Nokia Launches Three Music-Centric Devices
The three new music devices, the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, Nokia 5330 XpressMusic and the Nokia 5030, aim to bring Comes With Music and the Nokia Music Store to new geographies.
"We've sold more than 425 million devices with a digital music player and more than 700 million devices with an FM radio, which clearly shows that the mobile phone is the natural device for listening to the music and carrying it with you," said Jo Harlo of Nokia's devices division in a statement. "Combining a connected digital music player like the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic with unlimited access to millions of tracks via Comes With Music means that in addition to their favorite tracks, music lovers can discover, experiment and keep the new music they find."
Nokia's Music Store is currently available in 15 markets on three continents. Similar to Apple's iTunes, it lets users browse and buy music, get recommendations and search for artists, songs or albums directly from their phones. Comes With Music is a subscription-based service that gives users unlimited downloads for the Nokia Music Store for a year or 18 months. Users keep the tracks when their subscription expires. Comes With Music is currently available in the U.K. and Singapore and will launch in the U.S. sometime this year. Two of the new devices, the 5730 XpressMusic and 5330 XpressMusic, will be Come With Music-compatible in available markets, Nokia said.
The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is Nokia's first music-centric device with a full QWERTY keyboard. At the center of the device is the Homescreen for XpressMusic, which offers access to information on music, people, games, e-mail and calendar. The Homescreen also features an improved contacts bar with up to 20 friends and family members, provides direct access to music, N-Gage and other applications, such as Facebook, photos, Ovi contacts, maps and messaging.
The 5730 features dedicated gaming keys, making it a portable gaming device with access to Nokia's N-Gage platform. The device will begin shipping in the third quarter.
The Nokia 5330 XpressMusic features a top-sliced design and illumination effects. It offers express touch keys on the side of the display for instant music access. It also features a standard 3.5mm headphone jack and extended battery life for more than 26 hours of playback. The 5330, which will be available in the third quarter, also offers access to popular sites that specialize in online sharing, such as Ovi, Facebook and MySpace.
The Nokia 5030 is Nokia's first device with an internal FM radio antenna. It also eliminates the need for a headset or external speakers due to a built-in speaker. It features one-touch FM radio and channel selection keys on the side of the phone. When placed sideways on a table, the 5030 doubles as a portable FM radio. The 5030 offers up to a full day of listening time and 10 hours of talk time, and is available in graphite and red.
The device is expected to hit a low price point and is scheduled to begin shipping in the second quarter.
The new lineup of devices comes just weeks after Nokia officially launched the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in the U.S. Just days after its U.S. release, the 5800 suffered technical problems that prompted Nokia to pull the handheld from store shelves in New York and Chicago. Nokia called the issues, which resulted in difficulty connecting to AT&T's 3G network, a "very isolated incident."