From the HERE blog:
To update the maps, grab your Windows Phone and open the Settings app, then tap applications > maps > check for updates. Because the update only contains the streets and other details we refreshed or improved, the amount of data you have to download is limited to the minimum.
What can you actually expect from the new update though? Mauritius is one of the main locations to benefit, with the map getting a comprehensive overhaul. Island shapes and rough street coverage has now been upgraded to a detailed coastline and comprehensive street network coverage, making it far easier to plan your holiday and explore the likes of Port Louis using your Windows Phone.
More impressive 3D landmarks
3D landmarks can make a massive difference when you’re navigating an unfamiliar location, making it easy to compare exactly what’s around you with what you’re seeing onscreen. And the latest update brings better quality textures to important 3D landmarks, with more detail on offer for the more famous locations.
The amount of work that HERE (and Google, for example) has to do in order to keep adding to its worldwide map datasets shouldn't be underestimated. But it's vital work and forms, arguably, the core of any smartphone platform. In this case Windows Phone. I did notice that with the extra map and building detail, the size of the map databases has risen - England is now 421MB, for example, though an incremental update will be a lot smaller, of course.
Interestingly, unless I'm missing something, there's no easy way to get the HERE Maps err.... maps stored on a microSD - they always live in internal storage, which may be an issue for anyone for whom phone disk space is critical. Anyone know a fix or technique to help here?
Also new in this update is 'Point address rendering' (address positions along roads) for some new countries. This has been standard in many Western countries for a while, but now rolls out to the rest, plus other select regions.
Point address rendering has now been enabled in the following countries and regions:
France, South Africa, Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Baltics, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Puerto Rico.
Here's (ahem) the full HERE blog post. As someone who's been trialling the latest Google Maps on Android as well as keeping HERE Maps/Drive+ up to date, I'm still torn as to which is best overall - but the continuing improvement in each has got to be good for you, the consumer...