Nokia's latest phone sees the bigger picture

Nokia's latest smart phone, the 7710, takes a widescreen approach to helping users be productive on the move, and is pictured at the bottom of this article.

The device was launched at the mobile phone maker's Mobility Conference in Monaco in Tuesday. Measuring 128mm by 69.5mm by 19mm, its 640 x 320 pixel touch-sensitive screen gives users a landscape view. Nokia claims this will allow a better web browsing experience.

The 7710 uses the Series 90 operating system. Pen input and handwriting recognition are both supported, as is connectivity over Bluetooth, which the company clearly hopes will give it the edge in an already crowded market for smart phones.

Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's general manager for multimedia, joked at a press conference, "Boy, it's smart..."

Other features include a one-megapixel camera with a 2x zoom, a push email program and various personal information management applications, as well as an FM radio and a multimedia player.

"It's about productivity and media consumption at the same time," Vanjoki said.

The 7710 is due to go on sale in Europe in the first quarter of 2005.

Nokia also launched two other phones. The 3230 is aimed at the youth market, and is a tri-band Series 60 device with a browser, MP3 player and radio.

The 6020, described by Vanjoki as a simple phone that "has everything we considered essential" runs on Nokia's Series 40 platform, which has less functionality than Series 60 or Series 90. It provides a VGA camera, GPRS support and push-to-talk. Vanjoki claimed this mix of features, while clearly not ground-breaking, was likely to prove a commercial success.

"Some people may not be very excited by this product, but I am -- because I know it will sell a lot," Vanjoki predicted.

Graeme Wearden reported from Monaco for ZDNet UK.