Nokia 5500 Sport Phone Features Built-In TTS

Nokia has launched the 5500 Sport phone, a mid-range Series 60 phone aimed at the "urban active" and people who work out of doors.

Unlike the typical Nokia phones, the Sport phone is quite conservative when it comes to design. In fact, it is rather an ordinary looking device. The phone has a waist that makes it easier to hold when the user is doing sporty things. A yellow and grey color theme gives it a sporty look. Themes such as a heavily-treaded rubber exterior have been shed so that the phone can be used by people who want to use it as their daily phone in urban life.

Apart from being a trendy sport phone, this new variant of the 5000 series hosts some innovative features.

Firstly, the phone has an instant swap or “mode” key that can be used to switch instantly between interfaces. For example, the user can swap from a phone feature to a music player or a training aid (applications include a diary, stopwatch, calorie counter, etc.) with press of a button.

The second major innovation is a special feature in some of the N-Series. It is a message reader that reads text messages to the user. It saves of the user from the need to stop and fiddle with the phone when running or cycling. Most European languages and Chinese are supported. This feature can be particularly useful for visually impaired users.

The third feature is the most interesting one. In this feature, Nokia shows off a 3D motion sensor that can be used to control the phone in new ways, such as tapping it to start the music. Nokia sees great potential for this feature as they are planning to open the API to the sensor, thus allowing third-party developers to incorporate it into their software. The application in games is obvious and is likely to be picked up widely.

Nokia believes that the mega-trend of sport and fitness will prove to be a catalyst in the world of phones for design ideas and marketing opportunities. The 5500 Sport has been designed as a platform for that process and variants are sure to come in the coming years. The 5500 is due to hit the consumer market Q3 of 2006 and will carry an expected retail price of $300 USD.

Source: Ovum’s EuroView Daily Comment service