maps are littered with ads, making them difficult to read… No sale here…
As compared to the Apple satellite view in my area; the shots of an airfield a few miles north of me were taken back in June…
By the way Apple Maps turn by turn is kck ass compated to Google Maps and has come a long way to be even better in all other specs and comparisons too, in just a very short time…
Where’s the acknowledgement from the jerks that created ‘map gate’ ???
Agreed.
The sturm und drang following Apple’s dropping the hamstrung Google Maps is reminiscent of a similar outcry when Steve Jobs banished Flash from iOS. We all know how that played out.
Tested it last week and it was as wrong as could be with location, about as smart as a cinder block choosing routes and still looks like a 99₵ app that belongs in the Fandroid store.
I completely disagree. Apple Maps has been nothing but accurate and has selected better routes than Google Maps ever did for me.
Maybe the first move from Nokia that makes sense. I say “maybe” because I haven’t seen the app yet.
For the record, I rely on the new Apple Maps app on my iPhone 5. The turn-by-turn directions in the greater Los Angeles and greater New York City areas have been excellent.
I’ve always relied on third party apps for local mass transit: Tube Deluxe, Routesy Pro, Station Stops, RailBandit (special mention to CityTransit, ITrans NYC and others) have served me well. MapQuest and GPS Nav 2 (Skobbler) have a niche appeal.
The loss of Google Maps was a mere flesh wound at worst, an opening for superior ways of navigating on a wireless device at best.
It definitely makes sense. Nokia is the company that receives all of the GPS data from FedEx and UPS. They have more mapping data on hand than any other company in the world.
Many years too late.
Will it save Nokia? Doubt it.
Russian president Medvedev says about the difference between him and the Finnish prime minister Katainen:
“While I use mostly Apple products he digs Nokia phone from his pocket”
I also us apple maps all the time and love it. If you do find somthing off you can send them the correction. Not finding any problems lately.
Yep, same cannot be said for Google Maps.
“Here” today, “Gone” tomorrow.
Ha ha! Good one.
Sing along – you know the chorus.
If transit directions work well I will be using this. That is the one thing Maps lacks and it’s a big flaw (the app suggestions are inconvenient and poor). This could be good for those of us without cars, or who walk and bus frequently despite having cars.