[Onager1286]

I was using an iPhone the other day with the google maps app, and I gotta say it just feels so much higher in quality than what we have with Nokia's Drive. Everything from the UI to actual features feel genuinely polished in google maps. I'm my opinion, Microsoft shouldn't be letting a struggling company like Nokia be responsible for such a basic and important part of the smartphone experience.

[MF73]

Strange how we view things, I moved from Android and I think Nokia Drive is far better sat nav than Google Maps turn by turn, each to there own huh :-)

[solution2u]

Here drive allow offline navigation which is pretty cool.

[Eas195]

In the past since the first Windows Phone released (WP7), it has turn-by-turn navigation provided by Bing. Now since WP8, you get HERE Drive (formerly Nokia Drive) which performs much better than Bing does. I have used it for a couple months and it's a great navigation app to be used, rather than GMaps.

P.S. Nokia Drive (HERE Drive) has its experience for about 6 years.

[rockstarzzz]

I was using an iPhone the other day with the google maps app, and I gotta say it just feels so much higher in quality than what we have with Nokia's Drive. Everything from the UI to actual features feel genuinely polished in google maps. I'm my opinion, Microsoft shouldn't be letting a struggling company like Nokia be responsible for such a basic and important part of the smartphone experience.

Struggling company has provided state of the art sort of navigation than a profit making, data selling company.

[Huime]

let me guess, frustrated 8X owner here?

[Onager1286]

Struggling company has provided state of the art sort of navigation than a profit making, data selling company.

State of the art... How exactly?

By the way, I'm a Lumia 920 user.

[tcman88]

I was using an iPhone the other day with the google maps app, and I gotta say it just feels so much higher in quality than what we have with Nokia's Drive. Everything from the UI to actual features feel genuinely polished in google maps. I'm my opinion, Microsoft shouldn't be letting a struggling company like Nokia be responsible for such a basic and important part of the smartphone experience.

umm Nokia has the most advanced mapping system. Bing "navteq" it's everywhere. Plus Google navigation is really bad. Calculates strange routes, loss of GPS, confusion in big cities and no offline mapping.

[Eas195]

umm Nokia has the most advanced mapping system. Bing "navteq" it's everywhere. Plus Google navigation is really bad. Calculates strange routes, loss of GPS, confusion in big cities and no offline mapping.

+1. Also, as I have mentioned before, Nokia has 6-year experience in mapping and navigational map, so I will rely on more-experienced things, rather rely on those 'less-experienced' apps, even they come from the biggest company.

[Onager1286]

So to be fair I haven't extensively used the google maps app. Still, why on earth doesn't windows phone have a top quality built in app for this?

[a5cent]

So to be fair I haven't extensively used the google maps app. Still, why on earth doesn't windows phone have a top quality built in app for this?

You're just throwing out general accusations. Why don't you state explicitly what it is that you prefer about Google maps and what you don't like about Nokia Drive. That would make it a lot easier to specifically address your concerns. Currently this is just a "I like this" vs. "I like that" thread which isn't getting anybody anywhere.

[wpfan86]

So to be fair I haven't extensively used the google maps app. Still, why on earth doesn't windows phone have a top quality built in app for this?

I'm curious, why does it matter if the navigation is built in or comes via an app? Is there something I'm missing here?

Here Drive works well for me and it works offline. I couldn't care less that it is an app and not built in.

[tcman88]

So to be fair I haven't extensively used the google maps app. Still, why on earth doesn't windows phone have a top quality built in app for this?

Google navigation is not built in. You have to download the app via app store

[Microsoftjunkie]

Well in a way all wp8 specific navigation apps are essentially integrated because of the access Microsoft allows. when you hit on a drive button from searching a particular place, it will either bring up a list of your navigation apps, or go straight into navigation if you only have "one" navigation app installed.

Like others have said, Nokia drive is a true navigation app, since you don't need a cellular connection and can download the whole united states of you wanted too.

So for usability and accessibility Nokia drive is a better choice.

[tk-093]

Google Nav does have offline maps, but last time i used it, you couldn't do it by state you had to select an area to download. It wasn't a big enough area to cover a two hour trip i was making. It could be better now, i have not tried in a while because I have unlimited data I don't care about offline mode. But if you do care about that, WP8 wins easily.

Both work very well when they find the destination. There have been a few times that Nokia Here has been unable to find a location that Google has no trouble with. Also maps.bing.com finds it just fine too, which is weird because I thought Nokia was using Bing for their mapping.. at least in the USA.

They are both very good.

[rockstarzzz]

State of the art... How exactly?

By the way, I'm a Lumia 920 user.

Use HERE Drive, Maps and City lens together, ever? Try it! Look for places around you with City Lens, tap on what you are interested. Now tilt your phone and make it flat like a table surface, your augmented reality changes to 2D maps. Now, start navigation and it will open Nokia Drive and give you turn by turn navigation to that place! How sweet is that? You were just browsing for cool places around you in augmented reality, then you found something interesting, you read reviews and then decided to see how far it is on a map and impulsively decided to drive to it. Your Lumia 920 does all that without you opening 3 different apps. This is as state of the art as it gets on a mobile device in 2013. Of course I would love to be able to talk to it and make jokes while I drive too, maybe in 2015?

