The latest press release in is from Nokia, they have just announced that they have a brand new update for Nokia Maps which means it has left the Beta stage and all ready to go for customers to download. Please read the full new in press release right now below.

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE May 22, 2008 –
Drive, Walk and Discover the updated version of Nokia Maps
Updates include enhanced pedestrian navigation, new satellite images and support for integrated compass orientation

Espoo – Finland, Nokia today announced that its highly anticipated update for Nokia Maps has left beta stage and is now ready for consumers to download.

Downloaded over 240,000 times since announced in February, Nokia Maps 2.0 has improved its optional Car Navigation, enhanced its pedestrian navigation, added multimedia city guides, now offers satellite images, and is sporting a redesigned user interface. Nokia’s mapping and navigation solutions give people navigation features, local content and world maps directly on their mobile device, in a way that only connected devices can.

A partial list of the updated features in Nokia Maps 2.0 includes:

DRIVE:
– Improved optional Car Navigation equals PND-level car navigation experience with faster routing.
– Easy-to-use, updated User Interface features including a new navigation carousel with pre-defined navigation views – i.e. navigation, arrow, bird-eye.
– Top-of-the-line navigation features: signposts, multi-stop route planner

WALK:
– Optional pedestrian navigation efficiently walks you from A to B with visual guidance. It helps you to locate yourself by giving information about the surrounding buildings, streets and parks and, if the device supports it, notifies the direction you are walking.
– Nokia Maps 2.0 includes public transportation information (station entrances) data in 17 cities with localized icons for stops.
– Advanced multi-sensor positioning using A-GPS, and pedestrian orientation using the compass feature (Nokia 6210 Navigator needed for built-in compass usage)

DISCOVER:
– Satellite images with hybrid rendering overlays for selected cities worldwide provide real aerial views on your mobile.
– Signature “one-box search” allows you to search through places, addresses, restaurants, nightlife, outdoor, accommodation.
– New premium multi-media city guides including features photos, video, audio streams.

Nokia Maps 2.0 uses vector maps provided by Navteq and TeleAtlas, Nokia Maps now has maps covering over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable. Maps can be downloaded over the air directly to selected devices or by using the Nokia Map Loader on a PC. A new beta version of the Nokia Map Loader is available on the Nokia Betalabs web site.

Nokia Maps 2.0 and the current commercial version of the Nokia Maps Loader is freely* available for selected devices. For download and more information, please visit http://www.maps.nokia.com

*Subject to terms and conditions. Data transfer costs may apply