14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has officially announced the launch of a complete Connected Driving offer, which includes HERE Auto, HERE Auto Cloud, and HERE Auto Companion.
The new offer is the first end-to-end driving solution on the market today to allow car makers and in-vehicle technology suppliers to connect the vehicle and its driver to the cloud, Nokia notes.
In addition to the aforementioned components, users will also benefit from an improved HERE Traffic, which sports a new system that can process data faster and more accurately than before.
The new HERE Connected Driving offering is set to be demoed at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany starting on September 10.
The new solution takes advantage of the expertise that Nokia has in the mapping market, and is meant to deliver an experience that goes beyond navigation, the company announced.
With HERE Auto, users will receive their maps even when they don’t have a connection, while HERE Auto Cloud promises access to dynamic services such as real-time traffic updates.
There is also the HERE Auto Companion, a customizable mobile and web application, which allows users to stay connected even when outside the car.
Furthermore, Nokia has improved HERE Traffic with "Halo," a new engine that processes data quickly and accurately, offering improved travel time estimates, so that users could plan their routes better.
"By 2016, the majority of consumers in mature markets will consider in-vehicle web-based data access a key criterion in their automotive purchase," said Thilo Koslowski, VP of Automotive at Gartner.
"Successful connected vehicle solutions will add value to the connected driver's digital lifestyle and enable integrated cross-device experiences relevant for people everyday."
Nokia’s HERE mapping and navigation products are already highly popular among mobile phone users, especially among those who own Windows Phone-based Lumia devices, given that the service is available for them for free.