Navigation is the next target of cell phone industry
HELSINKI (Reuters) - After hitting alarm clock makers and camera manufacturers, the cell phone industry has a new target -- personal navigation device makers. Handset makers see navigation as one of the next major value-adding offerings and even at this very early stage, analysts say the annual market for phone navigation is worth hundreds of millions of euros. While a few years ago personal navigation device makers like Dutch TomTom shrugged off possible rivalry from the handset industry, they have now acknowledged the potential risk to their business. Reuters Pictures Photo The world's top handset maker Nokia started to sell its first navigation phone Nokia N95 a month ago, and other top vendors are expected to follow shortly, hoping to make 2007 the breakthrough year for cell phone navigation. The N95, with a 700-euro price tag , is not in reach of the masses despite first reports showing strong sales, but the Finnish firm aims to bring GPS positioning chips to a wide array of ...