Nokia 6210 Navigator review: On the road again

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Nokia 6210 Navigator. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final conclusion.

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

Nokia 6210 Navigator was announced a year after its predecessor and brings a number of improvements in functionality. Nokia's Navigator line stays faithful to the slider form factor and design is a mixed bag of improvement (larger screen, notably thinner, matt rear surface) and decline (cheapo plastic, no lens protection, no stereo speakers).

In all fairness, Nokia 6210 Navigator is no more than slow and quiet evolution and that might not be just enough in a niche that seems to get crowded faster than ever. The compass, the accelerometer and the excellent 3 megapixel camera are questionably the right features to motivate an upgrade from the original Navigator. Wi-Fi would've definitely made a lot more difference.

The new Navigator still has its strong points (excellent pedestrian use) and it still is an impressive GPS-enabled package. One thing must be considered though. During the year that divides the two Navigators, a handful of competing GPS-enabled devices have made a strong claim that leadership in this segment will be much contested. We hate to say it, but the 6210 Navigator will have to find its way through a more hostile environment than its forerunner.

Real PSP mobile phone

Yes it is a real working PSP mobile phone. However, it is not anything official or anything like that. Some really talented guy managed to mod his PSP and integrated what appears to be a HAIER mobile phone with a touchscreen to the back of the PSP. It works, however you lose the UMD drive. Nice job!

Vodafone's 724FM gets FCC approval by way of Huawei

Want an unattractive candybar? Use Vodafone? Can you wait a little while? If you've answered yes to all three of those questions, look no further than the 724FM, a Huawei-sourced piece that has just crossed the FCC's wires on its way to one or more of the megacarrier's networks around the world. There's no indication on when we might see the value-priced (or so we hope) phone come to market, but with a tri-band EDGE radio, Bluetooth, microSD slot, 2 megapixel camera, and a design that only a mother could love, we don't think there's a ton of anxious anticipation building out there.

JCHyun's Udea Discovery PMP / dictionary loves to love you

Looking for a PMP that will be your eyes, ears, mouth, hair and forearms? Perhaps you should gently turn your attention to the JCHyun Udea Discovery -- a device that treads that tremulous space between MP3 player, Tricorder, and utter waste of money. Still, it's kind of packing a lot of heat for the asking price (179,000 KRW, or about $176) -- with 32 dictionaries in 4 languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese), a video player, audio player, handwriting recognition, and an interface that looks like Windows Mobile... but likely isn't. You won't see this in the US anytime soon, so find yourself a good importer.

Kodak's $180 Zi6 HD pocket video camera up for pre-order

There's still a great chance that this thing will completely underwhelm, but those willing to give it a shot without reading so much as a single review can now secure their place in line. For $179.95, to-be owners can pre-order Kodak's Zi6 HD pocket video camera in either pink or black, but there's no mention of how soon it'll ship. Anyone taking the plunge (and willing to admit it)?

Motorola adds EM25, EM28, and EM30 to ROKR series

Moving just a tad downmarket from the mighty morphin' E8, Moto has rolled out three new members of its music-centric ROKR series today: the EM25 slider, EM28 flip, and EM30 candybar. The EM30 probably feels the most familiar, aping the E8's design language but trashing the touch-sensitive wheel for a plain ol' d-pad. It does, however, carry over the E8's so-called ModeShift morphing keypad and features an FM radio with RDS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Windows Media compatibility. The EM28 brings the same style to a clamshell, while the EM25 reps the slider form factor. We're seeing some shots of a T-Mobile branded EM30 in here, too, so it looks like the carrier wants something to slot in right below the E8 in its Moto lineup -- a wise move, considering the E8's considerable expense. Look for the EM30 to launch first in Taiwan (sorry, T-Mob) followed by other markets later in the quarter, while the EM25 and EM28 should launch on a more global scale in the coming weeks.

Sony Ericsson depletes stash of product names, announces slim T700 phone

Yippee, it's T700 day at Sony. First they launched the DSC-T700 digicam, now the T700 cellphone. The T700 candybar is mostly phone though with a smattering of camera just for kicks. We're talking quad-band GSM and UMTS/HSDPA 2100 with 4.5-hours of 3G talk and a 3.2 megapixel camera with cell-id geotagging and photo light. It measures just 10-mm thin with Bluetooth A2DP, stereo speakers, 2-inch TFT LCD, and 512MB of Memory Stick Micro (M2) storage tossed in the box. Available in "select markets" in Q4 for what's expected to be a middling price tag.

