Jul 07
The fact that smart phones come with GPS features is a pretty well established fact, and the fact that Apps such as Tom Tom’s GPS navigation feature exists for the Apple iPhone means that even the established sat nav service companies recognize the value of the hardware that a typical smart phone offers.
But when companies such as Nokia and Google announce that they will be offering sat nav services for free, it certainly changes the perspective on what technologies people should be investing in.
Just several years ago, GPS was still in its infancy and having a dedicated device in a vehicle was a sign of luxury. Now, it is a near requirement for people who need to get to locations fast without having to spend much time learning new directions (or having to stop and ask for them). GPS is slowly becoming a basic necessity. And just as companies such as TomTom and Garmin have started growing, the advancement of sat nav services also grew for smart phones.
More than just location based services Nokia and Google are able to offer full, voice guided turn by turn navigation with additional features such as live traffic updates, weather conditions and even points of interest.
This however is not going to kill companies such as TomTom and Garmin. But they will have to turn to other markets. Unlike Google, sat nav companies compile their own maps. While community based maps often contain plenty of great local information, their reliability is not one that Google is able to assure –unlike that of a professional GPS service.
Of course, while the average person does not need that much accuracy, professionals do. This means that people who seriously need sat nav –such as delivery personnel, emergency volunteers, law enforcers, fire fighters and the like will still need devices such as TomTom’s onboard GPS units.
Jun 25
If it is that time of the week for you and your friends to spend some quality time down at the local pub, then it would be hard to avoid leaving behind your mobile phone. After all, having a handset around will be pretty handy when you need to call the local cab service to pick you and your otherwise indisposed drinking buddies back home.
One of the nicest suggestions that we could give is to download a pub-search app. There are plenty of these kinds of apps that focus on various locations in the UK; there are several that will give you a quick rundown of suggestions for the coziest and most impressive places to catch the World Cup Matches or simply a nice quiet pub where you could talk your worries away with friends.
Another great feature about these pub search applications is that they not only provide you with the names of pubs, but also how to get there. By using a phone’s GPS features, users will be given the fastest routes to the desired location. Some apps will even provide transportation options as well, with various cab services that can be called upon when needed.
Another important tip is to bring a small bag that you can sling around your shoulders or tie around your waist. This provides people with a means to store phones and other things without having to worry about losing track of the items. As long as the bag is on your body, you can be sure that you would not be leaving anything behind.
Lastly, keep an alarm. As fun as nights out can be, nothing is worse than lacking moderation. Set an alarm on your mobile phone to remind when to call it a night and start heading back home. And before you do, it would be wise to schedule next week’s meet up and decide whose turn it is to pay for the rounds.
Jun 24
There are plenty of pubs that men would recommend to each other. Maybe for its great ambiance, or the friendly and personable bartender, or maybe for having some of the lowest prices in town or simply for having the tastiest shrimp available; whatever it may be, these places tend to get by on word of mouth and while this an effective form of advertising, the accessibility of the internet and smart phone technology has moved the concept of personal recommendations into a whole new field.
Before, word of mouth simply meant that the friends and family members who would actually listen to your recommendations would actually try it out. But with today’s technology, even a complete stranger might be heading off to your favorite tap on account of a properly posted Tweet.
Good customer reviews, combined with easily usable references such as recommended items on the menu, location directions and the use of technology such as GPS makes things a whole lot easier –and more encouraging for people to try out new places that they have never seen.
The presence of location based applications also affects plenty too. Foursquare not only keep track of the number of times people go to a location, but that are also ways for people to leave their virtual remarks and reviews of a store.
Of course, reviews can go bother ways. As many stores have seen how valuable getting good internet rep can be, criticisms can also mean bad news. As many of you might realize, it is far easier to discourage than to actually encourage others and if people originally had not known of a location, the less they would care about it if all they hear are complaints.
In this regard, stores these days find themselves being more rewarded and successful for being the best that the can be. Gone is the notion of having to cut down on services to save costs –the small time and energy investments to improve a store are paying themselves back more than twofold.
Oct 06
There really is not all that much special with the Nokia maps application. But it does exist in most Nokia smart phones and these mobile phones come cheap. So if you want a low-priced map application, Nokia is probably as cheap as you could go before venturing into the realm of generic devices.
The Quick Judgement
Price aside, you get decent map coverage, detailed and updated but not quite at par with dedicated map providers. This means that if you want a GPS function every now and then and you can compensate for a little inaccuracy, then Nokia maps is all you will need.
Nokia is Ovi
Nokia maps are Ovi maps; and though this is similar to Google maps in looks and features. The coverage and up-to-date information that can be found in Google maps still surpasses that of Ovi. If you have to shell out extra money for map coverage, you might was well go with a dedicated carrier such as Orange maps instead. Without having to compare, Ovi is not a bad map service at all. It is provides decent and accurate information in its own way, though not as efficiently as others do.
It Still Works
The bottom line is that if you are using a Nokia phone, then use this application by all means. Ovi is most compatible with Nokia’s Symbian technology and you would probably fare better with the given Ovi as opposed to having to access other services not tweaked for Nokia use. But if you’re a using a different device, then there are other more reliable choices out there that you can choose from. “Nokia maps” is a decent software and map service and there are no buts about that. Will it work and help you out? The answer is definitely yes. Are there other choices that might be better? Yes, if you are not using a Nokia device.
