If you’re a total doofus when it comes to finding your way around unfamiliar surroundings – and you’re sick of telling her for the fiftieth time “you’re not sure” if you’re headed the right way – Nokia’s new 6210 Navigator might well be the light that finally guides your steps out of directional oblivion.

The Navigator is by all intents and purposes a mobile phone, but as you would have already guessed by its moniker, the device is also your very own pocket direction-finding system. How? This nifty handset is GPS-enabled, features the Nokia Maps 2.0 application and sports an integrated compass. The best part is that you don’t need to insert a SIM card to use the device as a navigation tool.

Combined with an ‘accelerometer’ that measures changes in direction and orientation, the built-in compass makes it a breeze to follow the map when strolling about on foot. (The map automatically maintains its orientation even if you turn the device around.) Nokia Maps 2.0 plots the quickest route to your destination and illustrates it on-screen, while high-speed 3.5G connectivity enables additional information about your destination  – such as its phone number or web address – accessible with a click.

The Navigator supports “assisted GPS”, which is supposed to enable a hook-up with orbiting satellites in seconds. While maps of Singapore and Malaysia are pre-loaded on the 1GB microSD memory card, users can purchase multimedia city guides from content providers via Nokia Maps for a fee. Another option is to download additional map areas for free via the Nokia Map Loader.

Drivers can use the device too: vehicle course-plotting is simple with the pre-installed one-touch navigation system, full voice guidance and self-mount car kit. If the driver makes a wrong turn, the device automatically plans a new route.

The Navigator also features a 3.2 megapixel camera, media player and stereo FM radio. Other extras include 6-months live navigation and a free download of eight songs (or one album) from the Nokia Music Store.

According to Nokia, the 6210 Navigator was launched to address the “rapidly growing” market for mobile navigation devices. We don’t know if this signals a worrying trend of more people starting to get disoriented, but if all personal navigation devices worked this well, we’d have no complaints whatsoever.

From September 2008 issue of Men's Health Singapore