Nokia Maps (aka Ovi Maps), has been a staple on Nokia’s Symbian handsets for several years and arguably a credible rival to Google Maps on other platforms. Thanks to the dying Symbian platform, Nokia has decided to release its new HTML5 map app to all mobile operating systems including Android and iOS.
Currently, Nokia Maps is in beta, which includes nearby POIs (points of interest), accurate walking and driving routes, images for places (where it is available), and place reviews. This web app also provides detailed Satellite images for most of the US and European countries. Whether this is a true competitor to Google Maps is anyone’s best guess.
Honestly, I find it hard to believe that Nokia Maps will become the go-to map app on many people’s phones – particularly Android users. At this point, Google Maps is just too far ahead when comes to features and consumer mindset. Google Maps does pinch to zoom, rre-cache (a feature which lets users download an area around a particular location and cache it for offline access), and 3D viewpoints to name a few. So it’s safe to say that Nokia has a long ways to go, but offering its app as a freebie to users is a pretty good start.
If you want to give this app a test drive, head over to m.maps.nokia.com [site link] to access Nokia Maps Beta on Android and iOS now.