DUBLIN -- My wireless journal has some scribblings related to a two-hour Nokia Media Briefing that I attended today. These briefings have long passed the point where voice quality and phone appearance could influence the market. Now it's about voice, appearance, cameraphone functionality, enterprise mobility, and gaming. Within a year, Nokia will have to add several briefing slides on memory features of the phones because many of the ones I saw today have video capability on board.
Nokia remains committed to an extensive portfolio, living with the mantra, "The breadth of our portfolio is our success." Actually, I think Nokia phones can make clever fashion statements that translate into comfortable margins at the cash till. Nokia phones have the most user-friendly interface for mobile phones on the planet. One of the first questions concerned a talking point batted around by bloggers: "What does Nokia think about Apple's mobile phone?"
- Nokia sold 1m NGAGE phones in 3Q04.
- Nokia launched six clamshells in 2004. This makes the clamshell phone a mainstream item.
- My work colleagues who have grown used to the familiar shape of their Nokia 6310 phones will have to be happy with a slightly different form factor in a newer Nokia monoblock phone.
- Over 200m cameraphones were sold in 2004. The tipping point happened in 2003 when an equal number of cameraphones and disigtal still cameras were sold. This is the fastest-growing segment of the market. It's getting a lot of strength from person-to-person messaging. People like to share images.
- People also want to print their photos. HP senses a marketplace for home photo printers.
- Nokia Lifeblog is as simple as its easy-to-use menu suggests. I would like to try my luck lifeblogging with a Nokia 6670.
- The Nokia 9500 takes several important steps beyond the 9210i that I use as my rirmary phone.
- Nokia's Visual Radio venture is sure to interest broadcasters.
- But the Nokia Stick phone could become Ireland's most desired clubbing accessory.
Russell Beattie -- "Apple will launch a mobile phone within 18 months"
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