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Samsung’s Galaxy Phones, Tizen Wearables To Offer Nokia Off-Line Navigation

Berlin – Samsung is teaming up with Nokia to offer Nokia’s HERE off-line navigation app free on Samsung Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy S5.

The app includes a map database residing on the phone, enabling users to navigate without a cellular connection as if they were using a portable navigation device (PND). The maps will be accessible when users are in a subway or in rural areas with spotty cellular coverage, Nokia said. Map access will be faster because they don’t have to be downloaded over the air, enabling users to pan, rotate and zoom without lag, the company added.

The app will also communicate with Nokia’s new Navigator app on Samsung’s Tizen-based smart watches, including the planned Gear S, to send pedestrian and public-transit navigation to the watches. “You can plan walking or transit routes on your smartphone and then beam them to the smartwatch over Bluetooth to continue the navigation there,” Nokia said.

Alternately, the smart watch Navigator app offers standalone navigation that includes locally stored maps and offline pedestrian and public-transit navigation, directions and search.

The HERE smartphone app will offer maps for almost 100 countries and public transit maps and directions for more than 750 cities in more than 40 countries. When connected to the Internet, the app will deliver live traffic information for more than 40 countries, Nokia said.

Nokia didn’t say when the apps would be available in the U.S. market.

When the smartphone app is Internet-connected, it will deliver not only traffic data but also real-time transit schedules. Users will also be able to share locations they’ve gone to with family and friends and save destinations for syncing with other devices.

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