Nokia’s popular navigation app, Nokia Here has been released in beta for the recently launched Asha 501. The launch was announced on Nokia’s Conversations blog, with suggestions that the Here Maps was initially designed for phones which did not have GPS hardware built in to them. The Here Maps app is available for download on the Nokia App Store, and the navigation app features locations from across 200 countries. The app will also update you about live traffic situations, and (in select regions) give you the option to re-route your journey to avoid high traffic areas in order to save time.
Since the also works with phones without the GPS hardware, the app uses location data from network towers to estimate your location. This is what Mr. Neil Shah, senior analyst, Strategy Analytics had to say at the launch of the app, “Nokia Asha devices will offer industry leading HERE experiences to millions of consumers using maps on their mobile devices for the first time. Simultaneously, HERE Maps on Asha platform will drive an additional level of scale, visibility expanding Nokia’s HERE platform and ecosystem further in high growth markets,”
This puts Nokia in a better position to market the Asha 501, since most other phones in the Indian market, be it from domestic or international manufacturers, offer GPS services at low costs. With this release, Nokia will have another feature to brag about in the catalogue which might draw the attention of many buyers.
Speaking of apps other than Here Maps, Nokia has done well to integrate quite a few popular apps like WhatsApp, LINE, Nimbuzz, etc. Quite a few other apps are in development and should be out soon. Why we’re mentioning this? Because, Nokia decided to re-build their OS for Asha phones, and this has caused incompatibility issues for many a app which is a major concern, and will remain to be until the situation is more clear.