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3GSM 2005

Samsung 1 Nokia 6681 Nokia 6101 IXI / Sanyo

Nokia's big phone news at 3GSM was the new 668x line of Series 60 smartphones.

The 6680 is probably the headline device, as Nokia's first 3G phone with built-in support for true face-to-face video calling. As with many 3G phones, dual cameras enable this (one on the front, one in back). It's also Nokia's first phone with Video Sharing, which lets you initiate a video stream to the other party (live or pre-recorded) during the middle of a voice call.

While the 6680 is only for European 3G networks for now, fortunately it has two close cousins with EDGE high-speed data for non-3G networks - the 6681 and 6682. The 6681 supports European and Asian frequency bands (900/1800/1900), while the 6682 supports the 850 band for the Americas.

The 6681 / 6682 is not dramatically different from previous Series 60 models. It's not smaller; in fact, it's just slightly larger and heavier than the 7610. But it's still a very comfortable size. Most of the features are similar.

What sets it apart are small touches, like the sliding lens cover, LED flash (a first for Nokia with GSM), and the hot-swappable RS-MMC card slot.

The OS has also been tweaked and updated. The browser now supports file-upload, a feature that first debuted in Series 40 phones like the 6230. This could be very useful for moblogging. Also related to imaging, the camera application now supports 6-step multi-shot at full megapixel resolution, simply by holding down the capture button. And a new 3D photo browser has also been added.

The home screen has also been tweaked, adding shortcut icons across the top, and PIM info down the middle, such as upcoming appointments. This kind of home screen layout was first seen on Windows Mobile for Smartphones, and is quickly becoming the de-facto standard. After Sendo had their breakup with Microsoft, Sendo added this type of homescreen to their Series 60 phone, and Samsung followed suit with prototypes of their D710. Now it looks like Nokia has finally adopted this layout as well.

Next page: Nokia 6101

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