SlashPhone » cellphone

Nokia ‘Harmony’ advert for 6500 prompts mixed reviews

Chris Davies — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:08:27 +0000

Nokia’s latest advert for its 6500 cellphone is already prompting split opinions online; the work of London agency Wieden + Kennedy, it shows hundreds of the handsets suspended roughly in the shape of a top lip. Called ‘Harmony’, the ad is already in rotation on UK TV, together with Nokia’s slogan “design for everyone”. Each phone shows a different user, flicking on in time with the music; it’s presumably CGI but the effect is still vaguely hypnotic.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hypnosis is one thing, but the argument is about Nokia’s intended message. The title is pretty easy to understand – after all, each of the individual voices come together to make the musical harmony – but the tagline is more vague. If anything, the video suggests functionality for everyone – complete with the full mouth shape made up at the end, courtesy of a mirror on the floor - not the design of the handset.

Of course, Nokia’s eventual aim is to get people talking about the 6500, which it’s managed. Vincent thinks the advert is creepy, whereas I’m quite impressed. The UK cellphone market is notoriously difficult to conquer, so adverts that concentrate solely on functionality tend not to get the same response as dramatic, interesting ads.

What do you think? Bizarre or brilliant? More likely to make you consider the 6500, or remember Nokia next time you’re looking for a new phone? Let us know in the comments.

[via I Believe In Advertising]

Samsung intro i900, U800 and L870 handsets at Dutch telecom expo

Chris Davies — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:11:52 +0000

Samsung has been wowing Dutch telecoms press with a number of previously unannounced handsets at the recent Televisie 2008 exhibition, with three UMTS devices garnering particular attention. Curiously, one – here labelled the i900 – appears to be a European version of the US handset of the same name, only running Windows Mobile 6.1 rather than Samsung’s own OS. Triband GSM, it has both WiFi and 3G connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0, and a 5-megapixel camera, all wrapped up in what looks to be a metal casing measuring 112 x 56 x 13mm.

Candybar-loving fans of Samsung’s U900 Soul might find satisfaction in the U800, which resembles a non-sliding, solid-keyed version of that device. Again having a brushed metal body, the U800 has a 3.2 megapixel camera, FM Radio, Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0, and is a quadband GSM handset with 3G. While it lacks the touchscreen of the U900 Soul, the U800 will likely hit a lower price point.

Finally, the L870 is a quadband GSM and UMTS smartphone running the Symbian S60 OS. Feature wise it’s pretty middle-of-the-road, with a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and an FM radio. Measuring 102 x 50 x 13.55mm, it seems intended to rival Nokia’s mid-range N-series handsets.

[via Unwired View]

Hop-on disposable cellphone picked up by European distributor

Chris Davies — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:40:06 +0000

The thought of a disposable cellphone is enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the most casual environmentalists, but US manufacturer Hop-on would like you to know that their basic $20 handset, while marketed as “disposable”, is really more intended to be an emergency option living, say, in your car’s glove compartment. Someone certainly seems to think it’s a good idea: an unnamed European distributor has placed a test purchase order for 10,000 of the inexpensive cellphones, which lack screens and – in their US form at least – have a shortcut quick-dial key for the emergency services.

“Response to our simple, inexpensive, $20 phone was phenomenal. The initial test purchase order with multiple purchase orders behind it is a big step in introducing Hop-on to Europe” Peter Michaels, president, Hop-on

Hands-on’s phone is dualband (900/1800Hz) and based on a Texas Instruments chipset. The company apparently received plenty of interest at CTIA earlier on this year, which led in part to the current deal.

There’s no suggestion as of yet where the Hop-on handset will be available, nor how much it will be priced at.

[via Pocket-lint]