Quote: His sentiment is echoed by executives at Nokia, the world’s largest mobile handset manufacturer. Nicholas Savander, the company’s vice president and director of services and programs, ruled out the option, explaining that the Finnish firm has already invested an enormous amount of time and money to develop GPS applications for its handsets. “There’s no way to even discuss this issue now,” he says. “We’ve recently launched the second generation of Nokia’s Smart Maps application designed primarily on GPS. This application [offers] maps of cities, restaurants, malls and recreation venues.”

Over 40 percent of all handsets produced by Nokia within the next two years will support GPS-based applications. Savander says it is absurd to consider reversing course at this point. “Who would regress to meet the demands of markets that refuse to keep up with progress when we’re moving at a fast pace towards developing and devising new technologies?”