Nokia Bites At Apple With Touch-Screen Music Phone
touch screen device craze Google T-Mobile G1
Nokia's new potential iPhone killer, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is among the first devices to support Nokia's "Comes With Music," a digital music service announced this month that gives users one year of unlimited access to the Finnish device-maker's music store catalog.
The 5800 XpressMusic comes as more device makers make music a strong focus of their handsets. Apple's iPhone syncs with iTunes, while the T-Mobile G1 links to Amazon's MP3 Store.
"With the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, we set out to connect people through the one thing we all feel a universal connection to -- music," Nokia vice president Jo Harlow said in a statement. "The way in which people enjoy music is different around the world. With that in mind, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gives people the freedom to experience music they love in the way they prefer."
The device's high-resolution 3.2-inch widescreen touch display adds a "Media Bar" to the mix; a drop-down menu that offers direct access to music and entertainment, like favorite tracks, videos and photos. The bar also offers a direct link to the Web and to online sharing. The 5800 XpressMusic supports Flash, unlocking the Web. The device also features a graphic equalizer, 8 GB of memory for up to 6,000 songs and support for all main digital music formats. The handheld also embeds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and surround sound stereo speakers.
The Comes With Music feature ties the device into the Nokia Music Store while the Nokia Music PC software lets users drag, drop and transfer tunes and manage music.
The 5800 XpressMusic also adds in a new "Contacts Bar" that lets users highlight four favorite contacts on their home screen and with a single tap track a digital history of recent text messages, emails, phone logs, photos and blog updates.
"As Nokia's first mass-market device with a touch screen, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic turns a 'user interface' into a 'human interface' by truly putting people first," Harlow said, calling the Contacts Bar "a digital RSS feed on your life."
The screen also offers shortcuts from the home screen to menu items like calendar, profiles and clocks.
Additional features of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic include a 3.2 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens. It also enables images and videos to be shared with a single touch through online communities like Share on Ovi, Flickr and Facebook. Music playlists and song titles can also be shared through Bluetooth, MMS and online sharing.
The handheld, which will be available worldwide in the fourth quarter and with Comes With Music in early 2009, supports several input methods including a virtual alphanumeric keypad, a virtual QWERTY keyboard, a pen stylist and a plectrum.