On Monday Nokia released its Here Maps app for the iOS. While there's some confusion on what to call it (Nokia Maps? HERE? Here Maps?) The overall response is akin to that of Apple's own Maps app. But, Nokia is called out because of its time with mapping tech (having acquired Gate5 and NAVTEQ) and because of Apple recent failures.
Nokia’s Maps App for iPhone Gets a Cool Reception - NY Times
Includes Nokia response:
Doug Dawson, Nokia’s corporate spokesman, said the company was pleased with the strong interest in the Here app. He noted that the iOS app was based on Web technology, and that the company would work to improve it to be on par with the maps app it offers on Nokia Lumia smartphones.
“As the leader in location and navigation services, Here is committed to regularly improving our mapping experience across all platforms to achieve the same high-quality experience of the native applications found on our Lumia range of devices,” he said in a statement.
Hands-On: Nokia's 'Here Maps' iOS App Is a Buggy Eyesore - Wired
Nokia’s Here Maps is a mess.
Nokia Does the Impossible, Makes an iOS Maps App Worse than Apple Maps - Geekosystem
After downloading Here Apps and attempting to use it for directions, we immediately got lost. It really is that terrible.
Nokia Maps for iOS: Why Is Something So Good So Ugly? - Gizmodo UK
It's blazingly fast, routes via public transportation with ease, and doesn't mix up Manhattan with Siberia. Unfortunately, it's bogglingly hard on the eyes.
Nokia Here for iOS Has Excellent Transit Maps, Needs Polish - Mashable
After priasing public transit routing and novel features comes the bad news:
This app is blurry. It's clearly not using the vector graphics common in other map apps (like Apple's own) -- text and icons on the maps themselves (as opposed to the ones in the menus and UI) look fuzzy on the iPhone's retina display. It's a distracting problem that makes you want to stop using the app as soon as you possibly can.
