Nokia HERE Maps comes to Android, free for Samsung Galaxy smartphones

Nokia and Samsung have announced HERE Maps (beta) for Android, though the service will be exclusive to Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones for the time being. HERE Maps service will be free for Galaxy smartphones and comes with features voice-guided navigation capabilities as well as offline access, something which Google Maps currently fails to provide. HERE Maps can be used to download offline maps for nearly 200 countries, though turn-by-turn walk or drive instructions will be available for only half of them. Users can also get live traffic information for 40 countries (requires an Internet connection). HERE Maps also provides navigation information using public transport services.

Users can pick destinations from their desktop by visiting HERE.com, which will then be synced to their phones or smartwatches. These destinations can also be shared with friends and family members for better travel planning.