Nokia Drive+ Beta: Free Turn-by-Turn Navigation for All Windows Phone 8 Users (Eventually)

I have used the Nokia Drive app many times before, but it still has it's issues -- or at least it does for me. Every once in awhile (at all is too often) the app can't even place me correctly on the map and gives me wonky directions because the marker is jumping sporadically on the map. I and someone else I know also have a Lumia 920 and we've both experienced this, not quite sure what's going on, but it's caused me not to trust it because a navigation map that can't even place me correctly can't be very good.

I get "Sim Card unsupported (MMC:204)" when I run it.....can't imagine they wouldn't support the Verizon HTC 8x

Just downloaded on my 8X - no problems. Verizon version.

Hi Paul.

Would you happen to know if I will be able to get this app in Australia at a later date perhaps? I have tried to ask both MS and Nokia this but have got no response.

Regards,
Jason

I was a tad sceptical about this at first, but, lo and behold, it actually gives me better routes than Google Maps on iPhone does, which has trouble distinquishing between various road types. It does not, for instance, want me to explore disused dirt roads or storm through the ballpark to take a handy shortcut just because there is, technically at least, a lane there.

I respectfully disagree. As someone who spends about 5 hours a day on the road traveling from site to site, Nokia Drive pales in comparison to Google Maps Navigation. I'm giving WP8 a fair shake (only 1 month in), but Nokia Drive is the biggest letdown so far.
- try and check the route it planned for you while in navigation mode. I can't do it. (there is a single button to press on GMaps to flip to topdown view).
- use traffic in route selection. It doesn't. (GMaps does)
- look in the Calendar and provide notifications of when to leave based on traffic/route/current location (Droid just started doing this, but it is slick - has saved my bacon many times due to accidents)
- this may be a local thing, but our major highways here have Express and Collector and you can merge into the Express about every 3 miles. Nokia Drive tells me to "stay in the Express" every single time (ie. 20ish times across the city, plus the 1 mile alert), where GMaps just said "drive 50 miles" and shut up.
- if I get a call on my N920, there are no more directions. I have to look at my phone - very unsafe. GMaps just overlayed the directions into my phone conversation that is over the car speakers.
- In Canada, if your region is set as Canada, you can't click on addresses in the Calendar. If you switch to US as a region, then it works. (but now I want to buy a gun and eat more fast food. :) kidding!)

Not all of these issues are related directly to Nokia Drive, some are due to lack of integration between apps (a bigger problem). I do think the Nokia Drive interface is quite clean and crisp, but for me at least, that relies on Navigation throughout the day, it's not a perfect replacement. I'm hoping it improves, and I'm not ready to throw in the towel, but I don't think it's fair to say "the best navigation solution on any platform".

Sigh! How can everyone in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada be defined as "Navigation for All Windows Phone 8 Users"

This promise from Microsoft has been a lie from the beginning. It makes the platform a big laugh for iOS and Android users.

Manufacturer-locked apps is a big reason why Windows Phone is still failing!

I have been using the Commute function of Nokia Drive on my Lumia 710 (7.5). for a year. Always tells me which route to work is the fastest based on traffic. I love that! (I tried going against its advice to test it much to my chagrin.