14 DAY TRIAL // Ovi Maps Beta v3.04 was released into the wild at the end of the last month, and now the guys over at Nokia Beta Labs have announced that a series of improvements were included in the package, and that an updated version of the software solution is available for download. The new flavor is being delivered only as a minor update, but there are a series of bug fixes included in it that should enhance the user experience.
[ADMARk=1]Among the novelties included in the updated Ovi Maps Beta v3.04, we can count the inclusion of a new “positioning” feature with the application, and the replacement of the “GPS indicator bar” at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. According to the development team, “the GPS position is indicated with a red dot and the map zooms in to a certain zoom level to provide a good overview. There is no visual difference between GPS positioning and the WiFi positioning at the moment but we are looking to improve this in future releases.”
When it comes to cell-ID positioning, there is a halo showed, as in the second image below. When the user does not interact with the map, and he/she has a position fix, the map is panned and to the position fix, and one can zoom in or out to display the entire halo. When zooming in, the halo becomes transparent and then will disappear entirely so as not to overlay the map. When zooming out, the halo become transparent to show that the position is not accurate.
“When there is no position fix or the position gets lost, there is a grey dot on the last known position (if there is one) and the 'back-to-my-position' (top left hand corner) button is blinking. Also, you can see on the top information bar that it will display 'Searching for position' - as shown in the [last] example below,” the developing team also notes. It seems that other features are planned for Ovi Maps as well, and that they should be presented soon, so stay tuned for additional details on the matter.
In case there are some who are not familiar with what Ovi Maps Beta v3.04 comes with, we should count: - Drive & Walk, with free voice guided car and pedestrian navigation for over 70 countries - Map Loader to easily pre-load maps on a handset - Weather forecasts & Events available online - listings for sights, restaurants, hotels, shops, nightlife and more via free travel content by Lonely Planet and Michelin - location sharing with support for Facebook.
