As promised, Nokia has released the first app of of its new HERE Maps service for the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running versions of iOS 4.3 or later. Download HERE here on the Apple App Store. The app beats Google Maps back to the iPhone, following Apple’s decision to remove the default Google Maps app from its devices in September with the release of iOS 6. Here’s a screenshot from the App Store:
With the announcement of HERE on Tuesday, November 13, Nokia is seeking to leverage years of map-making and numerous acquisitions into a cloud-based, cross-platform mapping service. An Android app and Android standard developer kit (to allow developers to build their own apps using Nokia’s map data) are due in the near future, and Nokia’s also partnerning with Mozilla, makers for the Firefox browser, to build a default map service for Mozilla’s upcoming Firefox OS smartphones due out in 2013. Nokia’s HERE will also take the place of Nokia Maps, the Finnish company’s current maps offering, and will continue to power some of the world’s largest tech companies, including Microsoft Bing Maps, Facebook Places and Amazon.
Correction: This post originally stated that Nokia here launched on Thursday, November 15, when it fact, it launched on Tuesday, November 13. We have since corrected the error in copy and apologize for it.
