Have you ever wanted to tell your friends exactly where you are? Well, now you can. There is an update to Nokia’s Ovi Maps that will allow you to do just that.
Called Check In, the new add-on feature enables Nokia smartphone users to give exact details of their location by posting the GPS to a variety of social networking facilities including Facebook and Twitter.
To use the new update, you can choose either to visit Ovi Maps online where you will see a new icon entitled ‘checkin’ or you can install a widget on the homescreen.
If this all seems to be an invasion of privacy, the new add-on is just that an add-on. You can opt out of it if you wish.
However, ‘Check In’ can also prove a useful safety feature, particularly for those who perhaps are trekking or backpacking, a growing popular phenomenon. After a journey is completed users are prompted to check in.
Critics have said that Nokia’s new system is essentially no different to another similar mapping facility called Foursquare.
One analyst said in a press release “It’s hard to see what this offers that Foursquare doesn’t, but if you just like the idea of ‘checking in’ but not so much the mayor and badge rigmarole of Foursquare, this could be a more low-key, streamlined alternative.”
Check In will be available for the new Symbian 3 smartphones as well as the N97 and N97 Mini from Nokia’s Ovi Store.