Nokia is rolling out an update to the Nokia Drive Windows Phone application that brings several new features which enhance the experience. The addition of note is the new My Commute feature, which learns your driving preferences and uses live traffic information to provide you information on alternative routes which may shave a few minutes off your daily commute. My Commute remembers when you usually leave your house or the office, and sends you updates as that time approaches with live traffic information so you can plan ahead. The feature is similar to that found in Google Now, Google’s impressive feature in the upcoming Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update.
Another added feature in the Nokia Drive update is automatic day/night mode. Similar to others that have come before it, Nokia Drive will now automatically change into night mode after the sun sets, removing the need to manually change this setting from the app’s settings menu.
Windows Phone 8 allows for resizable pins, making the home screen much more useful. As a precursor to the WP8 update, Nokia’s Drive update features additional pinning functionality that allows users to add shortcuts to their home screens, featuring one-click access to directions to popular destinations. Set a pin for home, for example, and you’ll be launched into the Nokia Drive application with instant directions home from your current location.
The Nokia Drive 3.0 update is being pushed to the Windows Phone Marketplace today for all to download. Several features will be US-only to start, most notably My Commute, which relies on up-to-date traffic data, currently only available to Nokia in the US. Nokia will be adding countries to the list as they’re able to build traffic data into the application for those regions.