Nokia to offer Smart2Go mapping services
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 9th 2007 11:05AM
posted Jan 9th 2007 11:05AM
For those not really interested in picking up a third-party GPS module / application and doing your own routing, Nokia is looking to add a mapping service of its own to handsets in order to give users turn-by-turn guidance for a fee. After acquiring Gate5 last year, Nokia decided that adding navigation capabilities was "a natural move," and its forthcoming Smart2Go system will offer up free mapping and routing services and a fee-based turn-by-turn option if you've just got to have that robotic helper bossing you around (or can't take your eyes off the road). Smart2Go customers will need a WiFi or direct PC connection to download applicable maps to their phone, and Nokia claims that it's got 100 countries and 13 million POIs already covered; folks can even search by location directly just like your average portable GPS and get phone numbers and other pertinent information, presumably gratis. No word on when Nokia plans to get this going, but if we're seeing this right, the phone giant will be offering it up on "all of its converged devices," so it looks your (read: any) Nokia is covered.
Nokia is a day late and Euro short. Why would I be interested in a service that makes me pre-load the maps onto the phone (and from that point start to age) and actually pay to get the privilege of getting turn-by-turn directions?
AmazeGPS already has a solution where the maps are downloaded on demand (and thus always up to date) and, gasp, *FREE*. Anyone waiting for this from Nokia with bated breath should go check out http://www.amazegps.com. Best of all, AmazeGPS already has most of the Nokia phones already covered. No, I have no affiliation with AmazeGPS, other than I'm a satisfied user.
@ Daryl Huff:
there is another free off-board GPS navigator (around for more than a year now) with an even bigger list of supported phone:
http://www.nav4all.com
@ Brad Proctor:
I have never experienced that an operator cuts off Java traffic. have you tried nav4all on Cingular/Nokia E62 and do you experience the same problems?
(not affiliated with nav4all, happy user since one year)