Nokia Drive for all Windows Phone 8 smartphones

Published by Pino Bonetti on June 20, 2012

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Location-based services, as Nokia announced last week, are becoming more and more core to our strategy. We’re focusing on location-based services, not just at Nokia, but bring our extending our services across many industries.

Today, we are making Nokia Drive available to other Windows Phone 8 partners to offer a turn-by-turn navigation experience for people in over 110 countries. Nokia Drive is one of the key experiences on Nokia Lumia smartphones, thanks to its ease of use and the experience that has gone into developing our location-based services. With Nokia Drive on Windows Phone 8, we will make drive navigation effortless.

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Nokia Drive is one of the major apps that on Nokia’s location platform. Today, we are also making this platform and its unrivalled quality of data and richness of features available on Windows Phone 8 for all partners. This means that Nokia’s Location platform will be central to the Windows Phone 8 experience, with the intention of developing smartphones that bring advanced location experiences. Windows Phone 8 partners and developers will be able to use our location assets to build location-based apps and experiences of superior quality.

Nokia has more quality location data than any smartphone manufacturer in the market. Our platform is the most advanced mobile location platform in the world because it offers true offline functionality (for the past six years), fast client-side map rendering (50 fps) and only requires 10 per cent of the bandwidth when compared to traditional server-side map platforms.

The Nokia location platform is the biggest in the world:

  • We have maps data for more than 190 countries in more than 50 languages and navigation in more than 110 countries
  • We collect information from Nokia Drive users and local authorities to provide traffic alerts in 26 countries, and also allow dynamic rerouting
  • We have venue maps in over 4,600 shopping malls, train stations, airport, sports venues, etc. in 35 countries
  • We support multi-modal routing: by car, on foot (including footpaths, shortcuts, etc. in over 400 cities) and by public transportation (over 100 cities)

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Also, Nokia’s location data is not confined to smartphones and computers. Our data already powers four out of five cars with in-car navigation and our customer list includes top brands in the tech and auto industries: Bing, Yahoo!, BMW and Ford.

All of these elements are coming together to form the ultimate Where experience, connecting individuals with the world around them. At Nokia, we are working on constantly improving that experience, and striving to deliver novel and meaningful customer interactions with our location platform, content and apps.

*Image credits: Samsung and HTC respectively. This is a mockup of what Nokia Drive might look like on different Windows Phone 8 devices.

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Comments

  • pdexter

    So what is Nokia getting?
    Maps where the single largest asset you have. What’s next, PureView licensed for others?

    if you wanna sell something you need to have at least something unique to offer or people will just go for the device with better hardware… like Samsung. 

  • pdexter

    So what is Nokia getting?
    Maps where the single largest asset you have. What’s next, PureView licensed for others?

    if you wanna sell something you need to have at least something unique to offer or people will just go for the device with better hardware… like Samsung. 

    • Imago_Dei

       More like, PureView GIVEN to others. Nokia gets cents for the euros they pay to Microsoft (after the initial period is over).

      This is stupid beyond reason. Nokia essentially gave away Navteq property, a purchase of over 5 billion euros… for the right to sell Windows Phone, which no one seems to want.

      • guestb

        Any mainstream software or service that does not target a huge audience will get steamrolled by those that do. Nokia likely recognizes that the effort it will take for Noka Maps/Drive to stay ahead of the competition, it will need a larger audience than just Nokia Lumia customers. Some people feel that if RIM had done 3 years ago with its messenger services what Nokia is doing today with its Maps/Drive services, RIM would be in a much better position today. But apparently RIM could not see beyond its identity as a smart phone hardware maker, and that is a difficult world to survive in. So I believe there is some merit in Nokia’s decision, the perhaps also some short term loss of revenue in the Lumia line.

        • solomonshv

          “could not see beyond its identity as a smart phone
          hardware maker, and that is a difficult world to survive in”

          unless your logo is a bitten apple. people will come in droves and buy even those products your company swore it wouldn’t make. like larger iphones and smaller ipads.

