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SAN FRANCISCO - Top cell phone maker Nokia is introducing an upgraded version of a wireless multimedia device without a phone, the company said, as it takes aim at Apple's iPod Touch.
The Nokia N810 internet Tablet is intended for heavy users of websites, such as Google, Skype, Facebook and Flickr. It connects to Wi-Fi hot spots or Bluetooth connections, instead of cellular networks, as cell phones do.
The N810, with a price around US$479, ($NZ640) has built-in maps and satellite navigation for getting directions, a high-resolution camera, instant messaging, and a 10-gigabyte memory card that stores up to 7,500 songs in compressed format.
"What we have created is a clean internet device," said Anssi Vanjoki, general manager of Nokia's multimedia business. "It does not bring any of the ridiculous leftovers of the past," he said, referring to older telecoms software.
The N810 resembles Apple's recently introduced iPod Touch internet multimedia device, which also goes without phone features.
Nokia's new device was unveiled at a news conference ahead of the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.
Among the key differences, users can choose a touch screen, writing stylus or pop-up keyboard that hides behind its screen that is more than 4 inches across - larger than Apple devices.
Adding conventional phone features would be easy, technically speaking, for Nokia, a company that produces more than 100 million phones a year.
But for internet-focused devices this would conflict with Nokia's push to offer devices designed to work on the open internet rather than on cellular networks, said Ari Virtanen, Nokia's vice president of multimedia convergence products.
"We don't want to build this device so that it requires a mobile phone subscription," Virtanen said. Apple's iTouch also does not require a subscription, although its iPhone does.
The N810 is expected to start shipping in mid-November. It uses Linux as its underlying software operating system. The wireless device carries a Mozilla-based web browser, with fully interactive AJaX technology and an Adobe Flash 9 video player.
Nokia has worked with Google to incorporate Google Talk instant messaging features that allow users to know when other friends using Google Gmail are online. Users can also choose Skype or other internet-calling applications.
Flickr is a photo-sharing website, Facebook is a social-networking site, and Skype is an internet phone voice service.
Batteries last for two days of normal activity, Nokia said. In continuous use, the battery lasts four hours, according to product literature.
The device will first be available in North America, 15 European markets and in limited parts of Asia, officials said. The average price of the phone in Europe will be around 450 euros ($NZ854).
Nokia, based in Finland, is expected to deliver strong profit growth on Thursday, when it reports third quarter results, buoyed by demand for low-cost phones in emerging markets and more sophisticated multimedia phones in Europe.
- REUTERS
