Nokia at CTIA: N810 WiMAX announced, along with two low-end CDMA phones - Nokia 3606 and Nokia 1606

The wait is (almost) over. Just as we expected, Nokia N810 WiMAX has been announced from the CTIA floor. However, don't expect it to hit the markets till summer, when it will be available in areas where WiMAX connectivity is available. No word whether the original N810 specs are changed or not (aside from WiMAX radio, of course).

In the other news, the Finish giant unveiled two new CDMA devices for the North America - Nokia 3606 and Nokia 1606. The first, more powerful one boasts a 1.3 megapixel camera with LED flash, stereo Bluetooth support, microSD slot. On the other hand, the 1606 model is the basic feature phone that neatly doubles as a flashlight, which will work even if the device is powered off. Both Nokia 3606 and Nokia 1606 are expected to be available in Q3 2008. No carrier partners have been announced.

[via IntoMobile]

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition

Nokia unveiled its latest N-series device, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition. The first device from Nokia to take advantage of WiMAX networks, the N810 is a pocket device that unleashes a full Internet experience while on the go. Unlike Wi-Fi which has a range of a few hundred feet, WiMAX allows for a larger area with each base station capable of reaching a radius of 2-3 miles.

The WiMAX Edition of N810 features a 4.13 inch touch screen along with a slider QWERTY keyboard. A host of popular apps, including IM, Skype, Google Talk and Gizmo5 are available to take advantage of VoIP calling. It also features built-in GPS and support for up to 10GB of memory, apart from microSD memory card slot.

Bundled with upgraded OS2008, the Nokia N810 features an enhanced email client, Chinese character rendering in the browser and software update capability.

The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition will hit stores in summer 2008.

[via MobileWhack]

Nokia N830 with WiMAX Leaked?

Tisk tisk Best Buy. It looks like you might have jumped the gun with that latest round of product shots! Word on the street has been that a new version of Nokia’s N810 is on the way, and the rumors seem to be pretty in line with what might be a small Best Buy blunder.

The image above is a screen shot from the February edition of Best Buy’s online mobile buyer’s guide. Plenty of sharp-looking Nokia devices indeed, but something about that N830 looks a but odd. Black Case? Orange backlighting under the keypad?

Could this be the rumored N810 update that will pack WiMAX for Sprint’s upcoming network launch? The start of CTIA is thought to be a possible announcement date, which would give Nokia the typical announcement-to-launch window before Sprint’s WiMAX goes live.

WiMAX compatibility could be just what the doctor ordered to give the new tablet a much-needed sales boost. Only time will tell but we definitely wouldn’t mind getting our hands on a WiMAX-packing N830, that’s for sure…

[via BoyGeniusReport]

Nokia To Launch WiMAX Handsets

The next generation of Nokia’s Internet Tablet will feature the long-range wireless broadband technology known as WiMAX, the latest push by the Finnish cell phone maker to develop an all-in-one handset.

The company, which controls about one-third of the worldwide mobile phone market, said it had already signed a deal with U.S. carrier Sprint to make the new tablets available to subscribers in the first half of 2008.

“We are preparing for the day when people are carrying computers in their pockets and not phones,” said Nokia vice president Ari Virtanen.

Nokia did not rule out the possibility of also incorporating a cellular radio to the series at some stage in the future but said it would not be with the next product release. That would be a commercial decision not a technical one, said Mr. Virtanen.

Nokia’s tablets are pocket computers that feature short-range WiFi technology and high resolution screens that allow users to surf the web, make Internet Protocol phone calls, and send and receive email and text messages.

Helping to bridge the divide have been Nokia’s most recent mobile phones, such as the N95 and E90, which also sport WiFi and Bluetooth technologies. This means that users can browse the Internet or make phone calls by-passing their cellular carriers’ networks.

Internet tablet sales are steadily increasing although they are still not at mobile phone sales levels, said Mr. Virtanen.

Convergence between mobile phones and computers will continue and Nokia will lead the trend by approaching it both from the mobile phone and computer ends, he said.

