Today Nokia announced Maps with free navigation for everyone which is a very big deal. Previously the only way to get turn by turn navigation was to buy a Navigator device. Nokia had offered free trials of the navigation service on most newer mid to higher end devices but to put it all out there is a very powerful offer.
The goes beyond just the turn by turn piece and includes all the premium content within Maps – again a very cool and substantial detail. You now have full access to all the premium content:
- Free Drive navigation
- Free Walk navigation
- Free maps and map updates
- Free Events guides
- Free Lonely Planet guides
- Free Michelin guides
When Google first announced Android 2.0 would include free navigation it was a bold move, and became an instant black eye for everyone else. Nokia’s initial response with the 5800 Navigation Edition was pretty limited by comparison while today’s play is substantially more bold! I’m sure this was not an easy pill for management to swallow given Navigation is one of the larger revenue generating services.
Nokia’s reach and share is still larger than anyone else’s and I expect others to follow suit as a result. Consumers are now going to expect navigation as a standard feature of a smartphone – in the same way maps previously was.