Ovi Maps Free Navigation Available on All Nokia GPS-Enabled Smartphones [GPS Support Bundled with Free Turn-by-Turn Navigation Announced Officially by Nokia]

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If you are a GPS software developer and got scared that Google’s Maps with navigation support will put you out of business, then you really should sit down for this. And no, it’s not good news! In fact it’s even worse than the whole Google Maps with navigation situation.

While Google free navigation was announced in the U.S. only for Android devices, Nokia announced today a similar venture. A new Ovi Maps with turn-by-turn navigation features will be offered to every Nokia smartphone out there. Unlike Google who is still young in this mobile phone game, Nokia still holds about 40% of the worldwide mobile market. Sure they aren’t all smartphones but, nonetheless, Nokia has plenty of smartphones out there. And Ovi Maps will work anywhere in the world so why bother purchasing any software from Garmin or TomTom anymore?

Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President at Nokia said about the new Ovi Maps version:

Why have multiple devices that work that work in only one country or region? Put it all together, make it free, make it global and you almost double the potential size of the mobile navigation market. Nokia is the only company with a mobile navigation service for both drivers and pedestrians that works across the world. Unlike the legacy car navigation manufacturers, we don’t make you buy maps for different countries or regions even if you’re only visiting for a few days. We offer both navigation and maps free of charge, with all the high-end functionality and features that people now expect.

Nokia will offer car and pedestrian navigation with turn-by-turn voice guidance in 74 countries and in 46 languages. Traffic information will be available for 10 countries and detailed maps for 180 countries.

The new Ovi Maps version will be pre-loaded with local country map data, high-end walk and drive navigation and access to Lonely Planet and Michelin travel guides on all new GPS-enabled smartphones starting with March 2010. Current smartphone owners will be able to download Ovi Maps for free and start using it already.

On a side note the press release contained phrases like “more Nokia smartphones expected to be added in the coming weeks” and “new Nokia GPS-enableds smartphones” that can only suggest that Nokia is going to launch new phones around MWC 2010.