Nokia Bets Big On Mapping 104
angry tapir writes "Nokia and Oracle have joined forces on mapping, with details of the deal to be announced at the Oracle OpenWorld conference. To differentiate its smartphones from the competition, Nokia is betting big on location as well as imaging technology. Oracle is expected to add Nokia's mapping technology to its applications. Part of Nokia's location strategy is signing deals for the use of its Navteq mapping technology with as many companies as possible. Besides the deal with Oracle, Nokia has recently announced contracts with car makers BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Korean Hyundai, which will all use Navteq map data in some of their vehicles. Garmin will also start using Nokia data on transit services and walking routes to power a new Urban Guidance feature, which will be available as part of its Navigon app for Android and iOS. Nokia's most important partner on navigation, though, is Microsoft. All smartphones based on Windows Phone 8 will have Nokia's Drive application as standard, while Microsoft's Bing Maps geographical search engine uses Nokia data."
Evil seed (Score:2, Funny)
After Microsoft, Nokia chooses a partnership with Oracle ...
They really started late on the evil scene, but they decided to learn fromthe best !
Re:Evil seed (Score:5, Funny)
After Microsoft, Nokia chooses a partnership with Oracle ...
They really started late on the evil scene, but they decided to learn from the best !
Next they are going to partner with diabold and Facebook. That way they can work out who you are likely to vote for and if the don't like it give you directions to the wrong polling station. As a backup diabold will miscount as usual though.
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So when will they partner with Monsanto?
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Oracle has a long and well documented track record of screwing over everyone they come in contact with - including partners. Nokia needs to tread very carefully here. Perhaps it's a move of desperation on their part.
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They already signed into a contract where their survival is dependent on microsoft. When you are already walking on the edge, who cares if the chasm gets twice as deep?
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Makes sense (Score:4, Interesting)
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One thing to note is Apple stumbled trying to keep up with Nokia's mapping if the problem was negotiating Google's turn by turn. It could be a scenario of the new giant not keeping up with the new old giant reborn nimble... time will tell but it's good for the market having competition again.
Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Insightful)
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If they have Garmin using their data, that's a pretty solid revenue stream for at least several years. Not enough to prop up the company now that microsoft has evicerated their mobile division and is using it as a ventriloquist dummy to hawk their windows phone OS, but it will give their employees another year or two to gracefully exit the company before it implodes in a spectacular fireball.
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Maybe that's the goal. Who said that Nokia was supposed to survive all this?
Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Informative)
. Because they've got some fantastic competitors in Tom Tom, OpenStreetMaps, Google and yes, even Apple. Unless they "Get it right" and come up with a bloody good reason for people to switch from their cost-free-and-good Android Google Maps, they're just throwing money into a bottomless pit.
Actually, Nokia gets it right and Android doesn't. Nokia's maps are free, and you can pre-load the whole continent on your cellphone, and use your GPS and naviagation offline (helpful for hiking in most of the US where there's no signal, to say nothing of data connection). Nokia also offers turn-by-turn navigation with text-to-speech in real time, while many cheaper navigation devices don't. In short, you can't even compare Nokia Maps to Google Maps; the latter is much better for looking POI, but for navigation Nokia Maps takes the cake.
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If you can get their wanky PC suite to connect to your phone so you can install them. And if it doesn't randomly deinstall them (presumably) because you haven't used them for a while...
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Why bother, you can install the maps on the phone itself, no PC involved.
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First of all, you don't need to install the PC suite. You can download your maps on the phone, and I have downloaded mine on my computer directly (the list of direct download links available here [dailymobile.net]).
From my experience, their PC suite was stable, I never had any problems. I just never have to use it for anything. And I don't know what the hell you are talking about when you speak of automatic deinstallation.
I should also note that, at least on my Nokia 5230, Nokia suite is not required for file transfer or
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A bit offtopic, but how did you get bluetooth to work fast? I only get BT v1.2 speeds on my 5230 to PC transfers, so USB tether is pretty much a must for any heavy transferring. ~80KB/sec isn't a stellar transfer speed when I am limited by memory card's read/write speed over USB.
