Nokia unveils new 8-MP N86 & more

SINGAPORE — With eight-megapixel camera phones hogging the headlines for Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG, people have been wondering why Nokia, the company that popularized cameras on mobile phones, hasn’t come up with an 8-MP shooter of its own.

Well, they didn’t have to wait long as Nokia announced the upcoming 8-MP N86 at Showcase Nokia 2009 in this delightful island state (held in conjunction with the recent Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona, Spain, which took place at the same time).

“People demand mobile cameras that take excellent pictures in all light conditions,” said Chris Carr, VP for sales of Nokia Southeast Asia-Pacific.

“That’s why the Nokia N86 8-MP is comparable to that of a high-quality, standalone digital camera. Whether it’s the city sights of Singapore or the panoramic beauty of a sunrise over Hanoi, the N86 will take brilliantly clear, wide-angle images that are instantly geotagged to be uploaded onto sites like Ovi Share or Flickr,” he added.

“When it comes to taking the best digital photos, it’s the quality of the lens and the sensor that count, not just the quantity of pixels. The Nokia N86 8-MP is the first mobile device with variable aperture, adding to the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens for excellent results,” said Helmut Heier of Carl Zeiss.

The Nokia N86 8-MP packs a wide-angle Carl Zeiss Tessar lens for panoramic pictures, and shorter latencies and variable aperture for super-sharp photos in both bright and low-light conditions.

The fast mechanical shutter ensures pictures with less motion blur while the dual LED camera flash is powerful enough for excellent photography and video capture.

Every detail of the metal-framed Nokia N86 8-MP is designed with photography in mind, including 8GB of internal memory for up to 4,000 images. Like any high-end digital camera, the memory can be increased with a 16GB microSD card.

The device also offers a bright OLED screen with scratch-resistant hardened glass, easy photo management, full sync capability with a PC and TV-out support for slide shows.

The Nokia N86 8-MP, with its integrated kick-stand, is ideal for watching videos and playing games. Each Nokia N86 8-MP can play up to 25 hours of music on one charge.

Expect the 8-MP N86 to hit store shelves before the middle of this year.

But it was not just digital cameras that took center stage at Showcase Nokia. Notebooks and netbooks took a hard hit as well, thanks to two new Nokia E-series handsets, the full QWERTY E75 and the world’s most compact handheld device with a QWERTY keypad, the E55.

Both devices come standard with Nokia Messaging that gives people the most efficient solution for accessing consumer and corporate email on the go.

“Efficiency is about doing more with less and focusing on what’s truly essential,” said Carr. “With direct access to Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes, companies can potentially save up to a third of their operating costs as there’s no need for middleware or additional servers.”

“With the Nokia E75 we took inspiration from the successful Nokia Communicator series. Owners of Nokia Communicators loved the messaging functionality a full keyboard provided, but also used the traditional phone keypad a great deal. With the Nokia E75, we kept these essential ingredients, significantly upgraded all of the features and made it as compact and efficient as possible,” Carr added.

With the E75 and E55, people will no longer need to boot up a PC to get a full desktop e-mail experience. The enhanced e-mail UI includes folder and HTML e-mail support, expandable views and sorting capability by date, sender and size, as well as the most commonly used e-mail functions just a single click away.

On top of e-mail, the devices also offer improved calendar capability as well as contacts and task management. They also have 3.2-MP cameras.

With the benefits of a compact QWERTY keyboard — as well as one-click access to the most commonly use programs — reading, managing, and responding to e-mails is quick and efficient. Another standout feature is the extensive battery life, with the Nokia E55 providing up to 28 days of standby time.

Both devices come with full Nokia Maps and assisted GPS with integrated three-month license for turn-by-turn navigation, and a great gaming experience with N-Gage on board. With Ovi Files also included, important files stored on a PC can be remotely managed and shared, even when your PC is switched off.

The Nokia E75 is expected to ship in March and the E55, this quarter.

Navigation was the next highlight as Nokia took the wraps off its new 6710 Navigator, which was closely followed by the 6720 classic.

“The Nokia 6710 Navigator includes the latest developments in the Maps software with real-time ‘drive and walk’ navigation, full regional maps and hardware elements like the dedicated navigator key, touch area for easy zooming, and a large display optimized for outdoor viewing,” said Carr. 

“We want to make the experience as simple and effective as possible, which means the navigation licenses are pre-installed and ready to use as soon as you turn on the Navigator,” he added.

To complement the impressive mapping capabilities, both the Nokia 6710 Navigator and the Nokia 6720 classic offer an improved design with a slightly curved shape, providing a pleasant feel with a soft-touch surface.

When holding the devices to take photos with the 5-MP camera (with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash on both handsets), the new shape makes them easier to hold.

The Nokia 6720 classic makes sure that people also get the best voice experience with the curved design fitting perfectly to the users’ face and new active noise cancellation, which significantly improves the quality of voice by cutting down on external ambient sounds.

Other features include battery life of up to 20 days of standby time, high-speed uplink and downlink Internet access, and a TV-out connection for sharing images and video.

The Nokia 6720 classic is expected to begin shipping this quarter, and the 6710 Navigator, in the third quarter.

The integration of Ovi Maps allows people to pre-plan their journey at home on their PC and synchronize with their mobile device. Additionally, Maps has been updated to include a number of new features such as high-resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for over 200 cities, terrain maps, weather service, premium travel and events content, and traffic and safety warnings.

With both the new devices including a compass, working in conjunction with the new features of Maps, the pedestrian navigation experience has been significantly improved.

Included inbox is the Nokia CR-111 car holder, which cradles the Nokia 6710 Navigator easily in the car and completes the driving navigation solution.

For those that want a little extra, there is the Nokia speakerphone HF-310, which boasts high-quality hands-free audio with echo cancellation and noise reduction. The speakerphone is easy to use in the car or office and can be installed easily with three different attachments.