Nokia E71 GPS Impresses and Excites

Nokia has entered their contender in the QWERTY smartphone market with the slim and and slick Nokia E71. Here is a Nokia E65 user's first impressions of the GPS features that come with the Nokia E71.

GPS - The inclusion of GPS in most smartphones seems to be the rule rather than the exception nowadays and the GPS on the E71 is quite practical although not the most advanced available (in terms of time taken to lock to satellites).

Using Nokia Maps with GPS - Nokia Maps is quite exciting because it enables you to pre-load the map of a whole country into your phone so that you dont need to download the map every time you run it. Nokia Maps also includes some points of interest such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, parks, hospitals etc so that you can search offline for these locations without using any mobile internet.

Also, as you drive along a street, the Nokia Map will show you the house numbers as you pass each house. You will no longer have to slow down and risk being rear ended by the car behnd you as you search for the right house. At intersections, you wont need to look for street signs, just look down on your phone and it will show you the street name that you are at.

Is Mobile data required for Nokia GPS operation? Many customers are told (particularly by three representatives in Australia) that the GPS does not work without using mobile data. It just takes a little longer to syncronise with the satellites. This is the difference between assisted GPS and GPS only.

Using Nokia GPS Applications - There are three applications that come with the Nokia E71. GPS Data has three programs within it.

• Navigation allows you to see whether you are travelling North, South, East or West and what speed you are travelling at.
• Position is another program just one right tab across from Navigation. This application allows you to know the Longitude and Latitude of where you are in the world, the accuracy level it is giving you, the altitude above sea level and the speed.
• Trip Distance is the final tab on the right. When you start a trip, it will measure the distance travelled, time taken, your max speed and average speed. These programs can be useful on a holiday when you are traveling around but if you want a program which will allow you to have more fun on foot, try Nokia Sports Tracker (as discussed in an earlier post).

A new blog has started, which will look at hints and tips for the Nokia E71 at http://mye71.blogspot.com Leave a comment there to express your support.