Nokia Maps & Nokia Messaging Get Connected Updates

It's not only the new N97 smartphone that Nokia have announced today.  The cellphone company have also unveiled new versions of Nokia Maps and Nokia Messaging, that will be available to existing S60 device owners and, in the future, S40 devices too.  Functionality includes new high-resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for 216 cities and terrain maps, together with optional turn-by-turn directions, plus push email for S60 handsets

Starting today, S60 users can go to email.nokia.com and download the free Nokia Messaging push email beta.  With it, you can read, send, forward and reply to emails, download and read attachments, and attach files to emails.  Setup requires just an email address and password, and the system works with email and IM accounts from Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail and Google Talk, and AOL Mail as well as email solutions from thousands of ISPs around the world.  S40 handsets will be supported in the second half of 2009.

As for the mapping, it's been integrated with Maps with Ovi; in the not too distant future you'll be able to share your journeys and media recorded while travelling.  You'll also be able to plan journeys on a PC and wirelessly transfer the details to your cellphone, free of charge, taking advantage of road or pedestrian directions.  There's also real-time camera alerts, safety spots and traffic information in some countries.  Most interestingly, there's a screenless direction guidance option, which tells you when to turn by vibrating and beeping; that way, you can leave the phone in your pocket and not look like a muggable tourist.

The beta version of Nokia Maps is available from here; the online version is at http://maps.ovi.com/.