[m_mueller]

AFAIK it's probably the best offline maps you can get (disregarding Google Maps and co's offline availability feature which isn't really geared for having a full dataset stored on a device). Haven't compared it myself but that's what I heard. All I know is, built-in navis for Mercedes are very lackluster currently, so they're probably getting something out of this deal. If it's worth their 1B (or whatever it is) share, who knows.

[maaaats]

Most you can do with Google Maps is cache some layer pictures. All search, routes etc. takes a round trip to Google's servers. Which makes it useless abroad, for instance. With HERE, you download an entire country, and use it (search, route planning etc.) without using data. Works fantastically.

[Loque]

Hardly an impossible feature to add to a mapping product tho? We are basically talking downloading the map tiles to the device you want to browse from.

[vetinari]

HERE maps are not pre-rendered tiles, they are heavily compressed geometries and features. That's why it can do searches and navigation offline.

[Loque]

That is interesting, as OVI maps was tiles IIRC, thanks!

[kuschku]

Another issue is that Google maps is mostly shit in Germany: Satellite data is from 2005, maps data doesn't even contain my whole district except for one road, so all the time people using Google Maps to navigate end up here, etc.

Here maps is the best maps here (at least inmy city), and I can understand why German car manufacturers might want it.