October 30, 2006

New GPS: Nokia 330

As widely rumored last week, Nokia has launched into the GPS market in Europe with a stand-alone GPS device, the Nokia 330, which also plays music, and video. The unit will retail in Europe for 360 Euros (~$450) and poised to enter the European market to take on TomTom. As we pointed out in our post about the Nokia GPS, the unit will actually run on Route 66 Navigate 7 application base with NAVTEQ map data. The unit will have a 3.5 inch touchscreen, and offer Euro maps on a 2GB preloaded SD card. It will be available in Europe in the fourth quarter. I would imagine that you could look for one stateside in the new year if things go well in Europe.

Press Release Follows:

Nokia today announced its first dedicated personal navigation device to include Europe-wide maps, the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation, to take you across European borders effortlessly allowing you to enjoy the ride, while it does the navigating. The sophisticated Nokia 330 Auto Navigation provides seamless navigation from one European country to the next, with clear spoken and visual directions on the large 3.5 inch color touch screen.

With the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation, there is no need to worry about where you're going. Simply enter the destination of your journey and follow the directions from the large 3.5 inch color touch screen, optimized for intuitive ease-of-use. You can choose other destinations easily too from the quick address look-ups prompted by the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation.

"Consumers are increasingly eager to use personal navigation devices while driving and we are delighted to introduce the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation device to meet this demand," said Razvan Olosu, vice president, Multimedia Enhancements at Nokia. "Nokia 330 Auto Navigation complements the recently announced GPS and navigation solutions from Nokia. Finding your way across Europe is simple with this comprehensive navigation package, including an integrated GPS receiver and European maps."

The Nokia 330 Auto Navigation has an integrated GPS receiver to make sure you will get the best possible satellite coverage on your journey. The device contains a 2GB memory card for the preinstalled Europe-wide map data and detailed travel information.* Tailor the visual instructions to your preference with adjustable 2D/3D, day or night view, or alter the audio to your suitable language or volume, or simply request a repeat of the last instruction.

There is no need to drive dull either - the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation includes advanced entertainment features too, so you can enjoy your music player, photo viewer and video player.

The Nokia 330 Auto Navigation is expected to be available in select channels in Europe during the fourth quarter 2006 at an estimated retail price of EUR 360 without taxes.

Nokia 330 Auto Navigation uses the ROUTE 66 Navigate 7 application and NAVTEQ map data. ROUTE 66 is a company specialized in personal mobile navigation. NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, location-based services and government and business solutions.

*Some European regions are not 100% covered