Sunday 29 July 2007

GPS & Nokia OVI Maps

Updated 08 FEB 2012

Nokia Maps

The latest Nokia Maps for the N95 is version 3.1. It is available via Nokia Suite or can download Maps3.1 directly from HERE. The latest version has a 3D Satellite view as well as the standard Map Mode. The Satellite view requires a Mobile data or WiFi connection but the standard Map view is free once you have downloaded the country Maps files via the Nokia Suite. You can download any country you wish to visit from the Nokia Suite which will then be stored in your phone. Below are some Screenshots of the current and earlier versions of Nokia Maps.

Nokia Maps 3.1 Screenshots
 

Nokia Maps2.0 Screenshots











Nokia Maps 1.2 Screenshots














How good are Nokia Maps?

I wrote this piece back in 2007 using Nokia maps1.0, since then Nokia OVI Maps 3.1 has been released, but i have kept the article for the example it gives.

How well can you trust a navigation system on a N95? Can you trust them to have The Force and get you where you want to go?

A few things to note all the navigation tips i used are free to use on the N95, You can buy Licensed voice activation which would have cost me a bit but i didn't need to use it. So you can disable network connection (Internet GPRS) for the Maps (Not GPS) as there is no need to use an internet signal unless you going to use the voice activation feature. The GPS connection is free.

















Well i put Nokia Maps to the test in the USA, First they were very useful in finding where all the shops were in areas that i didn't know, as you can see below, It made it simple to find the main shopping street once i had selected the Shops Category in the Maps settings.

















Using On Foot Navigation for free on N95


I used the By Foot navigation setting rather than By Car.

1. Open the Nokia maps application and then create a route by using the Find Place or Use This Place feature.

2. Then you can create a Route from or Route to and select the locations.

3. Now from the Options Show route, you will now see the route but for me it's much simpler to use the Show on Map feature from the options. Once you have worked out which way round you are! You can use the Navigation Key Up to move through the marked points, as shown below.


















In the images above, the Process Bar shows you how far you have walked (in this case) which is really helpful, if you don't know exactly where you are going!



Can Nokia Maps to find a location over 5 Kms away through trees and hills?

I set off on a 5km walk to a ferry port, and trusted that, Nokia maps could get me there, It took me through main roads, small streets and over hills, which would have been quite complicated to plot not to mention needing a details local map.
I was amazed how accurate the information was on individual shops, odd hairdresser's and Garden Centres.
After two hours or so of walking i arrived at the ferry port, extremely please with myself and Nokia maps for getting me there.


Obi-Wan would have been very proud of Nokia Maps for having THE FORCE and getting me easily to my destination.






A view from the top a a hill, showing how complicated it was to navigate without Nokia maps





Above a complication of 3 images taken on my N95, never mind about the joints, its not ART!




GPS, Nokia Maps and Mobile GMaps Tutorials


















I have created 2 tutorials for:


1) GPS activation on N95

2) Nokia Maps installation and use on N95


1) GPS Data

The N95 has of course an internal GPS Global Positioning System. This means you can locate where ever you are in the world (in theory).
This Gps position is shown in latitude /longitude coordinates and does not shown your position in a maps image.
You will therefore need to install some maps or software to view an image of your position.
Many people have experienced problems acquiring a satellite signal , so this tutorial will show you how to check your global position.

Nokia's tips on getting satellite signal can be found here.

A) First Open the GPS data application in your phone menu. It may be in Application folder. A dialog box will appear saying "Searching for GPS satellites".

To view the connection status Select Position/ Open/ Options/ Satellite status.

You will see white bars appear, it
should take from around 2 minutes to 5 minutes for the gps to lock onto your signal. remember to follow nokia's tips , keep the slider open, do not cover the #key and you need to be outside.
when connection is established your bars will start going black (At least 3 bars needed)

You can now select "Back" and your position coordinates will appear on the screen.

Now you will need to decide how to view your position using a Map or satellite image (Google satellite)




2) Nokia Maps

Maps 3.1 is a free application available for the N95. You can add Map data from different countries using the Nokia Suite. You can also use it as a SATNAV whether walking or driving. It can calculate a route for free but the voice navigation is not free. To get the latest version follow the guide below:

1. The Maps app should be preinstalled in your phone. You can update the App to the latest version 3.1 via the Nokia Suite. To download the Nokia Suite for PC go HERE.  Once you have installed the Nokia Suite connect your phone via USB cable select "PC Suite" on the phone.

2. Select the "Software Update" from the toolbar to check if you have the latest version. Once you have completed any updates go the the Maps Icon on the toolbar. Now you will see a list of various countries that you can download for your phone. Select download and the data will be downloaded and installed into your connected phone.



3. Open the Maps application located in your Phone Menu. The application will open to the last saved location.You can change the Map Mode, Angle of View, Add or remove Categories ( Hotels, Hospitals etc.) to suite your preference.You can "Plan Route" from one location to another and change the transport mode from "By Car" to "On foot". To get the Satellite view with houses and trees etc. you will need to have a mobile data plan or WiFi connection.





50 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

you're blog is superb! great resources for N95.

was wondering, everytime i open the navigation software, it prompts me for WLAN and bluetooth. is that normal? coz i cant be using it whilst driving.

sjc said...

Re Navigation startup: This maybe the default setup for your navigation application but you should be able to turn off these requests by going to Menu/ Tools/ App.mgr., then go to the specific application select "Open" and you should be able to set the default to "always ask" or "never Ask" etc. depending on your needs.

Anonymous said...

You're blog is great! I just got an n95, and I think I'll be spending a lot more time here. Keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

your blog is very useful!!! but how can we enlarge the caller picture? please help.

Anonymous said...

i tryed to do this and it said the jar file was invalid ???

sjc said...

To instal .jar files transfer the .jad and.jar to your sd external card. Then navigate to the jad file and open/Instal. Do not try to instal the jar on its own as the jad usually contains the signed information.You can delete these 2 files after instalation.
Hopefully this will sort out Jar instalation problems.

Unknown said...

wow man! your blog is great! thanks very much, got stuck into it straight away. do you know any way I could import polish dictionary into n95 to recognise my language in messaging. I could obtain polish dictionary files, I just don't really know where to look and what to replace/add.
Gregg

n95/vodafone/ireland

Anonymous said...

wow, all these information r so useful. u r great man. =)

Anonymous said...

best n95 blog anywhere, thanks man!

Anonymous said...

hi.. fantastic blog.. how do i get the gps location box on the bottom right of the screen off?

Anonymous said...

can i just say this is easily much better for info than Nokia. I was going crazy trying to get maps onto my N95. I finally realised when u hook your n95 upto ur pc when prompted on ur n95 use it as a storage device. Even though nokia makes no mention of this it is required when using nokia maploader! As for nokia advertising gps, when in fact u have to pay nearly as much as for a tomtom for subscription ludicrous!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone trouble with the speed of the USB port? I'm only able of connecting at USB 1.1 speeds (12 Mbs) far away of the promised 480 Mbs/s, tried on a PC and on a Mac but it's the same poor speed, It's something wrong with my n95 or it's a bug of this model?

Anonymous said...

how can I get the maps to stay act like a normal gps so you are always heading up the screen instead of North always being up?

Anonymous said...

The SIM card supplier wants to have a 1 year package, I am leaving in 6 months and wil visit Europe.
How can I activate GPS satalites without opting for the package

Anonymous said...

hi there,
i just upgraded my Nokia N95 Firmware from V10 to V20 and everything works great! EXCEPT Nokia Maps.I can not zoom in anywhere. i live in Canada and when i try to zoom in to my city, even when the signal is strong, my screen turns white and when i zoom out i see the Globe.
how can i fix this problem? i also downloaded maploader and installed the desired city but i can't find where the file is saved on my memory card or phone. please help me i bought this cell phone so i could use the gps and maps but now after the upgrade i cant do anything. help appreciated. thanks in advance.

sjc said...

