Notices

I have a job Interview on the 8th and have a general idea where to go. I will be walking there which should take about 50 minutes and wish to use Ovi Maps to show and update my current location while showing a path to my destination.

I am able to do the majority of this offline with no Internet connection. My current location updates when I press the red button icon and I am able to scroll the map over if need be. What doesn't work offline is searching for a location, so am I right in saying I have to use my local wi-fi connection before I leave to setup the route? Or is there a way to setup the route offline when I am outside my wi-fi range? I could connect via 3G but this would use up some of my credit which I prefer to avoid if possible.

Perhaps there is a way to download my city so I can use offline?

I have a similar question ... I have seen comment elsewhere that it is not possible to use Maps on the N900 offline: is this true?

On my current Nokia I have maps for all of Europe loaded onto the phone, which means I can use it and do searches regardless of whether I have an internet connection.

This is a major advantage for me, compared to other mapping applications such as Google maps. It is one of the reasons I have stuck with Nokia. I don't want to move to an N900 if this facility isn't available.

Can someone clarify for me?

Thanks

How do I preload cities so I can run searches offline inside OviMaps?

On Symbian phones (have done this on an N95 and an N97) there is a bunch of files you can download to your PC from somewhere and then stick in the relevant folder in the phone memory, using the USB cable on "mass memory" setting.

Alternatively you use the "Nokia Maps Loader" application on your PC. There is a Mac version too but I found this didn't work (surprise surprise).

Exactly how you go about it on the N900 I don't know but I think there's a thread on here somewhere - do a search for "maps".

I read somewhere (on these forums) that the "Search" in the n900's ovi maps is done on the server side.. So if you want to search you gotta be online -_-.

Can someone confirm this? I will run a search shortly to see if I can find out but I am getting mixed messages here...

Where's the mixed message? Everything I've read, and my experience with Ovi Maps, suggests that you can't search offline. You CAN however use the GPS & maps offline if you've downloaded the maps first. You can even do routing, but not (obviously) via the search menu - you have to select the destination from a point on the map.

i can confirm that u can use ovi maps offline by downloading maps from nokia map loader BUT you cannot use the search button while offline. In nokia maps for symbian u can do everything offline, but sinse ovi maps for maemo is new, its missing a lot of features..one of it its that you cannot search or make routes while offline. even with maps loaded on it

Has there been any word from Nokia about an intention to introduce the offline search in the next version?

nope no words yet, but they probabl.y will include it in a later update since all the symbian versions can do it...ive also heard news of people trying to port the symbian ovi maps onto the n900