Nokia Maps & internal GPS on the Nokia 6650

http://maps.nokia.com

The AT&T branded Nokia 6650 includes AT&T Navigator powered by TeleNav.
Unfortunately this requires a subscription of $9.99 per month plus data charges for route information (no charge for maps). But if you're in the know with Nokia products and services then you might have heard of Nokia Maps or non-subscription based mapping solutions like Garmin.

I've heard the 6650 has an internal GPS but I didn't see any of the customary Nokia GPS related applications like GPS data to show satellite and position information.

Would AT&T lock out the internal GPS like the Verizon's Blackberry GPS while AT&T's Nav relied on network assisted GPS? If the internal GPS was working, would GPS applications other than AT&T's Nav work with the internal GPS? Let's find out...

First, let's download and install Nokia Maps onto the 6650.

Go to http://maps.nokia.com and click download. You will see the screen below to choose your phone:


You won't see the Nokia 6650 on the list so choose the Nokia E50 (it's close to the 6650 as they're both portrait oriented). Although the Nokia 6650 runs S60 3rd Ed. FP2 like the N85, Nokia chose not to include the additional S60 packages needed to run the later versions of Maps. So we're stuck with Nokia Maps 1.2.

I connected the 6650 to my computer using a USB data cable (CA-101, not included with 6650) and installed it via Nokia PC Suite but I'm sure you can do it by Bluetoothing the SIS to the 6650:

Seeing the install message is a good sign it'll likely work

Opening Nokia Maps from the 6650, click Options > Map Options > Satellite Info and you'll see the screenshots below:

Satellites connection strength:

The dark blue shows I'm locked on!

Satellite relative positioning:

The darker blue are the locked satellites

With maps loaded on Nokia Maps and a GPS lock:


To avoid data charges for downloading maps I suggest turning off network use in Settings > Network > Use network = Never and pre-loading maps from your computer via Nokia Maps loader.

I was very surprised to find out the Nokia 6650's internal is open for other applications to use and it's a real GPS. Not some lame network based GPS. It's also a very fast locking GPS taking less than half the time of my N82. I'm very impressed with the Nokia 6650's GPS but too bad AT&T's Nav services will prevent the GPS from being the strong selling point of this phone.

Best Buy: Nokia Maps with 1 year voice navigation for $15.99

In the latest Best Buy Mobile Buyer's Guide (11/23/08 - 12/27/08) I found a surprise. As most of us know, Best Buy Mobile sells unlocked Nokia handsets such as the N96 ($599.99) and 8600 Luna. But now Best Buy Mobile also sells Nokia Maps and N-Gage games both for $15.99.

Nokia Maps includes:

• One year voice guided turn by turn navigation
• Completed Nokia Maps: North America
• Choice of multimedia city guide
• 2GB memory card

Nokia Games includes:

• World Series of Poker
• Creatures of the Deep
• Sims 2 Pets
• 2GB memory card
• 14 free trial games from N-gage

The Nokia Games package includes some of the most popular games with World Series of Poker hitting the top 5 games on n-gage for the last couple weeks. They've included a diverse set of games with one being card based, a strategy and more female oriented, and finally a slower paced male oriented. It doesn't really target any particular demographic. This may have been a decision to appeal to a much broader audience but considering each of these games retails for around $5.99 online, you aren't getting a significant discount purchasing the package and getting some games you don't really want. It does include a 2GB memory card but most Nokia handsets already include one with the phone so it isn't a big incentive.

The much better priced package is Nokia Maps by far. To see how significant the Nokia Maps package is, just take a look at Nokia's pricing for Nokia Maps navigation:

3.5 What does the navigation cost?

Navigation license	1 week	1 month	1 year	3 years
Category A	6,49 €	7,99 €	59,99 €	69,99 €
Category B	7,49 €	8,99 €	69,99 €	79,99 €
Category C	8,99 €	9,99 €	89,99 €	99,99 €

Countries and Regions in Category A Navigation Upgrade: Iberia, France plus Benelux, DACH, Italy plus, Alp Region, Nordic Countries, Benelux Plus, British Isles, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Canada, Hong Kong & Macau, Adriatic Plus
Countries and Regions in Category B Navigation Upgrade: Russia, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, South-East Asia, Australia, South Africa, India
Countries and Regions in Category C Navigation Upgrades: Middle East, Western Europe, North America, Egypt
Source: Nokia, November 26, 2008

Considering a 3-year navigation upgrade for USA maps (you have to buy all of North America) costs about $149, the new Nokia Maps navigation package for $15.99 with 1 year navigation is much better priced.

