But no new handset format
Nokia came with two new services and four handsets. Services first: the first was a second version of Nokia Maps, which adds pedestrian navigation (that's pedestrian as in people walking, not as in 'slow') as well as geo-tagging.
Geo-tagging is a term that describes the automatic addition of GPS co-ordinates to photographs, so that they can automatically be attached to maps, or just display their location. The pedestrian application looks a bit like an in-car version, except it is for people walking about. The service is available on Nokia Beta Labs now. Nokia says it will sell more GPS enabled devices this year than the entire personal navigation devices market did last year – so that's an indication of how important Nokia thinks location and mapping has become. The reason is the company is gunning for 'context' aware services, that combine place and time with services.
The operators will like this, of course, as they are the ones with the network info Ðalthough of course with GPS they are not in control. It remains to be seen, though, if GPS will be enough. What if your 'context' is that you are in a basement bar? How's the GPS fix going there?
The second services announcement is one of Nokia's first under its OVI brand, beyond its already announced music service.
Share on Ovi is a Flickr meets YouTube meets social networking sharing application, under which users can build a personal homepage, either using Share itself or dropping in other services, such as Flickr. Over 100 file types are supported, and the service is available from any web browser. But Nokia has also developed a client specially for N Series devices that will give an enhanced 'Share' experience. This looks like a bit of a tie-in then to sell more devices attached to the service. As Nokia was at pains to say that the service was all about being open, this is perhaps a slightly mixed message. Some animals are more equal than others, it seems.
And ceo and president Oli-Pekka Kallasvuo admitted as much when he said Nokia was all for a level playing field, it's just that once they're on the field, Nokia tries to pay the game a bit better than everyone else!
As for that old canard, Nokia's relationship with operators, Kallusvuo said that Nokia and mobile operators, sharing a common mobile background, make obvious partners, and he thinks they are still natural partners. The cake's plenty big enough for everyone to have a slice or two, he said.
Niklas Savander, vp software and services, said that Nokia has decided that it will go to market quickly with OVI, and that inevitably there will be some holes in the service, but he thought the priority was just to get the service up and running, and then perfect them later.
On the handsets, there was a successor to the mainstream N73, the N78. In terms of upgrades to the 206 N73, WiFi has been added to this phone, as well as GPS and HSDPA, and an FM transmitter that means you will be able to play out tracks from the phone over your car or home FM radio. The phone's shipping in Q2 this year.
The successor to the N95 is the N96. This is, according to Savander, an "N95 with turbo". Storage capacity has gone up to an on-board 16GB, and it's got "more everything" Savander said. It's worth noting that the UI remained the same, with no touch screen involved, and that generally there had been no significant uplift in design. Savander said that Nokia was all about "platformising" touch – and making sure when touch is launched it's really good and not gimmicky. So, basically it's not ready yet.
Two other handsets were the 6220 and the 6210. The 6210 is termed the Navigator. It's available 3Q, like the N96, and is designed to foreground the navigation aspect – again through Nokia Maps 2.0.
Extras:
OVI music will go live in 10 further markets later this year, most of them in Europe. There will be a touch screen interface for in the second half this year And no, there are "no plans" to implement Windows Mobile for Nokia phones.