The phone does support 3G so OTA updates of map suite are easy, but I still prefer updating through PC because of much better network speed at home.
Also the whole "phone identifies itself as an external memory or a modem to a PC" ma
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Also the whole "phone identifies itself as an external memory or a modem to a PC" makes me cringe. This used to be industry standard just a few years ago until apple perverted it.
Unfortunately, USB mass storage basically meant that the phone had to have a FAT block device partition to store the data, which prevented most of meaningful optimization.
Microsoft has pushed the MTP profile through standardization, in part, to have something more abstracted from the details of on-device storage medium. Then they did their "extend" thing for Windows Phone, so that their own standard MTP cannot be used to sync data with it. Apple is in their own realm of not interoperating with anything when
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In short, you can't even compare Nokia Maps to Google Maps; the latter is much better for looking POI, but for navigation Nokia Maps takes the cake.
nonsense indeed.
Nokia's maps are free
so are google's.
and use your GPS and naviagation offline
so does google. you can cache arbitrary map rectangles. you wouldn't use google nav though, you'd use google maps, or google tracker.
Nokia also offers turn-by-turn navigation with text-to-speech in real time,
... and so does google.
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Android's had turn by turn navigation for quite a few years, and you can cache GB's of map data for offline use. There is a limit on the cache amount, but it's more than you can cover in a a couple of weeks. I use it all the time in the middle of nowhere, and hiking.
Does Nokia maps also do train schedules, bus schedules, walking directions, biking directions, street view and indoor navigation inside of large malls an airports? (serious question, just asking)
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Interesting)
Unless I'm gravely mistaken, they've got some excellent talkers working there. I don't see the business case, but apparently someone managed to convince the management enough for this to make the news.
Actually, there is nothing new here. Nokia already invested big on mapping when it acquired NavTeq and NavTeq already had most of these relationships in place at the time it was acquired by Nokia in 2008.
The only new item I'm noticing here is the relationship with Oracle, but my guess is that this isn't new either and that we're only getting this bit of news because of the current JavaOne conference.
Nokia aren't not exactly first to market, so they better get it right. Because they've got some fantastic competitors in Tom Tom, OpenStreetMaps, Google and yes, even Apple. Unless they "Get it right" and come up with a bloody good reason for people to switch from their cost-free-and-good Android Google Maps, they're just throwing money into a bottomless pit.
What are you talking about? NavTeq was already (and is still) the largest mapping OEM in the World. NavTeq data was already being used by TomTom, Microsoft, Apple, and even Google in some parts. Part of the issue here is that few companies possess all the mapping data in the world, so they have to license a patchwork of maps from a bunch of different mapping vendors and NavTeq was already the largest amalgamation of many of those mapping companies.
Now if you want to talk about how NavTeq is consolidating itself more and more, but now is mostly standing still technology-wise -- compared to many of its competitors. Then yes, we can talk about that, but don't ever say that the problem isn't that NavTeq wasn't the first to market. Technically, I don't think anyone can claim to be first in mapping technology, even Christopher Columbus can't claim that. But if anything in this case, I'd say the opposite was true, and that for a time, NavTeq was first to market, mostly in the 90s, and it's still the biggest right now, but now unfortunately, the people running NavTeq are currently either too old, too arrogant, or too set in their ways, to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of diverging mapping technologies. Their only strategy right now seems to buy out their competition, so they can maintain their old prices, but that strategy doesn't seem to be working, that's why they were eventually bought themselves by Nokia.
Re:Makes sense (Score:4)
Nokia bought Navteq which was making navigation software long before there was an iPhone or Android so they are actually well entrenched in the system. That being said I fear that Nokia is looking for some way to survive. Windows Phone 7 was a disaster and I can see no reason for the optimism the media has shown for Windows 8. Windows 7 was supposed to be the big change now we are told that it will be WIndows 8 yet they have not let the press use it and the SDK has not been released. Then you have the abuse Nokia has suffered from Microsoft in their relationship. Nokia was supposed to be the flagship partner and now Microsoft is saying that the HTC device is "the Windows 8 Phone"! With the upcoming release of Windows 8 which is supposed to fix everything. Microsoft has killed the market for Windows phones. Nobody should buy any Windows phone on the market because they are all obsolete and the Windows 8 phones are not on the market yet. So Nokia's cash flow from phone sales is reduced to close to 0. What a deal.
