A new unlocked Nokia phone looks like a PND killer, offering preloaded North America maps, an embedded route-calculation engine and a lifetime of free connected services for the life of the phone.
Just like a portable navigation device (PND), the full-touchscreen 5800 Navigation Edition provides spoken turn-by-turn driving instructions with lane assistance, and because maps and route calculation software reside on the device rather than on a cellular carrier’s servers, the phone can be used for navigation even when cellular signal is lost. The phone also offers points-of-interest (POI) information content such as restaurants, speed-limit warnings and speed-camera alerts. The information is contained in an embedded database that can be updated over the air.
Like a connected PND, it offers near real-time traffic-congestion information, event and movie listings, and a weather service.
The 3G HSDPA phone also comes with comes with car kit for dash- or windshield-mounting, and it features a pedestrian navigation mode.
The device, which features 3.2-inch widescreen display and assisted GPS, is available through www.nokiausa.com and independent online and retail channels at around $299.
Other select unlocked phones from Nokia, including the new E72, offer preloaded maps and route calculation without turn-by-turn guidance. For voice-guided navigation and connected content, a consumer must pay a subscription fee to Nokia for one-day, 30-day, or annual service. A month costs $8.89, and a year costs $63.99.
