Nokia n82 blog

Does Nokia Maps fail to cut it for you? Looking for an alternative other than Google Maps? Then look no further. Mobile GMaps is a free, J2ME app that displays maps from Yahoo! Maps, Windows Live Local (MSN Virtual Earth), Ask.com, Open Street Map and other sources. It’s extremely useful in that it allows for users to get close up satellite and mapping data online OR offline (think of Google Maps with preloaded mapping data).

Performance of Mobile GMaps is just a tad slower than Google Maps but faster than Nokia Maps; with the notable exception of the annoying prompting every time you execute the application (because its a Java application, the phone will prompt whether you want to allow the app to use Positioning Data and allow for online access). Locking to a certain GPS position is rather quick – no surprises there, probably because of AGPS and the relatively open area I was testing the application in.

There’s also a menu for a host of services showing all sorts of information; granted its not as good as the Nokia services offered in Nokia Maps, but it’s pretty informative – there’s one showing all the FON hotspots, traffic info, Subway Maps, and ‘Connect2Car’, which I assume is for car rental services. Not bad for a free map you must agree…

You can also register for an account on the website and get your phone to upload GPS data as you run the app in the background of your phone. It’s quite the gimmick feature but I quite like the concept – if your friends also do it too, you can establish a network and see where everyone is at the given moment.

So all in all, it’s a worthy alternative to Google Maps and Nokia Maps. But considering that its rather lightweight without Navigation or the rich services (cinemas, restaurants, etc) you have from Nokia Maps, I think there’s still plenty of potential for this Java application. Still worth downloading though, so get it now!

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