| Nokia taps Windows CE for PND |
Mar. 20, 2008
 Nokia has turned to Windows CE 5.0 for its first dedicated personal navigation device (PND). The Nokia 500 features a 400MHz ARM9 processor, 4.3-inch touchscreen, GPS, Bluetooth, music and video playback capabilities, an integrated FM transmitter, and lots of hands-free calling features.
(Click here for a larger view of the Nokia 500)
With typical Nokia styling, the 500 appears to be more than just someone else's OEM product. That said, the company has certainly followed the typical playbook for a Windows CE-based PND. The device includes a 400MHz Samsung S3C2440A processor, 4.3-inch touchscreen display, and SiRF's popular SiRF StarIII GPS chipset. The amount of internal memory is not specified, but there is an SD slot for potential expansion.
Naturally intended as a companion to a mobile phone, the 500 includes Bluetooth 2.0, plus an integral microphone and speaker. It can do voice dialing based on phonebook entries transferred from a compatible handset. A built-in FM transmitter can broadcast phone calls or turn-by-turn driving directions to a car radio. The 500 can also play MPEG4, 3GP, and WMV videos, transmitting audio via the FM transponder, or show JPEG, GIF, BMP, and PNG images.
The company boasts of an "intuitive Nokia interface," with a split screen that is used for continuous display of details such as next turn, estimated time of arrival, and distance remaining. The 500 comes with maps of European countries, plus a POI (points of interest) database. Stored POI and contacts information is integrated with the 500's communication functions, making it easy to place calls to nearby businesses in the POI database, or to quickly request directions to stored addresses, Nokia said.
Finally, the 500 receives TMC (traffic message channel) via FM stations using RDS (radio data system), playing back only those that are relevant to a user's present position. TMC is currently broadcasting in a variety of western European countries, with others expected to come online soon, according to TMC Forum, the TMC trade association.
Features and specifications listed by Nokia for the 500 include:- Processor -- Sansung S3C2440A clocked at 400MHz
- Memory -- not specified
- Display -- 4.3-inch touchscreen with 480 x 272 pixel resolution
- I/O:
- 1 x USB 2.0
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- miniUSB connector
- DC input
- connector for external GPS antenna
- Battery life -- more than two hours
- Dimensions -- 4.8 x 3.4 x 0.9 inches (122 x 87 x 23mm)
Nokia previously used Linux to build its GPS-receiver equipped N810 web tablet. That device is not a dedicated PND, however, but a versatile mobile pocket PC-like system.
The Nokia 500 is available now, priced at approximately 300 euros.
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