Tech & Biz

Nokia's iPhone rival announced next week

by Jordan Yerman | September 26, 2008 at 12:18 pm

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Eager to turn around its sinking stock, Nokia will reveal its first touch-screen mobile phone next week. While Samsung and HTC have offered up touch-screens (HTC's alliance with Google's Android being the current credible threat to the iPhone's crown), Nokia has hung back, sticking with its business-friendly E- and N-series handsets.

Both sources said Nokia would unveil its new phone -- code-named "Tube" -- on October 2 at an analyst and media event in London. A Nokia spokeswoman declined to comment.

"The phone is extremely important," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. "We have been waiting for the market leader to respond to Apple's iPhone for a year and a half now. There is a lot of pressure on Nokia."

Nokia shares hit 13.21 euros on Friday, down 50 percent from the start of the year in part because of the slow introduction of touch-screen models.

Are there any leaked images of this "Tube"? Maybe. Nokia's apparently naming it the 5800ExpressMusic, though when I think "touch-screen", I think "video".

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