Nokia Australia has just announced that it will be offering walk and drive navigation services for free on its range of smartphones as a part of its Ovi Maps software.
In a move to make GPS navigation more accessible to consumers, Nokia has decided to make its GPS services free.
“We want to make using your mobile for navigation as familiar as using it to send a text or take a picture. We believe that making the best maps with voice guided navigation available for free will be the catalyst to do this,” explained Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president, Nokia.
“Why have multiple devices that work in only one country or region? Put it all together, make it free, make it global and you have something that is truly useful and can help you get around almost any city in the world whether you’re on foot or driving.”
According to Nokia, the latest upgrade to Ovi Maps will have no hidden costs and no additional licenses will be needed for extra countries, regions or services. The company also boasts the best global coverage with maps available for more than 180 countries, can operate using no network connection by pre-loading maps with its Hybrid technology and features voice guidance and traffic information.
The new version of Ovi Maps is available now for 10 Nokia handsets including the N97, mini, 5800 XpressMusic and E72. More handsets are expected to be added in the coming weeks.
From March 2010, Nokia will also be releasing new GPS-enabled smartphones with the new version of Ovi Maps pre-loaded.
To download the latest update to Ovi Maps visit www.nokia.com/maps.