issued 24 June 2004

Lonely Planet and Nokia launch 'Citypicks' mobile guide

CityPicks - Downloadable travel guides for mobile phones

Lonely Planet, the world’s premier independent travel media company, in partnership with Nokia, the leaders in mobile technology, have created 38 easy-to-use downloadable mobile phone travel guides to major cities around the world. The fi rst 20 guides are available now with more to follow in the coming weeks.

From Amsterdam to Zürich, CityPicks takes the hard work out of tracking down the best restaurants, bars, nightlife, shops and hotels by making them immediately available on your handset. Just download the guides straight to your mobile and take off and explore the city with Lonely Planet’s travel expertise at your fingertips.

With 50 recommendations and an inspirational image for each city, the new guides off er an unmatched selection of travel information for the popular Nokia Series 40 and Series 60 phones, including the 3650, 7210, 6600 and 6100.

The CityPicks guides can be easily downloaded by texting the appropriate short code to Nokia*.

The JAVA MIDlet travel guide will be downloaded over-the-air to your phone in the same way that other JAVA applications, such as games, are downloaded now. The CityPicks city will then be stored on the mobile phone for use anywhere, at anytime, even where there is no network coverage. Best of all, each city is a one-time purchase - there are no further use charges or downloads required after the initial purchase.

“The vast majority of people who travel to cities take their mobile with them. CityPicks’ top travel tips will make travelling to cities for business or pleasure a breeze,” Lonely Planet’s Business Development Director Nathan Clapton said.

*Go to www.shop.nokia.co.uk ,
choose ‘Applications’, then ‘Lonely Planet CityPicks’.