  • www.facebook.com/chintannapster Chintan Dave

    I cant see such unique apps going to other competitors. 

    • Imago_Dei

      Just look and see.

      And seeing, that’s believing.

    • Imago_Dei

      Just look and see.

      And seeing, that’s believing.

    • Breakingillusions

      Nokia Drive is enough for competitors they should not give any other Nokia Apps

  • Tomi Luoma

    Nokia has to paid by Microsoft for using the Navteq maps and Nokia Drive this widely (or Nokia has to get discounted licenses). It would not make any sense businesswise whatsoever to give the maps and navigation for free to Nokia’s competitors for use. Chris Weber from Nokia has said that maps and navigation are one of four key aspects that differentiate Nokia from its competitors inside the Windows Phone ecosystem. If Nokia does not receive money from this, then I do not know what the managers are thinking at Nokia. Unique apps and design will not differentiate enough: then it would be up to the camera and imaging.

  • setiabud

    Is this available in the Marketplace yet for non-Nokia phones?

    • mobilesguruji

      I already have Nokia Maps & Nokia Drive on my Samsung Focus.

      • setiabud

        How? Running unlocked?

        • epdm2be

          It’s been hacked for over 4 months. Software and clouds will inevitably be hacked, cracked or broken into. Nokia should have seen this coming. Especially since all WP7/7.5 devices are essentially the same (crap).

          They are doomed. They urgently need to get of those ex-Microsoft employees. Fire them instead of your engineers.

    • twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Today’s announcement is only relevant for Windows Phone 8. We have not made any similar announcement about Windows Phone 7.5.

      • setiabud

        The post is a bit hinting that Nokia Drive will be able to be used in Samsung Focus & HTC HD7 (looking at the picture)? Either that picture is inaccurate or the post is inaccurate?

        • twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Very legitimate comment @setiabud:disqus. The picture is just a mockup, because there are of course no devices with Windows Phone 8 yet. I have amended it accordingly, sorry for the confusion.

      • epdm2be

        Funny thing is that current Nokia’s WP7-devices will NOT get the WP8 upgrade at all. So NOBODY in their right mind will buy a Nokia WP7.5-device from now one. 

        Bye bye profits from WP7-devices as these are prematurely killed off by Microsoft themselves. The only hope for Nokia is that ancient, S40 platform that was supposed be replaced with S^3 in the first place. 

        They are so stupid. Nokia made the worst decisions in the last 2 years that ANY corporation could EVER make. Even I can run a more successfull company then they.

        • twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Hi @epdm2be:disqus, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. We still believe, however, that we have chosen with Windows Phone the right path.
          Regarding Windows Phone 7.5 vs 8 please refer to my answer here conversations.nokia.com/2012/06/20/nokia-drive-for-all-windows-phone-8-smartphones/#comment-567008467

          • epdm2be

            That answers isn’t very convincing. Are you really so naive to think that a few software tweaks (which should have been included from the start) are gonna revive sales of WP7.x devices? Or do you think that WE are so naive?

            Fact is that after Microsoft recent announcements regarding WP8, the majority of people will perceive the WP7-platform as a dead-end and hence will avoid it like the plague. You don’t need a masters degree in economics to see that.

            Anyway YOU think that WP is the right path. I don’t! I KNOW how Microsoft works! Besides I have simple needs (2-way call recording and local outlook syncing) as soon as I find another phone that can offer me this I’m outa of here.

  • mobilesguruji

    Nokia bought NavTeq for 8 billion dollars so that it could give it free to its competitors.

    P.S. Right now Nokia is almost worth the same amount it spent on NavTeq.

    • profile.yahoo.com/O73NT74IY2LXQRDZRYDFPRV7DA John

      Well said. This move won’t help with differentiating Nokia WP phones from competitors’ WP phones.

      • twitter.com/haikus Pino

        Rather the contrary @yahoo-O73NT74IY2LXQRDZRYDFPRV7DA:disqus. This is a very powerful business decision. Please refer to my answer here: conversations.nokia.com/2012/06/20/nokia-drive-for-all-windows-phone-8-smartphones/#comment-563172938
        Soon we will publish more info that will make even easier to understand how important this is for us and how beneficial this is for the whole ecosystem.

