14 DAY TRIAL // While most people would like to have a GPS capable phone, not everyone is particularly fond of getting a third-party GPS module. For those people, Nokia will be offering a mapping and routing service on its handsets, service that the mobile phone manufacturer bought last year, along with Gate5 AG.
The capability is called Smart2Go and will offer users free mapping and routing services. Turn-by-turn navigation will also be provided for a fee.
In order to take advantage of the service, customers will need to use WiFi or a direct PC connection to be able to download maps on their mobile phones.
Apart from purchasing Gate5buy, Nokia has also acquired the exclusive right to license and sublicense 700 GPS patents owned by Trimble Navigation. According to a survey conducted by Nokia, half of the people admitted that they would like to have maps and information about the surrounding area on their mobile phones.
"It's a natural for mobile phones to do this," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, chairman and chief executive of Nokia at CES. The mapping and routing service Nokia plans to provide currently includes maps for 100 countries and over 13 million icons on the maps, indicating sites like restaurants, hotels and gas stations.
The results of a user's search will be listed based on proximity and will include various information including directions, reviews or phone numbers.
So far, there is no information on when Nokia will start providing this service, but apparently it will be available on all of the manufacturer's converged devices.