Nokia unveils high-end camera phones
Company launches seven new cell phones, including one with third-generation technology and candy bar-shaped phone. Photos: Nokia calls on video phones
The world's top mobile phone maker unveiled its 6280 3G slide phone with a 2-megapixel camera, a day ahead of Singapore's CommunicAsia, the region's largest IT and communications trade show.
Nokia also introduced three CDMA models: the high-end 6265 2-megapixel camera slide phone and two entry-level models, the 2255 clamshell handset and the 2125 candy bar-shaped phone.
CDMA, or code division multiple access, is the world's second-most common mobile phone technology after GSM, or Global System for Mobile Communications.
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's general manager for mobile phones, said the company is committed to growing its CDMA mobile business, particularly in Asia.
"The growth prospects on the CDMA front are extremely encouraging. The CDMA market is expected to grow at pace with the overall handset market and the global CDMA handset volume is expected to increase by 10 to 15 percent year-on-year in 2005," he told a telecom industry gathering.
The seven models are expected to start shipping in the second half of 2005.
Finland-based Nokia was forced to slash prices for its phones in 2004, when it lost market share partly because of a lack of attractive midpriced camera phones and folding clamshell models. But it was able to plug most gaps in its product portfolio by early 2005 and posted first-quarter profits that beat all market forecasts.
According to market researcher Gartner, Nokia's global market share rose to 30.4 percent in the first quarter from 28.8 percent in the year-earlier period, but fell from 33 percent in the fourth quarter of 2004.