  • asturcon3

    congrats M$, another hit point

  • Mitch_G

    Very terrible news, while manufacturers like Samsung can laugh again. Nokia Maps/Drive were such an advantage of Nokia phones and now they give it away for free. Why not give it also to iOS and Android users?! :/

    • Avatar Roku

      Who said it was given away for free? Very foolish assumption.

    • solomonshv

      probably wont be free. i think this is an awesome way to cash in on their hard work. i own an HTC 8X now (no Nokia 920 will be offered from my carrier). the moment this app hits the application store i’m buying it. don’t care if it’s $5 or $100. and i can guarantee you that i will not be the only one.

      companies like garmin have been selling their garbage navigation apps for $50+ for years on apple app store and got away with it. if nokia prices it right, say $20, it will sell extremely well.

  • www.facebook.com/thorsten.hindermann Thorsten Hindermann

    Give this new version to all existing/current  Nokia Lumia users with WP7!!!!

  • twitter.com/haikus Pino

    Hi @facebook-1340030107:disqus, @Mitch_G:disqus, @mobilesguruji:disqus, @google-31d31ac9c844dc1ab44a1b5419f8a52e:disqus, @facebook-721598536:disqus, @Imago_Dei:disqus, @pdexter:disqus, I thought I’d answer all your questions at once. After all, they are all similar. Hopefully my answer is not going to be too long ;-)

    I would invite you not to stop at the first part of my blog post and to concentrate on the second one, where I talk about the platform. Because you have to understand that since last week our location based offering is not only a differentiator, it’s at the core of our business.

    Look at the impressive numbers: they are the proof that we are basically the world’s largest maps company. Without going too much into details, the business is not only in the apps, it’s also in the maps and in the platform. And it’s a wealthy business if we open our platform to as many partners as possible. As we already do with BMW, Ford, etc.

    This is beneficial to the whole Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. Think about how many apps and experiences can be build on this platform! Developers are going to love it!

    Then there is the consumer facing aspect, of course. Offering navigation to our Windows Phone 8 partners it’s again an ecosystem statement: nowadays people expect navigation to be one of the standard features of a smartphone.
    But location based services are also such a very and rich offering! From POI search, to voice guidance, form traffic alerts to augmented reality to features we have not introduced yet. There is still so much space to differentiate ourselves in the ecosystem! And we can because… we are the world’s largest maps company.

    • epdm2be

      Mr. Pino. After WP7.5′s only 2 years existance NOBODY is gonna buy a WP8 device. Especially not the punters who WILL feel betrayed that their 2012 Lumia 900 will NOT get the upgrade to WP8.

      Besides I wrote over 6 months ago that Nokia ought to create iOS, Android and generic WP7-versions of the app and SELL that to non-Nokia platforms to gain revenue.

      I don’t know who runs the commercial side of Nokia but he or she has absolutely no idea of selling stuff. In fact the entiore marketing devision of Nokia is a complete bunch of ….

      • B_Sack

        I own a 7.5 device, and will be getting a 920.

      • solomonshv

        i owned iphone 4, 4s and iphone 5, galaxy s3, a bunch of blackberries, droid x, droid bionic, etc

        and i now i own a HTC 8X (since verizon doesn’t offer Nokia’s 920). and i’m quiet happy with it. the built in office application are nothing short of amazing, not to mention free. performance is great. and very good voice quality.

        you don’t like it? your loss. now go be worthless somewhere else.

  • Ed_Luva

    Strengthening the point of interest database and broadening the traffic information capabilities would help.

    • twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Thank you @Ed_Luva:disqus for your feedback, these are of course fields where we are constantly investing and improving.

  • Avatar Roku

    Who said they’re giving it for free. Manufacturers will have to license it or they’re going to sell it to other manufacturers as an app in the store.

    • twitter.com/haikus Pino