HELSINKI - Nokia yesterday unveiled three mass-market smartphones yesterday, as the troubled handset maker struggles against top-end competitors and cheaper producers in a market it once ruled as the innovative technology bellwether.
The new models, based on the Symbian platform, include what the Finland-based company calls the world’s smallest touchscreen smartphone and one with an exceptionally bright display.
The launch of the Nokia 600, 700, and 701 comes five months after Nokia introduced its first smartphones to run on the updated Symbian software, with new icons, enhancements, and a faster browser. It said they were made with eco-friendly materials, have long battery life, and include power-saving features.
Nokia is being increasingly squeezed on the low-end market by Asian device makers like ZTE and on the high end by the makers of smartphones like Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry.
It is hoping to regain momentum with the Windows Phone 7 - to be launched later this year - after teaming up with Microsoft, whose Windows Phone operating system will become the main platform for Nokia cellphones.
The new models enable the use of stereo Bluetooth headsets and speakers and content to be shared between devices.
Nokia said its 700 model, weighing 3.5 ounces, is the “most compact touch monoblock smartphone in the world,’’ with a 1-gigahertz processor, 3.2-inch screen, and two gigabytes of built-in memory.
Nokia claims 1.3 billion daily users of its devices, and has said it hopes the partnership with Microsoft will lead to capturing the next billion users to join the Internet in growth markets.