Re Anon GPS Canada:
I also have v20 and my maps work fine, if you want to discuss the problem, you can email me by clicking the "Contact me" in the sidebar.
Maps are stored in E\Private\20001f63\diskcache and all the subfolders, they are hidden\ protected folders so you will need to access the via PC

Anastasios said...

Hmm, USB speed indeed seems more like USB1 than USB2. If it's one of those cases of "USB2 compatible" I 'll feel cheated, again.

Anonymous said...

hi, im having the same problem with someone that had made an earlier post. im not receiving any text message alerts on my n95. the only way i would know i have a message is by going into the inbox. any ideas why?
thanks alot

Anonymous said...

Brilliant blogs, made my disappointly performing Orange N95 into a brilliant phone. One comment though. Nokia Maploader doesn't allow you to load any UK maps, the option simply isn't selectable.

sjc said...

Re Anon UK maps:
Glad to see you have made some improvements to your N95.
Nokia map loader DID work for UK maps, i have used them often on my N95.(see screenshot MLOAD2 on GPS page)
But you are correct because they don't work at the moment?
Hopefully this is something Nokia will sort out, soon!

Anonymous said...

In response to my comment saying the UK maps wasn't available. I've since downloaded Nokia Maps 2.0 and it's on there. Sorry for any confusion!

Matt

Anonymous said...

Hello to everybody, this blog is great i watch it almost every day to see if there's something new.

I only want to say that i have garmin xt installed on my n95 8gb and it works great, with internal gps.

Greatings and keep this blog like this, we all enjoy a lot.

Anonymous said...

Somebody can help me to find maps for Central America? In http://europe.nokia.com/A4513026 they say those countries are available as "Non-Navigable Maps", but I have not found them in all those sites offering direct map downloading. Somebody can confirm me if these maps are available from the 2.0 beta version of Nokia Maps, or give me any hint on how to get them? Thanks.
And last but not least: greetings to sjc for this amazing collection of n95 goodies!

sjc said...

Re Pedro Juan: Maploader 1.3 lists America as Mexico,Brazil, Argentina, USA, Venezuela, Chile and Canada.
The maps are the same for Maps 2.0 beta.
If you want another country, i dont think it is covered yet. On the Nokia website other countries are listed but no details are given.

Anonymous said...

Bad luck... thanks 4 all!

Benjamin Glass said...

I am having the same problem as the guy above.

After updating to v2.0 firmware I cannot zoom into nokia maps and get a white screen.

Very annoying indeed as the gps is getting a signal so no problem there.

Has anyone any ideas how to resolve this?

sjc said...

Re Nokia Maps 2.0 White Screen:
If you get a white screen it is most likely that your maps have been corrupted. Simply remove all old maps and redownload new ones using the Maploader.
With Updated maps you can get additional information so its well worth periodically Removing/Updating the maps on your phone.

Benjamin Glass said...

How do I remove the old maps?

cheers

sjc said...

To delete old maps:
Connect your N95 to your PC via USB in "Data transfer" mode and start the Nokia Maploader application (PC).
There is a button "Delete maps from storage" in the Maps tab
Screenshot
Use this to first remove all old maps before downloading new updated ones.

Benjamin Glass said...

After my posts above I can now see the maps but cannot get a gps signal no matter what.

I have version 21.0.016

any ideas?

sjc said...

Re Ben Glass: I would get a GPS signal before starting up nokia maps.
To get a signal take a look at the section 1)GPS Data on the GPS page.
This will help you get a signal or at least have a better understanding of the signal strength.
Once you have a signal you can then start Nokia maps and you should quickly get a signal.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

you're blog is superb! great resources for N95.

I use garmin mobile xt on my n95 8gb best navigator and accuracy

Anonymous said...

Hi,

you're blog is superb! great resources for N95.

I use garmin mobile xt on my n95 8gb best navigator and accuracy

Anonymous said...

