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Jan 22
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Nokia began giving away professional GPS navigation software on 10 of its smartphones on Thursday, matching a competitive move by Google. The move deals a blow to the leaders in the market for specialized navigation devices, Garmin and TomTom.
GPS mapping software has been one of the most popular applications for mobile phones. Nokia’s decision to turn it into a giveaway may complicate its own efforts to generate revenue from mobile services and to recoup the $8.1 billion it spent in October 2007 to buy NavTeq, a maker of digital mapping data in Chicago.
Nokia, the global leader in cellphone handsets, said it had made available through its Web site a new, free version of its Ovi Maps software which includes turn-by-turn instructions for 74 countries, with vocal prompts in 46 languages, and maps for an additional 106 countries.
“By adding cameras at no extra cost to our phones, we quickly became the biggest camera manufacturer in the world,” said Anssi Vanjoki, a Nokia executive vice president. “The aim of the new Ovi Maps is to enable us to do the same for navigation.”
Nokia, the mobile phone maker based in Finland, called its move “game-changing,” but analysts were skeptical it would stem the slide in…
