Confirmed: Amazon is using Nokia’s Location Platform, shuns the Google.
Remember the news that Nokia and Amazon were teaming up for maps?
I was in lectures at the time when I received a tip that questioned whether or not Nokia’s location services were really the back bone of Amazon’s mapping services.
Since then, it has been confirmed by Nokia to TheNextWeb (via Engadget) that they are Amazon’s map provider.
Nokia for 4 out of 5 sat navs. Nokia for Yahoo! Maps. Nokia for Bing maps (and thus Facebook). Nokia for Windows Phone. Nokia for Amazon.
Amazon is licensing the Nokia Location Platform (NLP) for maps and geocoding.
The Nokia Location Platform is the most advanced mobile location platform with a unique global footprint. It provides maps for almost 200 countries (with more than 100 of them navigable) and provides the best, automotive-grade map quality based on industry-leading technology and more than 20 years expertise in mapping.
Amongst others, it is already powering Yahoo Maps, and increasingly also powering Bing Maps as well.
Location is playing a central role in our strategy, and because of its global footprint, quality and completeness of performance (geocoding, routing, traffic) the Nokia Location Platform offers great opportunities for 3rd parties to build upon.
Amazon´s decision to choose the Nokia Location Platform is further proof point that our competence in this space is a key differentiator also for other leading players in the industry to offer great location consumer experiences.
- Dr. Sebastian Kurme, spokesperson for Nokia’s Communications, Location & Commerce business units.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/nokia-cops-to-powering-amazons-mapping-service/
The next web says it’s becoming a 3 horse race for location between Apple, Nokia and Google. Becoming? Well it’s nice at least that Nokia is being recognised as such.
Source: thenextweb.com
Via: engadget.com
Cheers James Scott for the tip.
Category: Nokia
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Hey, thanks for reading my post. My name is Jay and I'm a medical student at the University of Manchester. When I can, I blog here at mynokiablog.com and tweet now and again @jaymontano. We also have a twitter and facebook accounts @mynokiablog and Facebook.com/mynokiablog. Check out the tips, guides and rules for commenting >>click<< Contact us at tips(@)mynokiablog.com or email me directly on jay[at]mynokiablog.comSubscribe
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Nokia powers maps on Amazon Kindle Fire HD | Siliconia.Nokia | September 18, 2012
- Amazon utiliza Nokia Maps para servicios de localización | PoderPDA | September 25, 2012
Google: PWN’D
And just before people start to argue: Nokia couldn’t go for Android because of their mapping service. How can Amazon do it? Just because they are not part of Open Handset Alliance which Google leads.
Google can deny access to Google Play and their mapping services if they want, but for Amazon it’s no problem. They don’t need that many apps and now they got mapping from Nokia.
But I have to say that back in the days it would have been interesting to see an android device from Nokia with their mapping and Nokia Store. Only way to make it work, but making Nokia Store as good as Google Play… Doubtful.
Good question and was a hot topic of the previous post http://mynokiablog.com/2012/08/31/nokia-teams-up-with-amazon-to-bring-maps-to-kindle-snubs-google-maps/
The Android in Amazon’s device is a forked Android. Standard Android was not an option (because it seemed Nokia could not integrate their own services). Not sure forked Android would have been any better (not saying it isn’t, I just don’t know this subject too well).
They would be better off forking Linux instead of Android. Which they did with Maemo, which evolved to MeeGo Harmattan, and the result was a beautiful, amazingly optimized, great looking and innovative operating system all round which did not rely on Java (that slow, clunky, bad all round, and heavily used programming language on Android) to function.
When you see an relatively old 1GHz Cortex A8 processor running MeeGo (greatly optimized system) so fast and fluidly, and compare it to dual core, latest chipsets 1GHz+ Android phones lagging and bugging on the home screen, you can clearly see the difference.
I was talking about Nokia N9 versus newer dual core Android phones.
