How big a competitor can the Nokia 500 Auto Navigation be for TomTom?

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[Nokia press-release]

Comfort and connectivity - Nokia serves up the complete in-car solution
August 27, 2007

Espoo, Finland - Kit out your car to stay connected, entertained and informed with the latest Nokia automotive navigation and communication enhancement. The super-efficient Nokia 500 Auto Navigation allows you to get to your destination quickly and easily, see who is calling, and make quality handsfree calls.

 

The Nokia 500 Auto Navigation is Nokia’s first handsfree dedicated personal navigation device for convenient in-car navigation and communication. In addition to integrated GPS and competitive in-car navigation features, the device also acts as a complete Bluetooth handsfree system for your compatible mobile phone. Its wide (4.3 inch) color screen makes it easy to search through your contacts and make and receive calls, and the handsfree speaker system with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) provides excellent audio quality.

 

Navigation made easy

Navigating couldn’t be easier - equipped with high-sensitivity GPS and Nokia Maps navigation software, the Nokia 500 Auto Navigation gives clear spoken and visual directions (turn-by-turn, including street and city names). It comes with pre-installed regional maps*, and detailed travel information, including points of interest such as hotels, petrol stations and tourist sites.

 

The integration between the device’s navigation and communication features also lets you receive contact details for the points of interest you pass on your journey so you can call directly, or get directions to addresses already stored in your contacts.

 

Information at your fingertips

With the device’s Traffic Message Channel Service you can avoid all those tiresome traffic jams, and get to your destination more quickly. The device also has an intuitive Nokia interface, featuring a split screen which displays additional information alongside the main screen to help with your navigation. This split screen features essential guidance information such as details on your next turn, estimated time of arrival and distance remaining, ensuring these details are always accessible.

 

On the road entertainment

For longer journeys, keep yourself and your passengers amused with the Nokia 500 Auto Navigation’s advanced entertainment features. Listen to music from the integrated music player, or for those down-times on the road, view photographs or watch videos, making any roadtrip a fun trip! The Nokia 500 Auto Navigation device also plays music through your car’s FM radio using the built-in FM Transmitter**.

“The Nokia 500 Auto Navigation is an expansion of our extensive enhancements portfolio. Our solutions are tightly integrated with our mobile devices, allowing users to enjoy quality handsfree communication with their phonebook, music and competitive navigation,” said Marcus Stahl, director, Nokia Automotive.

 

The Nokia 500 Auto Navigation is expected to be available in selected channels in Europe*** in the fourth quarter 2007 at an estimated retail price of EUR 300 without taxes. It will be available in other markets following this initial launch.

 

*Map coverage will match the needs of the respective target markets

**The feature may not be enabled in all countries due to legal restrictions

***Some European regions are not 100 % covered

I wonder: Could Nokia bring a low price screen with controls that can be used as extended screen for the Nokia N95? Isn’t that all we need?

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Comments 3

  1. Vero Pepperrell wrote:

    Well… if the software is Symbian based and half as quirky as the N95’s S60 is, then we’ll never get to destination.

    I’m currently using a pretty hopeless NavMan, and have definitely preferred the Tom Tom to it (though the maps can be a bit old) but it would take a lot to convince me to move from the specialists of in-car navigation to Nokia’s little-side-experiment.

    But then I might just be blown away if I have a play with it. Who knows!

    Posted 27 Aug 2007 at 7:42 pm
  2. Nathan wrote:

    This would be a must have accessory at £150, anyone who has an N95 and wants a hands free kit would surely spend the extra £50 for sat nav and radio out??

    Posted 28 Aug 2007 at 4:18 pm
  3. Ant wrote:

    If it’s the same crappy navigation software that’s in the n95 then Tom Tom have nothing to worry about. Tom Tom works very well indeed, the nokia thing barely works at all.

    Posted 04 Sep 2007 at 1:39 am

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