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Comment by yebyen | Hacker News Reader

It looks like a really cool app, and it's something I've wanted from Google Maps for a while, that Google has danced around without delivering a real solution to "offline maps."

Is there a cost associated with publishing on the android Play Store? I am a little worried about installing this app which wants me to bypass security warnings and install out-of-band an APK download from their site. Not sure if that's a reasonable fear, but I think I could at least count on seeing it flagged and removed from the app store if it was malware. No such guarantees downloading directly from the site. Has anyone already tried out this app?

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Google Play only allows .apk files up to 50 MB. Maybe the HERE maps app is larger, so it won't fit on the store. (Yes, of course they can download content separately and make the .apk under 50 MB that way, but maybe they just didn't want to do that for the beta.)

Anyway, HERE is the brand used by Nokia's maps unit, so it's not likely that they would distribute malware.

The zip file on the website is less than 40 MB.

Even if there was a cost ( I don't there there is for free apps ), it would be completely obliterated by the cost of contracting Mark Monitor as their domain registrar!

Nokia is behind HERE, perhaps they just don't want to support or endorse Google in any form. Or perhaps they're aiming at the Chinese and off-brand markets that by and large don't have access to Google Play.

But why not both? You can publish on Google Play and have an .apk listed for download on your website as well.

There's a cost for being a developer, but as I recall it was only $25 or so.

For offline maps, I've used MapsWithMe / http://MAPS.ME/ for years. It's based on OpenStreetMaps data. Comparing them, the Nokia solution offers:

* offline routing, though it's in the MAPS.ME beta

* turn-by-turn directions

* public transit

* (online) live traffic info

* share directions from a computer

I think it might just be that, while they want the app to be used, its not meant for general consumption yet.

So publishing only the apk selects those users who can tolerate semi-broken software.

Or Google Play could provide a 'beta' channel for publishers. Does such a thing exist?

Yes, Google Play lets you define an Alpha and Beta channel https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...

Yes, we use the same for our app. You need just to link a google group or a g+ community in the developer dashboards. It works quite well.

Here is Nokia maps. It is most likely they have a more complex relationship with Google than most and prefer to release the beta app before finalizing the details of that relationship. I have been waiting for this for years.

It's worth mentioning that Here and the maps database from former Navteq weren't included in the Microsoft acquisition deal.

If they don't want to endorse Google, why do they endorse Amazon instead of using Azure? Anyway, how will updates be handled if we download the APK from their website manually?

It certainly makes it easier to install it on jolla, as far as conspiracy theories are concerned.

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