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You are here: the phone that thinks it's an A to Z
Last updated at 13:22pm on 29.03.07It is the phone that could mean you never get lost again.
The new £599 gadget contains street maps for 130 countries and uses GPS satellites to tell you exactly where you are. It even has lists of restaurants and pubs, and can tell you how to get there on foot or by car.
Found: Julia Tracy from Bristol said the Nokia N95 would stop her getting lost in London
The Nokia N95 goes on sale on Monday but the Evening Standard has already put it to the test in London and found it is so effective it could mean an end to relying on an A to Z.
The handset is very small, roughly the size of a pack of cigarettes, and the keypad is initially hidden. Slide the screen one way and the keypad appears, slide it in the opposite direction and you have the controls for MP3 and video software.
Setting the handset up is easy, and within a few seconds it will find your location and show you a map of the surrounding streets.
The user-friendly menus let you search for bars, restaurants and tourist attractions. We found the mapping software to be excellent, and it was even able to tell us accurately which side of the street we were on.
For the GPS to work you do need to be in sight of the sky, so in built-up areas you may lose the signal, but the phone is pretty good at dealing with office blocks in London.
Users can decide whether they want their directions to be displayed on the screen or spoken through the speakers. There's also a fivemegapixel camera.
Julia Tracy, 21, a student from Bristol, said: "I've only been in London for a morning, and I've got lost twice. I think this would be perfect - the maps seem very clear and easy."
Experts say it marks an important milestone. Will Findlater of gadget magazine Stuff said: "This is a clear example of where mobile phones are going. There's essentially an iPod, a video player and satellite navigation system - all in a phone no bigger than average."
Nokia spokesman Mark Squires said: "There are maps for 130 countries, so that's pretty much every country you're likely to want to go to. We are also working on the integration.
"For instance, if you use the high-speed wireless internet to access the yell.com website, when you select an entry the location can automatically be sent to the mapping application."
Reader views (2)
Without wanting to sound like a technogeek, I've had a very similar set-up on my last two phones. It's very useful.
The only difference between this phone and my last two is that the GPS is built in rather than me having to rely on carrying a bluetooth GPS receiver gadget around my neck.
Still, I've got my order in for this new one!
- Brian, Telford
That should make the muggers in London very happy.
- Roland, Basel, Switzerland
