Nokia Announces

At the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona in Spain, Nokia has announced the beta version of Nokia Maps 2.0 -- among other announcements. Nokia claims Maps 2.0 takes mapping and navigation to the next level by enhancing pedestrian navigation, adding multimedia city guides, offering satellite images, and sporting a redesigned user interface (UI). Significantly, Maps 2.0 introduces Walk -- a pedestrian focused navigation component to the Maps application -- while still offering Drive, the car navigation system. Nokia claims Walk can literally walk you from point A to point B with the help of visual turn-by-turn instructions. It helps users locate themselves by giving information about their surroundings.



In newer handsets like the 6210 Navigator, it uses the handset's built-in compass to point in the direction the person is walking. Maps 2.0 also adds the option to purchase multimedia guides featuring photos, videos, and audio streams. Speaking on the occasion, Michael Halbherr, vice president (Location based services) of Nokia, said, "By taking navigation services out of the car and onto the sidewalk, Nokia is enabling people to explore and discover what's around them with the confidence of a local." In Maps 2.0, users can either upgrade to the GPS navigation option or if their Nokia device doesn't have built-in GPS, they can use an external GPS module with a compatible device. Nokia said Maps 2.0 will have for an optional fee, real-time traffic feeds with dynamic