Nokia 6710 Navigator

Available now
16th February 2009

The latest phone in Nokia's Navigator range is the Nokia 6710 Navigator, the follow-up to the existing Nokia 6210 Navigator.

It's an impressive, but not altogether surprising, upgrade to the 6210. The new 6710 has a larger screen, better camera and longer battery life, and at €300 it is cheaper than the 6210 was when it was launched.

The 2.6" 240 x 320 pixel display has been optimized for outdoors use with a light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the display depending on the environment it is in.

Nokia's mapping and navigation solution has been upgraded, and comes with a dedicated key on the 6710 Navigator. Navigation has also been integrated with Ovi, allowing easy synchronisation between a PC and the phone. The navigation system now supports pedestrians as well as motorists, and included satellite images and points of interest, real-time traffic and other features (some of which require a subsription). The 6710 also comes with full voice guidance.

The phone itself is a pretty capable Symbian S60 smartphone with 3.5G support and WiFi. All the usual Nokia smartphone features are here, plus a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and Carl Zeiss optics on the back.

Regional maps are preloaded onto the supplied 2GB memory card, and the 6710 Navigator can function as a personal navigation device without having a SIM card inserted. Also included in the standard sales package is a Nokia CR-111 car holder, so the 6710 can be safely mounted inside a vehicle.

The fundamental flaw with the Nokia 6710 Navigator is the lack of a touchscreen. Trying to change anything on the phone while you are in a car is going to be much more difficult (and dangerous) than even a cheap dedicated SatNav unit. Bear in mind that you can get a TomTom One for about €110, and that will be much easier to use on the move.

This is a quad-band GSM phone with support for tri-band UMTS (depending on region). Both HSDPA and HSUPA high-speed data is supported, and the 6710 Navigator also has WiFi.

As well as a Nokia multimedia player, the 6710 comes with an FM radio and 3.5mm audio socket.

If you want one of these, then you will have a little while to wait as Nokia say that the 6710 Navigator will be out in Q3 2009. Two available colours are "titanium" and "brown" although there may be others available, and the handset should cost around €300 before tax and subsidy.