Nokia Drive to get update for full off-line routing

November 18, 2011 | By Surur

Nokia Drive is Nokia’s flag-ship GPS navigation app on Windows Phone 7, but while the app allows whole regions to be downloaded to local storage, it still needs an internet connection to do the actual routing, which is of course less than ideal.

This is however set to change soon, with Plaffo reporting that a Nokia representative said:

Nokia Drive will receive an update in the near future that will allow navigation even offline

Nokia has been rapidly updating their applications to add new features in their race to make their Windows Phone 7 handset extremely competitive with phones on other platforms. At this rate they will be getting there very soon.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged gps navigation, nokia, nokia drive, windows phone 7.5

https://profiles.google.com/christopher.gull/ CG

In an age of online, it’s refreshing to be able to do things offline too!

http://davepermen.net davepermen

especially in the age of “damn, no connection”, and “damn, stupid firefall” and, especially true for navigation apps in europe: “damn roaming”.

now nokia should just make that app available to all phones. would be good advertising for them, and another money source. wouldn’t be hard to beat navigons price.

https://profiles.google.com/christopher.gull/ CG

Yup, especially that dang roaming fee.

In that case, it should be free to Nokia users, and for a fee to users of other WP7 phones, otherwise it kills their philosophy of free navigation on Nokia.

http://davepermen.net davepermen

Exactly. That would be perfect (well, free for all would be perfect, of course )

http://twitter.com/fanel89 Stefan M.

Free for all would not be perfect. This is a Nokia product and the Nokia Drive app with offline nav is one of Nokia’s competitive advantages. I’m sure owners of Samsung and HTC WPs would love the app but if they really want it, they should get a Nokia WP then. If Nokia wants to have a shot back at the smartphone market, they should guard their assets however way possible.
Anonymous

Nokia and WP have to make it known to the public that these sweet apps work on Windows Phones which make WP unique why buy a WP over iOS its because of killer apps like Nokia drive which cant be found on any other OS. When Nokia and MS establish that title then Nokia can slowly port apps to other ecosystems to rack in more capital
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UWVRPJYQFEG7ZCHPD7LDPBR2CM LWSJR

It’s not Nokia’s responsibility to convince others to purchase a WP device over an iOS device; it is Nokia’s responsibility to convince others to purchase a Nokia WP device over any other device currently on the market.

Just as it is HTC’s and Samsung’s responsibility to prop their devices, and it is Microsoft’s responsibility to prop the Windows Phone OS.
Anonymous

Yes my bad you are right wrote that up real quick
http://davepermen.net davepermen

Free for all would show that they really want to contribute to wp7 as a whole, and support the whole community. Yes, it would not make them money. But it would be perfect advertising for their products.

Not always is not making money NOT the best thing. Did microsoft win from giving free xboxes at the nokia lumia launch? not one cent. And still, they will profit from this.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UWVRPJYQFEG7ZCHPD7LDPBR2CM LWSJR

Nokia will contribute to WP as a whole via improvements to the OS; Nokia Drive should be a paid app for all non-Nokia WP devices.

Want Nokia Drive at no additional cost – support Nokia and purchase one of their WP devices.
http://davepermen.net davepermen

I allready have a nicely working wp7 phone. They could motivate me by supporting me till I get a new one. Which could then be a nokia phone.

Again, Free Stuff == GREAT advertising. It would not HURT them at all.
Anonymous

How can you guarantee, that you will buy a Nokia phone, when you will be ready to upgrade?
http://davepermen.net davepermen

I can guarantee that there is an increased chance if i see a company supporting some platform or technology not just with the direct focus of making money on every step. Of course, the main thing will be “is this phone for me”. but if i’m on the edge with some other company, this would be a definite plus for me.

so free nokia drive app for everyone = increased chance, in my case, to get a nokia phone next. and i don’t know, but where I live this is quite a common way of thinking. Companies that don’t always do stuff just for the money, but for the people, for the environment, for minorities, for ill people, etc, get quite a higher chance of being able to send identical stuff that others do at a higher price, and with higher selling rate.

I know a LOT of people who like to buy stuff from companies that do good.
Anonymous

I guess,you are trying too hard. If Nokia gives away Nokia drive free, that’s the end of their stock and will mark the beginning of the real end of the company, which can be bought by Microsoft. So if you ask Nokia fans, I guarantee 99% will say, “Not free for all, but free for Nokia only”.
http://davepermen.net davepermen

no. because nokia is not a software company. how often do you buy softare from them? I live in europe, and can tell you one thing: nobody cares about nokia software. they care about their PHONES.
their software is just advertising for their phones (and in case of everything ovi, it was terrible at that. everyone hated ovi).
Anonymous

The smartphone hardware we buy these days isn’t worth a tenth of what we pay for them. You think you are buying hardware, but what you are actually paying for are hardware and software engineering efforts and company profit margins. Just because we can easily replicate software without paying for it, doesn’t mean those parts of the engineering efforts should be free for all.
http://davepermen.net davepermen

doesn’t change the fact that nokia is not known to make money from their software, but from their PHONES.
Anonymous

