Nokia Launches Free Mapping Alternative for iOS: 'HERE Maps'

It feels wrong it looks wrong .. I feel like I've purchased an Nokia from 2006-7 with some sort of maps solution.. and suddenly I get the feeling I need to turn the device around so I can see the shiny apple logo.. The UI on this thing is so bad that even the worse place photographed by iMaps can't be as bad as this.. no compass ? so yesterday. Names are wrong ? imagery is terrible and last but not least is it slow as google maps used to be.

Horrible.

Blurry... Slow....

Deleted it after 5 minutes of use.

Roadmate still my number #1

For a year now i've been using Magellan's RoadMate and it hasn't done me wrong, it is however quite costly for an Ios app but nonetheless it serves it's purpose very well with very accurate directions and routes, as well as traffic analysis and most other goodies you would expect.

When Nokia Maps were coming I thought great, even comes with offline maps, turn by turn etc. The offline is limited to 10Mb WTF? turn by turn doesn't seem to work and only offers audio instructions walking only WTF? maps look terrible and low res WTF? As others have said this app only makes the Apple maps seem not so bad, used for 5 minutes and won't be using again. Nokia Maps is goodon Windows Phone, this however is nothing like that. Not sure why they bothered, it's rubbish and useless

I am from the NYC region, and I tested the transit function. It was not good in two ways. First of all, I tried to go to an address along Broadway in Manhattan. I typed in [XXX] Broadway NYC. It suggested several places in the boros, but not Manhattan. Even after including the zip code, it did not have the Manhattan address. It was not until I typed the full address with the word "Manhattan" that it found the correct Manhattan address. Google likely would have assumed Manhattan off the bat from NYC, or at least offered it as the most likely choice (but certainly not found it).

Secondly, once putting in the address, it correctly amalgamated railroad and subway directions, but gave no time information whatsoever. It directed me to a LIRR train, but nowhere did it say what time the train departed. Furthermore, there were no additional time options or the ability to select a departure time (planning your trip for later).

That being said, Apple maps couldn't find a Bally's Fitness down the block when I was in Manhattan. The google web app found it correctly.

Its unfortunate, but it seems as though we let google create a monopoly. Everybody can complain about the apps as much as they want, but it isn't a matter of software engineering- its years worth of raw data entry and reduction of massive data sets into a single, compatible format. Apple could and did create a great interface for a lacking data set. It looks like Nokia's data set isn't so good either. Will it take years to gather the data Google did? (It took Google years...) Sigh, whenever the Google app comes out, I'll have to get it.

How dare they...

All the complaints aside, which I'm sure are valid, it has one important and vital piece of information for me, London Tube stations! How on earth Apple left this off their mapping solution is beyond me

I'll be using the Nokia maps along side my existing mapping software, Navigon for car travel and Apple maps for walking. Shame I now have to use three apps instead of 1 or two though

Awful!

PDFierro said:

Yay! It looks like a great app. Should definitely be a good solution for people like me who need transit directions. .

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Not for me. I did several searches here in LA and bus routes were missing, directions went to the wrong place (after search found the right one) etc.

everything-i said:

Google dropped the ball big time, excuse after excuse while Nokia just got their heads down and got the job done. Well done Nokia.

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i rather have more excuses and delays than another map app that barely works. id say nokia maps are worse than apple maps in my area

Apple left open a huge hole with their maps app. Now the vultures are circling, and one of them just landed, ready to strip the meat from the bones.

How could Apple allow this to be? The Apple I remember would never have released half-baked software. Now we have SIRI and maps, both promoted as the next big thing, and both disappointing many users.

What's up with that, Tim? Maybe Tim needs to concentrate on what he is supposedly good for, supply chain management (although you would never know it, given the product delays and given the severe parts shortages) and maybe Tim needs to step aside and let the big boys take care of the other stuff.

We need a visionary at the helm, and not some sort of a supposed logistics guru.

Allenbf said:

If anything it should prove that Google's own app will be approved by Apple.

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Not necessarily. GM could still be reject for private API use or some other issue.

The fact that Waze etc were approved shows that being a map app isn't the issue

Of course it is terrible. Why else would Apple approve it?

makdeniss said:

Used it a bit. Data is worse than in Apple Maps. Deleted.

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Here in the UK, the data quality seems much better than Apple Maps. But the app itself does seem pretty rushed and low-quality. Clunky UI, and outdated raster-based technology.

Too bad we can't get Nokia's map data with Apple's rendering tech & UI.

Unlike Apple maps it shows bus stops in London, but I actually don't need that as I use the awesome Busmapper application for bus travel.

Otherwise, blurry, can't rotate maps to turn them to the direction of travel. Not that unhappy with Apple maps, so I've deleted the Nokia app.

if i have internet, i'd rather use apple maps.

But when internet connectivity isn't available i think this app might come in handy

j_maddison said:

All the complaints aside, which I'm sure are valid, it has one important and vital piece of information for me, London Tube stations! How on earth Apple left this off their mapping solution is beyond me

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Tube stations are there in Apple's Maps - you just have to zoom in really close for them to appear. Which makes it a bit pointless.

j_maddison said:

All the complaints aside, which I'm sure are valid, it has one important and vital piece of information for me, London Tube stations! How on earth Apple left this off their mapping solution is beyond me

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Apple made the worldwide and admitted decision to leave transit to the local authorities to ensure that the data given to the customers is always up to date.
Given the old crap I dealt with from google I'm okay with Apple's decision and many others likely are also

The POI info is garbage. I'd rather use Apple maps lol

Installed. Don't waste your time. It's a garbage. Apple maps is far better.

Reason077 said:

Tube stations are there in Apple's Maps - you just have to zoom in really close for them to appear - which makes it a bit pointless.

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Leaving out which Subway lines run through which stations in NYC is such a glaring omission, I was certain that the info would be added before iOS6 was officially launched...

Y'all can moan and whine about maps, but I actually think Apple maps are BETTER than Nokia AND Google.

zorinlynx said:

Maps are blurry. Almost as if they're images always being displayed "zoomed in".

Geez, you'd think Nokia could do better. This is just sad.

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I agree - this is really disappointing too. Looks like raster mapping, and not even close to Apple's vector engine in terms of look and feel. Plus it doesn't really do any better than one of Apple's Maps biggest fails - the colour coding of roads. In the UK it should be blue for motorways, green for Primary A roads, and red for non Primary A roads. Here gives us pink for motorways, and an almost indistinguishable slightly lighter pink for all A roads. Cartographically this is basic stuff to be getting wrong.

charlituna said:

Not for me. I did several searches here in LA and bus routes were missing, directions went to the wrong place (after search found the right one) etc.

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Yeah, my optimism kind of faded once I saw all the negative comments on here.

I'm actually moving to LA soon and will rely on public transit. Which apps do you rely on for transit? Metro's own app gets terrible reviews, but HopStop looks good.