Nokia updates N97 with free Ovi Maps, just as promised

It was only a week ago when Nokia shook us with its free turn-by-turn navigation update, but the poor old N97 got left out in the cold. Not any more though, folks! In fact, the new Ovi Maps for N97 was delivered one day earlier than promised, and can be found "through the software update client in the device." Thanks, Nokia, but don't forget your N900 fans, too.

[Thanks, @old_no_7uk]

[vvnraman Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:22PM]

@Kbalz

Yeah really... Thank God there are companies which are still seriously inoovating and being real about solving problems. A point in case - Apple has in total around 35,000 employees, Nokia has around 39,000 just in Research and Development.

[qlimax Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:23PM]

finally somthing else...
engadget, wake up.
you are fall down into the crApple marketing bug.

[SirJohn2024 Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:23PM]

Double check the source...
That is the old firmware with Nokia Maps 3.01... Latest is Ovi_Maps_3.03_09wk35_b07_s60_5.0_lm_rom.sis (beta 7) but still requires a license...

[massradius Posted Jan 27th 2010 5:23PM]

@SirJohn2024

Nokia gives a nice little explanation on how to add this to your phone

http://conversations.nokia.com/2010/01/27/ovi-maps-available-nokia-n97-users/

[Squee Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:24PM]

Ovi maps, huh? Alexander Ovechkin is more famous than I thought...

[sovatar Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:26PM]

Wait ... the iPad does not have free turn by turn navigation? No problem, I go with the iPhone. Wait, no free turn by turn navigation either? Well, who needs that free crap anyway...

[garfieldfriends Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:26PM]

about time! is it coming for the n900 soon

just taking a breather from all those apple posts

[loocas Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:29PM]

Oh dear god! I thought it'd be over once the tablet has been revealed, but NO!!! This site turned into a full-blown Applegadget PR machine! o_O

STOP ALREADY!

Besides it's lame.

And sorry for completely ruining Nokia's spot by throwing in more off-topic Apple crap.

[SirJohn2024 Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:28PM]

Sorry... I DO double check... the phone Software Update app reports 3.3 is available ;-)

[BergerFan Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:32PM]

So you think the (official)iPad-fest is over? Why, it's just started. We've yet to see hands-on videos, unboxings, full reviews, etc, both here and all over YouTube, lol.
When all that eventually dies down, it'll be iPhone 4.0 mania, then WWDC, iPhone 4th Gen, new notbooks, iPods...
What I'm saying, is that it's NEVER over.

[travisonfire Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:38PM]

@Leo

i like your post

[UncleSamSwiss Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:43PM]

Agree with SirJohn2024. This is first of all the European version only, and the 20.* versions (US and EU) date back to October 2009. 3.01 is also the old map version which still requires licenses. So no luck for N97 users yet... but thanks anyways for stopping the iPad flood ;-)

[Pdexter Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:46PM]

What did you say? It can multitask and it got flash? Oh wait my friend SteveO just called that he got their most advanced product yet released today. Shiny Apple and all.

[DaZnogoud Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:51PM]

Actually it does work on N97 as well. I've installed it 2 days ago

[Flix C Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:53PM]

@ nOKIA :
You know engadget is a pain in the ass, you know they had to take a bite, they had to mention something that was wrong about a FREE UPDATE that gives FREE UNLIMITED turn-by-turn navigation + better scrolling management + better battery life and better mommory.

You knew they had to mention the N900, just as I knew they would, but they are right. I'm waiting for this thing on Maemo 5.
You said you could do both Maemo and Symbian, I'm waiting for you Nokia.

Way to go.

[Rev Posted Jan 28th 2010 12:34AM]

@Flix C

I am waiting for Nokia to increase the N900 production. How are they going to launch it in more countries when the order backlog is still weeks in most places.

[espentan Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:56PM]

Ah, for a moment I feared the iPosts would never end.
Nice going Nokia.

[LessThanDug Posted Jan 27th 2010 5:07PM]

Sometimes I wonder if Nokia even listens to what people are saying, especially people they ask to do beta testing. The three biggest problems with this application were completely ignored.

1) It still installs to the phone memory. If you have Nokia Email installed, be prepared to have less than 10MB of phone memory left. In my case, I have 3MB. This should have been installed to the MASS MEMORY NOKIA!!! There is no reason why it can’t be.

2) Maybe this is different elsewhere in the world, but in the USA, everything I have searched for by name, is not found. How can you compete with Google Maps if you can’t even find me a pizzeria in my own town in NJ?? I’d like to not have to use Google Maps for anything other than seeing where my friends are, but I can’t rely on Ovi Maps to find me what I need.

3) I still can’t edit my favorites from inside this application. What gives? A simple menu addition would have solved this problem, but I guess it was too much work to implement...

Navigation may be really good on this, but everything else is a failure. It’s pathetic, and I made these points several times to the beta team, but like everything else, it seems to fall on deaf ears.

[massradius Posted Jan 27th 2010 5:40PM]

@LessThanDug

I'm in Lexington Massachusetts and searched for "Pizza" it brought back 20 options...mostly local places. It missed out on a few chain places but I hate chains anyway

[LessThanDug Posted Jan 27th 2010 5:55PM]

@massradius I'm running the phone without the SIM card, so I have no idea if that makes a difference. It shouldn't though because I'm connected via a WiFi network. I typed in "Domino's" and couldn't get anything. Even on the beta app that I tested, it exhibited the same problems of finding me a result one second, and finding me nothing another second, for the exact same search.

[Hacker Posted Jan 27th 2010 5:44PM]

Just BTW, that's the Nokia N97 mini in the pic, not the original N97.

[raddg Posted Jan 27th 2010 6:24PM]

I am glad the iPad came out gimped imho. For those with the N900 I did a fun test with its tethering to a netbook, both devices can surf the net (sharing the 3G love while still being able to answer calls and recharge the batteries) I went to speakeasy.net to do a speedtest and there was different ip addresses on each. =D

[Gadgety Posted Jan 27th 2010 7:01PM]

Thanks for suggesting this ought to be brought to the N900, but I heard from the Nokia official it's not in the present roadmap. Shame as it would make the N900 an easy buy.

[Rev Posted Jan 28th 2010 12:40AM]

@Gadgety

I do think N900 will get this too sooner or later. N900 seems to be selling like hotcakes. The base system will support same programs as Maemo 6 so porting shouldn't be much more than ripping out possible multitouch.

Besides it would be sad if Nokia would abandon resistive screens with M6. I think it beats capacitive hands down on browsing.

[chattyuk Posted Jan 27th 2010 7:06PM]

This article is entirely wrong!
You say nokia has updated the n97 with "improved touch screen scrolling" and "improved memory and battery performance" and you link to the nokia website showing firmware version 20.
Version 20 was released months ago!
To get the free updated maps version on your n97 make sure you are already on v20 then go to application then software update and it will be there.

Engadget check your sources without basing it on a twitter post!

[Richard Lai Posted Jan 27th 2010 7:33PM]

@chattyuk Gah! Thanks for the heads-up. Post updated with correct source.

[Misael Posted Jan 27th 2010 7:49PM]

Nokia, N900?!!!!!

[PaCpiS Posted Jan 28th 2010 1:16AM]

Mine updated..