Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
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Nokia has launched its 6110 Navigator cellphone in Australia and it is already on offer for $0 on contracts, suggesting it will have a big impact on the in-car GPS navigations systems market.
The phone retails for $759 and comes with a fairly impressive range of other features that are increasingly becoming standard on all but low end phones: 2 megapixel camera, MP3 player, FM radio, HSDPA up to 3.6Mbps, bluetooth.
It key feature is the ability to offer full turn by turn driving instructions provided by Route 66 in conjunction with Navteq. It comes fully loaded with maps for the whole Australian road system and, unlike an inbuilt car navigation system, can be taken out of the car and used for pedestrian navigation.
According to Nokia it can be switched between pedestrian and in car modes so that the directions it gives are consistent with the mode of transport - the mapping database includes footpaths as well as roads and it won't tell you to walk onto the freeway or drive down a footpath.
Nokia already claims to be the largest supplier worldwide of digital cameras and MP3 players thanks to the fact that these are now incorporated into the millions of cellphones it sells every year. It argues that cellphones have marginalised the markets for basic digital phones and basic MP3 players and are set to do the same for basic GPS based navigation devices.
Unlike the N95 which also has inbuilt GPS the turn by turn navigation feature is supplied a no charge with the 6110 (although upgraded maps do cost as do maps for locations outside Australia).
Navteq has spent months having teams in cars driving around Australia confirming the accuracy of mapping information and adding additional data such as the locations of ATMs, petrol stations, parking facilities, restaurants etc and all this information is available on the 6110.
This clearly is only the beginning. There is potential for the incorporation of location-specific advertising and for extending the mapping information to off-road areas of Australia so that the device could be used by bush-walkers, mountain-bikers and the four wheel drive community.
For about $85 users can buy a windscreen mounting suction holder and bracket for the 6110 and in car charging cable.
David Bass
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