DISQUS

gerrymoth · 10 months ago

Moda Polizia

EdHodges · 10 months ago

You should definately do Marrakech, it's an amazing city where Berber, Asian and European's mix with apparent ease. Also, while taking a break there last year, I spotted a guy who had plainly just arrived in the city from the High Atlas Mountains (judging by the amount of sand and dust on his clothes and face) calling people on a Blackberry 8700!

I remember being surprised at the sophistication of the locals when it came to their mobile phones, I think it would be a great place for you guys to explore next. Oh, and i can tell you some of the awesome rooftop bars you should check out ;)

hannahK · 10 months ago

you didn't spot that most Italians carry two or three mobiles - I haven't figured out why - perhaps to take two calls at once as far as I can tell

stevelitchfield · 10 months ago

So what was Ben's problem? I'm guessing it was nothing to do with Nokia Maps and a lot to do with not having a SIM with roaming data? Without data, he'd have had to preload the maps and also have to wait ages because Assisted GPS wouldn't work.

As long as there's data, Nokia Maps is superb....

Ewan · 10 months ago

Oh no, Ben had perfect roaming data courtesy of 3.

It's a complete unmitigated 100% Nokia-Maps-is-Bollocks FAIL, Steve. And we've got it on camera and it's priceless, absolutely priceless. We put Nokia Maps next to Google Maps. Literally my N95 8GB on Google Maps, his N82 on Nokia Maps. Both with 3G data connections. And we searched for 'Spanish Steps'.

Guess which one worked in about 5 seconds and which one fell flat on it's fat arse? ;-)

stevelitchfield · 10 months ago

Interesting. What do you mean by 'fell flat'? For what it's worth, Nokia Maps is faster than Google Maps at finding my location here in the UK. But yes, Google Maps is better at finding 'popular' things, I suspect its databases are wider and fuzzier 8-)

Ewan · 10 months ago

It didn't do what it's supposed to do. I daresay it's brilliant for helping you around London. But as Ben points out, it was wholly pathetic for helping us navigate a city new to us. Spanish Steps? No. Colosseum? No. Any restaurant we were suggested or could find listed? No. Rubbish. Not fit for purpose.

Well, let me qualify that. If you want to get from Tottenham Court Road to Charlotte Street with turn by turn directions and you've got a few minutes to spend sodding about with Nokia Maps, it'll work brilliantly.

Anything else? Google Maps is about a trillion miles in front.

stevelitchfield · 10 months ago

Yes, sounds about right. But bear in mind that Nokia Maps is a street-based real-time navigation package with POIs bolted on. Google Maps is a POI-based mapping package with no real-time navigation component at all.

Different apps for different purposes, though there is some overlap. Like you, I always travel with both on hand 8-)

Ben Smith · 10 months ago

Which would be fine if it located streets well (or quickly). The online searching is painfully slow.

In the UK postcodes make the process much easier, but for overseas use where you don't know (or there aren't any) such identifiers makes it a pain.

stevelitchfield · 10 months ago

Yep, postcodes make things 10x faster for searching. They do have postcodes in Italy, of course, but a tourist wouldn't know them. Again making Nokia Maps a bad tool for the job. You'd use NM where someone had given you a written address to navigate to (usually by car). You'd use GM if you were a pedestrian tourist for the day(!) stuck in a strange city where you didn't know any postcodes or even how to spell half the things you were looking for.....

8-)

Ben Smith · 10 months ago

Fair comment, but I was stood within 500 yards of the Colosseum typing
'Colosseo' (copied directly off the sign in front of me) and it still took
an age to search and offered other things first.

2009/2/3 Disqus <>

Ewan · 10 months ago

Or, given our experience, you simply erase Nokia Maps from your handset and you can relax with Google Maps.

stevelitchfield · 10 months ago

Yes, but next time you're on the A34 heading towards some God forsaken back street in Swindon, amidst heavy traffic, Nokia Maps will talk you through getting there in real time, whatever wrong turnings you have to take. Google Maps will... distract you from the road and kill you 8-)

As I say, I'm a fan of both, though. Your use case was definitely a sweet spot for GM. And yes, NM's POI search engine could be a lot better, but v3,0 is just around the corner, so who knows?

Ewan · 10 months ago

I get your reasoning Steve -- but I don't think Nokia Maps is consumerfied enough. If I was in that position I'd much, much prefer TomTom.

Mike42 · 10 months ago

Agree.

TomTom or any other similar thing, sub-£100, latest maps pre-installed, decent size screen, power leads and bracket included = fit for purpose.

Google Maps for visiting some place you've never been, finding out places to go, what's near = fit for purpose.

Needing an aftermarket bracket to clamp your mobile to your windscreen, cable to power the thing, an OS that will interrupt with SMS/Calls etc just when you need to concentrate on the directions, compromised GPS antenna placement, tiny screen, need to download latest maps = not fit for purpose.

Nokia Maps = poorly-executed geek-driven (we did it because we can!) mashup of the worst of the mobile and satnav worlds, in an incomprehensible package.

Wonder why the masses have ignored Nokia Maps?

Ben Smith · 10 months ago

Yes - it was searching (very slow) and POI detail and accuracy that was poor. I was on 3 (like home) 3.5G connection.

Even when you realised that everything had to be done in Italian it couldn't find major landmarks or restaurants.

edgar1013 · 10 months ago

omg Ben Smith without a tie!?

SMSblack · 10 months ago

Edgar - it was a Saturday. Although I'm sure he had one with him just in case of emergencies ;-)

edgar1013 · 10 months ago

i was just being a wise ass. :)

SMSblack · 10 months ago

Me too :)

2009/2/3 Disqus <>

TerenceEden · 10 months ago

One of the reasons you saw so many older handsets is to do with the market pricing. Something like 90% of Italian mobile users are on PAYT. If you'd popped into any shops, you'd see that subsidises aren't as generous.

So, it becomes very expensive to get a new & cool phone when you're paying the true cost of it!

Ant Carroll · 10 months ago

So many things to digest... There's my N73 rotting away in a draw when in Italy it'd be the creme-de-la-creme and how absolutely useless Nokia Maps is at... well anything! Why couldn't Nokia have bought up tomtom instead? I want a brand spanking new version of tomtom City Maps and I want it now!

As for next MIR city... hmm Kabul perhaps? There's quite a few interesting mobile stories there to uncover!

Ewan · 10 months ago

I'd do Kabul if you all sponsored us, Ant.

So we can hire some SAS chaps to run point.

Ant Carroll · 10 months ago

Could we not somehow bring Andy McNab into the mix? In return for doing his Jack Bauer thing GoSpoken could get lots and lots of coverage! :D

Ewan · 10 months ago

Mr McNab is an investor in GoSpoken... you never know!

Mac Morrison · 10 months ago

google maps isnt perfect either...
http://hellog1.tumblr.com/post/57711075/im-lovi...
some streets are wrong on it - not much help!!

also i prefer the actual detail in the nokia maps zoom - compared to the google maps.

Mike42 · 10 months ago

...and is this the newer, handsomer Dan 2.0? contacts?

Patryk · 10 months ago

Well, the use of RAZRs is a scandal, but N73s? They are considered rather good here actually, though certainly not the cream of the crop (N95 and Omnia are regarded as such). I own an N73 since March '08 and I'm rather satisfied. It surely would benefit from more RAM or on demand paging, but it suits my needs and I was able to afford it when I needed a new phone. You guys will probably be disappointed if you come here, mobile internet seems to be the domain of businessmen. The prices aren't great and normobs aren't too conscious about it.