“Today’s phones with computer capabilities are still phones at the heart,” he said. “We are making devices with computers at the heart and phone functionality on top.”

Nokia last week announced a corporate strategy shift that moves the company away from being a mobile phone maker and closer to that of an internet services company. This has in fact been a long-held ambition of the company but one which it now acknowledges publicly.

Computer maker Apple’s entry into the phone market may have hastened Nokia’s decision to go public, as may have reports of similar plans by other computer related companies such as Google and Microsoft.

Google and Sprint team-up on WiMAX For Mobile Web

Yesterday, Google and Sprint-Nextel announced that they are in the works of offering Internet search services via a web portal that the latter is developing for its WiMAX high-speed wireless service.


The latest partnership is by far the search giant’s closest alliance with a leading US mobile service provider. The new joint venture is anticipated to augment internet access over Sprint’s new network and enhance use of Google’s search and communications services on mobile devices.

“This seems to be a bigger deal than what [Google has] done in the past, more comprehensive,” observed Pacific Crest analyst Steve Weinstein, who expects wireless services to be a “very material driver” for Google by late 2008 and early 2009.

Even though Google has penned deals with overseas mobile providers, analysts claim it to be much behind Yahoo Inc. in the U.S. mobile Web market.

According to Google, wireless is a key to its growth and its strategy of selling Internet advertising.

The Mountain View, Calif., company is in the midst of a lobbying battle over rules governing an upcoming U.S. government auction of airwaves.

With this deal, Google becomes Sprint’s exclusive search provider for WiMAX service, maintained Sprint’s chief technology officer, Barry West. Adding, that the agreement should help raise Sprint’s image as a provider of wireless Web services.

“If you think of the Internet you automatically think of Google,” West said. “Obviously having a powerful partner on the Internet helps us become synonymous with the mobile Internet.”

Spring will be combining technology for discovering user location with the help of Google tools on devices running on a high-speed network Sprint was building based on WiMAX technology. The Google tools would be the ones such as email and chat

Though WiMAX offers Web access speeds five times faster than typical wireless networks, all the same it much slower than wired broadband.

This service would be free for access, and will earn its revenues through search-related advertising. Google and Sprint will share advertising revenue.

Sprint intends using the up-and-coming WiMAX technology to better compete with rival wireless and wired broadband networks.It plans to test the WiMAX service in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington by 2007-end, with a goal of achieving coverage for 100 million people by the end of 2008. The company is hoping that users will in due course use the service through WiMAX-embedded devices like laptops and cell phones.

What's In Nokia's Future? Exec Talks Symbian, GPS, WiMax and More

Mobile freaks know that Nokia is a funny company, at the same time the biggest brand in handsets worldwide, and a niche player in the American cellphone market. This week, I sat down with Bill Plummer, Nokia's North America VP of sales and channel management for Multimedia to discuss matters Nokia faces in the immediate future: WiMax handsets (by 2008?), GPS in every phone, American HSDPA compatibility, chunky designs, the slender N76 multimedia handset (shown above), QWERTY keyboards and more.

Read on for my questions and Plummer's italicized answers—some of them direct, and some of them a little more, shall we say, courteously evasive. (Hey, he's a nice guy, but he's also a sales VP. That's why they pay him the big bucks.)

Will there really be GPS in all Nokia phones?

"You will see GPS in a broader range of devices in the future, with N Series out in front. We will also deliver a range of handsets with a range of functionality to meet a range of consumer lifestyle demands. Consumers that aren't as interested in GPS, because they are cost-conscious or primarily focused on voice, will still have non-GPS options." So, like, more GPS but no commitment to full deployment across the board.

Why doesn't GPS navigation come free with N95?

"Turn-by-turn navigation is a service offering that does indeed require a fee. It is software we developed after our acquisition of gate5; it's a service you purchase from Nokia. Anything beyond that, the GPS functionality and the downloadable maps from Tele Atlas, that's all free. What's great is that you can get the maps for what you need. A map of your home, or any additional maps you need. You don't necessarily need the map to Crete."Assuming you have a big enough memory card—the N76 supports MicroSD cards up to 4GB—you probably can get the whole world database in there.

