Nokia reveals handful of new handsets
Published: 14 Jun 2004 10:15 BST
Nokia has beefed up its handset portfolio, revealing on Monday five new phones, including three clamshell models and a 3G-enabled cellphone.
The 6630 device -- the company's third wideband CDMA handset -- comes with a 1-megapixel camera and runs on Series 60, Nokia's implementation of the Symbian OS.
However, it will not be suitable for face-to-face video conferencing, as its camera lens is positioned at the back of the phone.
According to Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president & general manager of Nokia Multimedia, this is no great loss.
"In the 1950s, when the video call was introduced by AT&T Bell Labs, it didn't get too much attention because seeing somebody else's face on the other end isn't such an exciting proposition," he said. "What's very important is to be able to describe what you see."
"To my understanding, even in Japan, most of the usage is from 'see-what-I-see' applications, not video conferencing," he added.
Nokia's latest launch comes on the back of a disappointing first quarter, when sales from its Mobile Phones unit fell 15 percent. Research firm Gartner reported last week that the Finnish giant's global market share dipped from 34.6 percent to 28.9 percent in Q1, 2004.
According to Vanjoki, part of this was due to a gap in the company's portfolio.
"We had delays in the implementation of mid-range products, particularly the folder-type designs," he said. "We are taking our situation very seriously."
He added that the company has been moving fast to address the problems, namely with its new clamshell models -- the swivel-display 6260 smart phone, the dual-screen 6170, and the lower-end 2650.
The entry-level 2600 was announced at the same event. All five phones are expected to hit the streets in the second half of the year.
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