5 things you didn’t know about the Nokia Tube and preview

Nokia hasn't exactly been a watertight corporate ship when it comes to their first ever full touchscreen phone, the Nokia Tube. First spotted way back last summer, it's been seen in The Dark Knight, at tiresome marketing conventions and in fan sites the world over. But is it really the Apple beating marvel we've been led to believe. Let us give you the lowdown.

It's no iPhone beater
At first, it looked like this could finally be Nokia's touchscreen answer to the iPhone. Alas, leaks of the so-called Tube, or 5800 XpressMusic to give it its real title, suggest it will actually be a mid-range blower. Why? Well with Nokia the biggest player in the mobile world, they reckon they can turn average Joe's onto touchscreen tech and build from the bottom. And there's a good chance it'll work.

It won't be multitouch
Being mid–range, Nok has said it won’t come with the same multitouch tech you find in the iPhone. Instead, you can expect the Symbian S60 Touch system to use haptic feedback, just like the LG Viewty and Samsung Tocco. That means you’ll be able to tell when you’ve hit the screen – but you won’t be able to twist pics with your fingers,

It'll do over-the-air downloads
Nokia Comes With Music is set to take off this winter, and you can bet your entire gadget collection that the 5800 XpressMusic will be one of a string of handsets toting the subscription store. That means you’ll be able to grab as much music as you like from the every major label except EMI. And you can be sure that any downloads you want to snag will wing their way to you using 3G, especially with rival O2 launching their own tie–up with Sony BMG earlier this month.

It won't cost the earth
Being your regular mid–level Nok, the Tube will almost certainly come free on contract. And we’re not talking an iPhone 3G–style deal, where you have to pony up £45 every month for the privilege of having the phone in your pocket. Plus, it won’t be shackled to one network, giving Nokia the chance to work their magic and get it into every mobile–loving mitt in the country.

It’ll take touchscreen to the masses
Because it’s not taking the iPhone on, Nok can afford to let the Tube go for cheap. And because of that (and it’s sharp styling if its appearance in The Dark Knight is anything to go by), everyone will want to get on the bandwagon. And as soon as everyone understands how touchscreens really work (we’re talking your Mum and Dad rather than us gadget geeks), then Nok will take over the world. Don’t count against it.

For more on the Nokia Tube, make sure you keep your eyes on Stuff.tv. We’ve already got a full preview, with hot news coming very soon.


PREVIEW

Nokia's much-touted touchscreen phone has been the subject of wild web rumour and speculation since August last year, but it looks as if the iPhone-botherer is closer to reality than we thought.

Since the iPhone set the world alight, there hasn't been a worthy contender to its throne – the LG Viewty's touchscreen leaves a lot to be desired and the HTC Touch's TouchFlo is limited to certain screens.

It was always going to take a manufacturer with unrivalled handset experience and arguably the best interfaces in the land to take the battle to Apple – step forward the Nokia Tube.

So what will the Nokia Tube offer us? Well, it'll come packing Symbian’s S60 Touch, as predicted. The 16:9 screen will be bigger than the 3in offering on the iPhone, but this won’t be the complete rival to Apple we’ve all ben hoping for. That’s coming soon after the Tube’s launch, apparently.

We’re not looking at an N–series phone just yet, rather an ‘Xpress Media’ release which will sit alongside the Xpress Music cells released last year. A higher-specced N-Series will probably be released later next year.

Features–wise, the Tube is certainly more stacked than the current non-3G iPhone. There'll be EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA, WLAN, Bluetooth and GPS. The screen however, won’t be multitouch, but rather the haptic approach favoured by Samsung.

If you want one, you’re going to have to wait until Q1 2009, which should place around the time of next year’s Mobile World Congress.

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