Nokia four-play

Nokia expanded this week its portfolio of mobile phones for the second and third quarters with four new models for the entry-level, mid-range and the high-end categories.

The entry-level Nokia 6101 camera phone made its press debut together with the 6230i and 6030 mid-range models as well as the high-end 6680 imaging phone in a press luncheon held at The Manila Peninsula.

Nokia 6101

"The Nokia 6101 is an intuitive, easy-to-use fold phone with a compelling feature set. Its classic, sophisticated design nicely blends in with all situations during a busy day," says Parikshit Bhasin, country general manager of Nokia Phils. "For operators, the Nokia 6101 offers broad customization options, including its own branded menu icons, service access as well as customized wallpapers and wake-up graphics."

The tri-band Nokia 6101 boasts an easy-to-use menu structure. Its built-in VGA camera with a dedicated button takes colorful video and pictures that can be shared via MMS or uploaded to an online photo album or printing service.

Featuring two bright color displays, the Nokia 6101 can be personalized with animated wallpapers and screensavers. The external color display shows incoming calls, time and date, while the internal screen displays favorite images or a busy social calendar.

The Nokia 6101 camera phone also introduces a new feature, Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging, which enables users to record and send a voice message to others over the GPRS network. With this feature, users can send their audio message and share it with others. Once a message has been received, it can be stored in the phone and played when desired.

Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging complements the 6101’s Push-to-Talk (PTT) technology, which allows users to connect to others over GPRS, similar to using a walkie-talkie. Several operators worldwide have introduced PTT services for consumers. The Nokia 6101 is expected to start shipping in the second quarter of 2005.

Nokia 6230i and 6030

Bolstering the mid-range are the 6230i and 6030 models. The Nokia 6230i adds a 1.3-megapixel camera and Push-to-Talk functionality to the highly popular Nokia 6230.

"The Nokia 6230i is the successor to one of the most popular camera phones Nokia has brought to the marketplace. With the 6230i, we are offering a broader feature set in the same classic design. We made a great phone even better, explains Bhasin.

The 6230i’s high-resolution screen (208 x 208 pixels) is an ideal backdrop for rich multimedia content. It displays colorful pictures taken by the built-in 1.3-megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom. The video recorder of the Nokia 6230i allows users to record video of up to one hour, based on the storage of the MMC card included in the package.

The 6230i also has a built-in stereo music player which supports several digital music formats, such as MP3, MP4 and AAC. Now, favorite tunes from a CD library can easily be converted via the Nokia PC Suite and loaded directly onto the phone. An FM radio with Visual Radio nicely rounds up the audio features of the Nokia 6230i. It also has Push-to-Talk functionality.

The value-leader Nokia 6030, on the other hand, has easy messaging functionality and very good ergonomics. The color screen displays incoming multimedia messages with images from friends or family. It’s got alarm and calendar functions as well as a built-in FM radio, personalized wallpapers and ringtones. The Nokia 6230i is expected to start shipping in the second quarter, and the 6030, in the third quarter.

Nokia 6680

Expected to be commercially available this month, the high-end, 3G-compatible Nokia 6680 imaging phone is optimized for visual sharing, boasting no less than two integrated cameras, a flash, and a bright screen of up to 262,144 colors. The active slide covering the back camera of the Nokia 6680 provides fast and intuitive camera activation as well as effortless switching between cameras during a video call.

A wide range of imaging features, including organizer, video streaming and Internet browser, are complemented by 3G-enabled features such as two-way video calls, video sharing and always-on e-mail. Based on the leading smartphone Series 60 platform, the quad-band phone for GSM 900/1800/1900, EDGE and WCDMA networks offers seamless roaming in over 100 countries around the world.

"The Nokia 6680 imaging phone is the next step in mobile convergence, offering instant communications in an attractively styled, slim form," says Bhasin. "The Nokia 6680 conveys a new era of multimedia device experiences by combining smartness and computer power, making visual and voice communication truly more manageable." In addition to two-way video calling functionality, which enables remote video conferencing, the Nokia 6680 also provides for video sharing.

The 6680’s always-on e-mail supports office document viewers and various types of attachments (JPEG, MP3, PPT, DOC, XLS, PDF). Its HTML browser brings Web access in a pocketable format, and calendar information, contacts and tasks can be easily synchronized with compatible PCs.

In addition to the integrated VGA camera (640 x 480 pixels) at the front of the device, the Nokia 6680 also incorporates a 1.3-megapixel camera (1280 x 960 pixels) on its rear. Capturing images is easier than ever with the slide-and-shoot functionality, where the camera is activated by simply opening the slide.

Featuring a large bright active matrix color display with automatic brightness control, the 6680’s smooth 6x digital zoom, integrated LED-based flash and high-quality lens provide for sharp images. Users can even select from various color tones when capturing images, including sepia, negative and black and white.

Nokia’s XpressPrint makes producing great prints as well as e-mails and organizer information easier than ever. With XpressPrint, users can print directly from the 133-gram 6680 using a range of compatible home or office printers or photo kiosks found in retail stores. In printing via PictBridge, the handset is connected directly to a compatible printer via a USB cable. XpressPrint also allows for wireless printing over Bluetooth wireless technology. Furthermore, the RS-MMC card can conveniently be extracted from the side of the phone and inserted into a compatible printer for easy mobile printing.