Nokia fresh

In a show of force that underscored their dominance of the mobile phone market, Nokia Philippines held a media roundtable at the Mandarin Oriental last Wednesday to present its recent business results, future business plans and a veritable armory of full-featured phones that will make their debuts over the next three months with a few just recently made available.

With camera phones in staggeringly high demand, the majority of new Nokia handsets will offer VGA cameras all the way to the powerful two- and three-megapixel units, meeting the expectations of the ever more demanding picture-taker.

Leading the pack of powerful imaging devices is the Nokia N80, with its three-megapixel camera, capture key for fast and stable camera activation, full-screen landscape capture utilizing the entire available high-definition display, and a dedicated close-up mode switch.

It’s the first ever handset to enable seamless home media networking between compatible TVs, audio systems and PCs. Weighing 134 grams, the compact yet feature-rich quad-band 3G multimedia device provides fast Internet access and intuitive browsing as well as the possibility to send and receive e-mails at wireless LAN (WLAN) speeds almost anywhere in the world.

"A multimedia computer that genuinely enriches people’s lives with connected, mobile multimedia experiences, the Nokia N80 is the size of a stack of business cards," said Parikshit Bhasin, country general manager of Nokia Philippines.

"The technological leadership of Nokia N-series comes together in the Nokia N80, offering people a new, unparalleled experience of enjoying media in the living room by just using the Nokia N80," Bhasin added.

The Nokia N80 incorporates a large internal memory of up to 40 MB, which can be further expanded with a hot swap miniSD card of up to 2GB, allowing users to store up to 1,000 high-quality images or videos on the device. It even plays stereo FM and is Visual Radio-enabled.

Also from the N-series is the N71, a two-megapixel 3G camphone which has many of the N80’s features but with a notable emphasis on music.

In addition to a five-band equalizer, the N71 has a slot for a miniSD card of up to 2GB, which can store up to 1,500 songs.

The music experience can be further enhanced by the in-box Nokia Audio Adapter, which enables users to listen to the device’s digital music player or stereo FM radio through standard stereo headphones.

And with the separately available Nokia Audio Cable, users can also plug the N71 into a compatible home stereo system for stereo playback.

Speaking of music, Nokia also threw the spotlight on two much-awaited handsets – the N91 and the 3250 twist-and-swivel phone – both featuring easy drag-and-drop management of audio files via USB connectivity.

The N91 is the world’s first handset to feature a 4GB hard disk which can store up to 3,000 songs, has dedicated music keys, and features an integrated 3.5mm stereo headset jack, while the FM radio-equipped Nokia 3250 (which has a two-megapixel camera) supports microSD memory cards of up to 2GB.

To deliver the best audio quality possible, Nokia has worked together with leading audio brands such as Bose and Sennheisser to provide an amazing mobile jukebox.

The 3250 supports a wide array of digital music formats such as MP3, WMA, M4A and AAC, making it easy to load and transfer music. Additionally, songs can be downloaded over-the-air and favorite songs can be set as ringtones.

On the enterprise handset end, Nokia announced the addition of new business-optimized devices. The E61 and E70 – the first of the new Nokia Enterprise devices – are distinctively different in design and allow businesses of all sizes to mobilize their workforce.

Nokia Enterprise devices combine attractive and easy-to-use designs with technologies that allow IT departments to effectively manage security settings, corporate applications and data.

The devices are designed to accommodate must-have mobile applications needed in today’s business world like mobile e-mail and advanced voice calling functions.

The Nokia E61 and Nokia E70 support today’s most popular and newly announced corporate mobile e-mail solutions like BlackBerry Connect, GoodLink, Nokia Business Center, Seven Mobile Mail, Seven Always-On Mail and Visto Mobile.

The E61 and E70 are built on the latest edition of the Series 60 Platform running on Symbian OS v. 9.1. They include a variety of GSM frequencies and 3G (WCDMA) cellular network support for seamless roaming across different countries, as well as a range of local connectivity options such as WLAN, Bluetooth and infrared and are USB 2.0-compatible.

The E61 and E70 also feature superior voice functionality and quality when compared to other devices that combine PDA-like features with a mobile phone.

The devices support advanced voice services, such as Internet (VoIP) phone calls, push-to-talk (PTT), and other SIP-based rich call services.

Companies deploying an Avaya or Cisco IP PBX can connect the new Nokia devices directly to their corporate phone networks, enabling functions employees have come to expect from a corporate network like four-digit dialing and assisted call answering.

Despite the emphasis on imaging, music and business phones, Nokia didn’t forget its "classic" lineup composed of the stylish quad-band 6131 which has an innovative folding design and extensive feature set (including a 1.3-megapixel camera, a music player, a hot-swappable microSD memory card, PTT-capability, and a stunning 16-million color display) and the affordable classically styled 6070 which offers basic camera capabilities.

Also showcased was the sleek 3G-enabled stainless steel-bodied 6233 with a two-megapixel camera. With 3G, users can download the latest business news as well as sports highlights of the game they missed.

They can also upload and download large files quickly, including downloadable games, videos or MP3 or AAC ringtones.

Music lovers can connect a pair of headphones and scan through their favorite music albums, thanks to the 6233’s hot-swappable microSD memory card support of up to 2GB.

A Visual Radio client and built-in stereo speakers offering 3D sound complement the audio experience.

The new Nokia phones will cater to the subtly different lifestyle needs and preferences of mobile consumers in the mid-tier segment.

Last but not least is the unique 6708, a compact business device featuring pen-based, touch-screen input and English/simplified-Chinese language handwriting recognition.

It’s a fully integrated smartphone that offers advanced voice features, a large screen, and enough memory to support office and multimedia applications including Personal Information Management and Internet browsing.

The Nokia 6708 uses a pen-based touch-screen user interface allowing users to quickly write in simplified Chinese text, and conveniently access the phone’s features.

The pen input is perfect for writing English and simplified Chinese characters, either by using the full display screen to write in continuous strokes or use the virtual keyboard to touch-type messages and data.

The touch-screen is 2.66 inches wide, and has been designed to give optimal access to key features and add-on applications.

The 6708 provides an integrated solution to users seeking mobile access to their most important business tools.

The phone supports POP3/IMAP4/SMTP e-mail protocols with attachments. It also balances work and play with its entertainment features including music player, video player, games, and a 1.3-megapixel camera with anti-shake and multi-shot features.