Nokia 330 Auto Navigation Review - Performance
(Page 4 of 4 )
The performance of the 330 is good but not great; it falls a bit short of its competitors like the Garmin Nuvi 350 and the TomTom One. The 330 takes about 2 or 3 minutes to power up and get a satellite signal; the speed depends mainly on weather conditions or your current location. The 330 holds a good signal in most situations, although it sometimes drops the signal for a moment. This problem doesn't happen that often, and is pretty common in GPS units. For the most part, you can expect the Nokia 330 to get you from point A to point B without any problems with the device, even when you are driving near skyscrapers or through dense forests for example.
The directions seem to be very accurate in this unit. The processor in this unit is very good, and you can expect to get accurate routes in a minimal amount of time. As mentioned earlier, the voice function is a bit unrefined. I think that Nokia will address this issue in future GPS models. With the 330 being Nokia's first GPS unit, it almost seems like it is a test unit that will be used to see what works and what doesn't, and then that information will be taken into consideration for future models. In other words, users of the 330 are almost like consumer test subjects for Nokia and will help them improve their product. I think that Nokia is smart by doing this, because it is very a very effective way of improving a product.
Overall, I think most people would be satisfied with the performance of the Nokia 330. I would not buy this unit based upon performance alone, though, because there are much better and more refined GPS units already available on the market in the same price range as the 330. Unless you are a die-hard Nokia fan, it would be wise to check out other units which perform better than the 330.
Summary
The Nokia 330 auto navigation GPS unit is a good starting point for a company like Nokia which is new to the world of portable GPS units. Nokia has to go back to the drawing board to figure out a way to overtake the bigger GPS companies out there today, and I think that they have the capability to do so. After all, they were able to rise to the top in the cell phone market.
The Nokia 330 offers the user good features including the built-in music player, video player, and picture viewer. The design of the 330 is great, and the LCD touch-screen is bright and colorful. The unit is small and lightweight, which is essential in portable GPS units. The performance of the 330 is sufficient, but it needs to be improved upon in future models in order to compete with similar models by Garmin and Magellan.
It is hard for me to recommend this GPS unit when there are better units available on the market today. The street price of the 330 is currently around $400, which is a decent price but you can get more for your money in today's GPS market. For about $299, you can purchase the TomTom One which is a better all-around GPS unit for $100 less than the Nokia 330. Although Nokia is not strong competition in the portable GPS market, they have the capability to become a strong competitor in the next two or three years with future models. I like the fact that Nokia is entering the GPS market, because that means that with more competition the prices of GPS units in the next few years should drop significantly.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
