Nokia HERE Map is Near for Nokia Asha 501

Nokia has added its Map Nokia HERE to yet another phone, the Nokia Asha 501 in its new Asha platform, which is built on the Nokia S40 platform.

Asha platform is the fifth OS which supports HERE maps, after Windows Phone 8, Firefox OS, mHTML5 and Android platforms. The introduction of HERE maps into Nokia Asha 501 is aimed at popularizing the budget phone which comes at a price of Rs 4,999.

“With HERE Maps, Nokia Asha 501 differentiates itself from competing devices in the same price range, which don’t have a mapping service.” , the company states.

Senior Analyst in Strategy Analytics, Neil Shah said that the Nokia Asha devices would offer ‘HERE experiences’ to millions of consumers using maps on their mobile devices for the first time.

“Simultaneously, HERE Maps on Asha platform will drive an additional level of scale, visibility expanding Nokia’s HERE platform and ecosystem further in high growth markets”, he added.

The first beta version Nokia HERE maps are designed specifically for smart phones without GPS. One can search for addresses in nearly 200 countries, find the best routes to reach a destination via walk/public transit/drive using HERE maps, the company claims. Another benefit is real time traffic info, which would help one to avoid big traffic while he is driving.

HERE maps beta for the Nokia Asha Platform is now available for download at the Nokia store.