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Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps might come to other non-Nokia Windows Phones as a paid app
A tweet by Nokia India's official Twitter account indicates Nokia could officially launch Nokia Drive/Maps in the Windows Phone Marketplace as a paid app
The Lumia 710 will have Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps pre-installed
Published on Nov 23, 2011
Hot on the heels of yesterday's report that Nokia Drive had been leaked, WPCentral reports that Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps could be made officially available for other non-Windows Phone handsets as a paid app. As mentioned previously, Nokia Drive was said to be exclusive to Nokia's own handsets, but it appears the Finnish handset maker has now reconsidered.
The information comes by way of a tweet from Nokia India's official Twitter account stating that Drive would be arriving at some point in the Windows Phone Marketplace. The official Twitter account also re-tweeted a message later in the day indicating Nokia Maps would be coming along for the ride as well. Nokia also apparently officially confirmed the news at the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 launch event today in India, reports MyPortableWorld.
As quick refresh, Nokia Maps is the Bing Maps alternative used for finding places and getting directions near your location. Nokia Drive is part of the application and has a navigation functionality similar to what is found on Android devices with Google Maps navigation.
While some might yet be surprised, the move to sell Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps makes sense for Nokia as the app was pirated a few days ago via a leaked XAP file. I can think of no better way to stem the tide of piracy than to sell the application in the Windows Phone Marketplace, so I truly hope that is their plan.
Right now though, it remains to be seen how much the app will cost or when Nokia will sell the application. As we all know, things like these take time and planning, so I don't expect to see it soon, which is unfortunate.
The move though is sort of heartening for Windows Phone users as Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps are far superior to Bing Maps and Navigation. Hopefully, with the eventual release of the app, they find a way to make navigation and mapping on Windows Phone better for everyone and truly make the Windows Phone ecosystem better.
All said and done, is Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps something you would pay for? Or are you a Bing Maps fanboy all the way?
Image Credit: CNET
