Nokia announces HERE Connected Driving in-car navigation solution

On Friday, Finnish mobile maker Nokia announced HERE Connected Driving, a cloud-connected in-car navigation solution with offline mapping, real-time traffic information and mobile device app support. Labeled by the company as "the only end-to-end driving solution on the market", it will be officially demoed during the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany.

Nokia's in-car navigation solution is comprised of four parts -- HERE Auto, HERE Auto Cloud, HERE Auto Companion and HERE Traffic. HERE Auto takes care of navigation instructions, with or without a data connection, similar to the company's HERE Drive+ Windows Phone 8 app. It provides turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation in 95 countries, while supporting 2D, 3D and satellite map views (street imagery is also included). According to Nokia, Continental's Open Infotainment Platform already integrates HERE Auto and it is expected to arrive in cars in upcoming months.

Through HERE Auto Cloud users can get real-time traffic updates and alternative routing, fuel price info in Canada, Europe and US, location of close-by charging stations, find nearby points of interest (POIs) and parking, and more. The component delivers similar functionality to other, existing solutions like the one from Audi (the German car maker relies on Google services -- like Search and Maps -- nowadays for such info).

HERE Auto Companion is the companion app from Nokia's in-car navigation solution. It can be used to lock and unlock the car, sync favorites, locate the car through LiveSight (an augmented reality feature) and view various car-related statuses (fuel level and tire pressure, among others). The app works with Android and Windows Phone handsets. This is not a new concept in the automotive world as car makers like BMW for instance, have released similar offerings in the past couple of years (although with scarce, if any, Windows Phone support).

The fourth component, HERE Traffic, is designed to deliver optimized travel estimates, through the Halo engine, by taking into account various details like weather, traffic congestion and construction zones, among others.

If you want to experience Nokia's HERE Connected Driving you'll have to be in Frankfurt, at the International Motor Show on September 10. The Finnish maker has yet to reveal which car models will embrace its new solution.

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