Nokia brings imaging phone to RP

Nokia has now started shipping its first imaging phone, the Nokia 7650, to the Philippines. With an integrated camera, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) capability and a full-color display, the handset opens up a new era in personal mobile communications.

"Mobile messaging is a unique success story. At the moment, one billion text messages are sent everyday creating a continuous revenue stream for operators throughout the world. This success story is to be continued by MMS, which will further augment the messaging experience of mobile users," said Parikshit Bhasin, country general manager for Nokia Mobile Phones of Nokia Phils.

"Nokia is a firm believer in MMS, and next year, more than half of all new phone models we are launching will be MMS-capable," he added.

MMS works much the same way as SMS messages, but allows users to combine audio, graphics, text and imaging content in one message. Multimedia messages can then be sent to other MMS-capable phones or to a recipient’s e-mail.

To date, Nokia has announced four MMS-capable phones in the Asia-Pacific: the Nokia 7650 and 3510 for GSM 900/1800 operating frequencies, and the Nokia 7210 and 6610 for GSM 900/1800/1900.

"Capturing spontaneous moments with a camera is an extremely social event. We believe the Nokia 7650, with its integrated camera, will bring a lot of joy to different mobile phone users, enabling them to share their feelings and important moments in a seamless manner via MMS," Bhasin said.

"Making MMS as commonplace as text messaging is an important industry move. Together with operators and distributors, we see that the imaging capabilities of the Nokia 7650 will help boost the use of MMS. Complementing its rich set of features is the variety of imaging services and applications that consumers can enjoy with the Nokia 7650, whether for work or leisure," he added.

The imaging functionalities of the Nokia 7650 include an integrated digital camera with image taking and sending, a photo album for storing pictures, and a large 176 x 208 pixel color display.

The advanced graphical user interface and joystick with five-way navigation add ease and speed to the use of this new device.

Users will be able to upload images from the phone to Club Nokia Photozone, create and share photo albums, and even have fun editing them in the special effects studio.

Additionally, users will also get to enjoy the new exciting AirCards application which allows one to send snapshots taken with the Nokia 7650 as physical postcards to friends and family.

The Nokia 7650 also delivers a full range of functions for professional needs in the EGSM900/1800 environment. These include GPRS and HSCSD connections, Wireless Application Protocol, wireless Bluetooth and infrared connectivity, e-mail and MIDP Java support.

The hands-free speaker and voice dialing capabilities increase convenience on the move. The Symbian operating system (OS) allows the phone to be customized by individual users and corporations.

A variety of compatible downloadable applications for the Nokia 7650 may be purchased from Club Nokia (http://www.club.nokia.com.ph) and the Nokia Software Market (http://www.softwaremarket.nokia.com).