Nokia Corp attempted to shine a light across the gloomy European 3G landscape yesterday with the launch of the first 3GPP-compliant WCDMA and GSM900/1800 dual-mode, tri-band handset.
The device, known as the Nokia 6650, is also notable for allowing users to record up to 20 seconds of video (128x96 pixels) with sound using a built in VGA camera employing 4096 colors, the first Nokia phone to offer the facility. The camera can also be used for taking still photographs (640x480) that can be viewed on the device's color display.
Other features include a multimedia messaging service (MMS) client, a WAP 1.2.1-compatible browser, integrated Bluetooth, a "wallet" application for mobile transactions, and a Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) virtual machine based on the mobile information device profile (MIDP). Nokia is also making great play of the 6650's ability to multitask, allowing it to run more than one data session at a time - for instance, recording video while talking on the phone.
Nokia said the 6650 will start shipping to operators for live network tests in the fourth quarter with commercial sales expected to begin in the first half of next year. Nokia demonstrated the device in Helsinki in cooperation with local operator Sonera Corp.
News source: The Reg
