Nokia Unveils Answer to iTunes Phone
Nokia has plans, at least in markets outside the United States, to take on the Motorola ROKR iTunes phone. The company announced on Monday the launch of the Nokia 6630 Music Edition, a special music-enabled version the company's popular smartphone.
The upgraded 6630 will include 256MB of built-in memory to store music, with the capability to add up to 1GB through a RS-MMC card. Transfer of music can be done through an included PC software or Nokia SD/MMC reader that will be included with the phone.
The phone will come in two colors, red or grey, and includes a 1.3-megapixel camera.
The 6630 is not the first Nokia phone to offer MP3 capability. In March, the company released the 6230i, which sported MP3 and AAC compatibility. In April, the company announced the N91 with 4GB of storage, -- Nokia's answer to the iPod Mini -- but the phone has yet to become available.
Also, Nokia said in February at the 3GSM World Congress that future phones would have support for the Windows Media format. The 6630 does not carry Windows Media support, however.
"The Nokia 6630 Music Edition is a fantastic combination of music, smartphone and 3G," Tuula Rytila-Uotila, Director, Imaging EMEA, Nokia said.
One possible reason why the phone will not appear in the Americas is the fact that it requires WCDMA. Only Cingular offers such a service, and it is only in a testing phase in certain regions of the country with widespread deployment still years away.
The 6630 Music Edition is expected to begin shipping by the end of the month in Nokia's European, Middle Eastern and African markets. No timetable for an American release was given.