Wifi Revolution

Nokia (News - Alert) Monday announced in Europe its first personal navigation device, Nokia 330 Auto Navigation, putting the company in direct competition with the likes of TomTom and Dash.

 

In its announcement, Nokia said the new navigation device includes Europe-wide maps for seamless navigation from one country to another—delivered via visual and spoken directions on a 3.5 inch color touch screen.

 

“Finding your way across Europe is simple with this comprehensive navigation package, including an integrated GPS receiver and European maps,” said Razvan Olosu, VP of Multimedia Enhancements at Nokia, in a statement.

The device comes with a 2GB memory card that stores preinstalled map data (from NAVTEQ) and travel information. The interface application is ROUTE 66’s Navigate 7.

 

Nokia’s latest product is not just for maps. The company noted that the 330 Auto Navigation “includes advanced entertainment features too, so you can enjoy your music player, photo viewer and video player.”

A Reuters report Monday on Yahoo! News said that the Nokia 330 is slated for availability in Europe during the fourth quarter of 2006, and will retail for $456.

 

The Reuters report compared Nokia’s navigation product to TomTom’s GO devices, which retail in the $765-$893 (599-699 euros) range. TomTom’s lower-end ONE devices, which are for navigation only and don’t include multimedia capabilities, sell in the $382-$510 (299-399 euros) range.

 

“TomTom, which said last week it sold 1.2 million car navigation devices in the July to September quarter, has more than half of the European car navigation market, which is the world's biggest,” the Reuters report said.

 

The navigation market has become more crowded lately, with electronics firms Sony, Samsung and LG recently having jumped on board.

 

“Nokia entering the market does pose a real threat,” ING analyst Cornelis Bos is quoted in the Reuters report as saying.

 

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