Nokia announced today they will be bringing a new mapping service called “Here” to Apple’s line of iOS devices.
The HTML5-based maps will include offline capabilities, voice-guided walk navigation, and public transportation directions. Nokia said Here will launch on the iOS App Store in the coming weeks.
The new mapping service will also be available on devices that run Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, Google’s Android, and Mozilla’s Firefox OS.
“People want great maps, and with Here we can bring together Nokia’s location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world,” said Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop. “Additionally, with HERE we can extend our 20 years of location expertise to new devices and operating systems that reach beyond Nokia. As a result, we believe that more people benefit from and contribute to our leading mapping and location service.”
The handset maker also said it has plance to enhance the 3D capabilities of the app with the acquisition of earthmine, a maker of reality capture and processing technologies.
Nokia’s app will be competing with Apple’s own Maps app found in the iOS 6 OS.
Google is also believed to be working on a dedicated iOS app using it’s own Google Maps. Currently Google Maps are available to users throught the Safari browser on iOS 6 devices.
