Nokia 6210 Navigator review: On the road again

In-phone GPS is no longer the next big thing in the industry. All right, it may not be run-of-the-mill just yet but it's where it's heading. The point now is how many extras will top the GPS and give users a bigger and better treat. Well, the new Nokia 6210 Navigator even tries not to make it a Dutch treat with a 6-month navigation license prebundled. On top of that, there's A-GPS, Nokia Maps 2.0 and a digital compass for pedestrian guidance.

GPS aside, Nokia 6210 Navigator is running on the latest Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3rd and FP2, and packs a good 3.2 MP autofocus camera, accelerometer, stereo FM radio and a 2.4" QVGA display. Smartphone expertise and GPS go hand in hand with superb communication skills: quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and HSDPA support.

The next generation Nokia Navigator sounds as a nice upgrade, but it's still a few trial laps away from becoming a recommended upgrade. Hop on and buckle up.

   
Nokia 6210 Navigator official photos
Key features:
Built-in GPS with A-GPS, compass, 6-month navigation license and Nokia Maps 2.0
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
Dual-band HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, localized versions
2.4" 16M-color QVGA display (larger than the one of Nokia 6110 Navigator)
Symbian OS 9.3, Series 60 3rd UI with FP2
3 MP autofocus camera with flash, secondary videocall camera
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0
Accelerometer for screen auto rotation, call silencing and alarm snoozing
Stereo FM radio with RDS
microSD card slot, up to 8GB, hotswap (1GB card included)
120 MB user memory, 64 MB SDRAM, ARM 11 369 MHz processor
Fast and responsive user interface
Main disadvantages:
Display still not big enough for comfortable in-car navigation
Digital compass plays up and works only when not navigating
Top row of alphanumeric keys crammed under the slider
No Wi-Fi
Camera has no lens cover
Very awkward battery cover latch
No geo-tagging for camera images