Diaries of a Nokia Fan Boy

So Nokia released a new version of the 5800 XpressMusic – Navigation Edition. It appears that the software is all the same, its just a touchscreen, XpressMusic version of the 6710 Navigator. Comparing to the 5800 XpressMusic, the phone appears to be identical with a couple differences in what’s included in the package:

• Regional maps
• Lifetime pedestrian and vehicle voice-guided navigation licenses
• Car mount and car charger in retail package

So really its the same phone with a different color variation, included license, and some extra plastic for an extra $110 USD ($299 for XpressMusic and €285 or about $410 for Navigation Edition). It appears that the firmware version is the same, and the piece of plastic being available on eBay for $10, we’re really getting the license for about $100 USD. We can take a look at the Nokia website, and we find that the license for North America is €50, or $70 USD, per annum. Assuming that the license is transferable to other phones and includes future versions of Nokia Maps software and maps, this is actually quite a deal. Especially if we consider that dedicated GPS systems don’t come with maps upgrades!

But of course we have to ask ourselves if its really worth it. That is, is the application itself worth the license in the first place. There is Google Maps that is available for free (and indeed, Nokia Maps is free too so long as you don’t want guidance). There is also Garmin Mobile, and hopefully TomTom will release a new version of their software eventually which would work with touch screen devices and integrated GPS chips. To be honest, I think that TomTom is currently the best GPS guidance software out there. I had a chance to directly compare it to Garmin and Nokia on my E60 and N95, and out of the trio, TomTom came out the clear winner. The software was able to give me directions at the exact time I needed them (Garmin was a bit late), and when I made a wrong turn the recalculations took only 1-3 seconds. Also, Garmin likes to take me through small streets with speed bumps which does not make the trip any faster, and TomTom always takes the larger streets first and ends up getting me to my destination via the faster routes.

While I wasn’t able to compare Nokia Maps based on driving instructions, I was able to compare the maps themselves, and again, TomTom came out on top. The maps were easier to read, loaded faster, and seemed to provide more information without cluttering the screen. The interface on TomTom was much more intuitive and took a lot less time to get used to. And the last, but very important point – TomTom just seemed to load faster than the other two. And when you’re trying to figure out where to go, that matters.

Of course, I have to give it to Nokia Maps, they did develop arguably the first GPS system for navigating during walking. In that case voice guidance is not really required, as there is no traffic to keep your eye on. And the fact that the maps include pedestrian streets and walkways is also quite important. However I have not used that part of the software in a long time and so I’m not sure just how good it is in the North American cities.

So to conclude this: Nokia released a new device, its a great value, but you have to be sure that you want it.

-Nokia FanBoy

press release
via: Engadget (read)

Most people in-the-know agree that the best GPS receiver chip is CSR’s SiRFstarIII. The chip is very accurate, and obtains its position extremely fast. The down side, however, is that the chip drains battery like no tomorrow – which is why most cellphone manufacturers do not use it. However now CSR is releasing the successor: SiRFstarIV. The improvements mean that you will be able to have your GPS start up in seconds while using about as much current as your calculator program!

The SiRFstarIV Architecture
The SiRFstarIV architecture core is comprised of a high-performance GPS location engine, smart location sensor interface, adaptive micro-power manager and active jammer remover, which together deliver:

• Twice the search capacity of the industry proven SiRFstarIII architecture
• Advanced micro-power management and integrated switched-mode regulation that maintains hot-start conditions with minimal energy (50-500 microamperes)
• Intelligent MEMs sensor support (for accelerometers and other sensors) that improves the location experience, enabling greater contextual awareness, more sophisticated energy management and enhanced indoor positional accuracy
• Advanced DSP technology that actively searches for jammers and removes them prior to correlation for maximum GPS performance and design troubleshooting

Just like the introduction of the accelerometer, and the digital compass, so this will bring many fascinating applications, including finally having the ability to GPS-tag our photos without being worried about destroying our batteries in the process!

-Nokia FanBoy

read: press release
via: Symbian Freak (read)