Sprint loses fewer customers in Q2 than expected, but just barely

How does that saying go? For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction, right? Well, to that end, Sprint seems to be the "equal and opposite reaction" to AT&T's and Verizon's actions, posting a net subscriber loss and a stable ARPU at a time when its competitors are posting huge net adds and rising ARPUs. Year over year, The Now Network has hemorrhaged 2.1 million customers, 901,000 of whom bolted in this quarter alone in a $344 million vat of red ink; what's worse, it says losses will increase in the next due to a "seasonal uptick in churn." That doesn't really compute, unless Sprint is actively suggesting that people are more likely to leave its network in the third quarter of the year -- but we obviously understand the need to come up with interesting and creative excuses for bad news when it comes to an ugly earnings report. Any way you slice it, the big boys seem to be eating Sprint's lunch at the moment without a clear-cut path to turning the tables. The silver lining, we guess, is that analysts had expected 906,000 customers to bolt, a full 5,000 more than actually left -- but unless those 5,000 are each holding $1 million-per-month accounts, there's not much of a diff there.

iPhone hacker says the device 'calls home' to Apple, allows apps to be remotely disabled

According to iPhone Atlas and iPhone hacker-extraordinaire Jonathan Zdziarski, Apple has readied a blacklisting system which allows the company to remotely disable applications on your device. Apparently, the new 2.x firmware contains a URL which points to a page containing a list of "unauthorized" apps -- a move which suggests that the device makes occasional contact with Apple's servers to see if anything is amiss on your phone. In Jonathan's words:

"This suggests that the iPhone calls home once in a while to find out what applications it should turn off. At the moment, no apps have been blacklisted, but by all appearances, this has been added to disable applications that the user has already downloaded and paid for, if Apple so chooses to shut them down.

I discovered this doing a forensic examination of an iPhone 3G. It appears to be tucked away in a configuration file deep inside CoreLocation."

Now honestly, we don't expect the folks in Cupertino to suddenly start turning off apps that you've paid for and downloaded, but if Apple is indeed monitoring iPhones or touches (even passively) for applications it doesn't want or like, it signals a problem deeper than a company simply wanting to sign-off on software for the device. Even on platforms like Symbian -- which calls for apps to be signed and traceable -- the suggestion that a process of the OS would actively monitor, report on, and possibly deactivate your device's software is unreasonable, and clearly presents an issue that the company will have to deal with sooner or later. Oh, and Apple -- we're not going to buy the "for your security" angle, so don't even bother.

Verizon's BlackBerry Curve, now in pink

For better or worse, it turns out GSM networks aren't the only ones to enjoy the BlackBerry Curve in a decidedly pale shade of red. The pink Curve 8330 has now been confirmed for Verizon, with sales starting as soon as this Friday for $99.99 after rebate on a two-year contract. We still want that mythical near-black version that Sprint had originally showed off, but this has to be a close second. Or third. Or definitely in the top five.

Rogers renames Home Calling Zone to Talkspot

Rogers' in-home WiFi calling service -- think T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home but with more polar bears, poutine, and curling -- never had the most elegant name. "Home Calling Zone" just doesn't roll off the tongue in the way that any marketing department-friendly brand should (not to suggest that "HotSpot @Home" does), and Rogers has acted swiftly to rectify its faux pas by rebranding the service simply "Talkspot." The features and pricing remain the same, as does the two-strong lineup of the BlackBerry Pearl and Nokia 6086, but at least customers will now enjoy a slightly less-awkward experience trying to describe the service to their friends and family.

Nokia N85 hits FCC in two flavors, one with just a touch of North American 3G

We're still trying to figure out exactly how Nokia intends to position the N85 slider in its Nseries lineup, and frankly, the FCC documentation that's been outed for it isn't helping much. Seems there are two versions of the thing: one with no 3G -- likely for China -- and another with WCDMA on the 900, 1900, and 2100MHz frequencies. That little dose of 1900 in there will be enough to give owners partial access to 3G while out 'n about in the colonies, but by and large, the phone appears destined for Europe where 2100 (and to a lesser extent, 900) is the name of the game. Both do quadband EDGE, so at the very least, you'll be able to roam the better part of the globe and get some semblance of coverage -- just don't expect it to be particularly speedy everywhere you go. To be fair, Espoo's been getting pretty good about crafting special versions of its hottest handsets that are ripe for North American use, so we're not giving up hope just yet that there's a third version floating out there.

AT&T certifies Opticon smartphone for compatibility, not beauty

Avert your eyes, average consumers, because Opticon's two new Windows Mobile smartphones are aimed squarely at the business fleet market and they've got spec sheets to match. The H16 is a Windows Mobile 5 -- yes, you read that right, Windows Mobile frickin' 5 Pocket PC phone with EDGE data, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an integrated barcode scanner for the princely sum of $1,195. The H19 meanwhile gets a little bit closer to modern era technology with Windows Mobile 6, WiFi, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, and a barcode scanner, though it shares the H16's lame EDGE radio and stratospheric price tag. The big deal here is that AT&T has officially certified the H16 for use on its network and certification for the H19 is expected (hoped) by September; in other words, corporate brass will be able to rest a little easier knowing that their wireless requisitions aren't considered unsupportable rogues by the carrier -- and with most of those types already at their daily Tums limit, any stress reduction is a good thing.

More countries due to get iPhone 3G in August

Brace yourself: the onslaught is at hand. Last month, in Apple’s Q3 conference call, Tim Cook said that Apple was still on track to roll out the iPhone 3G in 70 countries by the end of the year. Furthermore, he dropped the tantalizing detail that Apple would add an additional twenty countries on August 22nd.

