Nokia brings music to users' ears

Nokia yesterday unveiled six new mobile products designed to appeal to a wide spectrum of lifestyle users. Among the line-up was an MP3-equipped handset, an Edge-capable mobile, and a Bluetooth-enabled Digital Pen.

At the launch event in Hong Kong, the Finnish mobile phone giant announced that its new range of offerings - comprising three phones and three accessories - will launch in the second half of this year.

Topping the list was the 3300, Nokia's first GSM mobile phone to support True Tones, a feature which will allow music tracks to be used as ring-tones. The MMS-enabled handset comes with an integrated digital audio player which can support MP3 and Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), a digital recorder, and a stereo FM radio.

"Today's consumers place great value on the entertainment features of their phones, and Nokia is meeting these expectations with a total music offering," said Nokia's Loren Shuster in a statement. The Asia-Pacific director for the entertainment and media business unit added that the introduction of True Tones completes the whole mobile music experience.

With a gamepad-like user interface that recalls the earlier 5510 model, the dual-band 3300 stores music content on MultiMediaCards (MMC). Music can be played back through the supplied headset or the onboard hands-free speaker.

Nokia also unveiled the 6220, targeted mainly at mobile professionals who demand faster download speeds, messaging and browsing experience. The phone uses Edge (Enhanced data for GSM evolution) technology to enable data transfers of up to 118.4Kbps - more than twice that of current General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks.

"With the launch of the 6220, Nokia is bringing the benefits of Edge technology to its classic range of mobile phones," said Tomi Paatsila, Asia Pacific director for mobile phones. He revealed that Nokia will be introducing Edge in most of the GPRS phones to be launched in the second half of the year.

An interesting utility on the 6220 is the Presence Enhanced Contacts. This is similar in function to instant messaging services offered by Yahoo! and MSN, where consumers can share status information and chat with other users. Other noteworthy features on the phone are an integrated digital camera located on the back, a built-in video player, MMS, a WAP 2.0 browser and Java.

Nokia also showcased a dual-band car-phone offering, the 810, which is designed to incorporate a Bluetooth wireless headset. The mobile will be equipped with a phone memory that can accommodate two users on a single SIM card.

Equal emphasis was also given to three new accessories, which were clearly designed for MMS users. The upcoming Digital Pen allows handwritings on specially printed paper to be transferred to phones using Bluetooth.

Those wishing to share images on a TV or projector can look forward to the Image Viewer, which can download pictures from a handset via Bluetooth. Also scheduled for launch is an add-on lens for taking close-ups with the 3650, a camera-phone due in Asia this month.

Prices of the above mobile offerings were not disclosed.

Market leader Nokia sells about 40 per cent of the world's handsets.

CNET Asia's Reuben Lee reported from Hong Kong.