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If you ever use your Nokia N8 for its awesome satellite navigation, you’d be interested to know that you can use the feature whilst in offline mode, so there’s no requirement for a connection for the maps to work. Thanks to Ovi Maps and the GPS chip built in to the phone, it’s easy to get from A to B just like any other top of the range sat-nav.

It’s usually sensible to use a connection whilst navigating your way around as the ability to get the latest traffic updates and other information is really useful – however there will be times when navigating in offline mode is needed. Let’s take for example when you’re in another country, if you wanted to download the maps straight to your Nokia N8 it would cost a fortune, even if you do have an unlimited data plan.

Nokia’s newest release of Ovi Maps 3.6 brings with it wireless downloading of maps straight to your phone, no need for a wire or computer – just download the maps via a WiFi connection and you’re good to go. You’re able to select which maps you want by country, so it makes going on holiday and navigating your way around a total breeze and making sure you’re ready for when you get there.

If you want to download the maps to your Nokia N8 wirelessly, you need to ensure you have Ovi Maps 3.06 from the Ovi Store – earlier versions of Ovi Maps doesn’t support full mapping from the mobile phone itself, so you will have to download it from a computer instead and then install them. If you’ve got Ovi Maps 3.06, then you’re lucky enough to be able to download the maps via WiFi.

To start getting new maps, start Ovi Maps 3.06 and click on the Update icon. You will be taken to a new screen that prompts you to tap Add new maps – select the maps by either region or country specific.

The only ‘issue’ with the maps is that they are generally large in size – let’s take for example downloading the maps for the whole of the UK, it takes a total of approximately 240mb so WiFi is a definite must have in this instance. If you’re lucky enough to have a fast wireless connection, you will be able to download the maps in a matter of minutes and without fuss. Now that you’ve downloaded a map, you will have to wait whilst the map is installed directly on to the mobile phone – once done, download more maps as you desire and click Menu to carry on.

Okay, so now you’ve got the map you wanted – awesome. Now you can select offline mode via the Settings icon on the bottom left hand side of the menu. Do the following: Tap internet > Connection > Offline – then go back to the menu and Ovi Maps should now be able to work without the need to download the mapping details as you’re driving.

This method is an excellent way to not only save time, but also save money such as when you’re abroad and want to download maps for that specific country. Let’s say you originate from India but visit England on holiday or business, with Ovi Maps in offline mode and by downloading the maps wirelessly, you’re able to navigate your way through the country without ever needing to download a map or pay for wireless data roaming again.