When I first wrote about Nokia's squarish 7600 camera phone I wasn't sure whether it would be popular. Apparently, the 7600 is a big hit in the U.K. where it's selling at 7,000 - 10,000 per week at Carphone Warehouse(see below) (that might have an exclusive deal to sell it).
An entry in Gizmodo pointed me to an article in Tech Digest that reports the phone is being sold on the 3 (as in 3G) network in the U.K.
The 7600 has only a VGA camera (a primitive resolution for a 3G network that should be able to handle large files) and some multimedia capabilities. The handset offers a fair number of features but, as Tech Digest notes, the handset can't access 3's premium streaming video and doesn't offer video conferencing -- a key marketing feature for the cellular operator.
Pricing
Looking at 3's handsets, I see that every one supports video conferencing. The prices range from a free phone to £149 ($275) and up, depending upon the contract (or lack thereof).
The Nokia 7600 is not listed as among the handsets for purchase so perhaps it's available only from the Carphone Warehouse.
Tech Digest says, "One can only wonder how many more subscriptions Three would have sold had it took more stock of the 7600 from Nokia and promoted it as its key phone for early 2004."
Nice unit, but...
If you want a high-end cameraphone, you don't want the 7600. You might prefer the new S700 just introduced by Sony Ericsson or the Motorola MPx. Both feeature 1.3 megapixel cameras and superior ergonomics for taking photos and sending messages.
If you're waiting for fancy 1-plus megapixel camera phones in the United States, they will be avalable this year. Asia -- Japan and Korea -- are the leaders in higher resolution camera phones and it looks as if Europe's GSM subscribers will have a nice selection of camera phones, too.
Die VGA, die!
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