Nokia Speeds Up GPS For Cell Phones

by Darren

Nokia has announced new technology that will speed up GPS tracking of cell phones, which should open the door to many more applications.

Nokia hopes the service, available for people who own its flagship N95 smart phones, will cut the start-up time to one minute, from up to three minutes currently. The slowness has so far hampered interest in cell phone navigation.

“It will be reliably under one minute in most countries,” said Ralph Eric Kunz, head of Nokia’s navigation and mapping operations.

Handset makers see GPS (Global Positioning System) as one of the next big “value-adds.”

Right now, only the expensive N95 will have the technology, but Nokia plans a major rollout to many of its least expensive models in the next few years.