New Nokia trio ‘slide’ and ‘fold’ into the mobile consciousness

by Stevie Smith - Apr 29 2008, 13:34

Without a doubt, what the world desperately needs is a never-ending parade of middle-of-the-road mobile phones, so thank the retail heavens for Finnish giant Nokia, which is helping to stifle that ever-growing need with three more mainstream and fairly uninspiring handsets. Joy.

Nokia unveils new trio of slide and fold mobile phones. Credit: Nokia.

Specifically, the Nokia 6600 fold, the Nokia 6600 slide and the Nokia 3600 slide arrive offering “minimalist design” and an array of (not particularly exciting but) easy-to-use features with which to tempt mobile consumers into splashing the cash.“There is a strong consumer demand for mobile handsets that blend elegant looks with modern features,” said Mikkel Drucker, Director of Connect Devices at Nokia. “Each of the three devices introduced today offers a slightly different take on a core design language. We believe they are both beautiful to use and beautiful to behold -- and offer a range of choice.”That supposed range of choice arrives across the three handsets as follows:Built on the foundations of smart design and sophistication, the Nokia 6600 is a folding mobile phone device that hides a 2.13-inch OLED display screen capable of running 16 million colours. The 6600 fold runs on 3G network technology, sports a 2.0 mega pixel with double LED flash, and also offers swift Internet access. All this will cost around 275 Euros before taxes and subsidies.The glossy, high-quality steel covers of the Nokia 6600 slide smoothly glide open to reveal “understated elegance” and “visual simplicity.” Offering a well-balanced feature set, the 6600 slide boasts a 2.2-inch QVGA display screen (16 million colours), 3.2 mega pixel camera, and also includes an integrated Nokia Maps application -- which can be further enhanced via optional Nokia Bluetooth GPS Module LD-4W. Around 250 Euros (not including taxes and subsidies) gets you the Nokia 6600 slide.Then there’s the Nokia 3600 slide, which Nokia claims will win both hearts and minds with a blend of tasteful colours, materials, tactile finishes, and a full range of the latest features. Arriving as the first Nokia device to include background noise cancellation, the ergonomically-shaped 3600 slide has a built-in music player, 3.2 mega pixel camera (with auto focus and a 2 LED flash), and a TV-out feature that connects the handset to most television sets for quick and easy image and video transfer. The Nokia 3600 slide, which will cost around 175 Euros, also comes with the Nokia Maps application (optional GPS Module LD-4W).All three of Nokia’s new mobile phone handsets are due to arrive in the third quarter of 2008. Can’t wait.