When standalone GPS devices first came out, it really changed the world of navigation for the consumers who used them. Before them, paper maps got most of the job done, but those didn't offer much in terms of getting around a city, and even when sites like Mapquest came out and offered turn-by-turn instructions, they had to be printed off rather than viewed in real time.
A lot obviously has changed since those times, however, and we're no longer just following the North Star, hoping it will lead us to our destination. Now, there are services like Nokia Here, a navigation technology that was recently acquired by a group of German automakers that includes BMW.
The digital mapping service is one of the most comprehensive in the business right now, as it offers high-definition digital maps for just shy of 200 countries and is able to support over 50 languages. It also works in real time, which means users of the product get an extremely accurate sense of travel times thanks to user-updated information regarding traffic, accidents and other impediments to getting to a place on time.
Here does other things, too, like alerting the driver to the outside temperature, warning them of icy or snowy roads ahead and even guiding them through as many green lights as possible when commuting through a major city.
Long-term, BMW believes that this high-def, highly-detailed navigation system will help new BMW cars drive themselves. While we're obviously not there yet with luxury cars in Baltimore, we certainly love where easy navigation is heading, and we're glad that BMW is in on the ground floor for making driving safer and easier than it ever has been.
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