One feature of the new S40 phones launched today that deserves extra attention is the provision of free Nokia Maps, allowing a much wider range of people to make use of the service, without incurring heavy data charges. This new service offers a significant boost to the capabilities of Series 40 phones, further blurring the lines between smartphones and feature phones. Read on for the details.
Maps will come preinstalled on the Nokia C2-03 and its variants, out-of-the-box, including maps data for the user’s region. The user doesn’t need to download any further data to get started.
Maps for Series 40 doesn’t rely on a GPS device in the phone, either, but rather triangulates the user’s position from cell tower locations. This, together with smart routing software, means that Nokia Maps can still provide turn-by-turn directions for drivers.
Viewing maps and planning routes can be done entirely offline. Online features such as finding your location – or advanced search – can be done with minimum data usage – less than 10KB. If users want to share their location, they can do so for the cost of an affordable SMS message.