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re-evaluate Elop? NO!
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And what has exactly Elop done, except destroyed Nokia?
Acquiring Navteq and betting on maps is 100% work of previous CEO, Kallasvuo. And he did always put strong emphasis on good map and driving applications even on Symbian era.
As I understand it... (Score:3, Insightful)
There really isn't any room for me-too products. RIM is trying to make the perfect business portable communicatio
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Nobody but Samsung really makes money out of Android.
Show me the figures. Google make a load of money from Android [and indirectly even more]. The only company I see struggling is HTC [ignoring the fact they are also a Windows Phone company], and ironically Motorola. Sony is doing badly everywhere else but is profitable with phones. In fact ZTE and Huawei, are doing really well too.
Lets be honest Android is booming and phone companies making the right moves are doing well, unlike Nokia who well should have had an Android product.
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By accident modded this "Informative". Posting as to erease my grave error. Have you even looked at the sales train wreck Nokia have had since partnering with MS?
Only relevant in context (Score:2, Interesting)
Slashdot is full of armchair CEOs, but I do wonder how many of them could succeed running a market stall.
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Well, Nokia Maps are available on all WP devices as an application, and one can install Nokia Maps to iPhone too - besides Apple advices the same: http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/ [apple.com].
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Nokia is still screwed. Maps are important, but in the end they are just another app on the phone and one great map app isn't enough to make up for the rest of the missing apps for Windows Phone. Nokia could win (ie survive) if they can build developer interest faster than Apple can build a map application. They might also do exceedingly well in certain verticals where employees don't get to choose their phone.
Apple is on a maps hiring spree right now. How long do you think it will take them to hire away th
Catching up (Score:1)
Google Maps already has all these features, including walking directions that continue inside some buildings (big shops, stations etc.)
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Re:Catching up (Score:4, Informative)
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> Android can't do that yet (even with the saving feature).
Weird. Offline navigation seemed to work last time I tried it.
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right, because i need the entire map of north america eating up gigabytes on my device when i'll never use it. great differentiator there.
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google lets you select a rectangle to cache. it doesn't just cache the route (although it does also cache routes automatically).
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In a pretty anaemic way. One of the reasons I use OSMAnd is that I can download an entire county's maps (as vector data, so they're not huge) and not have to pay roaming when I'm abroad. I also don't need to connect to a remote server (and pay data costs) when I want to find a route. Oh, and the map data is better in all of the places I've visited so far...
You can download maps for entire countries (plus voice guidance in several languages, with or without street names) with Nokia maps too -- for quite a few years now. Also, they can work completely offline, i.e. you could get by with GPS alone.
RT.
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Google Maps allow you to download maps and directions for offline viewing and has done for a while now.
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It allows you to download a few patches of the map (IIRC it's something like 10 squares of up to 10x10 miles?). Nokia maps let you download maps of the whole country.
Also, even with precached maps, Google Maps require online connectivity for navigation. Nokia ones don't - once you preload, it can search for POI, navigate etc completely offline.
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Also, even with precached maps, Google Maps require online connectivity for navigation. Nokia ones don't - once you preload, it can search for POI, navigate etc completely offline.
that's nice, so nokia can go the way of the dedicated GPS device and become a supplier to a niche market. there are reasons why people aren't paying for dedicated GPS devices any longer. figuring the reasons for that is an exercise for the reader.
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Except Nokia isn't a dedicated GPS device - it's still a smartphone, and does everything that you'd expect from one. And it also does everything you expect from an offline navigation device.
Oh, and by the way, people do still pay for those. Precisely because they actually need them to work offline, for those far range trips with poor coverage (and, in Europe and generally outside of US, to not pay insane data roaming charges).
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Was my first thought too, so effectively they're combining an inferior mapping system with an inferior search engine both of which lack the level of data Google has collected via street view etc. so effectively it's just going to be a shitter version of Google maps?
