[timkamat]

e is a bug with Nokia maps 3.08. When I open maps And use it I can see two map applications running. One of them is
1. Nokia maps engine consuming 6MB ram which consists following sub apps- a)maps 20029b6c
b)s2gvariantserv.exe
c)syncshareserver.exe
d)maplauncher.exe
e)NPS.exe
Another application running is
2. Nokia maps consuming around 2.4MB which consists following apps-
a)map_0x20001f63.exe
b)Ovimapsinstallprocesscleaner
When I close maps properly from EXIT button, only the second application goes off from open apps. The first application consuming 6MB of ram just stays in the ram until I reboot. Thus reducing the precious free ram. This was not the case with earlier 3.06 version. Please fix this bug.

[timkamat]

Why cant Nokia test before releasing updates?

[hpholm]

The Maps debate in Nokia betalabs has been closed and Nokia Maps is now coming to the Nokia Store, so this must be the proper place to report bugs ... although I wish the Department of Quality Assurance had held it at the beta stage for a while longer and sorted out the quirks.

The combination of Maps 3.08 + the latest Nokia Store has transformed my N8-00 with ANNA from solid and reliable to nerveus and dysfunctional, with erratic qwerty keyboards and screen widgets becoming unresponsive (haven't found a way to reproduce the widget thing yet).

The following fooled me a couple of times, draining the battery rapidly.

It is fully reproduceable on my phone:

Open Maps

Move the cursor to somewhere and tap

Select Navigate

Select Drive here

Drive opens, the route is calculated and I get directions

Tap the 3 horizontal lines at bottom left of the screen

Select Stop

Tap the 3 horizontal lines at bottom left of the screen

Select Exit

Back on the home screen

Select Options

Show open programs

Notice that Maps is still running

Hit the X to close

(No open programs) is shown

Tap somewhere to close the Show open programs overlay

Notice that the Internet or WLAN connection stays open

Select Connection Management

Tap to see what is keeping the connection open

Maps ...

Open Maps

Select Close at the bottom right of the Maps window

Back on the home screen

Select Options

Show open programs

Now Maps is closed and there are no open connections

--

Hans

[RonnieJP]

The problem is that you cannot see the maps application processes still running the background with the default Nokia task manager (long press on menu button).  You need to use a 3rd party utility like RamBlow or NetQin Mobile Guard to see it.  The Maps Engine show as hogging about 6MB of RAM.  I'm sure it affects battery life as well.  The processes should terminate after Maps is closed, but they continue to run.

There have been many posts about this issue, but since the running processes don't show up in task manager, most users are probably not even aware of it.

[hpholm]

Hi Ronnie,

There were a rather heated debate in BetaLabs on this issue, where it turned out that the Maps process and the Show my location process - if the sign-in feature has been used - is left sitting in the background deliberately, so it is ready for faster startup and use the next time.

My bug report here is about Maps not closing to its deliberate idle state when hitting the X on its icon in "Show open programs" - but only if I open Maps from "Show open programs" and select close from the program itself.

These two background processes consume 0.02 - 0.03W on my device, when Maps is in its proper idle state (and way more when sitting in the buggy and connected semi-closed state). 0.03W may sound fine to the developers, but it cuts my N8's potential standby time by 50% ... and my average use between recharge from 5-6 days down to 3. ( I'm not a social person!)

Best regards,

Hans

@nokia: My N8 is not your toy to play with, it is my toy to play with.

[RonnieJP]

Hi Hans,

I can understand the benefits of keeping the processes running in memory in order to be able to restart the app more quickly, but not at the expense of almost 50% battery life and 6 MB of our already minimal RAM.

I hope Nokia takes notice and rectifies this in future Maps updates.  For now, I'll continue to force close the Maps Engine in Mobile Guard as necessary.  Thanks for your input.

[timkamat]

Here is the reply I got for my private message addressed to Nokia employee in this forum-
Re: Nokia maps bug From: pj98 Sent: 3:50 PM Hi We checked the processes in your list
and actually the behaviour is as
intended. In Maps 3.08 there's a
background process added which stays
in memory even after Maps is closed.
This will enable quick Map view access during the time the phone is in use. So,
this feature has been added on purpose,
hopefully it's not causing any major
trouble for you. Thanks for feedback! Best regards,
pj98

[moudi]

I don't anderstand that " it's not causing any major
trouble for me'' if my battery life is 50% less. Otherwise give me the opportunity to close it from the application manager...

