
Best Free Offline GPS App for Android from HERE - belleville
http://here.com/beta/android/?lang=en-US
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maxerickson
Recent previous discussion:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8580091](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8580091)

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yebyen
It looks like a really cool app, and it's something I've wanted from Google
Maps for a while, that Google has danced around without delivering a real
solution to "offline maps."

Is there a cost associated with publishing on the android Play Store? I am a
little worried about installing this app which wants me to bypass security
warnings and install out-of-band an APK download from their site. Not sure if
that's a reasonable fear, but I think I could at least count on seeing it
flagged and removed from the app store if it was malware. No such guarantees
downloading directly from the site. Has anyone already tried out this app?

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dingaling
Even if there was a cost ( I don't there there is for free apps ), it would be
completely obliterated by the cost of contracting Mark Monitor as their domain
registrar!

Nokia is behind HERE, perhaps they just don't want to support or endorse
Google in any form. Or perhaps they're aiming at the Chinese and off-brand
markets that by and large don't have access to Google Play.

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tjbiddle
But why not both? You can publish on Google Play and have an .apk listed for
download on your website as well.

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higherpurpose
Here is such a bad brand name, especially for foreigners, which makes it that
much more surprising that a company like Nokia, from Finland, would choose a
name like that. I guess they were led by an American at the time. But I would
change it, even now, to something better. I think it would be worth it. Make
it more of an International name.

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ParvusPonte
When I read "offline GPS" I assumed accelerometer/gyro/compass positioning,
now that would have been cool. Some point and shoot cameras have this for
tracking position when GPS/GLONASS signal is unavailable.

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untog
They do? Everything I've read about this kind of thing says that it's woefully
inaccurate. Anyone know of anything to suggest otherwise?

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ParvusPonte
Just using accelerometer, as some point and shoots do, is pretty inaccurate
but still somewhat usable. Using all the sensosrs on a modern phone (including
signal strength from known wifi/tower beacons) would yield much better
results.

My point is more in the spirit of: I got excited because there's little or no
such apps on playstore, offline maps aren't anything new.

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viggity
I had HERE for my Lumia 920. It was phenomenal, excellent UI.

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fkooman
what is wrong with OsmAnd? Have been using it for many years already.

[http://osmand.net/](http://osmand.net/)

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uses
Is this post an ad? Because if so, it's like the most obvious one I've ever
seen on HN.

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belleville
From a user of the app.

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danieldk
Color me skeptical, since your karma is the same as the upvotes on the story.

Also, the same link was posted 4 days ago:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8580091](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8580091)

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belleville
This is the 2nd post I put on HN. You can check my first one.

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danieldk
My apologies! Reduces the probability of astroturfing :).

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sample1
the best map ever .... this is what i was looking for longest time ....used it
on nokia ...they user vector formatting map technology which is just awesome
... wondering why google or others are not using it(?)

