HELSINKI, Finland-Industry got a good look at the new phones on line for the end-of-the-year shopping rush, as Nokia Corp. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. each boosted their handset portfolio with a total of 12 new phones. Nokia unveiled its handsets at its annual press briefing, and used the event to outline its overall industry strategy.
“What we are targeting is making the Nokia device the user interface of your life,” said Jyri Huopaniemi, head of mobile applications for Nokia’s research efforts.
Indeed, several Nokia executives discussed how the company and its products could overturn the world’s reliance on desktop computers. As mobile phones become more advanced and networks speedier, users may have little need for computer access to a wired Internet.
For example, Nokia’s Anssi Vanjoki pointed out that most tech-savvy consumers will first check their mobile phones in the morning before booting up their computers-an indication that phones play an important role in users’ lives. Vanjoki, general manager of Nokia’s multimedia business unit, said computers will probably remain a key element in most users’ electronics spread, but that mobile phones will take on more computing tasks.
Mobile phones “are multimedia computers,” Vanjoki said. “The PC is slaved to this device, because it’s our most important device.”
Nokia recently announced plans to sell a PDA-style Internet surfing device. The company today offers a range of high-end phones that feature tiny keyboards and can access e-mail and other Internet and computer applications.
Nokia executives also discussed the company’s plans to play in the infrastructure market. Simon Beresford-Wylie, executive vice president of Nokia’s network business, said the company is working to expand sales beyond wireless carriers. He said the company expects to “converge our channel” by selling products to wireless and wireline operators, a move that likely would transform Nokia Networks from a product business to a services business.
Specifically, Beresford-Wylie said Nokia expects W-CDMA networks to evolve to HSDPA and then HSUPA technologies, and that WiMAX would stand as a “complementary” offering to those networks. He said WiMAX technology likely would be deployed as a data-only network for metro areas, while 3G networks would offer voice and data to a wider selection of users.
“We see that some of our cellular operators may indeed deploy this (WiMAX),” he said, explaining that WiMAX would sit between DSL networks and high-speed 3G networks.
The convergence of wireline and wireless technologies also opens up new opportunities in the enterprise space, said Jeppo Aaltonen, Nokia’s director of wireless technology marketing. He said Nokia will jump into the Voice over IP and Unlicensed Mobile Access space starting this year. Specifically, he promised Nokia would release a VoIP handset with local and wide area wireless capabilities in the second half of this year. He said the company will sell UMA and Session Initiation Protocol-based devices starting next year.
Finally, Nokia released seven new handsets, including three new CDMA models and a W-CDMA phone, during its press event. The company also released a new version of its Series 40 platform, and said it will use Apple’s Safari Internet browser as the basis for its new Series 60 browser offering. Nokia’s move to Safari represents a blow to Opera, which Nokia previously promoted in its Series 60 devices.
Nokia’s new CDMA phones include the high-end 6265 camera phone as well as two entry-level devices-the clamshell-style Nokia 2255 phone and the Nokia 2125. The 6265, expected to be available during the fourth quarter, features a 240-by-320 pixel display, a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, a digital music player and Bluetooth.
On the GSM side, Nokia released its W-CDMA 6280 slider phone, which features a 2-megapixel and Bluetooth. The company also unveiled the 6270 2-megapixel camera phone, the 6111 1-megapixel camera phone and the entry-level 6060. The phones are scheduled to sell before year’s end.
Separately, Sony Ericsson announced five new phones, including the high-end W600 Walkman music phone for the American market and the lightweight K608 for W-CDMA networks. Sony Ericsson’s new S600 swivel-style phone features a 1.3-megapixel camera, and its clamshell-style Z520 and bar-style J210 are for entry-level users.
“For both vendors, these releases have the feel of rounding out and refreshing their portfolios rather than pushing them into new areas,” said Martin Garner, director of wireless intelligence for research and consulting firm Ovum.
