Desti's demise was a no-brainer to predict. It is no accident that Uber and Airbnb are grabbing headlines while me-too trip-planning startups are finding it impossible to compete against TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet and Kayak.
It is one of the most fascinating battles in tech right now, with huge amount of money involved, and one that will also define the future of how we travel.
Nokia's app brings real-time traffic data and detailed public transport information for major cities. Can it gain enough ground among users to keep them interested after Google updates its own map product?
The $8 billion Navteq acquisition has to do something for Nokia, right? Likely this focus on maps will means this unit will survive as a spinoff at some point, while rest of Nokia will keep going through bouts of identity crisis.
Nokia's VC fund had been looking to invest in the advertising industry and found a good match in helping Vizury expand its online marketing tools to additional countries in Asia and South America.
Nokia dispenses car crawlers and collects data points from the 3.3 billion miles that UPS drives a year, creating a massive database that might not stand up to Google on its own, but could be acquired by Apple to improve its product quickly.
Nokia's last gasp at smartphone greatness? Some smart features indeed, including navigation and augmented reality, but will they move beyond gimmick stage into mainstream?
Map wars are continuing to heat up: First Apple saves TomTom's bacon with its deal to feature its maps in iOS 6, now Amazon lends Nokia a hand and adds it to its sure-to-be-blockbuster new Kindle Fire.
What good was a maps app without directions? This seems like a functional necessity more than a perk, although Groupon must be happy for a chance to reach customers with location aware data -- even if only the few thousand with a Windows Phone.