Nokia 6288 Touts Mobile Video Features

Finland's Nokia announced its new 6288 slider phone today, sporting two cameras and real-time video sharing capabilities.

While it may not hit U.S. shores for a while yet, Nokia’s just-announced 6288 slider phone deserves a little bit of attention as an indication of where the mobile industry thinks some users want to go with 3G phone networks and increasingly sophisticated mobile technology. Here’s a hint: think video.

Scheduled to ship in the third quarter of 2006 for about €325 before taxes or subsidies (a little over $410 USD) in white and black, the Noki 6288 comes with a 512 MB memory card and a bright 320 by 240 pixel QVGA LCD display described as “ideal” for watching videos. And let’s not forget making videos: the 6288 comes equipped with not one but two cameras, enabling mobile video phone features. One camera is a 2 megapixel number for snapshots and traditional picture-taking, while the other sports VGA resolution suitable for two-way video calling.

“The Nokia 6288 offers consumers the many benefits of 3G in a practical and affordable device,” says Aage Snorgaard, a Nokia senior vide president, in a statement. “With its strong set of engaging features, world-class video capabilities and an attractive design, we believe the Nokia 6288 will fast become a favorite on the markets this fall.”

With the 6288 looming on he horizon, we can’t be very far away from that icon of 1930’s technology: two way video calling on a wristwatch. No work on when (or if) the 6288 will land in North American markets, but you can be sure U.S. mobile operators and other phone makers will keep on eye on the idea of mobile video calling as a way to wring even more revenue out of 3G services.

(And, hey, anyone remember Nokia’s newfound belief in naming its phones, rather than assigning them cryptic model numbers? What’s with 6288?)