We’re not quiet about the fact we love when things get updated. We’re especially fans of platforms that get updated to feature new, and actually worthwhile things. That’s why we’re excited to bring you the latest updated from Ovi Maps, Nokia’s free map service for their handsets. The update brings the Maps service to version 3.04, and with it, a bit more of a community feel to something that we didn’t necessarily think needed a community feel.
If Qype doesn’t sound all that familiar to you, that’s okay. IT’s actually the European version of Yelp!, which is a pretty popular service in the United States. The design of the service is to bring you community-based reviews of locations around you. Like restaurants, movie theaters, or even gas stations (if someone’s managed to review it, of course). With the update, Nokia is proud to announce that Ovi Maps now supports over 25 million points of interest. And it now includes city guides from services like Lonely Planet, WCities, and Michelin.
Even better, though, is the fact that Nokia wants to make your navigation a lot easier. They’re including car holders for select handsets, like: the 5800 Navigation Edition, N97, N97 Mini, E52, E72, and the 5230. Now, we’ll just have to wait and see whether or not Qype sticks around once Yahoo! Maps takes over, or if it will get expanded in any way, once the services merge.
Press Release:
Ovi Maps makes summer travel easier and more fun
May 27, 2010New content from Qype with community based recommendations helps everyone make the most of their time
Espoo, Finland – Ovi Maps, the free walk and drive navigation service from Nokia, announced new partnerships that deliver more relevant information on more points of interest making travelling easier than ever. With summer holidays fast approaching, the updated Ovi Maps gives travelers and locals alike the ability to find the most interesting places and sites in the area making traveling less about getting from A to B and more about enjoying everything in between.
Ovi delivers unique mobile experiences that mix content with the best location, social networking and connectivity services and is the go to-place for discovering, sharing and enjoying lifestyle content and entertainment, all from a Nokia smartphone.
New partnership with Qype delivers community based recommendations
Ovi Maps now includes Qype, Europe’s biggest portal for local community-based reviews, helping people find new places wherever they are, leaving nothing overlooked.Initially offering information on more than 20,000 cities, the Qype community enriches Ovi Maps with hundreds of thousands of reviews and recommendations from locals and travelers on many European hotspots like cafés, shops, spas and hotels, giving the inside track before arriving. And, with a new post added to Qype every 40 seconds, people are assured to have the latest information to help them make the best choices no matter what they are looking for.
More tailored and personal trips
In total,Ovi Maps now offers Nokia smartphone users access to more than 25 million points of interest worldwide. Whether people are looking for a souvenir shop or a youth hostel, trips can be personalized and planned right down to the last detail with map data from NAVTEQ and city guides from Lonely Planet, WCities and Michelin. Agreements with leading directory companies such as telegate in Germany, Turkey Yellow Pages and Yell Publicidad-Páginas Amarillas in Spain make it even easier than before to find the closest pharmacy, cash machine, shop or service. Hotel booking services such as HRS and Expedia make it easy to find a place to stay.In-car navigation made easier
For people planning a road trip, Nokia has started to include car kits with new smartphones in-the-box* at no extra cost which makes finding new places and navigating whilst driving safe and easy. And, with the added convenience of pedestrian routes for exploring cities on foot, swapping the phone from car to pocket makes navigating around new places easier, no matter how people choose to do it.Holidaymakers can plan routes before leaving the house, on a computer or laptop and simply upload them onto a Nokia device to use when abroad. This saves time searching for routes when out and about and enables people to use maps in offline mode, reducing roaming costs when traveling in foreign countries.
The latest version of Ovi Maps (3.04) is available to download for free from www.nokia.com/maps
* Nokia now supplies car kits in-the-box with nine of its smartphones. A car holder and car charger are included with the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition, Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia 6710 Navigator, and the Nokia X6. A car holder is now included with the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia E52, Nokia E72 and Nokia 5230.
About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.2 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia’s NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.
