New from Beta Labs: Ovi Lifecasting, Ovi Maps, Ovi Communities
Right after the Nokia World keynote this morning, Nokia Beta Labs put out three new apps for the Nokia N97. First, Ovi Maps, an update to Nokia Maps. Then Lifecasting and Communities, social location focused applications with a heavy focus on Facebook.
Ovi Maps is the new version of Nokia Maps 3.0, v3.03 09wk35 b05 to be exact. You can now set a home location and get routed home easily. Satellite and terrain views have been removed for this version. Search no longer has categories, which was one of my favorite features. It features a new loading screen and sub applications like Events, Michelin, Lonely Planet and Weather. My favorite is Events, which helps you find nearby movies and showtimes.
Nokia Messaging: Social Messaging
This is Nokia’s new social app. The file name says Communities, so I will call it that. Right now it only connects to Facebook. It can update your status with location. The N97 homescreen widget can follow your friends status updates. There are buttons on the side of the widget to scroll through your friends’ status updates.
Posting status updates is a little buggy, it tends to repeat the last word of my status before I post and I can’t post with location. Reading friends statuses is nice, one flick and it scrolls through. A great replacement for the first N97 Facebook app. I’m looking forward to see what other communities are added. This should be really great once Twitter has integrated location.
Lifecasting is another Facebook updater. This one is pretty simple. Add the Lifecasting widget to the homescreen. Click the left of the widget to update your location. Click the right of the widget to post.
Only problem right now is that on Facebook, there’ no real location integration. Lifecasting links to your location with an Ovi Maps facebook plugin via a short url.
There’s so much Facebook integration now. First you had the original Facebook app to keep track of your messages and friends’ statuses on the homescreen. Now you have the new Lifecasting widget to easily post with. Then there’s the Communities app to view Facebook statuses as well. Too bad I’m not much of a Facebook junky.
