Today we take a look at Nokia Maps 2.0 for the N95 8GB. It’s availability hasn’t yet trickled down to my trusty E61i, but with only a month and a half before my trip to the Japan Wireless Expo I’m hoping for an update before I leave — here’s why…
In my review of Nokia Maps 1.0 I wrote that its killer feature over the ubiquitous Google Maps was the ability to store local map info on your handset. This is especially important for Canadian wireless customers who are being colossally ripped off for mobile data, and absolutely crucial for international travel with Fido, where such data costs 5 cents per kilobyte above and beyond the allowance of any data plan.
So far so good, but… Here’s all you see of my favourite Tokyo intersection with version 1 of Nokia Maps. I guess it’s partly because the naming conventions of the Japanese language don’t always translate what with the Prefectures and such, and also because there are actually many streets in the city without any names at all — whatever the case, there’s clearly no way I could use this software to find my way from Shibuya Station to my favourite hotel, even if it’s located directly across the street…
Fortunately Nokia Maps 2.0 comes with this handy satellite view! Click on the screen or here to see exactly where my hotel is.
These hi-res satellite images rival anything I’ve seen on Google Earth — on a small screen, anyway — and I can suck ’em all down to my compatible handset with Nokia’s Map Loader, or even more easily via my home WiFi connection.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the 5MB of satellite imagery I needed to figure out where Shibuya crossing was would have cost me a whopping $250 CAD at 5¢ per kb!!!
Oh, and that little icon bottom centre is to let you know that by pressing the centre key of your handset you’ll get a pop-up menu where you can, among other things, save what’s on your map as a favourite place.
Nokia Maps 2.0 is certainly one of my favourite S60 apps — or at least it would be if Nokia would only release it for the E61i…
Andrew Currie 
13 responses to “Nokia N95 Trial: 30 Seconds Over Tokyo with Nokia Maps 2.0”
[…] Currie has posted on his blog about his attempts to use Nokia Maps to find his favourite street in […]
AC:
Thank you for including that link to the Canada-US rate comparison. I’d read we were paying about twice here in Canada compared to the US, and this is the first breakdown I’ve read.
I’m continuing my holding pattern — I’ll keep my LG with its primative Mobile Browser and the $7/mo unlimited data add-on, and hope, in the 23 months when my wireless contract expires, that the rates are cheaper and that I can get a good smartphone with a decent screen, QWERTY, good browser, good OS and CPU, and plays nicely with my Macs…
Hopefully the 3G Jebusphone 2.0 starts a big change with its arrival north of the border…
http://www.maclife.com/article/iphone_rumor_roundup
Ed
[…] Andrew Currie van WordPress testte de functie uit op zijn Nokia N95 8GB. Via satellietbeelden van Nokia Maps 2.0 probeerde hij het Shibuya Excel Hotel in Tokyo te vinden. Dat bleek een fluitje van een cent. De beelden waren bovendien van een uitstekende kwaliteit. Ook de kaart binnenhalen op zijn Nseries was erg gemakkelijk. Dat lukte via Nokia Map Loader, en zelfs via de wifiverbinding bij zijn thuis. […]
Andrew Currie van WordPress? You should get business cards made up…
[…] Andrew Currie de WordPress a testé la fonction sur son Nokia N95 8 Go. Via des images satellite de Nokia Maps 2.0, il a tenté de trouver l’hôtel Shibuya Excel à Tokyo. Ce fut un jeu d’enfant. De plus, les images étaient d’excellente qualité. Et importer la carte sur son Nseries était tout aussi facile. Il y est parvenu via Nokia Map Loader, et même via la connexion WiFi chez lui. […]
Where did you get these maps for Tokyo Japan? The current Nokia Navteq maps i just downloaded have extremely poor (read: useless) maps 😦
Hey Pan, Navteq is the company that Nokia bought out for their mapping technology, right?
If it’s Nokia Maps you’re talking about, I thought I had made it fairly clear that I was talking about the new satellite view in Maps 2.0, no?
NOKIA!!!We need maps for Tokyo!
This is a great review. I got a question. I’m going to Tokyo in April, and want to use my Nokia maps gps to get around. The thing is i’m afraid of astronomical roaming charges for data downloads. If i turn of GPS-A feature, and just leave to regular GPS mode – will there be data charges? If i understand correctly, there will only be data downloads with GPS-A mode. GPS mode just ‘feeds’ off the actual satelites right?
Hey Gavin,
You need to download the map data before you leave — preferably with Nokia’s Map Loader for Windows or Mac OS X Leopard.
Have a great trip!
Hi Andrew, Thanks for the tip. I’ve already downloaded the Japan map using the Map loader, but it was only 5mb worth of date. This seems suspiciously small for a big country like japan. When i scroll over the Japan, it seems the map only contains the major highways, and nothing else. Is this the same for you? or Did mess something up? As for satelite images, i can’t get this from the Map Loader right? It seems i have to scroll over each ‘square’ of japan to download the Satelite images before i leave for Japan. Sorry for the numberous questions. Cheers in advance for helping!
Are you using Nokia Maps version 1.0 or 2.0? I don’t think version one had the “view by satellite option”, which is what I had installed on my handset last time I was there.
Also, you may be right about the satellite imagery not being available on the Map Loader. Another option that might save a bit on the data roaming charges would to use the “search local” option on Google in your web browser — though you may get results in Japanese!
It’s been more than a year since this topic was posted and the Japan map issue has yet to be resolved!!!!