Competition is good but the problem is Google is so far ahead in terms of raw data collected and mined that it takes more than just simply screaming "Me too" then partnering some arbitrary mapping system with some arbitrary data source as Apple r
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So effectively they're combining an inferior mapping system
There's nothing inferior about Nokia's mapping system. In fact they've been in this business for several years. Look up NavTeq, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nokia, when you have time.
RT.
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I was a long-term Nokia user up until I got an Android phone relatively recently, having use their phones since the 90s.
Honestly, their mapping system was always "okay", but it's not even close to Google maps so it absolutely is inferior. It was about the same level as TomTom's maps were on my SatNav - fine most the time, but not so great for finding individual premises, and more "wrong roads" than Google Maps.
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Quite odd certain Slashdot readers don't know about that.
Crowdsourcing (Score:2)
nokia (Score:1)
Apple to the rescue? (Score:2)
Maybe I should try it on my N9 (Score:2)
I have it on my N9, and have never even tried it yet. But now that there is so much hype about it, I guess I should take a look at it.
It is quite ironic, that an Apple recommendation would motivate me to use something on my Nokia.
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N9 owner here. The software itself isn't at the same level (at least with PR 1.2) as it currently is on WP7 (and Symbian probably), but the maps are the same and you still get:
- Offline maps (online maps are also possible)
- Turn-by-turn navigation with text-to-speech (with multiple voices)
- A real distinction between pedestrian and car routes
- A satisfactory POI collection (probably not as good as google, though)
- Accurate maps
- Favorite locations can be synced with Nokia Maps for the browser
I welcome this (Score:2)
My Swiss Franc still is on Google though.
Reinventing the wheel (Score:2)
Hurray, let's all map the planet multiple times!
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All this cool Nokia stuff (Score:2)
Why did you make a Microsoft seed your CEO?
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I'm sure Nokia would license Maps to anyone using Android. They're probably just not interested/bound by a gentlemen's agreement with Google/were intimidated by Google.
Disagree, other solutions possible (Score:2)
Everybody else will eat Google's dust because of the money Google has already spent gathering the pictorial information
I disagree. A 3D overhead view, like both Apple and Nokia offer is a good alternative to street view.
I fact I would say it's slightly better. Why would you drive down the street "looking at street view". That's what you are seeing right now while driving!
An overhead 3D view gives you more a sense of what is around you, while still being able to make out details of buildings to find somet
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I disagree. A 3D overhead view, like both Apple and Nokia offer is a good alternative to street view.
I fact I would say it's slightly better. Why would you drive down the street "looking at street view". That's what you are seeing right now while driving!
street view and 3D maps serve different purposes, and google has both.
Not for me (Score:2)
street view and 3D maps serve different purposes
For me, I use them for exactly the same thing. To get an idea of where somewhere I am going looks like so I'll have a better chance of knowing when I am there or if I missed something.
What else would you use street view for?
Both improve over simple satellite view because you get a better sense of the height of things around and what the area will look like in person.
google has both.
So does the iPhone, there's an app that lets you access Street View images.
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For me, I use them for exactly the same thing. To get an idea of where somewhere I am going looks like so I'll have a better chance of knowing when I am there or if I missed something.
no 3D maps gives you anywhere close the detail you can get from street view. street view is actual high-res, omni-directional photos. 3D maps are either cartoon renderings of actual buildings or "3D-ized" versions of 2D maps.
can you read the address off the brown-colored house with the white picket fence and the the small pine tree in the front yard with 3D maps? no.
So does the iPhone, there's an app that lets you access Street View images.
right, so i have to download a 3rd party app and jump back and forth between the native maps and and the 3rd party app. sweet.
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no 3D maps gives you anywhere close the detail you can get from street view.
I don't need that level of detail to see where I am going.
Apple's flyover view gives me enough detail to see what a storefront looks like. I don't need to be able to read the menu.
can you read the address off the brown-colored house
I don't need to because I can see the pin on the location. I just need to know what is there (and what is nearby).
right, so i have to download a 3rd party app
You claimed Google had 3D view also.
I didn't
Would definitely be dead without my helmet. (Score:1)
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Darn browser! Went to the wrong thread!
Ah, so it wasn't a Nokia helmet with built-in mapping? :-)
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