Nokia didn't give up fighting, against all odds. The Finnish brand has recently released a very cute app, in fact it's an update as you will notice, somehow similar to Siri, that will help you drive. Suggestively named Nokia Drive, this app is offered to all Windows Phone 8 partners, selling Lumia series and is based on a GPS voice-guided navigation, part of Nokia Maps. Nokia Drive existed before, but the brand decided to adjust it with new commute features for Windows Phones, including those from HTC and Samsung.
Nokia Isn't Dead, It Helps You Drive
The updated version of Nokia Drive for Lumia smartphones learns your driving preferences and uses information about the latest traffic and weather conditions to help you choose between the different routes you mostly travel. Comparing with similar apps, Nokia's creation can even remember when you usually leave a very specific place, plus it calculates if you have enough time to stop by a café on your way. Customers worldwide are crazy about this mobile agenda feature, but I doubt it would effectively manage to revive Nokia's sales: it's an app after all, Nokia has to come up with a better, attractive architecture, in order to draw the attention. It's true that location-based applications have always been a strong area for Nokia, but it's not enough today, when Facebook for instance can tell a story of the place you find yourself.
Nokia is making Nokia Drive available to Windows Phone 8 partners, but it's not a mandatory condition for Microsoft or those partners to use it on their gadgets. The app is an open-source one, so partners can use some features and build their own location-based apps as well.
All in all, Nokia Maps data is available for more than 190 countries in more than 50 languages and the weather and traffic information is collected from local authorities, so you can fully trust it.
Nokia Isn't Dead, It Helps You Drive
If Nokia Drive was a positive fact for the brand, Moody's announced yesterday that it would downgrade Nokia's rating to Ba3, two steps down from its previous position. This means a very harsh pain for the Finnish brand, already globally criticized and seeing its sales crushing down everywhere. Moody’s took this decision, eyeing Nokia's recent sales, Lumia Windows Phone series reached just 4 million in the quarter, comparing with the10 million units sold by Samsung for a single model, Galaxy SIII.
According to Moody’s rating, it's no longer expected that Nokia could return to profitability until the second half of 2013. Funny or tragically, Nokia has responded that Moody’s rating has minimal impact. Taking in account Moody's reputation, Stephen Elop, Nokia CEO, should have shut his mouth, his arrogant attitude might cost the brand its last hope of getting better.
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