Here And Now Gets An Update And Graduates From Nokia Beta Labs

"Here and now" application which trying to provide answers to two vital questions of the city life: 'what's going on in the city today' and 'is it going to rain tonight' is about to leave the safety of Beta Labs and enter the big wide world.

The main difference in this final version is that the UI is now browser-based. Although liked by many (including us), the previews were an unnecessary extra step when the services are web based anyhow. Also, there were situations where the fit between the application UI and the browser was not smooth enough.

The new Here and now downloads a web page showing the weather and the highlights of local movies, restaurants and events. The page is automatically customized according to your location, language and screen resolution. It is also optimized for mobile usage in order to keep the download times short.

As you probably know, these services are now also available via Nokia Ovi Maps 3.03. What's the point of Here and now then? Simply put, it offers the highlights at a glance in the browser.

Here and now is easy to use and intuitive application that allows you to get the local weather and events directly to your mobile browser with zero configurations, just click and go.

This beta is a sneak preview of what Nokia is planning to integrate in several upcoming Nokia devices as preinstalled application, but this is your chance to try it out in advance. Weather and Events are the first services available, but the plan is to add more - eventually it might be a kind of urban survival guide.

Unfortunately, application is currently only compatible with 3rd Edition FP2 devices and there is no word when we can expect support for older FP1 devices or for Touch UI phones.

Frequently asked questions:

What is Here and now?
Here and now offers you easy access to location based services, such as Weather and Events.

How is my location defined when using Here and now?
Your location information is based on Cell ID positioning, that is, the cellular network recognises the location of your device. GPS is not used to define your location. The location information of your device is only used to display relevant content to you and it is not saved or used for other purposes.

Who is providing the content of Here and now?
The content for Here and now is provided by 3rd party companies.

How often is the service content updated?
The service content is updated on a regular basis, the regularity depends on the service (Weather or Events).

Does Here and now save my details, for example, information on my location or the content of my searches?
No, no such information is saved. The location information of your device is only used to display relevant content to you and it is not saved or used for other purposes.

Will Here and now be available for download after the Beta Labs period ends?
No, the client will not be available for download after the Beta Labs period ends. The client will be preinstalled in selected devices.

The new version is available via Software Update (over-the-air or through Ovi Suite) and in Ovi Store for these devices: