re: Nokia at Sydney, Australia technology summit
>> Nokia Eyes Major Role In Asia Pacific's Mobile Society
March 27, 2001 12:00am
Newsbytes News Network
As the current top manufacturer of mobile phones worldwide,Nokia is set to play a major role in the build-up of the "mobile information society," especially in Asia Pacific, according to Nigel Litchfield, senior vice president, Nokia Mobile Phones.
The mobile information society is a natural evolution of communications, "enabling users to access and transfer information between devices and over any form of network access, anytime, anywhere," said Litchfield.
Out of a total of 405 million mobile phone units sold worldwide last year, Nokia reportedly sold 128 million units, or a market share of 32 percent.
But more than manufacturing phones that incorporate the latest technology as well as chic designs and colors attuned to current lifestyles, Nokia is also a fast growing supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks, including related services, said Litchfield. He noted that Nokia is currently the second largest supplier of products and services for GSM (global system for mobile communications) networks worldwide.
At the "Connecting to the Rhythm of Life" technology summit held recently in Sydney for 250 industry players and 100 journalists in Asia Pacific, Nokia showcased Internet-based services and applications that address consumer and corporate needs and preferences and a new range of mobile phones "that jibe with the latest lifestyle trends."
For its infrastructure offering supporting the mobile information society, especially in Asia Pacific, Nokia demonstrated the first XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) microbrowser on a standard mobile phone; Nokia Payment Solution enabling mobile e-commerce services with multiple payment methods; and Nokia mPosition, a platform for location-based services.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) describes XHTML as: "a reformulation of HTML 4.0 as an application of the Extensible Markup Language (XML)." XHTML is the language that will be used to create all content, regardless of whether they are for the fixed Internet or the mobile phone world. It enables WAP content to be shared across PCs, TVs, PDAs, pagers, and mobile phones.
Nigel Rundstrom, vice president, Strategic Marketing, Nokia Mobile Phones, Asia Pacific, said that Nokia plans to start incorporating the browser in its handsets by the end of this year.
As with Nokia's current WAP browser, Nokia will license the XHTML browser source code to other handset manufacturers, mobile phone operators, service providers, and others. Licensing information is available from nokia.com.
To address the expected rapid growth of mobile e-commerce transactions in Asia Pacific, Nokia announced it will make its new solution for mobile commerce called "Nokia Payment Solution" commercially available by the third quarter of this year.
The solution allows payment service providers to mediate payments between three main parties of mobile e-commerce: financial institutions, merchants, and consumers. It is a platform that collects, manages, and clears payments initiated from mobile phones and other Web-enabled terminals through various payment methods, such as credit and debit cards, operator's pre-paid or post- paid systems, and a virtual purse.
Meanwhile, the Nokia mPosition platform, set to be available in Asia Pacific markets by the second half of this year, will allow operators to offer to end- users location-based data, including traffic and weather reports, restaurant, theatre, movie ticket bookings or even emergency services.
Using open standards and common industry forum developments for application interfaces, it support GSM networks and has an upgrade path to GPRS, EDGE, and 3G networks.
Nokia's New Phones
Simultaneously launched last week in Sydney and at the CeBIT exhibition in Hannover, Germany are Nokia's first GPRS phones - the 8310, 6310 and consumer- targeted 3330.
As the first in a series of Nokia GPRS phones, the Nokia 8310, set to be commercially available by the third quarter of this year, uses WAP over GPRS technology.
The 8310 is an EGSM 900/1800 dual band mobile phone, weighing 84 grams, and is 97 mm long. It comes with an integrated FM radio and offers multiple SMS messaging. In Asia Pacific markets, the phone supports enhanced Chinese phone management for SMS, SMS Chat, Phonebook and Calendar Notes, Thai, and Vietnamese input.
The Nokia 6310 also offers fast and easy access to mobile services as it supports WAP over GPRS, Bluetooth, SyncML, and HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data) technologies. It is set for commercial release by the fourth quarter of 2001.
Like the 8310, the 6310 is an EGSM 900/1800 dual band mobile phone. In Asia Pacific markets, the phone supports Chinese input for SMS, Phonebook, and Calendar notes.
Combining WAP with "fun and exciting" features, Nokia 3330 is a dual band GSM 900/1800 phone that offers a host of personalization features such as a new game, an animated screensaver, a new "first vibrate, then ring" option, and SMS chat.
Nokia also rolled out a new mobile phone accessory, the Nokia Music Player HDR- 1, which allows users to listen to an integrated FM stereo radio and downloadable audio/music files. The accessory can be used as a handsfree kit and is compatible with the Nokia 3310, 3330, 8210, 8250, and 8850 phone models. <<
- Eric - |
