Nokia readies touch smartphones for release this year

By Jacqueline Emigh, BetaNews

July 18, 2008, 4:15 PM

Could Nokia be joining the pack of cell phone makers chasing after Apple's iPhone? The Finnish-based manufacturer's first touch smartphone, slated for the second half of this year, will be followed by a whole family of such devices.

Although Nokia is launching its own music service, known as Comes with Music, it looks as though the manufacturer will be competing against more from Apple than just iTunes.

"We are fully committed to bringing out a complete portfolio of touch input devices to the mass market from the high-end to the low-end. We aim to appeal to the broadest part of the market, and leverage our scale in platforms, manufacturing and distribution," said Nokia's EVP of Devices Kai Oistamo during a Nokia financial call on Thursday.

"Our first touch device will be aimed at the volume part of the market. It's competitively spec'd, considering the price point, and it's scheduled to be out in the second half," according to Oistamo.

"Our platform approach to the software will allow us to roll out touch across the entire range from top to bottom, it's just a matter of Nokia figuring out what features and what specs we want to include, such as GPS, Wi-Fi and Qwerty keypads."

As previously reported in BetaNews, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo had already named Apple -- along with Microsoft and Google -- as newfound rivals, as Nokia transitions into its self-designated new role as an "Internet company."