Nokia’s Big Music Day: Launches Smartphones, Song Service

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At an event in New York today, Nokia introduced a couple of new Nseries handsets, updates to three existing models, and a new music recommendation service.
The world's top-selling mobile phone and smartphone vendor emphasized how multimedia is the fastest growing segment in the mobile space. For example, this year alone Nokia has sold over of 10 million of its high-end Nseries devices so far, and aims to sell 80 million music phones period before close of 2006.
All-In-One N95First up on the menu is the new N95, which appears to include everything but the kitchen sink. As with all Nseries models, the device is built on the Symbian OS and S60 interface. It features a unique 2-way slider design that reveals media controls when moved one way and a keypad when moved the other.
When the N95 is in media mode, the 2.6-inch 240 x 320 pixel (QVGA) and 16 million color display is automatically placed into landscape mode. Built-in stereo speakers offer a 3D stereo effect, plus there's a standard 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones, a microSD slot for storage expansion, and mini USB for data transfers. Bluetooth with A2DP allows users to leverage wireless stereo headsets as well.
Users can record and playback VGA video at 30 fps with digital image stabilization. There's also TV out and support for MP3, AAC, M4A, and WMA audio files.
The N95 is also Nokia's first smartphone with a 5 megapixel digital camera for picture for video (the previous generation of Nseries models topped out at 3 megapixels) and integrated GPS for mapping and navigation. Tele Atlas provides the digital map data and dynamic location content handset, which includes free basic mapping and routing functionalities to initiate local searches for more than 100 countries and over 15 million points of interest.
There's also Wi-Fi, 160 MB of memory, and support for high speed HSDPA networks with the GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UTMS N95. As with all recent Nokia smartphones, including the N75 below, there's the new Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map for an improved Internet experience. We'll be publishing a detailed review of this browser in the near future.
The N95 weighs a mere 4.2 ounces (120 grams) and measures 4.0 x 2.0 x 0.7 inches (99 x 53 x 19 millimeters).
Nokia plans to ship the N95 during the first quarter of 2007 for about 550 Euros (about $702). It isn't clear if this model will make it stateside.
Compact N75A new smartphone that will definitely hit the U.S. market is the N75 clamshell, Nokia's smallest Nseries model yet - at 3.7 x 2.0 x 0.8 inches (95 x 52 x 20 millimeters) and 4.4 ounces (124 grams).
While the N75 and older N73, which has gotten a music-orientated makeover, are narrow, Nokia still has a way to go before reaching Motorola RAZR thinness of14 millimeters.
On the outside of the N75 is a small reflective 160 x 128 pixel resolution display and media controls for a music application. Inside, the 3G-enabled quad-band GPRS/EDGE/HTMS/HSDPA phone sports a 2.4-inch 240 x 320 pixel resolution (QVGA) screen that is capable of displaying 16 million different colors.
There's a 2 megapixel camera, micoSD slot, 40 MB of memory, FM radio, and Bluetooth 2.0 with support for wireless headsets. It can handle a variety of audio file formats and record and playback video at 15fps and a 352 x 288 resolution.
Nokia expects the N75 to become available during the fourth quarter of 2006 for an as-of-yet undisclosed price. No word on what American carrier will pick it up, although one in particular comes to mind - Cingular - as the most obvious.
Nokia Muscles Up with MusicThe trio of previously available Nseries models that got music makeovers includes the N91, N73 and N70, one of the original phones in the series. All three Music Edition versions of these smartphones, in what Nokia is calling the Nokia Nseries Music Range, now feature a Black chassis - the first noticeable difference. N73, N91, N70 Music Editions
There is also now additional software for easier synchronization and music management and more storage in all three models. For the N73 that means Nokia now bundles a 2 GB memory card and the N70 a 1 GB card.
Ah, but the N91 was a music phone already - a 4 GB smartphone in fact. What Nokia has done for that model is up its micro drive capacity to 8 GB. N91 Music Edition
Other than the aforementioned changes, the specs of the these devices stay pretty much the same as they've always been (see links below for details).
Nokia said the N70 Music Edition (350 Euros, about $447)and Nokia N73 Music Edition (450 Euros, about $574) should ship next monthly, while the Nokia N91 8GB (550 Euros, about $702) probably won't become available until later in the year. As with N95, there's no word yet on American availability.
Try This Song Today, came word that regulators approved Nokia's $60 million acquisition of music distributor Loudeye, which powers MSN and MTV's music stores, along with more than 60 other audio services. The Finnish phone maker also said it is working with forty leading independent music stores from around the world to launch a new music recommendation site on the Loudeye platform for later this fall- first in Britain and Australia. Called Music Recommenders, each of the 40 stores will offer a personalized selection of new music across 12 genres each month. Users can browse, search and listen to samples of the music, and then (of course) purchase it.
David Bowie will serve as the roll of 'godfather' to the whole enterprise, contributing his own recommendations as well as features and podcasts. "Waking up to a new sound or new band is something that makes my day just that bit more exciting," said Bowie. "Unfortunately, so much music goes unheard, especially things that don't bow to the mainstream. Music Recommenders help navigate the undiscovered music that is out there." He added, “I've actually been to some of the stores featured on Music Recommenders in various parts of the world, and found them to be a wonderful source for new and less traditional music."
Of course, Music Recommenders is only a prelude to Nokia's larger vision, competing with the likes of Apple's iTunes and Microsoft's upcoming Zune stores "We will launch a fully fledged comprehensive music service including devices and music purchase globally sometime in 2007," said Tapio Hedman, Nokia senior vice president for multimedia marketing, to Reuters.