Nokia to announce HERE Maps tomorrow for Windows Phone; Lumia 520 and 720 confirmed

Nokia is planning on renaming their Nokia Maps to HERE Maps on their Lumia line of Windows Phone. The announcement will coincide with the revealing of the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 Windows Phone tomorrow, here in Barcelona, during their 8:30am (local time) press conference.

The HERE Maps will be an update for existing Nokia Maps users and will start at version 3.2. The exact release of the software and any enhancements to the mapping system is currently unknown, though 3D detailed mapping via earthmine (acquired by Nokia) and routing via LiveSight may be on the list.

LiveSight is Nokia’s phrase for augmented reality in their mapping apps with City Lens being an example. Nokia’s Jo Harlo revealed the news that it was coming to Nokia Maps during the Lumia 920 announcement back in September:

"Once you have set the route in Nokia Maps, pull up the phone at any time to switch into augmented reality mode and see both the direction and the route as well as the points of interest."

Seeing as it’s been nearly five months since that announcement, it seems that Nokia Maps getting renamed to HERE Maps along with a new LiveSight feature would be apropos.

Nokia rebranding from Nokia Maps to HERE Maps should not be too surprising as they have been pushing towards that direction for quite some time now, including launching on iOS recently. Since that time, Nokia Maps has had numerous updates, any of which would have been prime for renaming. But perhaps the Finnish company has something bigger to reveal with version 3.2 and were holding off for Mobile World Congress. (That's just our hunch).

Lumia 720

In addition, confirmation of the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 Lumia phones was also found via Help pages on Nokia’s India site. Searching on Nokia.com/in-en/ will bring up two pages with the devices, both pertaining to the new HERE Maps coming at some point in the near future.

Interestingly, the page reveals just how entry level the Lumia 520 as evidently that device does not feature a magnetometer (aka ‘compass’) making Nokia’s LiveSight something that device cannot use. It also confirms that LiveSight will be added to Nokia Maps aka HERE Maps.

We’ll of course have more for you in 12 hours.

Source: Nokia 1 (opens in new tab), 2 (opens in new tab); Thanks, iamSherlocked, for the tip!

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

97 Comments

5-720 going to Sprint. Watch!!
I would *not* place bets on that...
Lol!!
What's your guess??
No Nokia phone for Sprint. Sorry.
Oh yeah, that's right.. I forgot only HTC, and Samsung. Well, I'll believe the Samsung device when I see it. Lol!
Yep. I have zero doubt Bell is going to turn down Nokia and go HTC/Samsung again as they've done for the last 2+ years too
Also, "Here" maps? They couldn't come up with a better name?
Like? Suggestions please. I kinda like the "Here" maps name. Where are you? Right "here". :)
Has Google changed its name to "There Maps" or Apple to "Nowhere Maps". Come on Nokia Maps boosts so much confidence in the service. Anyone wanting for map service would type Nokia Maps and not "Here Maps.
I agree. I just updated my maps and thought "Wow, this is really stupid sounding." Guess we need to voice our opinions on Nokia's website.
I doubt that , since the 720 has HSPA+ bands, hinting at a T-Mobile release due to their reputation of having mid-low tier phones consistently.
Nokia maps sounds very well.
But HERE maps ? Seriouslly ? It's retarded...
Retarded indeed!!
Not my first choice either, however, it does make sense not to use the Nokia name. It makes it far easier for them to sell it to other competing companies. HTC and Samsung et al would not be happy offering their customers Nokia Maps. It would not work. Call it something else and you allow companies to adopt it without acknowledging that a competitor has a better solution.
Now, that I do agree with.
Agreed. Did they ask anyone if it sounded good before they implemented it?
Do you really believe any company comes up with something without it being tested? Even if it were strictly in-house. There would still be debate and discussion like any big company. I for one like the name "Here". It makes sense to me.
I think the name denotes that you know where you are.
HERE.
No, I don't believe that, and that's why I find it sad that they came up with a name like that.
I don't know. I just tap on the tile and navigate away. I don't really say it out loud so it's cool. ;-)
They have been alluding to this name for a while now. Before the launch of windows phone, they said they were going to make the platform into the "here" platform, talking about their edge in navigation.
Who needs a new high-end Lumia, Instagram or a Nokia tablet? A maps application with a different name is all I was waiting for.
Actually, the bigger news is the LiveSight added to Maps, showing your route in the real world. That's actually quite cool.
I think so too. Having augmented routing would be awesome. But I hope there will be even more improvements to the maps and drive App from nokia, like traffic avoiding and alternate routes and also being able to not only pointing out a route from A to B but also add more inbetween stops.
Wonder if Nokia will be bringing their old Symbian real map racing game (can't think of the name) to it as well soon, loved playing that lol
It's called Nokia Racing. They also had another game called Cars Racing (multiplayer).