Ah, but what countries, precisely? We have a list of the other fifty or so countries that Apple’s planning on hitting in 2008, but we’re now just starting to get wind of which of those will make the cut on August 22nd, a mere sixteen days from now.

Bloomberg reports that Spain-based Telefonica will be launching the iPhone 3G in eight separate Latin American countries in late August (PDF link): Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay. Reuters, meanwhile, is reporting that cell provider America Movil will also bring the iPhone to several Latin American companies, most of which overlap with Telefonica's, as well as Paraguay and Honduras.

That’s not all for August though: Bhairti Airtel has announced that they'll be launching in India and Vodafone is right on their heels; O2 is adding the Czech Republic to their list; TeliaSonera subsidiary EMT will launch the phone in Estonia; Orange and EraRomaniaregister their interest; Globe Telecom is bringing the iPhone to the Philippines; and T-Mobile will be the official distributor in Hungary. will release the iPhone in Poland; Orange will also roll out the iPhone in where prospective customers can

That brings the total to seventeen countries, meaning that there are three left for August 22nd—plenty for a solid office betting pool. We’ll even throw out the fact that Reuters is reporting that Singapore will be among the final three . Of course, we’ll fill out the list as we get more information. Let the wagers commence.

Sony Ericsson launches Zeemote's JS1 Controller bundle for the W760

Tilt controls might be getting all the fanfare, what with the iPhone and Sony Ericsson's own W760 featuring tilt gaming, but the analog stick still reigns supreme when it comes to getting some actual fragging done. We spotted Zeemote's promising JS1 mobile joystick back at MWC this year, featuring four trigger buttons and an analog nub, but the little Bluetooth controller is finally getting a release. In fact, Sony Ericsson is giving this thing away in the Netherlands, with the purchase of a W760. Sadly, folks who already own a W760, don't live in the Netherlands, or just want a stand-alone JS1 for throwing at people or wedging in small crevices are still out of luck -- still no word on price or release of the thing outside this deal.

TAG Heuer's ritzy Meridiist handset gets unboxed

All but the most affluent among us have likely purged the pricey Meridiist from our memories, but if you've ever wondered what exactly a £2,650 ($5,162) cellphone looks like (and really, who hasn't?), you'll definitely want to check this out. The fine folks over at Stuff were able to point their camera at TAG Heuer's exquisite handset ever-so-briefly, and while the images tell half the story, the folks handling it told the other. The chunky phone reportedly reeked of unnecessary luxury and was built solidly, but we didn't get the impression that they were champing at the bit to call this a bargain. At any rate, there are a few more shots where this one came from (that would be the read link, for the uninitiated).

Nokia / Microsoft working on Zune Marketplace integration?

First things first: open wide and ingest a mouthful of salt. Put away that bitter beer face and down it, we said! Okay, now that you're adequately skeptical, get a load of this. Word on the street has it that Nokia is currently working with Microsoft in order to integrate the Zune Marketplace into the former firm's handsets. No, there's no talk of a Zune Phone here -- no new hardware at all, actually. Instead, it seems the two could be figuring out a way to offer Zune Marketplace content on Nokia's prolific "non-smartphones." Make no mistake, Nokia sells quite a few low-end handsets, and if the Redmond powerhouse could get its material on 'em... well, we're pretty sure you see where this could go. Oh, and we're totally not buying this until N-Gage pops up on the Xbox 360.

Stewart Copeland composes BlackBerry Bold soundtrack with negative effects

You know how Stewart Copeland plays that insanely slick triplet hi-hat part in "Message in a Bottle," and every time you hear it you wonder how it's possible for him to stay so perfectly in time? And you know how his drums fit so perfectly in the pocket with Sting and Andy Summers on pretty much anything The Police ever touched despite the fact they all hated each other? Well, Copeland's "soundtrack" for the BlackBerry Bold -- commissioned by RIM -- should rid you of all of those amazing memories real fast. The drummer provided six ringtones, an alarm sound, and a Bold "theme" for the company's new device, yet not one of them is remotely pleasant to listen to. In a word or two? They stink.

BlackBerry Bold now available -- in Chile

Movistar's Chilean outpost has now become -- somewhat surprisingly, may we add -- the very first carrier in the world to launch the BlackBerry Bold and put it into subscribers' hands. The carrier's making sure everyone knows what a coup they've managed to pull off, too, proudly proclaiming "FIRST ONES IN THE WORLD" with a red banner draped across the Bold's image on Movistar's site. Pricing seems a little high at 299,990 Chilean pesos (about $588) on a two-year contract, but hey, you've gotta pay to play; just how badly do you want to be one of the first people on the face of the planet (John Mayer notably excepted) to put this thing to use?

Motorola VE240 hitting an American carrier near you?

Cellpassion has unearthed a new candybar from Motorola that it claims will find shelter on "a couple" US carriers -- and judging from the "MetroPCS" front and center on the display, we'd tend to agree. The so-called VE240 really isn't much to look at, but it obviously has a music slant and reminds us a bit of the W388 we first saw not long ago with an added bar of bright orange across the front for, oh... excitement and style, we guess? If the MetroPCS bit checks out, it'll be a CDMA handset, so put away those newfangled SIM cards, GSM fanboys and girls.