Samsung and Nokia gang up against Google to offer Here maps on Android

[Antimony]

 

Nokia and Samsung have announced that they are teaming up to bring the Here map app to Android.

 

In an exclusive deal, users of Samsung handsets will soon be able to download and use a beta version of Here, which offers offline navigation functionality without having to cache large chunks of a map on to your phone.

 

According to Nokia's Here blog, its mapping service will be available for a select number of Samsung handsets (the Samsung Galaxy S5 is namechecked) and it will also link up to the recently announced Tizen-toting Samsung Gear S.

This means you will be able to sync routes with Samsung's latest smartwatch and flip between your phone screen and your watch screen, if that sort of thing floats your boat.

 

The arrival of Here maps on Samsung devices will be welcomed by those who don't want to be completely tied to Google's services - and even if you use Google Maps, there's a number of features available that Google doesn't offer.

Here, there, everywhere

One of these is Glympse, which allows you to instantly tell a friend where you are in the world by sharing your location. That is, as long as you only want them to know where you are for a certain amount of time.

 

The application will also play well with Samsung Car Mode which means only a select number of features will work when you are in the car, so that you can concentrate on the journey rather than fiddle with your handset.

 

The Here app will be available to download as soon as the Samsung Gear S is released. We still don't really know when that is. We'll look into it, promise.

 

Via:

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-and-nokia-gang-up-against-google-to-offer-here-maps-on-android-1263277