I agree. But that doesn’t mean that should never change, right? Nokia Drive is probably the only app Nokia can hammer the competition with, thanks to Nokia owning Navteq. Usually it is a good idea to monetize market advantages. Wouldn’t you say?
http://davepermen.net davepermen

or, to state differently. it would not cost them more than what they do now, but it would really motivate people to like nokia, and thus consider them in the future. I won’t, as they don’t provide me with the services. They said they will, and they lied. Lost one Lumia customer. I’ll get the omnia w, or what ever will be after the omnia w.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UWVRPJYQFEG7ZCHPD7LDPBR2CM LWSJR

People are already motivated by Nokia WP devices (sans you). Nokia doesn’t need to offer Nokia Drive for free to you or anyone who doesn’t purchase a Nokia WP device.

Nokia never had you; but they’ve certainly gained a lot of other folks instead!
http://davepermen.net davepermen

Nokia had me with “we don’t try to differenciate on software, but just want to built the best wp7 phones”. Which right now, they don’t do.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001395218690 Pantou Ekang

Once again: “it should be free to Nokia users, and for a fee to users of other WP7 phones, otherwise it kills their philosophy of free navigation on Nokia.”—OKAY now?
http://davepermen.net davepermen

no. as their main philosophy is to extend wp7 over ALL the devices. and differenciate trough much more sophristicated hardware.

How hard is that to grasp? And it would NOT hurt them even a tiny bit. It would make every wp7 user love them. Every existing one, who, in about a year or so, will get a new wp7 phone, once the contract gets an update.
more free stuff == more people happy == more fans == more sold phones. Which is the goal, in the end.

Like any form of advertising, it does not bring immediate money, but it can bring profit overall.
Anonymous

But Dave, you said: “And it would NOT hurt them even a tiny bit. It would make every wp7 user love them.”

Users can show their love by purchasing a Nokia WP device. In this case, love equals money, and if you use a HTC or Samsung WP device, and get the crown jewel, Nokia Drive, for free, well, Nokia is just a ‘side piece’, if you know what I mean

I can’t imagine anyone, or entity, being happy about being a side piece.
http://davepermen.net davepermen

And users will INCREASE their love by getting free stuff, showing how great a company they are. Not just thinking about making money, but about helping the whole community (and due to that behaviour, make more money, in the end).

so free apps to GET fans. and then, those fans will get nokia phones later. remember, there are quite some wp7 owners out there that right now already HAVE a phone. they don’t switch to nokia right now, they won’t.

it would show their commitment to the platform that is wp7, the users that love wp7, and thus show that they’re more than just another wp7 phone maker: they’re there for everyone.

how can one not understand that?
Anonymous

I think everyone understands the point now. Ultimately, we are all guessing how much Nokia has to loose by not
monetizing the Nokia Drive app (lost income from not selling the app or selling less of their own devices by having no exclusive software to offer), compared to the marketing advantage gained by giving Nokia Drive away to everyone for free.

I think it is important to remember this isn’t a simple app. We are not talking about a measly $300’000 investment. Nokia has billions invested in Navteq, who provide the map data for it… Nokia Drive doesn’t just use regurgitated Bing maps. This stuff actually works outside of the U.S.A and is very good at that. This is the only app Nokia can really differentiate itself with. I know I would never give away that kind of an investment for free. A good tripple-A game title or two… sure. Nokia Drive with Navteq data… no way.

But ultimately, we are all just guessing what the mass-psychological effect of a Nokia-Drive free-for-all giveaway would be, and to what extent Nokia could benefit from that… and seem to disagree.
http://davepermen.net davepermen

well. main point is: they don’t provide it AT ALL. so no money would be lost by making it free for all.

and now it got hacked and is, illegally, free for all. how’s that better?

as said, it would have been great advertising. better than the advertising they get now trough stuff like this: http://wmpoweruser.com/nokia-drive-app-xap-for-other-oem-windows-phone-devices/

i know that nokia drive works outside of the us btw. i’m in switzerland, and that’s why i’m VERY interested in this app, and in the way nokia represents itself. bing maps are near useless here.

as said, nokia SAID they want to differenciate trough a) providing great hardware, and b) not doing their own stuff but ALWAYS contributing to the whole wp7 platform.

they lied on b.

http://twitter.com/Pieter_Kroon Pieter Kroon

Yeah, Nokia is getting there! Played with a Lumia 800 today.. I’m gonna buy it
http://www.facebook.com/AlExAkE Alex Kimzer

Wront place. ups
Anonymous

Finally! The offline SatNavs fight back!
Federico

This article was from November.
Now it’s february but still no offline navigation.
Shall we go back to symbian to have that?
tropolite

Anyone know if Nokia Drive is updated by the region you are in or is it based on the released region?
ie If I buy a Nokia WP from the UK and want to use it exclusively in Australia will the phone be updated with UK maps or Australian?