Nokia let fly it’s free Ovi Maps turn-by-turn navigation software today at a press event in London, UK. Joining the likes of Google’s Android operating system, all GPS capable Nokia handsets in 74 countries (that’s 73 more than Google) will be able to download and either use over-the-air map streaming or on-board storage. Ovi Maps is powered by the Nokia owned Navteq’s digital mapping and allows for free drive and walk navigation. Map updates, events, Lonely Planet and Michelin guides plus the potential for any number of map overlays will be available over the air. Depending on whether developers get on board with Ovi Maps we could see quite a few 3rd party extensions and apps making Ovi Maps more of a platform than the likes of TomTom or Navigon.

It’s available now for the following phones: X6, N97 Mini, E72, E55, E52, 6730 Classic, 6710 Navigator, 5800 XpressMusic, 5800 Navigation Edition and the 5230 with more to be added at a later date. So if you’ve got a Nokia GPS smartphone and fancy a bit of free turn-by-turn then head on over to Nokia’s download portal.

Another nail in the coffin for TomTom, a shot at Google with wider distribution and a shot across the bow of Apple, who at this point must be prepping something along the lines of Ovi Maps/Google Maps Navigation surely?

[Via Nokia Conversations]

Hit the jump for some videos demonstrating the Ovi Maps software.

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Nokia has just released the new N97 to the press with both a resistive touchscreen and slide out QWERTY keyboard. The device comes fully loaded with an incredible 640×360 (16:9 aspect ratio) screen with tactile feedback, HSDPA (3.5G), WiFi, AD2P Bluetooth and A-GPS. Also on board is a wopping 32Gb flash with an microSD expansion slot to boot totalling to a maximum possible 48Gb with a 16Gb microSD! That’s some serious storage to hold your widescreen movies, TV and music which thanks to that glorious screen and a standard 3.5mm headphone port will be a joy to use. The N97 also harbours the fantastic 5MP Carl Ziess shooter shown in its predecessors.

Going for €550 (~£468 or ~$693) in the first half of next year will this be the iPhone beater? The one to have? It’s sure going to give the T-mobile G1 a run for it’s money. Let’s hope the S60 5th Edition OS can actually power this fully specced device (imagine what it would be like with Android!).

Check out the video below and if you can’t get enough more pictures and videos are available on our partner site GGS

Nokia. Connecting people except in Japan

Nokia, the biggest mobile phone manufacturer of them all, has all but pulled out of the worlds fourth largest mobile phone market, Japan. They will continue to sell their ‘luxury’ feature-poor Vertu line of phones (the ones where if you have to ask the price you can’t afford them) in the country, but cease all other phone sales due to dwindelling market share.

Thing is I’m not sure anyone in Japan will care. With their amazing feature phones with TV, 3G plus and crazy cameras in weird and wonderful form factors, no wonder no one bought the comparatively mundane Nokia phones. Unique Japanese business law has prevented outside manufacturers competing effectively against their domestic rivals.

If you’re in Japan and you have a Nokia, let us know what you think in comments.

[Via Reuters]