My phone wasnt activated it seems for international roaming. When we drove over the "edge" of the map in memory, it stopped.
I used my laptop and the maploader app to upload all the european maps now. But my phone still thinks its at the "edge" of the map that was in memory at that time. Any idea how to fix this?

sjc said...

Re Nokia Maps Over the edge: The N95 doesn't have every map preloaded, obviously that would use up too much memory.
So you need to downloaded the countries maps when you want them.
As you are having problems accessing countries i would reconnect the maploader and remove all existing maps and re-download the ones you want.
Giving the maps a refresh like this should bring it back to life!
let me know if still have problems

Anonymous said...

I just bought a Nokia N95 8 gig without a data plan.
This a wonderful Blog, SJC.
Can I install the Garmin XT map software on the N95 8gig and will it work with out a data plan?

Thanks

Anonymous said...

I wonder if anyone jogs with phone and have found a holder for it, I know this phone is a little heavy

sjc said...

Re Garmin XT on N95 8GB: I haven't been able to test Garmin on a 8GB so the best advise is try this link
GARMIN Mobile XT hopefully there is some info there that can help you
Thanks for the Comments :)

Anonymous said...

Quick question, I've decided I want to upgrade to the 2.0, but will this affect my voice guidance at all? I paid for it after all!! Also, this wont be affected if I upgrade the firmware either will it?

Thanks!

Chris

sjc said...

Re Chris Maps 2.0: To be honest i'm not 100% sure if the voice guidance will be effected.
I would expect that Nokia have allowed for people too upgrade without loosing there Voice guidance. I would recommend contacting them directly for confirmation before going ahead with the upgrade.
There is a link here NokiaMaps which may help you.

Anonymous said...

Thank You!

J said...

Hi, there. Great Blog. Do you know any full licence to activate the navigation of Ovi maps v3.0?

Thanks

n187 said...

great blog !!fan of this one !!!
can someone help me with maps ?? i have nokia n google maps on my phone !!i dont have data plan !! is there anyway i can save direction while using wlan ?? so when i go out i can view it without using data ??

sjc said...

Re n187: There is a tutorial on saving the map views on your phone in Section3 "Mobile GMaps" on this page, but its not very easy to do.
A very simple way to show map views would be to use screenshots taken from your phone. There is a Screenshot application on the freeware page.
I hope this helps, sjc

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n187 said...

thanks a lot SJC !! i got garmin but i guess the maps r not tht good ! so now looking to get tomtom on my phone !! hope tht works !!North America maps ?????? for tomtom or garmin ????

n187 said...

thanks a lot SJC !! i got garmin but i guess the maps r not tht good ! so now looking to get tomtom on my phone !! hope tht works !!North America maps ?????? for tomtom or garmin ????

Anonymous said...

Your blog is fab! Found it while trying to get help for this.

I hope I'm not too out of date with this question but like Ben and others I get the 'green' screen only and no map details. The original map program worked until I put my memory card in and that's when it started. So, I thought if I upgraded the firmware and the maps to Ovi V2 it would solve the problem. But no, it still does the same thing.

In Ovi suite it tells me I have no maps on the phone so I don't know what to do to solve this. I've been fiddling but I'm a bit scared to do too much as I don't really know what I'm fiddling with!

I would appreciate any help you could give, thanks.

Anthony E. Alvarez said...

Thank you so much for GPS tutorial. I want to buy used n95 8gb in order to use free map service.

I understand SatNav stands for Satellite Navigation but how is SatNav different from PC based map selection, routing and download to n95 8gb from maps.ovi.com?

Is that the procedure to get free maps on n95? Use offline profile and only use GPS?

Please help me understand. Thank you.

sjc said...

Re Pucho: Nokia are offering free sat nav for life but not for the N95 or N95 8GB as far as i am aware. They are offering it for newer phones 5800, N97 etc.
As you mentioned you can download the map data for any country you will travel too, then use the GPS (profile offline is useful) to get your position of course it wont have any images (trees etc just streets and names plus any details like restaurants that you have chosen.
I hope this helps