Nokia Intros New 3G Phones, One for U.S.

Nokia has shown three new 3G phones it plans to ship in the first half of 2006, including the 6282, a 1900 Mhz UMTS/GSM phone aimed at the American market.

Finland’s Nokia, still the world’s largest mobile phone maker, unveiled three new 3G mobile phones at an investor’s presentation in New York yesterday, including the 6282 handset aimed at markets offering 1900 MHz UMTS service.

The Nokia 6282 combines a 1 megapixel digital camera, a 320 by 240 QVGA display, an FM radio tuner, a digital music player, Bluetooth, a hot-swappable miniSD card slot, an “eye-catching” sliding design which keeps the display in sight at all times, and a total weight less than 4 ounces. The 6282 supports GSM 850/1900/1800 and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System) 1900 MHz, potentially making it one of the first phones to support high speed UMTS service in the Americas when it ships in the first quarter of 2006. The 6282 converts to a landscape-oriented image and video viewer which can display still photos as well as 15 fps VGA video.

UMTS networks would let the 6282 access streaming audio and video content, as well as the rapid exchange of photos, audio, games, ringtones, and other media. The 6282 also features a built-in SyncML client for wireless synchronization of contact and calendar information, and offers an “Active Standby Mode” which lets the screen display calendar and to-do items while providing access to the phone’s most-used applications. Nokia has not yet announced any pricing information on the 6282.

Nokia has lost market share in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2005, and has said it intends to regain ground by offering significantly improved handset options.

Nokia also announced new 6234 and 6233 models. The 6234 is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2006, and will be exclusive to mobile operator Vodafone. The 6234 handset features a 2 megapixel camera with 8x zoom, a 320 by 240 QVGA display, digital music player, stereo speakers, support for microSD cards, Bluetooth, and support Vodafone-specific features and applications which build on WCDMA wireless broadband services.

The 6233 handset is a stainless steel 3G phone with a 2 megapixel camera and built-in digital music player, the same 320 by 240 QVGA display, stereo speakers, support for microSD cards, Bluetooth support, and the same “Active Standby Mode” to be available on the America-aimed 6282. The 6233 is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2006 at a base price near