[timkamat]

When I posed the same question to the said employee he replied this way-
Re: Nokia maps bug
From: pj98
Sent: 5:00 PM
Hi
This is a background process and it
shouldn't consume too much battery.
The most important thing is that GPS
connection is closed when closing the
application because otherwise it could
cause higher power consumption. GPS connection should normally be closed
when exitting Maps but you can check
this in the status indicators. You are right that there's a bit more
RAM memory reserved because of the
background process. Hopefully it's,
however, not so big issue because the
increase is relatively small. There will,
anyway, be the "Memory full. Close some appllications" warnings if there's
too many apps active at the same time. Best regards,
pj98

[RonnieJP]

@ timkamat & hpholm

Thanks for getting confirmation from Nokia that the Maps background processes continuing to run is by design, and not a "bug" per se.

Unfortunately, my personal experience is that it does indeed have a marked effect on battery life and tends to make overall performance somewhat laggy.  It's drain on available RAM will likely be more of a problem when we upgrade to Belle, which was really designed for the newer 512MB handsets.  The user experience for many of us with N8's and similar 256MB RAM devices with miniscule batteries will only get worse unless this "feature" is reversed.

I do hope that Nokia will look at these many posts, both here and in the Nseries and Symbian Smartphones forum, and hopefully reconsider shutting down these running processes when the Maps apps are closed in a future update.  Or, at least give us the option of showing them and letting us close it with the default task manager.

[atomicfungus]

It would also be nice if Nokia made it possible to upgrade RAM in the 256MB devices. 256MB on an N8 is like powering a bus with a motorcycle engine.

[NBinah]

No,

this is a Rocket engine in the old GMC car

Belle (a better Rocket engine) comes..

[hpholm]

Having tested the extra power consumption in Maps 3.08 for a couple of days more:

I am able to use the features in the 5 "new" icons for Maps - without having any noticeable extra power consumption after exit - and having both Maps and Share My Location sitting idle (monitored by App Stop). At least in most cases (YMMV!).

But ...

If I start Maps from the "old" icon (the one with the compass needle), then tap somewhere nearby, select Navigate, select Walk here - then after exit the idle power consumption is 0.03W more than usual with only Maps sitting idle. This behavior is repeatable on my device (8 out of 8 attempts.

* The extra power consumption in this situation is an almost flat line (not spikes) = a slightly buzzing flat line just like the approx 0.03W base power consumption of an N8 when monitored by Nokia Energy Profiler 1.25 - but at 0.06W and thus twice as much as usual.

* The extra idle power consumption stays like this until reboot of the phone.

Nokia N8-00 (RM-596) / 022.014.243.07 / 022.014.06.01 (Anna, Danish)

Best regards,

Hans

[TNCS]

Thanks for the extensive testing hpholm. It good to see there're other people who value battery time over the cost of unnecessary feature. Personally I don't know why Nokia has decide to put the new Map as an update as suppose to the old 'application'. I can't even uninstall it. And for the momeory issue, it not only consume 6MB. I use RAMblow as well. My RAM consume has dropped from the regular 120-125 to 100-105 free RAM. That 20MB wasted for nothing! I would trade off the 'faster reopen' back for 20MB more free RAM. Are you listening Nokia?

After 12 years of Nokia, still prefer Symbian over WP7, Android, iOS, my biggest reason for can't move away was the Map. Please don't trash this app to be a bloat. I don't want to use N9. And no, WP7 is definate a no for me. It sad enough Symbian^1 don't get any more update for the Map, don't trash Symbain Anna because you are over-looking because of the Bella. It sad enough N97 did not live up to be the 'flagship', don't trash Anna which is only 6 month old, don't trash N8 the suppose 'flagship' that got replace by E7 after few month, now whole range of Anna after only 2 years. You are attempt TRADDING new client by gameble to forget your longer term supporter!

[TNCS]

Regarding to the battery issue. I'm not so much of a hardcore use. N8 lasted between 5-6 days before upgrade to Map 3.08, after it drain like 4 bars in 1 day!

To solve this problem, downgrade!: /t5/Maps-Navigation-and-GPS/Maps-3-08-how-to-roll-back-to-3-06/m-p/1235065#M38325