“Today’s launch showcases Nokia’s commitment to offer consumers easy-to-use mobile phones in a variety of desirable designs – regardless of cellular technology. The first half of 2005 saw the introduction of 12 new Nokia handsets in the Philippines, each designed to address the different segments of the market. For the rest of 2005, Nokia will continue to unveil new phones with state-of-the-art features, at the same time maintaining the user-friendliness we are known for,”  said Mr. Parikshit Bhasin, the Finnish superbrand’s  country general manager in the Philippines.

 Technews wasted no time  in studying the new models up close to see what it can offer discriminating consumers. Here is the preview:

GOOD FOR STARTERS!

Basic users will delight in the Nokia 1110 and Nokia 1600, reviewed in Technews a few months back. The 1110 weighs 80 grams with an inverted black display that looks its best in sunny and outdoor conditions. On the other hand, the 1600 tips the scale at  85 grams with a 65K color screen that makes full use of graphical icons. Both phones have a standard talk time of five hours and boasts of intuitive user interface that we’ve come to expect of these Nokia phones.

The cool features to watch out for in this range include large font sizes for greater readability, a Speaking Alarm Clock which announces the time in the user’s local language, a demo guide ideal for first-time users and a unique Pilipino-English predictive text, good for up to 900 characters. For the budget-conscious, the Text Message Counter  keeps track of the total number of messages sent while the Text Screening feature filters messages from barred numbers. One’s favorite textmates can easily be reached via shortcuts in keys 2 to 9.

SLIDE UP, SLIDE DOWN
Deviating from its usual monobloc and fold-up designs, Nokia introduces three new slide phones that are as pretty as they are functional, utilizing the Series 40 platform. All will be available in the fourth quarter of 2005.
The Nokia 6280 is a 3G phone equipped with dual cameras for making two-way video calls on the bright 262K color display. The front has an integrated VGA camera while the back has a 2 megapixel cam which enables you to shoot photos and videos in horizontal landscape mode with  flash and 8x digital zoom. Weighing 115 grams, the 6280 has an internal memory of 10 MB for storing video, audio, images, and other files with an option to use the 64 MB miniSD card included in sales package
The Nokia 6270 is slightly heavier than the 6280 at 125 grams. It boasts of the same 262K color screen which actively displays one’s schedule for the day in idle mode. It has a dedicated button for the 2 megapixel camera which is equipped with flash, 5x digital zoom and full-screen viewfinder. Entertainment aficionados will have a field day trying out the 6270’s FM radio, integrated video player and music player, all supported by stereo speakers with 3D sound effects.

On the other hand, the Nokia 6111 is the cutest among this batch of slide phones equipped with a host of features for maximum connectivity. It has a 1 megapixel camera with 6x digital zoom that  enables one to take pictures in either portrait or landscape mode. Fitted with an internal 23 MB memory, it offers a host of multimedia applications to choose from such as an FM radio with Visual Radio, video streaming and a  number of built-in games, with the option to download more through Java MIDP 2.0. Through Xpress Audio Messaging, one can record one’s own voice and send these to compatible devices.

N IS FOR NEXT GENERATION

 For the high-end segment of its market, Nokia has unveiled its branded Nseries based on its Series 60 smartphone platform. Common in these phones are its 2 mp cameras, 3G video streaming and calling, web browsing and push email capabilities, multiple connectivity options  plus full synchronization of all stored data through Nokia PC Suite.

` The Nokia N70, which will be relased in the country in the third quarter of 2005,  is considered the world’s smallest Series 60 3G WCDMA device and its 2 megapixel camera  can be accessed through a slide-down shutter. The Nokia N90 is also 2 megapixels but is distinguished by its high-quality Carl Zeiss optic lens that ensures  photography outputs akin to that produced by a full-fledged digicam. Video capture is of VHS-quality and is deemed excellent. Design-wise,  this phone is  unique for having a rotating camera body, giving one the best angle in shooting photos and videos.

 The Nokia N91 is a must-have gadget for the upwardly mobile music-lover, boasting of a 4GB micro hard drive that is the same as your iPod Mini or other stand-alone MP3 players. The large music memory capacity is good enough for storing and playing back 3000 songs and is complemented further by a stereo headset with remote control. Connectivity options for this mobile jukebox include 3G WCDMA, WLAN, Bluetooth and USB 2.0. This digital wonder will be available worldwide by the end of 2005.