Nokia Updates Ovi Maps

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Nokia Ovi Maps 3.0

Nokia is taking on Google Maps in the mobile space, and it has taken its latest version of Ovi Maps out of beta.

One of the appealing features of Ovi Maps 3.0 is the ability for mobile users to wirelessly sync with the desktop version of the mapping service. With this, a user could search for addresses, or identify points of interest on the Web and have those sent over the air to a mobile phone.

The mobile mapping service also has data from Lonely Planet, Michelin, and Wcities to provide information about points of interest near the user. This will include things like restaurant reviews and other location-based information, and Nokia is also including a weather service that can provide five-day forecasts.

Ovi Maps 3.0 also provides high-resolution maps in 2-D and 3-D, and the program has 3-D landmarks for over 200 cities. Users can tilt and rotate these landmarks on their handset, as well as view flyovers, night views, and fly-throughs. The program can also be helpful for road warriors, as it can provide free walking and driving directions with real-time traffic information.

The world's largest cell phone manufacturer has been building out its mapping service over the last few years, and it spent more than $8 billion acquiring Navteq to help achieve that goal.

Ovi Maps 3.0, which can be downloaded from Nokia's Web site, is a free program that's compatible with Symbian S60 3rd Edition and Symbian S60 5th Edition phones.

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