We had heard a couple of rumours already, but up to now nothing substantial. Anonymous sources have finally confirmed it to us: mobile phone giant Nokia will very soon enter the Personal Navigation Device market with a brand new device: the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation!Dedicated
Navigation on Nokia devices is not new of course. But up to now, that always meant secondary applications on the company's (smart) phones. This new 330 unit is the first real dedicated GPS device from the Finns. Nokia, who are known for their 'connecting people' message, have even created a completely new slogan especially for this device : 'Stay on track'.However, at first glance, the Nokia 330 can hardly be called a revolutionary device. Features like a 3.5 inch touch screen (320 x 240), 64 MB internal memory, a 400 MHz Samsung CPU and the SiRF Star III chipset are pretty standard these days. Most suprising, the feature of hands-free phoning is completely missing from the specifications list! When it comes to it, we certainly expected more from Nokia.
The 330 does support TMC, photo display, MP3 audio and also video playback (in WMV, AVI, MPEG4, ASF and MPG formats). Inside the box there is also a goose-neck car mount (photo above), a car charger, a USB power cable and a 2GB SD card containing version 7 of the Route 66 navigational software and the complete map of Europe.
According to our sources, the Nokia 330 should be available in the shops by mid-November. The estimated retail price is likely to be just under ¤450.
