Handset maker Nokia announced the launch of three smartphones, including Symbian Belle software. The Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600 extend the range of available designs, features and functionality in the Nokia Symbian smartphone range, and Symbian Belle powers all three, with single-tap near-field communication technology sharing and pairing.
In addition to allowing content to be shared between devices, NFC capabilities allow any of the three new smartphones to pair with NFC-enabled mobile accessories, such as speakers or Bluetooth headphones and headsets.
The Nokia 700 features a 1GHz processor, 3.2-inch active-matrix organic LED (AMOLED) screen ClearBlack display, 2GB of internal memory (with the option of using a 32GB microSD card for a total of 34GB), HD video capture and 5MP full focus camera with LED flash. The Nokia 700 is also Nokia’s most eco-friendly smartphone, with a long battery life, extensive use of eco-friendly materials and features to minimize battery consumption.
Based on the Nokia C7 design, the 701 smartphone also has a 1GHz processor, 8MP full-focus camera with dual LED flash and 2 X digital zoom, 2nd front-facing camera and HD video capture. It comes with 8GB internal memory and the possibility to increase to 40GB by installing a 32GB microSD card, and is the company’s brightest-ever mobile phone display.
Available at a lower price point than the Nokia 700 and Nokia 701, the Nokia 600 comes with a 1GHz processor; 5MP full-focus camera with LED flash and HD video capture, and 2GB of internal memory with the ability to increase to 34GB using a 32GB microSD card. The 600 is Nokia’s loudest at 106 Phons, with a built-in FM radio antenna for listening to radio without headphones and an FM transmitter that makes it possible to broadcast music from the phone to any FM radio.
Symbian Belle is the latest in a series of planned software updates to the Symbian platform, which started with Symbian Anna and will continue into 2012. Symbian Belle increases the number of home screens from three to six providing more room to display applications and services. Live widgets, now come in five different sizes, improving home screens and giving users more flexibility to personalize the user experience. It also includes a pull-down menu and taskbar to access notifications from any of the home screens and further enhancements to the Web-browsing experience.
“With the announcement today, Nokia has made it clear that Symbian will continue to play an important role in its product portfolio alongside Windows Phone 7,” said Nick McQuire, an analyst at IT market research firm IDC. “There is a sense of urgency in the way improvements and innovation are being delivered to the platform that demonstrates how committed Nokia is to make Symbian products a competitive smartphone choice.”
One of Symbian Belle’s features is the single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capability. This allows contacts, videos and images to be shared with other NFC-enabled devices and smartphones, as well as pairing with NFC-enabled mobile accessories, such as speakers and headsets. Using NFC technology, the Essence Bluetooth Stereo headset can be paired with any NFC-enabled smartphone by tapping the two devices together.
Nokia also announced the launch of the 101 and 100 phones-the 101 is Nokia’s fifth dual SIM device in the last three months and is the most affordable to date. The dual SIM functionality enables users to connect to two different networks to receive calls and messages. The Nokia SIM manager allows users to select which SIM card to use to make a call or send a text messages helping them manage costs and maintain network coverage without needing several phones.
In addition, the SIM manager allows users to store the settings of up to five SIM cards on the phone, and to personalize them by assigning names and logos for each SIM setting. In addition to an FM radio, the 101 features an integrated MP3 player and a 103 phon loudspeaker, and provides support for up to 16GB microSD memory card.