Nokia rumour round-up for 2008
It's the start of 2008, and as promised, here's a look ahead at what the mobile phone companies will be working on for this year. This first post focuses on Nokia, who had a stellar 2007, and who will no doubt hope to continue that success through 2008.
The following, then, represents a round-up of all the news surrounding Nokia's forthcoming 2008 phones, plus some tasty rumours hinting at what might be just around the corner. I'll be following this post up with rumour round-ups for all the other major mobile phone manufacturers, as well as bringing you all the latest news from CES 2008, so expect a busy week of posts!
Read on for more Nokia rumours...
Unlike Sony Ericsson, Nokia doesn't just focus on camera phones and music phones. Of course, it offers both types of phone, but it also offers a range of innovative phones that are packed full with all sorts of features. A glorious example of this is the Nokia N95, which offers a 5 megapixel camera, DVD quality video recording, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, and, of course, Sat-Nav.
Indeed, Sat-Nav is destined to feature strongly in Nokia's 2008 line-up, particularly now it's bought mapping company Navteq.
On with the phones, though. The following are all expected to be released sometime throughout 2008.
General Nokia phones for 2008
Nokia 6110Nav replacement
An update to the Nokia 6110Nav, this time featuring a 3 megapixel camera and HSPDA. Expected around July 2008.
6233/6300 successor
Featuring:
- 3.2mpx camera, Carl Zeiss optics, Auto Focus, but only LED flash
- 3G
- Front video cam
- Metallic parts
Nokia N-Series Multimedia Computers in 2008
Nokia N78
- Cheap candybar, set to be the the N73's replacement
- 3 megapixel camera and WiFi
Nokia N82
Already announced, the Nokia N82 is essentially the successor to the Nokia N95. Of course, that means it comes with all the bells and whistles, including:
- 2.4" 240x320 QVGA screen with 16M colours
- 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Auto Focus, and Xenon flash.
- Integrated camera protection.
- 30fps VGA video recording
- HSDPA
- WiFi b/g with UPnP
- GPS
Nokia N91 successor
Not much info, but expected to be released in Q1 2008. A music phone, it'll have high quality Philips headphones and active noise cancellation for a superior music experience.
Nokia N96
A 5mpx camera phone featuring a dual slider form factor, similar to the original Nokia N95. Due out in April/May, it'll offer a whopping 16GB of memory.
Nokia E-Series business phones in 2008
Nokia E71
The successor to the Nokia E61i. Available in Q2, the Nokia E71 will be announced during the 3GSM conference in February (see pic at the top of this post).
Featuring WiFi, HSDPA, GPS and a 3 megapixel camera, it'll be similar in feature list to the E90, but without the fancy keyboard. It'll also support encryption for both the device and the memory card, which should mean it'll appeal to businesses in a big way.
Nokia E66
The Nokia E66 will be a successor to the E65, and will also be announced at the 3GSM conference, and available in Q2. Similar to the E71, the E66 will also feature GPS, HSDPA, a 3 megapixel camera, and will support encryption for both the device and the memory card.
So, not much different from the E71 then!
Other Nokia news for 2008
In addition to the specific models listed above, other rumours surrounding Nokia include the following:
- A Linux-based Internet Tablet with Wi-Max (super-fast Wi-Fi variant)
- 5710 Xpress Music - similar to the 5700, but with a 3 megapixel camera and a whopping 23 hours of music playback time.
- The first finger-touch based S60 device, designed to take on the iPhone. The as-yet-unnamed device will be launched after November 2008.
- Nokia's next super-wonder-phone is planned for the end of summer 2008
- A top-end Nokia N-Series music phone planned for winter/autumn 2008. Costing around 350 Euros, it'll be stuffed to the brim with accessories in the box.
- Two or three mobile TV phones expected
- All 2008 Nokia N-Series phones will have Wi-Fi and a 3.5mm headphone jack
Summary
Nokia are really on a roll at the moment. There are some great phones among these rumours, many with GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA. What's good to see is that many of the features of last year's flagship phone (the N95) will appear on several new Nokia phones, meaning the top-end features are filtering down to the mid-range phones.
As such, we'll all be able to afford an N95 in our pocket next year, while eagerly awaiting to see what Nokia's 2008 flagship will offer us. Another good year beckons for the giant Finnish phone company!
Thanks to Mobile-Review for their great collection of Nokia rumours.
