Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

Besides being quite a handy portal to the internet while you’re out and about, Nokia’s 770 Internet Tablet is about to acquire some navigation functionality as well, thanks to an upcoming hardware and software suite from Navicore. Called the Nokia Navigation Kit, this bundle will include the Navicore Personal 2007 software, an unspecified Bluetooth GPS receiver, and a car-mount rig, priced at €199; for the equivalent of $248, you’re getting TeleAtlas- and Navteq-based maps of continental Europe and the UK, although if you live elsewhere in the world (like we do), you’ll have to shell for additional street-level map packs. Since Navicore’s software will also run in UIQ 3, it can presumably be used on other S60- and S80-powered devices to boot. Not content with giving love to just Nokia owners, Navicore has also released a Bluetooth receiver that will work with any smartphone or laptop equipped with the proper software, giving you the power of SiRFstar III in a 30-gram package. You can check out the diminutive receiver after the break, although since it’s really just a rebadge of Holux’s GPSlim 240, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen it before…

 

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Filed under: Handhelds

As promised, Nokia has just posted the Internet Tablet 2006 operating system for download -- although as of this writing you get redirected to an error page -- giving 770 owners access to those handful of new features announced last month. You'll recall that instead of dropping a QWERTY-equipped version of the tablet as we were hoping/expecting, Nokia disappointed more than a few fans by only unveiling a software upgrade that adds an on-screen keyboard along with the Google Talk client. Even worse, Nokia warns that "installed applications designed for OS 2005 will not be compatible with OS 2006 edition and will not be restored even from backup," so kiss your old apps goodbye if you're planning on upgrading. Still, current 770 owners will probably want to take plunge just so they can run programs developed exclusively for the new OS, and hopefully the software 'board will suffice until Nokia takes our advise and changes up the input style in the next generation of WiMax- and webcam-sporting tablets.

[Thanks, Alessandro Z.]

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