Nokia launches 'mobile sat-nav' for walkers

Mobile World Congress 2008: And a bunch of new handsets...

Nokia has launched the second generation of its mobile mapping technology which now includes a 'Walk' application for navigating around cities on foot.

The Finnish mobile giant also announced four new handset models - including the replacement for the N95 smart phone - and a content sharing platform called Ovi.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Nokia president and CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said: "Your mobile device will soon be in tune with your surroundings and adjust accordingly."

Cheat Sheets

♦ Mobile location-based services
♦ FMC
♦ 3G

Kallasvuo added: "An increasing amount of services will become more relevant and more powerful. Technology has changed our lives and opened up a world of possibilities."

'Maps 2.0' also adds multimedia city guides, satellite images and a redesigned interface to the original version.

Kallasvuo said the new version will take satellite navigation "out of the car onto the sidewalk".

He said: "Struggling with an oversized paper map will become a thing of the past."

Niklas Savander, executive VP of services and software for Nokia, introduced Ovi - Nokia's media storage and sharing platform for PC and mobile.

He said: "It's not only mobility - it's about managing the phone, the web and the PC together."

Among the devices announced were the 6220 Classic video phone and the 6210 Navigator, which Nokia says has been built around the whole "navigation experience".

In addition the replacement for the N95 smart phone - the N96 - was announced, which Kallasvuo described as "an N95 with a turbo charge".

Kallasvuo concluded: "We are taking mobile into a completely new realm of possibility."