The world’s biggest mobile handset producer, Nokia, has joined in the collective response to Google’s free satellite navigation software – available through the use of their Google map software – by also providing its own free software on almost all smartphones to both current and future users from now on through it’s Ovi app store (oddly, however, the company has specifically excluded the early N95 model from its free offer).
The move is slightly surprising, if not in terms of market position than considering the massive $6.5 billion Nokia spent on acquiring a satellite navigation firm a little more than three years ago, an investment that’s return will now be measured only in the number of customers Nokia are able to grab from other phone companies due to the availability of the free service. The move will also cause massive concern for the already beleaguered group of in-car sat nav service providers, who are already struggling through the recession, and invariably charge prices into the triple figures for providing the same service.
The service offered by Nokia will cover more than 150 countries worldwide, all of which will be launched simultaously today, though only just under half of those will have full directional capabilities for both cars and those on foot. The remainder will simply offer detailed local maps but lack the vocal or visual directions themselves at this stage. Every new Nokia smartphone will come equipped with the software as standard, and users will be able to access it in 46 different languages. While Google are yet to be able to offer such extensive coverage outside the US, rumors persist that the company is in the process of developing a more international mapping system, and may have a more worldwide level of coverage available in the coming months.
