Nokia Search and Maps

Nokia today revealed that its Mobile Search tool would now turn inwards, searching the content of the phone itself as well as the Internet. Much as with the search tools built into Mac OS X and Windows Vista, the updated software automatically indexes the entire data on the phone -- allowing searches for metadata including song information, contacts, and keywords that appeared in earlier SMS text messages. The technology works with virtually every N-series phone as well as the E6x, E70, and 3250 models and should be a free download as of today.

Similarly free is smart2go, the company's new international mapping system. Owners of Nokia's own Series 60 Symbian phones as well as Windows Mobile 5 devices can download maps for as many as 150 countries, each of which has detailed routing information. A full 30 of these countries will actively support satellite navigation when connected to a GPS receiver, the cellphone maker says.

Over 15 million points of interest are spread across the national maps and include brand-specific points such as McDonald's restaurants; any point or route on a map can be earmarked and saved for others or the phone users themselves. Nokia launches smart2go on Saturday for specific phones and intends to expand the release to other models, including Linux and PocketPC handsets.

By Electronista Staff