"There are so many new phones that we are going to see tonight," assures Parikshit Bhasin, country general manager of Nokia Philippines, who had come with the Philippine media group for this event. Of course, PB himself was a prototype 8910.
Being the cell phone addict that I am, I made a bid for the phone. "That’s too small," PB jokingly tells me. "But you can test it now if you want."
I grab the opportunity. The 8910, which was launched earlier this year, is a phone that any lover of elegant phones would die for. And, if you like the 88 series phones, like the 8850 or 8890, you will love this phone even more.
For starters, the 8910 has a titanium casing and has these two neat buttons which, when pressed, lower the front cover thus revealing a slim keypad. And that’s just the looks.
"OK, that’s enough," says PB. "You have to see what Nokia has here." PB informs me that the 8910 will be available in the Philippines in the second quarter of this year and promises that Nokia will make all their phones "affordable". (Hey, mate, better jot that down!)
I hesitantly let go of the phone, even if I hadn’t been able to try out all the interesting features that the phone had.
"Asia-Pacific is an important region for Nokia because three of our 10 biggest markets in the world are located in Asia, China, Philippines and Thailand," added Andersson.
But Nokia is not just offering phones with cutting edge technology, but also phones "that will meet lifestyle needs and are also an expression of people’s individuality." This is how Andersson described the phones that Nokia launched in Melbourne, but more importantly, the phones that it will launch in the future, too.
"You are going to have to save a lot of money this year," PB told me. "There are so many new phones coming out and I am sure that you will want to try out each one of them."
While the orchestra continued to play, Jenina Alli, managing editor of Preview magazine, asked me: "Who do you think the main performer for tonight will be?"
"Beats me," I replied.
Then – "Ladies and gentlemen you are invited to set your eyes on Nokia’s latest innovations. I trust you will enjoy the rest of the evening with Nokia," the evening’s host announces.
With each dessert station, a Nokia phone was displayed. These we were allowed to handle to our hearts’ delight (we could also have as much dessert as we wanted). I really thought that heaven had come to Melbourne.
First stop: Ice cream and the 7210.
Anyone who sees the Nokia 7210 will be drawn by its colorful and very fashion-forward looks. I choose the red one. It takes some time before I become familiar with the keypad because it’s laid out a little differently from the other Nokia phones. The phone is light, yet sturdy to the touch. The high-resolution color display is really fantastic. Did I tell you that the phone is tri-band, plays high-quality sound with polyphonic ringing tones as well as the original tones any Nokia phone user is familiar with? Wallpaper, color graphics, pictures and game packs make the phone one of the must-haves on my list. There are eight Xpress on color options so that the phone can really be personalized.
Having had my fill of the 7210, I approach the ice cream counter and ask for a cup of coffee ice cream. Perfect combination. The 7210 will be available in the region in the 3rd quarter of this year.
Next stop: Chocolate and the 3510.
This is a young person’s phone, no doubt about it. In the tradition of the 33-series phones, the 3510 is similarly styled. This time, the phones were hanging from the ceiling and since the people in Melbourne were tall I had to tiptoe and tug the line a bit before I could finally get a good grip on the phone.
Personalizing the Nokia is beginning to become a habit for Nokia, knowing how choosy their markets can be. So it seems that it has become a standard feature to be able to personalize not just the ringtone, but also the message tone. The Xpress-on covers are another feature that makes the Nokia unique.
Texters will easily fall in love with the 3510 because of its relatively large keypad. I tried typing messages using the keypad – it was fun and really easy. Aside from the ringtones where one can choose from 29 musical instruments and 14 percussions, of which 4 notes can be played simultaneously, it’s the games that were really interesting. There are five new games – kart racing, dance 2 music, space impact II, bumper and link5 with polyphonic background music and sound effects that enhance the playing of the game.
I try out the kart racing, but since I am such a lousy cell phone game player, it took me so long to figure out the rules of the game. But I like the four-way scroll key which makes it a little easier to play the game, but unfortunately not even that could make me a better player. There are also glow in the dark Xpress on covers and Active covers with lights effects that flash to the rhythm of a ringing tone. This phone will be out by the 2nd quarter of the year.
By this time, playing all the games and listening to the tones put me in the mood for more dessert. Off to the chocolate trays I went. There were coffee filled, chocolate filled, solid chocolate and even coconut filled chocolates. I had my fill but I kept away from the chocolates that were colored violet (wouldn’t you?).
Last stop: Cake and the 9210.
I must tell you that this table is filled with people in business suits who look like they are techies in the truest sense of the word. The 9210i or Communicator, as it is commonly called, has new applications and an enlarged memory capacity. (Perhaps they heard about the complaints of the first owners of the 9210 about the phone having a tendency to hang). I watched as a young man gave a free demo.
"This phone has a new web browser which supports JAVA scripts, a Flash player and a RealOne Player enabling real time video and audio viewing," he said. "So what we have here is a good phone made even better."
I did not get a chance to handle a 9210i that night because there were more people who were using the phones than there were phones available. I was able to watch part of a downloaded music video the next day during the fair at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the phones were put on display. The 9210i will be available second quarter of this year.
Hmm, I still had some room for the chocolate cake. Burp!
"Do you have anything without alcohol?" I ask the bartender. "Let me see," he looks at me, rather questioningly. He comes back with lemon soda. Perfect. I stick to this for the next hour and a half.
A buffet dinner was prepared for us, but the best part was yet to come. Our group had planned to make a French exit because we had to catch a midnight flight to Manila that night. So we were the first to stand and start to leave.
"You have to sign these waivers first," we were told by the man standing by the exit. Then, we heard the engines of the big bikes – Harleys, to be specific – revving outside.
Harleys with sidecars and solo bikes, too, entered the hall in single file, coming to take us back to the hotel. (You see, there were no more buses to take us back to the hotel, so it was bike time.)
I jumped into the back seat of the bike driven by a muscular Aussie (think Hulk Hogan). It was fun to drive through the streets of Melbourne – the charming, leafy streets where old and new architecture mix – in temperatures about 5 degrees centigrade (it was already fall) and in the crisp, cool air. "So do you want to tour Melbourne in a really fast bike?" my biker friend asks. "I have to catch a flight back home tonight," I say.
"OK, I’ll give you a short tour. I will drive fast, but I promise you I will be careful. That OK, mate?" he asks in true Aussie fashion.
"Sure," I say.
"Great, hang on."