Nokia used its appearance at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, to unveil smartphones that provide sophisticated navigation for both pedestrians and drivers.
The company's location-aware devices will initially be targeted at European buyers, but the digital-map technology it acquired last year when it bought Navteq for $8.1 billion should enable Nokia to rapidly expand the smartphones into countries around the world.
"As we continue to free the Internet from the limitations of the desktop, we are taking mobility into a completely new realm of possibility," said Nokia Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. "We are, in fact, redefining the Internet itself as we're making it context-aware and more personal. With context, the Internet becomes a medium of very immediate and personal experiences."
A Handset City Guide
Nokia's new GPS-enabled 6210 Navigator allows pedestrians to follow an electronic map while strolling about. The smartphone uses a built-in compass and an accelerometer that measures any changes in the handset's direction and orientation. Simply point the handset in another direction and the on-screen map adjusts its heading.
The Nokia Maps 2.0 application, which is currently available in a beta version, is designed to guide pedestrians through dense urban environments. The software maps the quickest route to the desired destination, then visually presents the turn-by-turn instructions required for walking from one city locale to any other.
Along the way, users will be able to access free information about the surrounding buildings, streets and parks. And in 17 different European cities, an icon representing the nearest transit station will be displayed on the handset's screen.
For an additional fee, users will be able to purchase multimedia tourist guides from third-party providers such as Berlitz that will present a wealth of multimedia content about specific locations along the route.
"By taking navigation services out of the car and onto the sidewalk, Nokia is enabling people to explore and discover what's around them with the confidence of a local," said Nokia Vice President Michael Halbherr.
Real-Time Traffic Feeds
With the release of the Nokia 6210 Navigator and its enabling Maps 2.0 software, drivers will have the option of subscribing to real-time traffic feeds with a dynamic re-routing capability. The new handset's one-touch navigation and voice-guidance capabilities should make it easier and safer for drivers to make navigation changes.
And if the user makes a wrong turn, the software will automatically calculate a new route. Scheduled to begin shipping in the third quarter in select world markets, the Nokia 6210 Navigator will have a retail price of about $435 (EU300).
The Nokia N78 and the Nokia 6220 Classic -- slated for release in the second and third quarters, respectively -- also took their inaugural bows in Barcelona. Images taken by the handsets are automatically tagged with metadata that will allow the location to be placed on a map displayed on the phone's screen or accessed by others over the Web.
MOBILE TECH TODAY