Anyway, let’s see what Jolla comes up with…
+1
One better, Amazon doesn’t even use Android, atleast not like all the others do. Amazon just forked Android and built something that is tailored to their needs.
Bacause of this they were banned from acces to Google’s Play Store and certain other Google specific apps, but this isn’t a problem for Amazon since they opened their own store for apps and can now use Nokia’s mapping solution in a similar fashion.
Nokia wasn’t able to do this, because they would have zero benefit from the already big Android app collection if they forked Android and built something themselves. If they did fork it, they would still have to build uo their own ‘ecosystem’ of apps etc. If Nokia wanted acces to Google’s Store they would have to keep their own maps out of the OS and only use Google’s.
Something similar happened with Motorola a few years back, they used some mapping tech from Skyhook. But they were slapped with the Google banhammer if they didn’t remove it. http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/10/internal-emails-reveal-googles-desperation-over-skyhooks-andro/
Google has Android to gain data and data alone. The location data or maps is a big part of it. It seems logical they are doing everything to prevent OEM’s from ditching their platform for something else. It would cost Google ‘revenue’ in some shape or form and therefore would make Android more costly to Google in the process. That is also the only reason Google can provide Android ‘for free’ to OEM’s. Google makes money with Android through the data it collects with it.
Yeah, that is also the problem with android fanboys. The “Android” they refer to is the “bending over to Google” version which is not open at all, and which would have not done Nokia any good. The “open” Android is just a basic Linux distribution, which would not even be allowed to be called an “android” phone by Google!
quite doubtful, gf just got a nexus 7, abd google play is definitely better than the ios app store, ovi store was never even close to that good
Now hopefully the next move will be to integrate nokia maps into the lumia series under the bing maps search.
What i’m trying to say is that when i do a voice search for a location, i want it to input that address into nokia maps for navigation instead of bing maps.
no puedo bajar el wathsapp, una verguenza deberian solucionar las internas que tienen, yo tengo un celular ultima generacion y no puedo utilizar una aplicacion que es la mas usada hoy, un desastre
my spanish isn’t that good, but is this even on topic?
Nokia is about Connecting People. Google is about making money on advertising and web traffic. Android was created to facilitate Google making money on the mobile platform.
Fandroids either don’t know that or pretend not to. It explains everything wrong with that OS too. How it’s the peocessor wars wage on with little to no optimization (aside from Sony).
Agree. This is the reason for me not to choose Android.
Why they use the names with all that sweet stuff? Ice Cream, Jelly bean, Gingerbread? Because sweeties can be the traps for the flies.
But IMHO Nokia SEEMS to look to move the first steps in a similar direction. Advertisements in the Nokia Weather-App … I don’t want this.
excellent! Barns and Noble NOOK next?
The Groupon discounts are already popping up inon Bellw Refresh Maps. Location integration.
The big difference is Nokia isn’t tricking you out to every Tom, Dick and Jane of third party partners. Groupon doesn’t have access to your Nokia Belle, Asha or WP7.5 to bug your friends.
With iOS and Qndroid, you gotta turn location services off to keep them out of your bisiness. With Nokia, you turn on the location setvices you need or want.
Does anyone know to what extent the broader Nokia location “ecosystem” will also benefit from the amazon deal?
It would be great if the deal encompasses an arrangement under which all Amazon POI data must be shared with the entire nokia location platform?
My take is that whoever has control over the POIs is where most of the revenues will go?
However, seeing as reference is being made to Amazon APIs rather than to Nokia Maps, I’m a bit doubtful on Nokia being the one who will reap the main benefits on this one.. (or are these completely unrelated things?)
In short: to what extent do you guys think nokia can leverage its location offerings as a readymade platform for delivering location-based value added services that others connect to/participate in (is this even the case for W8/WP8?) – rather than simply providing raw maps data (irrespective of whether the underlying data may or may not be of better quality than that of competing offerings)?