New Phone Announcement: Nokia 6086 Camera Phone

The 6086 is Nokia's second latest entry into the midrange/mid-tier handset market. With a price of 200 Euros (that's $262 US Dollars), the 6086 is a quad-band camera phone in a clamshell form factor. Honestly, both the front and the inside view are pretty bland. At least Nokia didn't put up a gigantic display on the front flip as usual. Nokia also seems to be touting the fact that the keys are oversized for those with larger appendages.

And judging by the pictures, the camera doesn't have a flash either!

Nokia 6300

Nokia's Capital Market Days kicked off in Amsterdam today, showcasing four new models of Nokias: three mid-tier phones and one really crappy one ("entry-level").

The Nokia 6300 is a mid-tier candy bar form factor that's slightly thinner than your average Nokia phone. Made of stainless steel, the 6300 sports a look that's suspiciously similar to the high-end Nokia N73 phone.

Features? No clue. Nokia didn't reveal whether there was even a camera onboard. Most likely it'll be another typical Series 40 phone with the standard features.

The 6300 is expected to cost 250 Euros (~$328 US Dollars), and there's no word on whether it'll ever arrive in the States. It'll debut in early 2007, however.

Nokia likes to send out little press releases of their in-house studies from time to time. Their newest one is no exception - and it's strictly focused on gaming. A look at some of the results:

First, Nokia found that cell phone gamers, on average, played for an average of 28 minutes per gaming session. Although I for one can't even play Lumines for more than 2 minutes before my fingers get cold and numb. 28 minutes is just nuts. Bear in mind that Indian gamers entertained themselves for up to 39 minutes per session, while Americans played for about 31 minutes, both above the average.

80% of those surveyed said they played games on their mobiles at least once a week, with 34% admitting that they had a problem: playing cell phone games every day can do that to you.

What were the key features that the respondents looked for in a good mobile game? Graphics and gameplay led the pack with 84 and 83 percent, respectively, while replayability and game genre held up at 79 and 78.

Not surprisingly, most gamers in the study preferred to try games out before buying. Only 27% of respondents also decided that they would rather pay for a subscription-based game, than paying full price up front.

And in a final twist, 45% said that they played multiplayer games once a month. Look to MMORPG on cell phones in the near future, as data charges slowly drop and cell phone technology improves.

So what is Nokia doing with all this top-secret information? Answer from the horse's mouth:

"These research results further validate that consumers are looking
to the next generation of mobile gaming to meet their gaming needs,"
says Jaakko Kaidesoja, director, games, multimedia, Nokia. "Consumers
are demanding great graphics, great content and great game play and
we have listened. Next year, we intend to deliver superior mobile
gaming experiences which will include great looking, involved and
connected games that are easy to find, manage and play."