Going Symbian, ringing Belles and other mobile tales

No, no. It’s not the mysterious blue cocktail that’s making us all feel giddy tonight inside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in lovely, balmy HK. “Us,” meaning tech journalists from Asia, Nokia executives, a couple of DJs and musicians, and me (whatever kind of scribe I am). It’s the latest trio of mobile phones by Nokia that has everyone revved at the cocktail area up with a lovely, calming view of the bright lights across Wanchai.

Nokia Philippines recently invited The STAR and other publications to the launch of the Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600 smartphones powered by the Symbian Belle operating system.

Nokia executive VP and global sales head Colin Giles cannot contain his excitement as he details in his keynote speech how Nokia has spearheaded the mobile explosion around the world.

Giles recalls coming to Hong Kong in 1994 and mobile penetration was pegged at that time at around a lowly five percent. “(The mobile phone then) was big and heavy and you stuck it on the table when you’re eating your dinner.” As a conversation piece, he remarks. A monolithic, bulky status symbol to make voice calls with, nothing more.

He rattles off the facts that speak of the colorful cellular evolution. It sure feels like time-tunneling across the texts of history.

Trends come a-rolling: Nokia executive VP and global sales head Colin Giles (inset) explains, “Nokia, in making innovative products, has connected more than one billion people through voice, text, images, music, tweets and sending status updates.”

How Nokia came out with the 5110 in 1998; then the onslaught of the colored cell-phone casings, which became not just a statement in fashion but a statement in technology as well. How the Short Messaging Service (SMS) allowed for, according to Giles, easy, affordable, non-intrusive ways to communicate beyond voice.

“It’s been nearly 20 years since then, and we’ve all seen a dramatic change. Mobile penetration has exploded to 75 percent in Asia Pacific.” And, mind you, it’s not just about the ownership of the mobile phone, it’s how you use it. Now, he remarks, SMS has become the norm, with the Asia Pacific region setting the pace for the use of the technology. “The Philippines itself has come to be known as the texting capital of the world.”

In India, people listen to an average of 174 songs a month on their Nokia phones, he explains, adding that Indians store an average of up to 660 songs on their devices. Consider this: 400,000 photos are taken with Nokia phones every minute. The minute you read this article, thousands have satiated their desire for the obligatory photo-op. And those photos are shared immediately to friends and family via social networks.

“In Indonesia, 67 percent of browser users use their Nokia smartphones to visit Facebook. Or what about the great game everyone is playing — Angry Birds. More than six million people are playing this game using their Symbian mobile phones. Last week, we announced that the Nokia app store has reached nine million downloads a day.” Thus the brand and its Ovi Store can reach over a hundred million people who are using their Nokia smartphones.

Talk about a revolution. 

For Whom The Belle Tolls

Groove is in the app: At the launch of the new Nokia smartphones powered by the Symbian Belle platform

Nokia’s Symbian product marketing head Vesa Jutila sits down with us with the trio of the brand’s latest mobile beauties and a kick-ass speaker.

Here goes: the Nokia 700 is the most compact touch-screen mono-block smartphone in the world; the Nokia 701 is a sleek and stylish smartphone with the world’s brightest mobile display for indoor or outdoor use; and the Nokia 600 is the brand’s loudest entertainment smartphone. All these models bring a first of sorts to the Nokia product portfolio.

Nokia Philippines corporate communications manager Nikka Abes, who has accompanied us on this Hong Kong sojourn, says that she has no doubt as to why these smartphones will be a hit in the Philippines. “We at Nokia expect these smartphones to appeal to consumers in markets where Symbian is already strong — Nokia is still no. 1 in the Philippines — and to those users who are making their first foray into smartphones, or migrating or upgrading from older devices, including older Nokia devices. All three smartphones contain recognizable Nokia features, and each represent a very distinct set of priorities to allow users to choose what matters most in a smartphone.”

Jutila stresses the performance and usability of the Symbian Belle platform, which he characterizes as the most compliant OS and with the widest language support in the market today.

The multiple layers, the multiple sub-folders to access menus and settings have been streamlined. He says, “So it’s easy to now point at the things you need. This pull-down notification (running his thumb down the surface of the phone) is an example of how we’ve made the most common task easier for the user. Quick buttons also operate the radio. These little things (we’ve incorporated have been the result) of constructive consumer feedback.”

It would seem the mobile scientists at the Nokia HQ are paying attention to how cell-phone users tinker with their hi-tech toys.

“(In creating these new models) we took into consideration the look, feel and the wow factor — as well as the NFC (Near Field Communication) feature,” he explains. You also got fresh-looking icons, the new browser, etc. The Symbian Belle platform is Nokia’s way of upping the ante from its Symbian Anna predecessor. To “level up” in game-speak and street lingo. 

 To amplify: Symbian Belle increases the number of home screens from three to six, providing more room to display applications and services. Live widgets, now come in five different sizes, making the home screens come alive and giving users more flexibility to personalize the user experience. It also includes a pull-down menu and taskbar to access notifications from any of the home screens and further enhancements to the Web browsing experience.

Users can have a swell time with their Fruit Ninja games or WhatsApp messenger service.

Then, says Jutila, you have the NFC pairing and sharing functionality — faster than using manually synchronizing mobile devices. NFC capabilities allow any of the three new smartphones to pair with each other or with NFC-enabled mobile accessories such as speakers or Bluetooth headphones and headsets. 

He does a demo with turquoise-blue sonic accessory he’s lugging around. One tap and — presto! — out comes music from his mobile phone and into the speaker. Something funky and driving. Users can also do it with photos and business cards, tap and unlock additional levels in Angry Birds or find a hidden blade in Fruit Ninja, or tap and compete with friends in a common game (say, Asphalt 5). The possibilities are endless. Lots of apps and devices that make use of the NFC technology are in the pipeline, he assures.

“It goes back to the Nokia credo of connecting people,” Jutila concludes.

Sipping blue cocktail. Music slendering from a blue speaker. Three new Nokia mobile phones to tinker with on this velvety Hong Kong night.

Revolutionarily cool.

* * *

The Nokia 700 and the Nokia 701 are available at leading Nokia stores nationwide. For information on the latest news, visit http://swipe.nokia.com.