A place to explore, live, achieve and connect. That was the main slogan for the annual Nokia World event this year. The major event held the past three days was the best way of experiencing the mobile future of the upcoming year.
A place to explore, live, achieve and connect. That was the main slogan for the annual Nokia World event this year. The major event held the past three days was the best way of experiencing the mobile future of the upcoming year.
Nokia showed around 2.300 attendees their latest line-up with mobile devices, services and network solutions. NewMobile was invited and will address a short final sum-up including the latest information from the event.
Relating devices one of the main subjects for NewMobile, Nokia introduced four new devices including three mid-end models and the one entry-level device. Next to these models all the newly introduced products were showcased; such as the new N-series Music Edition models, the Nokia 5500 Sport Music Edition, the XpressMusic models and the ultimate Multimedia computer; the N95. Not all the devices will be discussed here. Only the four introduced mobile phones and the highly anticipated N95 will be discussed as an extra.
Nokia 2626
First the newly introduced models! Let's start with the Nokia 2626. A new entry-level model builds on the basis of the Nokia 2610 and equipped with new themes, looks and a stereo FM-radio. The cheapest Nokia fashion device is available in five new colors; red, blue, pink, brown and white. For more information, pictures or videos of the new 2626 check out the phone page of the new device.
Nokia 6086
The second device is the new 6086. Based on the 6085 the new device shows UMA technology in a small clamshell package. The new Nokia member is equipped with an internal antenna, VGA camera, Wifi and UMA technology and a 262.000 color display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels. The mid-end model will be introduced on markets where UMA technology is available. An example of UMA technology is the Orange Livebox where you use the wireless Livebox system. It will connect your mobile phone at home and will enhance indoor calls.
For more information, pictures or videos of the new 6086 check out the phone page of the new device.
Nokia 6300
The slim Nokia 6300 is the third device within this sum-up and one of the slimmest ever introduced by the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer. The 2.0 Mpixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo audio support, 16.000.000 color display with QVGA resolution, MicroSD card slot and stereo FM-radio complete the whole package.
The device is equipped with a stainless steel frame but lacks a strong design statement which is highly needed in this current market. The special lights on both sides of the device will light up when an incoming call or message is received. A nice extra feature added to this mid-end product.
For more information, pictures or videos of the new 6300 check out the phone page of the new device.
Nokia 6290
The latest Symbian smartphone from Nokia is the 6290; a mid-end segment clamshell. Introduced last Tuesday and shown on the Nokia World event, the first hands-on experiences were given to the attendees. The large clamshell which will be available in two colors contains stereo speakers on both sides, internal 262.000 color display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution, 2.0 Mpixel camera with flash, MicroSD memory card, stereo FM-radio, 3G/UMTS and video call capabilities and a Symbian v9.1 operating system with Series 60 3rd Edition user interface.
All these options give the user an experience for a mid-end price, but in a bulky and large device which will have a hard time competing other products within this segment. The smartphone capabilities need to be a driving part of the sales in stead of the 6290 looks. Those are not the best currently in this market space.
For more information, pictures or videos of the new 6290 check out the phone page of the new device.
Nokia N95
Finally we would discuss the new Nokia N95. Highly anticipated by a lot of users and especially mentioned here for those users. The new device shown to us by Nokia is far from ready. First indications about the release see March/April 2007. There is a long way to go before the new multimedia computer is ready to ship.
However that does not leave the fact that Nokia wants to show off, especially with this new product. New information was given about the new GPS software package for on-route car or pedestrian navigation. The N95 has a build-in GPS receiver which is linked to the software originated from the company Gate5. The application looks quite familiar to Google Maps. The first picture is a globe showing earth and a small square indicating the current location.
The application will zoom in when the current location is known and people can start navigating. Entering a route and checking the route is free of charge. Really downloading map data or voice instructions needs a special contract with the phone for a period of a week, a month, half a year, one year or three years. A decision hard to explain to any user currently. Pricing will be 10 Euros per month and 70 Euros per three years, which is rather low, questionable and not the final price in our opinion. Billing is conducted via Premium SMS services or credit card.
The application does not offer a large amount of options. Sending a destination by SMS or choosing between on-route car or pedestrian navigation are the most special ones. The package has not got the extensive options available in corresponding packages from TomTom, Route66 and Wayfinder. All these packages shall be available for the new N95 and will give more value for money and enhance the experience of GPS navigation. Something you will miss with the standard software.
Other issues that need to be addressed are the absence of USB charging via the mini-USB port inside the N95, the flash which is comparable to the N73 flash and the build quality which is quite ok for pre-release models. The most elaborated topic is the battery power of the new device. The standard battery will be the 950 mAh battery. We expect that with normal usage two days of standby time will be possible without extensive use of Wifi, HSDPA, GPS receiver or the 5.0 Mpixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics.
For more information, new comparison pictures or videos of the new N95 check out the phone page of the new device.
Nokia network solutions and services
With respect to network solutions and several new services Nokia showed some new products that leverage the possibilities of IP to expand operators' service portfolios, while keeping full control over their network usage. Thanks to IP, Rich Calls can include Voice over IP (VoIP) calls, Video Sharing, video calls, instant messaging, presence, file sharing, and other multimedia services. With the Nokia Communication Suite, users can make and receive VoIP calls and other Rich Calls from their PCs using their existing mobile number. Calls to their mobile number can be answered with either their mobile or PC softphone.
Next to this Nokia and Yahoo! have extended their partnership to offer Yahoo! branded services including Yahoo! Mail and Messenger on Nokia's wide range of mobile phones operating on the Series 40 platform. Yahoo! services will initially be available on the newly announced Nokia 6300, the Nokia 5300 XpressMusic and the Nokia 5200. Moving forward these services and the ability to synchronize Yahoo! contacts, tasks and calendar on the PC and phone will be added to an even wider range of Nokia's Series 40 devices.
Yahoo! services for Nokia Series 40 mobile phones include:
Yahoo! Mail
Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Personal Information Management
The market expected a launch of new E-series or Communicator products at Nokia World 2006, but those have been delayed until the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. More information about those devices shall be given around the introduction in February 2007.