It's been all over the internets (I think I'll miss George W.Bush when he's gone). Interestingly, these 'leaks' showed up the exact same day Apple was announcing the 3G iPhone. Some say this is hardly a coincidence. If it actually isn't, all I have to say is "Way to go Nokia!". It was a smart move, even if at first glance it might not seem that way. One might argue that more attention would have been paid to this, especially by the 'mainstream' blogs, if it came on another day. The investors, however, might not agree. Nokia showed the world the fact that it has interesting things up its sleeve. And anyway, these were only leaks, not announcements. Announcing phones on the same day as Apple would have been a disaster. Samsung did exactly that with its i900. That was stupid.
Back to the leaks.
Problem is, in a way, deep down, I hope that these are not actual leaks. They don't seem to be Photoshop renders, so I can only hope that they were early prototype stages of other devices (like this N85 may have been to the N96). Because if they are leaks ...yawn... let's just say I'm not impressed (the 6260 is different, not that I'm overwhelmed by it or anything, but I see where that's going - more in the dedicated paragraph).
The N79
Um...This has got to be the ugliest Nseries I've ever seen! Seems cheap, overly cheap and has a design that is probably appealing to those in their early teens only. The screen doesn't seem to be bigger than the 2.4 inch ones found in both the N82 and the N78. I can only hope that this handset will bring something revolutionary (or at least interesting) spec-wise. Otherwise, it is sad in a way that Nokia appears to be going the Motorola and, more recently, Sony Ericsson way, as in releasing dozens of phones which are more or less the same thing. Again, here's hoping that's not the case...
The N85
Now...what is this? A while ago Eldar from Mobile Review posted some interesting information on their forums (no link for that, sorry). He said that the N85 will probably be the next video flagship device from Nokia, following on the footsteps of the currently aging N93. Expectations were therefore set high. But this... This looks like an N96 without all the gloss. Seriously. It apparently features a 5 Megapixel camera (soon to be dethroned in the megapixel race) with Dual LED flash. Sound familiar? I'm having real issues picturing this phone as a video flagship, and certainly hope this is nothing more than a very-early-stage rendering of the N96.
The 6260
As I said above, I see where this is going (or rather, aiming). It appears to be a slider version of the 6220 classic, has the same design language and presumably the same camera. Good move this, as it will further help pushing smartphones into the mainstream. Now a leak of such a phone may not be as exciting as that of, say, the N95 (back in the day), and surely devices like this will not get the blogosphere and media attention that the likes of the N96 and N82 get now, but that is a pity, really. For Nokia, the mass adoption of S60, made more and more likely by the 6120, 6220 classic and now the 6260, is more important in terms of prospective sales than any one flagship device. I know, it's the stuff no 'early adopter' wants to hear, but it makes perfect (business) sense. I can only wish for more 6220s instead of more N79s.
More pictures of the 5800 XpressMedia show up as well
First of all, people, please, pretty please, let's not call this the Tube anymore? That sounds disgusting. Kthx.
The first touchscreen device from Nokia (expected release: Q4) also popped up (again) during the infamous WWDC-day leaks. This time it sports Vodafone branding, which instantly leads to the question of whether or not it will be a Vodafone exclusive, like the 6124 Classic, for example.
Personally I look forward to the 5800's release. Even if a 'true touchscreen flagship' is yet to come (in 2009), this will undoubtedly be an interesting first-effort from Nokia in the touch scene.
However there is a certain element in the pictures above that I find very disturbing. I'm all for choice when it comes to input methods, but the stylus in both these pics just makes it look like it's 1999 all over again. If a stylus is there just to have a choice of input, fine. But stop picturing it! No one in their right mind (mind!) figures a stylus is a competitive edge anymore!
I obviously keep hoping that the stylus is not there because the interface is stylus-optimized, that, now that, would be a true catastrophe for Nokia. Luckily, judging from this updated video previewing the S60 Touch interface, that doesn't seem to be the case. Whew.
[Image source: MobileCrunch]
Back to the leaks.
Problem is, in a way, deep down, I hope that these are not actual leaks. They don't seem to be Photoshop renders, so I can only hope that they were early prototype stages of other devices (like this N85 may have been to the N96). Because if they are leaks ...yawn... let's just say I'm not impressed (the 6260 is different, not that I'm overwhelmed by it or anything, but I see where that's going - more in the dedicated paragraph).
The N79
Um...This has got to be the ugliest Nseries I've ever seen! Seems cheap, overly cheap and has a design that is probably appealing to those in their early teens only. The screen doesn't seem to be bigger than the 2.4 inch ones found in both the N82 and the N78. I can only hope that this handset will bring something revolutionary (or at least interesting) spec-wise. Otherwise, it is sad in a way that Nokia appears to be going the Motorola and, more recently, Sony Ericsson way, as in releasing dozens of phones which are more or less the same thing. Again, here's hoping that's not the case...
The N85
Now...what is this? A while ago Eldar from Mobile Review posted some interesting information on their forums (no link for that, sorry). He said that the N85 will probably be the next video flagship device from Nokia, following on the footsteps of the currently aging N93. Expectations were therefore set high. But this... This looks like an N96 without all the gloss. Seriously. It apparently features a 5 Megapixel camera (soon to be dethroned in the megapixel race) with Dual LED flash. Sound familiar? I'm having real issues picturing this phone as a video flagship, and certainly hope this is nothing more than a very-early-stage rendering of the N96.
The 6260
As I said above, I see where this is going (or rather, aiming). It appears to be a slider version of the 6220 classic, has the same design language and presumably the same camera. Good move this, as it will further help pushing smartphones into the mainstream. Now a leak of such a phone may not be as exciting as that of, say, the N95 (back in the day), and surely devices like this will not get the blogosphere and media attention that the likes of the N96 and N82 get now, but that is a pity, really. For Nokia, the mass adoption of S60, made more and more likely by the 6120, 6220 classic and now the 6260, is more important in terms of prospective sales than any one flagship device. I know, it's the stuff no 'early adopter' wants to hear, but it makes perfect (business) sense. I can only wish for more 6220s instead of more N79s.
More pictures of the 5800 XpressMedia show up as well
First of all, people, please, pretty please, let's not call this the Tube anymore? That sounds disgusting. Kthx.
The first touchscreen device from Nokia (expected release: Q4) also popped up (again) during the infamous WWDC-day leaks. This time it sports Vodafone branding, which instantly leads to the question of whether or not it will be a Vodafone exclusive, like the 6124 Classic, for example.
Personally I look forward to the 5800's release. Even if a 'true touchscreen flagship' is yet to come (in 2009), this will undoubtedly be an interesting first-effort from Nokia in the touch scene.
However there is a certain element in the pictures above that I find very disturbing. I'm all for choice when it comes to input methods, but the stylus in both these pics just makes it look like it's 1999 all over again. If a stylus is there just to have a choice of input, fine. But stop picturing it! No one in their right mind (mind!) figures a stylus is a competitive edge anymore!
I obviously keep hoping that the stylus is not there because the interface is stylus-optimized, that, now that, would be a true catastrophe for Nokia. Luckily, judging from this updated video previewing the S60 Touch interface, that doesn't seem to be the case. Whew.
[Image source: MobileCrunch]