How are N95 sales doing?

"We are very pleased."

We knew they wouldn't actually answer that one.

Since there are Nokia music download stores in the UK and Australia, part of Nokia's Music Recommender service, when will we see a Nokia music store in the US?"We will be rolling out broader music services, including ways for the consumer to stream and acquire music in other markets, but I can't to speak to the timetable."Pretty sure that means that US is on the list, but it could take years.

Are there plans to use an OS other than Symbian?

"Certainly if you look at the N800 and N770 Internet tablets, they are Linux powered devices. But from the standpoint of multimedia business, we are still very committed to Symbian and Series 60 OS on Symbian. Unlike other mobile OS's, Symbian was designed with mobile-device characteristics in mind, such as the display and the processor, from the outset. It is optimized for the mobile computing experience."Plummer did at least support the argument with some sweet Symbian(-compatible) apps such as ComVu PocketCaster.

Why are Nokia phones still so large?

"Our answer to that is the N76. There's no 5 megapixel camera. It's for the technology stylists, people in the high-end tech community who also want to demonstrate their flair."It's the age-old tradeoff between size and capability. Nokia did ship the N76 this week globally. There's no US arrival date yet, nor is there a price. However, we are told it will cost "under $500."

Why no QWERTY keyboard on the N Series?

"The Bluetooth keyboard is one answer to that. When I am mobile, my replies are Yes, No, Maybe. When I stop being nomadic, I whip out my Bluetooth keypad and write real emails. In the future we're bringing a range of devices with different form factors and different functionalities."OK, so I'm reading that as a QWERTY play coming sometime soon.

When will Nokia phones be compatible with the US version of HSDPA?

"On a global basis, N Series are multiradio GSM and 3G radios, as well as wireless LAN and GPS—they are very sophisticated devices. In US bands, these run on EDGE. The change to that will be the Nokia N75, which will work on US UMTS networks. I also have to add: Watch this space."Nudge nudge, wink wink.

Will carriers pick up the N series?

"There's a constant ongoing dialog with the carriers—a Nokia-wide dialog, but also one with the Multimedia business as well. We are working with them to help them building their understanding of the emerging mobile multimedia space, and sharing the experiences we're gathering by being first to market. Carriers are strategic partners—we're going to collaborate to address their needs and their consumer's needs as they perceive them."Plummer also added that Nokia had divided its handset business into two separate teams. There is the "mobile phones" division, which more directly addresses the hardware needs of the carriers, and Plummer's Multimedia group, which is more focused on building new products and bringing them to early adopters, and less focused on designing something that is necessarily a perfect fit in a carrier lineup.

How is the WiMax rollout going?

"Beginning of this year, Nokia was announced as a strategic partner with Sprint in WiMax network. We will be bringing devices in 2008 and beyond that will take advantage of that network. It's an exciting way for Sprint to be approaching the marketplace. It's an open Internet model, they build it to spec and people who have a relationship with Sprint will be able to attach a device to that network. It's akin to the fixed Internet model today. It will have a good impact on overall marketplace, allowing consumers better access to the networks, whether fixed or wireless."We, too, like the idea of a high-bandwidth "open Internet model," but can we trust Sprint, or any carrier for that matter, to pull it off without some kind of walled-garden architecture? We'll see about that.

Plummer concluded with what he thought was the real mission of his Multimedia division, to bring the Web 2.0 experience into the real world. Why glue yourself to your computer for the latest social networks and Web apps? Eventually, we will be able to manage all of this wherever we happen to be, with GPS and 3G networks to facilitate transactions and interactions.

I have to apologize to the Glaswegians and general fans of weepy music out there: we didn't get a chance to talk about the just-announced N76 partnership with Travis. Frankly, the only Travis who entertains us is the Gizmodo associate editor, not so much the "thought-provoking and inspirational band". – Wilson Rothman