Nokia released a new beta version of its famous GPS navigation software yesterday, announcing it as faster and offering smoother scrolling and zooming. Not only the application's performance has been improved, its search engine is now more user friendly but the main change is definitely the implementation of a network-based localization service, that is able to locate you pretty accurately without the need of any 3G access.

Even though the interface is exactly the same, this version brings a new feature: Network-based localization. This isn't a major change as most of us already use A-GPS on our phones; however, unlike assisted GPS, the network-based system doesn't require a 3G connection a it can work using a WiFi hotspot to locate you (like you would use Google Gears to find your position in Latitude). This can be somehow useful if you're abroad (or even in your home country but don't have unlimited Internet access) as there is no need to use a 3G connection to find your position easily. However, keep in mind that if there is no WiFi hotspot nearby, the application will use your 3G connection to locate you, which may cost you data charges; in that case, make sure you deactivate Network-based positioning in your settings.

The two other changes are also quickly noticeable as one of them is mainly about performance improvements that make zooming faster and more responsive. The last feature is the implementation of an old-style address search system, as it was a bit confusing not to have it in the previous version. No other interface changes were made, but as Nokia said, "it's all about performance improvement".

You can download this beta directly from Nokia Betalabs