It would be REALLY cool if they bought the 'Always On' feature to WP, as well as 'Double Tap to Wake' to WP (like they did with the N9). I would also love to see the Nokia Sleeping Screen app as well.
i agree as well, if they launch livesight with the navigation AR feature it will be pretty cool, i do hope they have something to announce for the fall though.
So we're saying that holding your phone up in camera-fashion in order to follow directions is... an improvement over map-style reading?
Maybe HTC or Samsung will make those announcements? Oh wait I forgot, they wont because apart from Nokia there probably won't be any WP news from anyone else. Nokia has doomed WP!!! /s
So no new high-end Nokia phones being announced tomorrow? :(
that was fast......
waiting for few more hrs to pass....
Didn't Nokia say that when other platforms got HERE, their phones had better functionalities?
I guess its fruitless to hope here maps will be released to all windows phones. Then again drive+ eventually made it.
Is it coming to the lumia 900 800 700 610 510 series of handset? I'm a little confused
I doubt it.
Here I was hoping Nokia would choose a cooler name...
(No pun intended)
heard something like that
Good news for people living in the northern hemisphere! For people living in the southern hemisphere the compass in Windows Phone has never worked properly!
Maps don't work that well in the us either. Of I'm on anything other than a major road, the GPS has me off to the side of the road by 50 ft, completely screwing things up. Other bugs too like showing me go in the opposite direction etc.
Where are you? Works fine for me in dallas
I'm HERE
Perfect on my Titan for me here in Austin and San Antonio...and yes Im talking about Nokia maps...not Bing. Hey maybe Nokia really upped the ante for the lone star state!
For those in the SH, you gotta turn your phone upside down. Hehehe!
Here? I prefer Nokia Maps lol
Lets hope it finally starts using the compass!
Why only those two models?
btw: here is a marketing name so it doesnt seem connected to Nokia anymore, thus also users from other cell phones or just at the pc under here.com will use it...
They should have named it "Nokia Here", or maybe "Nokia's Here Now!". JK lol
Whatever happened to the commuting app they announced months ago?
That was one of the reasons I chose Nokia in the first place. An exclusive that had a ton of real use potential. Now they've completely stopped mentioning My Commute whatsoever.
Only for 7.5 Lumia's. I know, lame...
dont know whos idea was to change it to HERE Maps but thats a stupid idea. Nokia maps sounds a lot better. oh well.
I hope they're going to fix the aerial data issue in the UK. After all the coverage on how brilliant Nokia's mapping data is I was disappointed to find that the aerial data is basically broken where I live in the UK and the issue seems to be quite widespread. You would think that Microsoft could give Nokia the data if they have data Nokia don't.
Up here in the Highlands if you want any kind of ariel or street level view your only choice is Google. Everything else is useless, though at least Bing maps does have some poor quality ariel, which is better than nothing. With Nokia positioning themselves as a location services company I'd hope they improve their ariel and street level coverage sharpish. As is I'm stuck with google maps. (streetview has been incredibly handy with my recent work)
That's the dumbest name ever! Especially for a app that's trying to help you leave here, and get somewhere else. They should have renamed it "Nokia Destination" or "Go Maps" or any if the thousands of names that sound better than "Here Maps"... Maybe this sounds good in Finland, but maybe they should consider other markets before they use stupid products names like "Lumia".. Seriously, I just tell people my phone is a Nokia L920,, never a Lumia 920.. It's embarrassing!! Lol!!!!!!
"Lumia" is Latin for "Lights". You fear people will think you have a brain? o_O
European languages (where English is included) have strong roots in Latin. So it's not really that stupid (I think in Finnish the word has another meaning too but the majority of people think of it as a Latin name).
