Samsung has launched Nokia-exclusive Here maps for navigation on Galaxy smartphones.
Nokia, the renowned smartphone brand owned by Microsoft, is branching out into the Android arena with support for Here maps on Samsung's popular Galaxy series. The new mapping feature will be available as a standalone app on Galaxy app store as well as pre-loaded on new Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
According to SVP of everyday mobility for Here, the new feature will set Samsung apart from other Android rivals.
Nokia currently offers Here maps on Windows Phone devices and Fire OS smartphones but the Finnish maker hopes to extend its offerings beyond Samsung smartphones to other Android phones. According to a report by ZDNet, Nokia is also planning to integrate its proprietary mapping feature into Galaxy Note series as well as Microsoft's discontinued Android line of handsets, Nokia X devices.
The standalone app will run with features like 3D, flat and satellite maps, offline maps, turn by turn navigation, and its unique Here Drive and Here Transit for getting directions on public transport. Here maps for Samsung Galaxy devices will also feature Glympse, a unique feature integrated within Here to share users' location with other people for a limited time.
Users of Here maps on Galaxy devices can also create Collections, which will be saved in the cloud to access them on other devices too. Large parts of its digital maps can be downloaded for free so it can be used offline.
Like Google Maps, Nokia's Here maps also offers various suggestions for places under categories like
"eat & drink," "accommodation," "shopping," and more, according to Nokia's Here blog.
This isn't the first time Samsung has teamed up with Nokia for Here maps. The Korean tech giant integrated Here maps as a default navigation system in its Gear S smartwatch, which is powered by Samsung's home-grown Tizen OS.
According to Nokia, Here maps is designed to work with Galaxy phones running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above with 1GB RAM or more. This means, owners of Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 can take advantage of Here maps for a unique experience. It is unclear when the app will make its way around Google Play Store for support to other Android phones, but given the current situation it may be happening soon.
Here maps can be downloaded on Galaxy phones from Samsung Galaxy App Store for free.
