HERE Maps – SomeGadgetGuy

***Updated: See HERE Maps in action on video at the end of this post!***

First off, a little shoutout to the fanbois and “I don’t like things which are different than I currently use” crowd. If you have to ask

“Why would I want this on my Android?”

I’m going to counter with “You must not be very good with tech stuff”. You sound like Tomtom users did back when Google started developing their own mapping app. Stop it. You’re better than that.

Nokia recently made the announcement that they would be slowing development of their HERE mapping suite on Windows Phone to focus on supporting Android. We’re now starting to see the fruits of this labor with a really solid BETA effort soon available on Samsung handsets through Samsung’s proprietary app store. Of course in AndroidLand (and dealing with the more open nature of the OS) apps can leak, and it’s pretty easy to side load an app without the aid of an official app store. Such is the case with the HERE Maps BETA APK, and of course, just to be a snarky butt, I installed in on an LG G3. W?BIC!

Continue reading “Nokia Here Maps BETA on Samsung (and Other Androids if You Like to Tinker)”

When Microsoft acquired Nokia’s hardware division, they did not get all of Nokia’s assets. One team to remain under the Nokia badge was the HERE mapping division, and it’s quickly become a favorite of Windows Phone users, bringing terrific turn-by-turn directions and downloadable maps to Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Reported today by The Next Web, a Nokia Executive Sean Fernback was quoted in regards to future HERE development:

“today we still maintain the [HERE] Windows Phone apps, it has our brand on it so we need to look after it, although we’re not particularly investing in them at the moment, that could still change. With the Nokia X program, we were authorized to continue to work on it until about now really, but that work is about to cease. I think there have been a number of different programmes that have continued through the year onto different platforms, but now it’s just going to focus on the two – Android and iOS.”

We’ve known that HERE Maps would be making a transition to Android, specifically on Samsung devices, and it would make sense that the team would be turning more resources to the newer (and larger) platforms. HERE Maps is not leaving Windows Phone, but for fans of Microsoft’s OS (and ostensibly Nokia’s hardware) a reduction in support could be a worrying proposition. There are already precious few outlets developing for the WP platform.