Nokia unveils new phones, game console
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -- Nokia unveiled seven new mobile devices on Monday, including one that doubles as a game console, as it takes aim at the traditional games industry.
The phone models unveiled, most with color screen displays, cater to various consumer segments including the fashion conscious and work on the popular GSM mobile system, which predominates in Europe, Africa and Asia. http://xboxtito.20m.com/images/story.nokia12.jpg
Nokia announced at a mobile Internet conference in Munich the Nokia N-Gage -- its first mobile phone that also acts as a console for consumers to play quality games, which are stored and distributed on memory cards, on a color screen.
The device can be seen as a direct challenge to handheld game consoles from the likes of Nintendo and the games market hotly contested by Sony, Microsoft and others. It will be introduced in February 2003.
"Nokia will bring mobility to the games industry by offering console-quality games for a new mobile game deck product category," the Finnish company said in a statement.
Nokia is dominant player
Nokia mobile phone launches are closely watched because of the company's dominant position in the wireless industry, supplying over a third of all phones sold to consumers worldwide.
Shares in Nokia were largely unmoved by the announcement as investors had already traded up the stock on anticipation the world's largest mobile phone maker would announce several new models. At 1225 GMT Nokia was up 5.4 percent at 17.41 euros, roughly in line with European peers.
The company unveiled the 6800 model, which comes with a color display, supports so-called multimedia messaging service (MMS) and Java technology and has a cover that opens up into a full keyboard. It will be shipped to the European, African and Asian markets in the first quarter of next year.
The 7250 color screen fashion phone with a built-in digital camera will also be shipped in the first quarter as will the 5100, the 8910i and the 2100, Nokia said at its annual mobile Internet conference, this time held in Munich.
Nokia will start shipping the 6100 model, also with a color display, by year-end 2002.
