Nokia Tube 5800: iPhone competitor?
Although Nokia hasn’t yet specified a release date for its first touch screen phone, dubbed the Nokia Tube 5800, some observers are already calling the phone a potentially worthy rival of the Apple iPhone.
The Nokia Tube 5800, which closely resembles the iPhone in appearance, sports a 3.2 inch LCD screen capable of displaying 16 million colors. The iPhone-like device also features a 3.2 mega-pixel camera with auto focus and a GPS.
The phone is the first to run on the S60, the operating system recently developed by Symbian. It is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled. Other noteworthy specifications are 3G UMTS/HSDPA capability, quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM/EDGE radio, and a TV-out port that allows users to switch to wide screen view.
Another edge to the Tube is that it will run Java software and other flash applications which Apple hasn’t currently incorporated on the iPhone’s Safari web browser. The iPhone also doesn’t enable direct video uploading, a feature that the Nokia Tube reportedly has.
The Nokia Tube 5800 was demonstrated at the recently held Evans Data Developer Relations Conference showcasing a promotional display for the movie Shrek the Third.
Forum Nokia Vice President Tom Libretto says that although the Tube is the company’s first touch screen interface device, it is confident that it can compete with the iPhone. In a presentation made at the conference by Libretto, Nokia and iPhone delivery figures were compared and it was shown that iPhone shipments do not match the higher figures achieved by Nokia. Libretto also says that the extensive influence that Nokia has over the market will also be the key in outperforming the Apple iPhone.
Analysts and observers are impatiently awaiting the announcement of a release date, mounting pressure on the Finnish company to launch before Apple releases the 3G version of iPhone.
Some analysts are also skeptical about the performance of the Tube’s operating system stating that Symbian’s S60 might not efficiently enable multi-touch capability. A research company official believes that over the S60, users will be able to use only one finger at a time in maneuvering the touch screen.
If such is the case, analysts say that it is essential that the Tube incorporate features that will compensate for this drawback. While the design of the device is attractive enough to pit it against the iPhone, users might end up getting disappointed if the software performance isn’t up to par.The Nokia Tube is reportedly set to be released in the later part of this year.