I don't have any specific sales figures, but my guess is that the 6110 hasn't been the choice of many (at least as a smartphone, and not a Personal Navigation Device). It was a very interesting first attempt phone from Nokia (in the Navigator-branded line), however it was let down by the camera, the size-to-features ratio, and even, to some extent, by the inclusion of Route 66 navigation software instead of Nokia's own Maps application. And this was, if you care for an educated guess, probably because Nokia started developing the 6110 Navigator and/or had licensed the 66 software for this phone before they acquired Gate5 (makers of the later-to-be-renamed-into-Nokia-Maps Smart2Go software).
Now, whereas the 6110 Navigator represented a niche of navigation-focused smartphones, the 6210 Navigator will bring this concept to the mainstream, not in small part aided by...well its branding (Navigator) and its predecessor's (I mean the 6210, not the 6110 Navigator!) success and 'number-awareness', if I may call it that.
Why?
- It has the looks.
- The camera is something to write home about.
- The size-to-features ratio is (this time) very good.
- Nokia Maps 2.0 (which will be the default navigation software) is one of the most advanced, fully-featured and easy to use pieces of navigation software on the market even in beta stage (which it currently is in - rest assured that when the 6210 Navigator will ship, it will be a final release).
- S60 3rd Edition FP2 will add a lot of usability improvements to S60, more eye-candy, and will make devices based on it a lot easier for novices to use.
The camera is probably the unit also found in the N73 and the N78 (although apparently without the Carl Zeiss branding), as its specs are identical to that: 3.2 MP autofocus, LED flash, 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution video recording at 15fps.
There are no less than three HSDPA/GSM radio versions, meaning that the whole world is covered (by one of its versions, at least). Which is exciting news for those in the US and Canada, for example.
The screen has a 2.4 inch diagonal, 16 million colour-reproduction, and may as well be the unit used on the N82. A very welcome refresh from the 6110 Navigator, this screen (together with the S60 Browser as it will be improved for FP2) guarantees high quality web browsing and image viewing.
The 6210 Navigator also features an accelerometer, a slightly surprising choice at first glance (since the higher-end-branded N78 doesn't have one). But it all makes sense when learning about its use to rotate the screen as you rotate the phone in the Pedestrian mode of Maps 2.0, so that the direction you're heading always stays at the top. And with the tons of accelerometer-based freeware applications out there (some of which can also be found on the Freeware section of Ssixty.info), you're sure to enjoy this feature to the fullest.
The battery, as with the N96, might prove to be a headache, since it only has 950 mAh cappacity, but Nokia keep promising that software power-consumption optimisations in S60 3rd Edition FP2 will make you think you have a much bigger battery. We'll just have to see about that.
Because this isn't necessarily a music-oriented device, a standard 3.5 mm audio jack is not present, instead what it has is a 2.5 mm one. If you are keen on music and would like to listen to music on your own, third-party headphones, you can always buy a 2.5 mm-to-3.5 mm adapter. They're very cheap and can be found in almost any electronics store. The quality of music output from this device has to be at least on par with the N95 in my opinion, which is good enough for 99% of the users.
So what exactly is this device after all?
It's a Personal Navigation Device and a very capable (both hardware- and software-wise) smartphone, at the price of (just) a smartphone. If you're into PNDs and smartphones, why not join the two worlds?
Full specs here.
More pictures here.
Hands-on video here.