I find names like "Xperia" (what the hell is that? Even for a contraction of the word "experience" is bad.) more idiotic. And don't even let me start with HTC names). At least "Lumia" conveys a message: "That that shines".
Listen smart guy. The average consumer doesn't give a rats ass what the meaning is, they want something that looks cool, and sounds cool. It doesn't matter what we as WP fans know about the devices because we aren't the average consumer. Sometimes being to smart can kill you in the end. Over thinking these things is never a good idea. "Xperia" has a ring to it. The X hints at power, and the rest hints at functionality, or intuitiveness.. Who gives a damn what it really means.. Droid, Bionic, Nexus, 8x, Titan, Galaxy, and Infuse all sound like powerful, capable devices, and yes these names appeal to both men and women.. MS, It's partners, and some WP fans need to face reality if they really want WP to take off in a big way. Give the general public what they want when they want it, and not a second later, give the products appealing designations, and advertise the shit out of it! Although I have to admit that it was thoughtful for Nokia to use the Lumia name because of its Latin meaning,, nobody cares if it doesn't sound good.. And, I am keeping in mind that what might sound good in one region might not sound good in the next. But, I do know that I've heard a lot of us Americans not agree that the name is effective enough. This isn't about if I'm scared that someone will think I'm smart,,child. If you think you're so smart then go show off your phone and say Lumia, and the most common reaction you will get is "What's that??"" It shouldn't be that way after two years. Get it right!! All of it!! And quit feeling smart..
Everyone has an opinion on the internet, that's cool. I don't have the problem with the Lumia name. The Here name sounds kind of corny, I agree. I think its called Here because it shows you what's around you "here". Now I'm getting confused lol. But you are right, nothing is cool about the word Here.
Your answer was unnecessarily rude and completely misguided.
Still, Nokia doesn't come up with names to appeal to Americans. Nokia comes up with names that are more "universal" and thinks Worldwide.
If "Lumia" doesn't cut it in America, well, then sure, they could call it something else. Just like "Opel" is called "Vauxhall" in Britain. Nokia decided not to do that.
And they decided to go for a less-obvious name. All those names you mentioned are pretty cliché. Ooooh a piece of technology with the name "Bionic". How totally original! "Titan" to convey the idea of a strong phone eh? Well, that's completely new. Never been done before! You know where such a name would go well in? A ship! Perhaps an unsinkable ship!
Nokia set the goal to do different. If they wanted to release something just like other brands they would have called it something like "Nokia Colossus" and release their phones in black and white. However, they decided they would make a difference, with different phones presented even in a larger variety of colours. And in that sense, Lumia fits very well. As far as your remarks on the "giving the public what they want when they want", there I agree with you. But what public demands is from the software. And that's Microsofts problem, not Nokias.
That's not the point! The point is that these names don't sound "Cool" enough. I'm not saying they should use corny names, its just that they need to be better. Unnecessarily rude? You don't question my self esteem, and I won't go there.. Its that simple.. Grow some balls dude!!.. Now that was rude.. Lol!!
Lumia is a fine name, and you're a douchebag. Pro tip: Don't castigate people's intelligence and spell the word "its" wrong in your post.
Lol! Who are you? "Pro tip" ha!! Lol!!!!!!!!!! Ok dude...
Titan sounds very very very cheap...It is normally used when you sell a mediocre product or a good but totally overpriced one...