[tk-093]

The one thing I like to see (and I just thought of it because it just happened) is when you get an appointment popup I wish the address on that popup was clickable so i could zoom right into Drive/Maps/Here whatever it's called now.

Not a dealbreaker at all, I can still dig into the appointment and click on that address. It would just be a nice feature.

[tk-093]

That's actually pretty sweet.

Use HERE Drive, Maps and City lens together, ever? Try it! Look for places around you with City Lens, tap on what you are interested. Now tilt your phone and make it flat like a table surface, your augmented reality changes to 2D maps. Now, start navigation and it will open Nokia Drive and give you turn by turn navigation to that place! How sweet is that? You were just browsing for cool places around you in augmented reality, then you found something interesting, you read reviews and then decided to see how far it is on a map and impulsively decided to drive to it. Your Lumia 920 does all that without you opening 3 different apps. This is as state of the art as it gets on a mobile device in 2013. Of course I would love to be able to talk to it and make jokes while I drive too, maybe in 2015?

[Onager1286]

You're just throwing out general accusations. Why don't you state explicitly what it is that you prefer about Google maps and what you don't like about Nokia Drive. That would make it a lot easier to specifically address your concerns. Currently this is just a "I like this" vs. "I like that" thread which isn't getting anybody anywhere.

Sure. Google Maps calls out exit numbers on the high way, has a less clunky UI with a clearer way of communicating what the next turn is, displays more street names and buildings on the map while driving, and has a directions list. It also speaks in a slightly better language ("keep right at the fork" rather than Nokia's generic "keep right), although that's not major. In fact, none of these things are huge advantages, and to be sure, the ability download maps by state/country is great in Here Drive. But the splitting up of the maps and drive apps is clunky and the apps themselves don't exude the same level of polish I see in Google's apps.

[spaulagain]

I've used both and I find Nokia's Here Drive and Maps app far better than Google Maps. I think GMaps has some nice features nut I think Nokia's is much more polished and is a far sexier interface.

The only thing I don't like about Here Drive is when I arrive at my destination it doesn't show the Address number on the screen. So if I forgot what the street number is I find my self stumbling around to get it from the Drive App without crashing into a parked car.

[JamesDax]

Sure. Google Maps calls out exit numbers on the high way, has a less clunky UI with a clearer way of communicating what the next turn is, displays more street names and buildings on the map while driving, and has a directions list. It also speaks in a slightly better language ("keep right at the fork" rather than Nokia's generic "keep right), although that's not major. In fact, none of these things are huge advantages, and to be sure, the ability download maps by state/country is great in Here Drive. But the splitting up of the maps and drive apps is clunky and the apps themselves don't exude the same level of polish I see in Google's apps.

Roll harder

[tk-093]

But the splitting up of the maps and drive apps is clunky and the apps themselves don't exude the same level of polish I see in Google's apps.

I'm quite sure this is exactly how it works on Android as well.

[rockstarzzz]

Roll harder

We don't call anyone the T word whatever we believe about their posting. We are WPCentral. We are better than that. If you think there is a poster whose posts are deemed as trolling please use the ! mark on their posts' right hand corner and report them. Moderators will keep a close eye. Not guilty until proven and all that.

Sure. Google Maps calls out exit numbers on the high way, has a less clunky UI with a clearer way of communicating what the next turn is, displays more street names and buildings on the map while driving, and has a directions list. It also speaks in a slightly better language ("keep right at the fork" rather than Nokia's generic "keep right), although that's not major. In fact, none of these things are huge advantages, and to be sure, the ability download maps by state/country is great in Here Drive. But the splitting up of the maps and drive apps is clunky and the apps themselves don't exude the same level of polish I see in Google's apps.

No it doesn't split! You can look at Maps AND Navigate in HERE Drive. If you don't want navigation then you use only HERE Maps. If you don't want 2D Maps you use HERE City Lens for augmented reality. However, if you can't make up your mind, use HERE City Lens and just tilt your phone flat if you change your mind in 1 second and it becomes 2D Maps. I am sure Google Maps can do that better than this /S

[Noob1ee]

Sure. Google Maps calls out exit numbers on the high way, has a less clunky UI with a clearer way of communicating what the next turn is, displays more street names and buildings on the map while driving, and has a directions list. It also speaks in a slightly better language ("keep right at the fork" rather than Nokia's generic "keep right), although that's not major. In fact, none of these things are huge advantages, and to be sure, the ability download maps by state/country is great in Here Drive. But the splitting up of the maps and drive apps is clunky and the apps themselves don't exude the same level of polish I see in Google's apps.

You have no idea what you're talking about.

And for the record, Nokia owns navteq, which is one of the largest mapping data provider around the world.

[willied]

Drive definitely needs some added features such as the directions list. Sometimes it doesn't even navigate when I put in a destination. I think it's pretty good other than that, though.