Ovi Maps
So, yesterday’s news conference by Nokia contained some very good news (good for the consumer, but just as good for the company I would say):
- The Ovi Maps Navigator will be free of charge! When I got my E72, and for the first time actually saw Ovi Maps in action, I was rather surprised to find out that they try to charge for the service. I got so annoyed by the user interface as well as by the constant reminder, that I just have 8 of 10 license activation days left, that I just installed Google Maps on my device, and was happy with it ever since.
- So, the second good news is: The upgraded Ovi Maps version, which has been released yesterday, is a major improvement. It is usable, it provides context-aware information, and above all: it is fast, really fast!
- And thirdly, the online version maps.ovi.com is just as good as well
Aside from Ovi Maps, this move seems to generally indicate a (long-awaited) shift from the current service strategy. Engadget writes:
Instead of nickel-and-diming its users for individual services, Nokia is taking a “solution pricing” approach that is more attractive to potential customers. In other words, by making the platform more tempting through a robust feature set, Nokia will sell more high-margin smartphones and thus boost the bottom line.
Aaaah, this is indeed finally some good news! One just wonders, what took so long to come up with this insight :-)