Give your self a break dude ,, Lumia do Rock just as a name ,, and You couldn't Imagine how popular it is in the Parts of Earth where i Live, hence, am one of many who Shows-off with there Lumias among friends and going exactly like " Hey this is my LUMIA !!! " , and the common reaction would be : "F**K , i need to get me one right Now" ........so ya
'Here' sounds extremely stupid in Finnish as well, tho Lumia sounds kinda cool :)
You're not helping dude!! Lol!!!!
I totally agree with Rodneyej. "Here" is a poor name for the reasons he spelled out.
And I say "620" too. The "Lumia" adds nothing and would make me sound like a tool.
"Lumia" sounds like a economy car made in Mexico... Not a high tech gadget.. Disclaimer: I love Spanish, Latin, Mexican, Hispanic or whatever you want to call it, people, and I like tacos, so I can say what I want..
And, I love the ladies to... Nokia Chicas Grande 930 bitch! Lol!!
I refer to my phone as a Nokia 920 as well, the name Lumia is not a household name yet.
All what You've said is arguable dear ,, don't get me started....so LOL right back at You .
Get Started! Lol!!!
DecoN_Jo??? Chili peppers pants count Cauliflower pork.!!!!! You here me??? Come here,,, come here!!
Who was the idiot who thought "HERE maps" was a good name change? Fire that guy/gal.
Nokia tablets???
I must admit I am not sold on the brand HERE as you don't so much need to know where you are now, you need to know where you are going.
Once you get where you're going you are in fact - "Here".
What is this LiveSight? Do we know, or do we find out later?
3rd paragraph
Thought I read it thoroughly. Guess not. Thanks Dan! :)
Why not something like "Point B Maps" or "From Point... Maps" or just "Point maps" ;-)
520 and 720 will be huge for emerging markets and prepaid carriers, every phone that wp8 gets is a phone snatched away from android, the low end and business is the real battle
Yeah, but it's kind of hard to get all excited about low end emerging market devices like the 520/720. Sure, that's where the bread and butter money will likely come from, for Nokia.
But for the press and wider public at MWC, it's a big fat 'who cares?'
What's problem with the name Nokia map?
I know right! Aren't we supposed to be working on building the Nokia name back up? Doesn't this take away from that??
Renaming app is the news, funny
They named it HERE maps so people on other OS can download it and use it, eventually they will switch the name back once enough people are using it I think, or to a name that sounds more cool. Many people run when they hear or see Nokia. Good marketing scheme imo, ya weird new name but its whatever.
Since people use maps to find their way to places surely if they really wanted such a strange name they should have called renamed it "THERE"
But when you get "THERE" you're actually - "HERE". :)
It's all perspective. Is the glass half full or half empty?
Since we use maps to find ther way to places surely if they really wanted such a strange name they should have called renamed it "THERE"

Sorry about the duplicate ... where on earth is the delete option ?
They better announce the Verizon 920...
Probably the lamest Nokia move yet.
And here I thought a company couldn't pick a worse name then "Google Play" while its not as bad, Here maps is pretty close... Why is it so bad to use your name brand? That is the name that will continue. I have Nokia maps in a small tile so I personally don't care about the name.
almost 3 hours left for what most of us been anxiously waiting for ............... So Excited !
I wonder if here maps will work better on Android and IOS than on WP?
The reason for my thoughts is that if you go to the here maps on the web its optimized for all browsers except Internet Explorer.
Try the 3D view on here.com when running Internet Explorer and get yourself a good. Laugh. And I thought that Nokia was a partner to Microsoft...
I wonder when they will fix the layout data as the roads do not line up with the satellite map in the uk (it is off by some margin and looks shoddy)
Hi. Here map app is not working on my lumia 520, in sri lanka. But I was used HERE MAP+ on lumia 620. Why is that? Help me on this please.

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