Nokia have announced the new Nokia 5320 and 5220 Xpress Music phones.The Nokia Xpress Music range has traditionally been pitched at thelower end of the market, and the new 5320 and 5220 are no exception,selling for between 160 - 220 Euros. What is exceptional, though, isthe quality of the features that Nokia has been good enough to squeezeinto them. Not only do you get a dedicated music device with 3.5"headphone jack and dedicated audio chip for superior sound quality, butwith the 5320, you also get HSDPA for super-fast downloads of yourmusic direct to the phone.
As if all that wasn't enough, you can also install the N-Gageplatform to take advantage of the new range of games that Nokia areselling under the N-Gage brand, and storage of up to 8GB.
More details of the Nokia 5320 and 5220 mobile phones after the jump.
Nokia 5320 Xpress Music mobile phone
One thing that hits you when you look at this phone is, well, thelooks! For a low to mid-range phone, it looks great, both in blue (top)or red (above), and with all the features it's got, I think it'll flyoff the shelves. Another thing I love about is the little features thatNokia have added. For example, it has a nifty "Play and Say" feature,that lets you speak the name of the tune you want to listen to, and the5320 will play it for you - just like magic (gasp!). Completelypointless, of course, but kids and gadget-freaks on a budget will loveit.
From the press release:
Featuring a dynamic design with 3G social entertainmentcapabilities, the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic delivers exceptional music andweb 2.0 access. With the innovative new voice-controlled Say and Playfeature, consumers can merely say the name of a favorite artist or songto automatically play it. Offering an array of additional features, theNokia 5320 XpressMusic device includes dedicated XpressMusic keys, a3.5mm audio jack, up to 24 hours of playback time, an audio chip forhi-fi sound quality, extendable memory up to 8GB, HS-USB for fast musictransfer and HSDPA for fast access to data.
The full featured Internet browser, access to Ovi and Nokia Search4.1 allow users to find and share media content and information withease. In addition, dedicated N-Gage gaming keys and landscape viewdeliver a true gaming experience, while HSDPA provides fast access toN-Gage, which will be available for download. The Nokia 5320XpressMusic release date is expected to be the third quarter of 2008with an estimated retail price of 220 EUR before taxes and subsidies.
Nokia 5220 Xpress Music mobile phone
The Nokia 5220 isn't quite as high-specced as its older brother (noHSDPA, for example), but it, too, has a few novelties up its sleeve.Firstly, as should be obvious from the pic, it's not exactlysymmetrical! Apparently, this is a feature, and to be fair, it doesmake the phone stand out from other candybar designs. Secondly, it'sgot a lanyard! Yes, I had no idea what a landyard was, either (way togo with the marketing there, Nokia!), but apparently, it's just a bitof string that can tether the device, so you can hang it round yourneck...or something (somehow, that doesn't seem quite right!).Actually, if you look at the asymmetrical part of the phone at thebottom, you should see the hole through which the string can be pushed,so you really can wear this thing as a necklace! Seems odd to me, butwho am I to question great design?!
The Nokia 5220 XpressMusic device offers instant access to musicon-the-go with a unique, asymmetrical design. Featured for the firsttime on a Nokia XpressMusic device, a built-in lanyard makes the deviceeasy to carry anywhere. Additional features of the Nokia 5220XpressMusic include up to 24 hours playback time, dedicated XpressMusickeys and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Nokia 5220 XpressMusic release date isexpected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with anestimated retail price of 160 EUR before taxes and subsidies.
Both handsets are compatible with the recently launched Nokia MusicStore and offer easy music side-loading. With Nokia Music Store,consumers can choose from more than 2 million tracks from both majorand independent labels; international and local artists and simplybrowse, download, stream and sync either to a PC or side-load directlyto a mobile device.