Nokia debuts 1.2 megapixel 3G camera phone with optional external flash

Nokia today announced three new camera phones, including what it says is the world's smallest 3G (WCDMA) camera phone.  The 3G handset, the 6630 (see left), includes a 1.23 megapixel camera with the option of an external attachable flash.  

The "candy bar" shaped 6630 also features a 6x digital zoom for still photos and videos, manual exposure control, a rapid-sequence capability, 74MB of storage (including, I believe the bundled MultiMediaCard) and the ability to shoot up to 60 minutes of video.  The handset also includes software to facilitate printing photos on Hewlett-Packard and Kodak printers.

Other features include an MP3 player and streaming audio capabilities.  The 6630 won't be available until the fourth quarter of this year and Nokia says the unsubsidized priced will be less than 500 Euros ($612).

Other new phones

In addition to the 6630, Nokia's new camera phones (see below; photo collage from MobileMag) are the 6260 and 6170 -- both with VGA cameras.  The 6260 is a clamshell design the enables the screen to twist; the 6170 is a clamshell without the twist feature.

The new handsets, announced at CommunicAsia in Singapore and in Helsinki, represent an attempt by Nokia to try to reclaim its leadership in the cellular handset market -- not just in terms of numbers of phones to be sold (where it still dominates) but also to be perceived as, once again, the developer of cool, exciting products.

If you've been reading the press reports, you know Nokia's sales have dropped dramatically and the perception is Nokia also has dropped behind more supposedly innovative handset vendors, such as Samsung and Sanyo, in developing camera phones and other more excitingly designed handsets.

Comments

[gunawan]

please give me information up to date

[mostafa]

nokia mobil

[tychocat]

I'm frankly very frustrated with the state of the technology and the cellular industry. I would love to get a Motorola E1000, but I gather they've hitched their 3G wagon to Cingular/ATT Wireless, and I'm guessing that merger will be nothing but problems for the next year or two. In the meantime, Sony Ericsson's Z1010 is an excellent example of last-year's state-of-the-art, replete with a VGA camera; and now Nokia's released half-a-3G phone which can do videoconferencing only with a special attachment! Be still my beating heart. I've a bad feeling my lust for a megapixel camera/cellphone will have to be sated with, say, a Nokia 7610. this could work, considering the forecasts that 3g won't be running in the US until 2006, so a two-year contract with a 7610 could time itself out to good coincidence... sigh.

[vinod]

For whatever reason, NOK had for a long time been somewhat religious about clamshell style handsets. Some have argued that this is b/c it's much harder to carry forward the distinctive "Nokia Look" into clamshell territory and - being the style / branding conscious Finns - they've conciously made this decision.

In any case, expect a slight uptick in their fortunes in the US and Asian markets now that they've finally brought clamshells to market. However, the underlying long term trends that have thrust Sanyo, Samsung et. al. so deep into the market won't abate. More Vodafone-Live! anyone?