With the launch of the Nokia N95 8GB on Tuesday, Nokia finally hopped on to the navigation bandwagon by introducing maps for six Indian cities. The maps will also be provided to other models that have an inbuilt GPS receiver, like the original N95 and E90, in the coming days.

Developed by Navteq, the maps will be available for free, but users will have to pay a subscription fee for turn-by-turn navigation. Nokia hasn’t revealed the subscription model and is extending it as a free three months trial service. However, route simulation will continue to remain free.

But what could be the key differentiator between Nokia’s offering and those offered by Airtel, HTC and MapmyIndia will be voice commands in Indian languages. It is understood that the company will start offering voice commands in Hindi to tap the huge vernacular market. The current English version uses terms like ‘Exits’, a concept that most Indian drivers aren’t familiar with.-- from internet