Be a Local Anywhere with the latest Nokia Maps and Drive

Every day millions of people around the world use Nokia’s location services on their smart phones and on the web at maps.nokia.com.

The new Nokia N9, announced today at Nokia Connection 2011, introduces a new mapping and navigation experience with two apps, Maps and Drive, specifically designed for its MeeGo operating system. Besides online and offline maps, search and navigation, Nokia Maps features instant nearby places discovery, public transport routing and full gesture support – all in a slick new look. Nokia Drive is a dedicated app for car navigation designed for the best driving experience beyond a traditional SatNav.

When you open Nokia Maps for the first time, you’re automagically flown from globe to your current location. You don’t need to wait for the maps to load. Just like other Nokia smartphones, the Nokia N9 comes with preloaded maps of the continent where you purchase it.

With entire country maps and millions of places on board you can use search, positioning, navigation and re-routing also offline to save on data costs. Perfect for your next business trip or holiday abroad.

You’re a jetsetter and need additional country maps? You can easily download them over Wi-Fi similarly to the earlier version of Maps. While your country maps are loading in the background you can continue using the app and explore the world around you.

With smooth two-finger rotate touch gesture, easy tilt between 2D and 3D and, of course, pinch to zoom your map exploration is even faster.

While you’re out and about realistic 3D landmarks of sights and public transport lines for underground, trains, buses and trams help you orient yourself in cities around the world.

Finding places around you or anywhere in the world is simple with quick search and type-ahead suggestions. Place pages put places into context with pictures, descriptions by business owners, reviews by leading guides and Maps users. You can easily save places to favourites, share them with friends, call or navigate to get there.

The world truly comes alive when we know what’s around us. With Nokia Maps discovering nearby places is just a tap away. You can instantly see them on the map or in a slick list view which also shows the nearest public transport stops and your nearby favourite places.

And when you’re ready to go, you can easily plan your route from here to there. Nokia Maps is integrated with Contacts and Calendar so it gets even easier to meet friends and arrive on time.

Choose navigation for walking to find your way in a city through handy shortcuts. Or hop on a tram, underground and train with public transport routing.

If you prefer to use a car, Nokia Drive is your perfect companion. Designed with intuitive touch controls at its core, it’s easier to use than ever. When you open the app, Drive assistance tracks your accurate speed and distance driven. Choose your own language for voice guidance. Or navigate offline with preloaded maps to save on data costs. With navigation available in over 90 countries on 5 continents you can do a road trip across countries you haven’t been before.

Whether you’re someplace new or at a favourite haunt, Nokia Maps and Drive help you get more out of it. Don’t miss an opportunity to find something interesting around you. Discover a new favourite restaurant based on reviews. Or find great spots in unknown places and the easiest way to get there. It’s more than a map or a SatNav, it’s the world in your pocket.