When my mother first saw how my phone assisted me to navigate from Wheelock Place to The Big Splash on the road, she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Hearing that all we need is the free satellite signal from above us even in the absent of mobile signal is enough to add that into her list of fascination on how technology has advanced.  From my new rice cooker that has the options to select the type of rice and how soon we want to eat, to the TV system that … think about it, what happens to those good old days when you select what you want with a click of a button?  Or two?  I can only imagine how fascinated I would be in the not so distant future.

Recently, it was announced that Nokia’s Maps – branded as OVI Maps – would come with free navigation for selected phone model.  You can also plan your trip on your PC and synchronize the bookmarks with your phone.  I am happy to hear that N97 is one of them.  Yesterday, I gave it a try, mainly because I had a genuine need.  The first thing I have noticed is the new menu (see below).  It took me a brief moment to download the guide (I chose British female voice!) and to log onto OVI Maps using my Nokia ID (not mandatory but it is nice, as you will read later).  And it was good to go.

The map is on 3D and it rotates as I navigate (see above).  In theory, there is no need for me to see the screen.  But because at times the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is lost, I may miss a turn (and the phone is smart enough to do re-routing almost instantly).  So for best result, I reckon it is good to mount the phone somewhere at the windscreen and see where is your next turn, which is what drivers do for their GPS devices.

So, why is there a need to log onto OVI Maps?  For the simple reason that you can now synchronize your bookmarks with your OVI account in the Internet.  This is powerful.  Because I may discover a new eatery place or a place of interest anywhere in the world, save the GPS data onto my phone for future use, and I can synchronize with my OVI account and continue to access this location for my future Nokia phones.  Or I can share my locations on Facebook, via OVI Maps.

Another powerful feature is the ability to plan my trip using the computer.  I have used Google Maps.  And I am surprised by the user interface of OVI Maps.  The transition is smooth.  And overlay onto the different map modes (such as landmark etc.) is the real time traffic condition.  At one glance, I can tell where are the areas that I shall avoid, if so I wish.

Route planning in OVI Maps is a breeze.  Alternative routes are displayed and can be selected with a click of a button.  I have no complain about OVI Maps for now, except that there are locations that I cannot find using OVI Maps in the Internet but able to find via my phone.  To be fair, I can’t find these locations in Google Maps neither.  Below is a screenshot of how, in theory, I can plan my route from my home to the Botanic Gardens.  The deeper purple route from A to B is the optimized route.  The red thin line along the highway CTE indicates that heavy traffic at that segment is expected.  And the route in light purple is an alternate route via the highway.  There is a third one also in light purple overlaid with the highlighted one for the shortest route in case if you wonder why the routing near the destination is a bit confusing.  Selecting different mode – shortest route, fastest route, and optimized route – will highlight the route accordingly in deep purple.

In summary, despite the occasion lost of GPS signal during my first navigation experience, as a free service that bundled with selected Nokia phones, it is certainly one feature that Nokia users should cheer about.  Imagine no more getting lost when you are overseas and in town.  Looking at how far the maps function has progressed since the early days of Nokia putting maps onto their phones, I am keen to see what the near future will bring.

PS. I may try to mount the phone to the windscreen to see if the GPS signal strength can be improved.