I personally wasn't able to find Nokia Maps package at the Best Buy by my office so I recommend calling ahead to ensure they have it in stock.

Oddly, Best Buy Mobile is selling the Nokia Maps package for $99:

Source: Best Buy Mobile, November 26, 2008

The S60 Road Warrior, Part 1: Finding my way around

You could be travelling in a different city each week or just exploring your own city, a GPS is a valuable tool to help you find your way. Just last week I used it to find a detour to avoid an accident on my way to Yankee stadium and find a close parking lot to the stadium.

Unlike the "GPS" pushed by your wireless carrier for phones that clearly do not have GPS (Motorola RAZR and first generation Apple iPhone) and rely on triangulation of cellular towers, a real GPS relies on a clear view to the sky to connect to a GPS satellite to give you your position accurate to within a few meters (accuracy depends on your GPS receiver). Moreover, a real GPS does not need to use cellular data if you have the right map software and maps already installed.

Most of Nokia's recent S60 include a GPS receiver but if it doesn't, you can always get a bluetooth GPS receiver and pair your S60 phone to it. The benefit to having a bluetooth GPS is that your handset's battery is not drained as quickly. But you have one more thing to carry and that's one more thing you;re likely to forget to bring when you really need it. There were a few times I was lost in New York City and relied on my GPS to find my way back to the hotel.

A couple years ago I plotted my trips on paper maps. With the advent of the Internet and MapQuest/Google Maps, I plotted my trips online and printed out the directions. But now with a GPS, I can jump into my car and plot an address or place of interest onto a map program.

Unlike the GPS products you buy from BestBuy or Fry's, S60 phones don't usually come with maps pre-installed onto the phone or memory card. You may also need to download the map software and install it to the phone. It's a little more complicated than buying a dedicated GPS but you the flexibility to choose the map program.

With each mapping program comes pros and cons so it's important to evaluate each one before purchasing. The most common mapping programs available for S60 and support Nokia's internal GPS in North America are Nokia Maps, Garmin XT, and Google Maps. Here is a brief list of pros and cons of each before I going into detail on how to get them set up on your phone:

Nokia Maps 1.0

Pro: Usually installed by default. Installable over the air. maps are free, maps can be downloaded over the air (wifi or data) Con: Turn by turn navigation is charged by subscription. Pay for Points of Interest (POI) guides that are not up to date for North America. Pre-loading of maps requires a data cable. If you choose to install maps from your computer, Nokia Maps needs an Internet connection to download the maps from Nokia's servers.

Garmin XT 4.10.80

Pro: Same software you find on dedicated GPS devices from Garmin. Decent list of Points of Interest (POI) included with maps. Con: Complicated install if you deviate from the suggest method. High initial cost. Need to pay for maps. Maps must be pre-loaded.

Google Maps 2.0.14

Pro: Simple install instructions. Installable over the air. ability to see satellite view, always up to date. Points of Interest (POI) comes from Google. Can be used with GPS with limited accuracy. Con: Relies on data, slow to load maps depending on your data connection. No voice turn by turn navigation.

There are two more major map software for S60, but Wayfinder doesn't support Nokia's internal GPS and TomTom just released 6.02 to support it. I haven't a chance to test out TomTom.

I was going to write about all three map software in one blog entry but it quickly got too long so I'll blog about each one in an individual blog entry. Stay tuned!

The S60 Road Warrior

From toasty dry summers in Dallas to the frosty winters of Toronto, I've been on business trips all over North America for the last three years. Each week I spend at least a full work day at the airport or on a plane. Being so mobile, I need a quality phone that suits my life style and Nokia has offered that in their S60 platform.

A lot of web sites already review S60 applications so in the next couple blogs I will write about how S60 helps me with...

• Finding my way around
• Capturing my experiences
• Getting my work done
• Keeping me entertained
• Saving me money
• My reminder
• Connecting me with work and friends
• Sharing
• Safe guarding my phone

I hope you will find this has interesting to read as I will writing it. If there's any topic you want covered, feel free to leave me a comment.

I will be writing my experiences with my Nokia N82 but I'm sure the experience is similar on many other S60 phones like the N95, N96, E90, etc.