Telecommunications firm Nokia has unveiled the latest version of its Nokia Maps service.In an announcement made at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the firm revealed it is to offer users real-time walking directions on their mobile handsets.
The original version of the application was intended for people who desired navigation while driving. This incarnation, however, is geared toward pedestrians.
Nokia Maps 2.0 allows users to view turn-by-turn directions, while also accessing information concerning surrounding buildings and streets.
Additionally, for a fee, people will be able to see multimedia tourist guides from external companies that include such things as photographs, video and audio streams.
Commenting on the new service, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, president and chief executive officer of Nokia, stated: "Nokia is taking navigation services out of the car so it can always be with you. Struggling with oversized paper maps will become a thing of the past," the BBC reports.
Meanwhile, Niklas Savander, executive vice president of services and software at the firm, added: "The future is about bringing context - time, place and people - to the web. That is the foundation of the next generation of the worldwide web."
Although currently only available on a small number of handsets, Nokia Maps is set to be introduced to Nokia Series 40 handsets, which - according to CNET News.com - accounted for more than half of the Nokia devices shipped in 2007.
