Nokia's touchscreen Tube out in the wilds?

Like detective work? Good, this one's for you. That's the supposed first picture of Nokia's Tube which we've enhanced a bit to see all the detail. According to Symbian-Freak, the device code-named "Tube" will be Nokia's first touch S60 device but will not be a flagship phone. Another higher spec'd phone will ship "shortly after." The display is said to be between 3- and 3.5-inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a camera (with another up front based on the picture) which they say is "way better" than the iPhone's but not on par with the existing N-series shooters. The phone is said to ride atop quad-band GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA radios with built-in Bluetooth, WiFi, uPnP support and a stylus. Something you'll apparently need judging by that skinny scroll bar. GPS? Yup, that too. No multi-touch on this model but it is said to provide haptic feedback in a package supposedly smaller (maybe a little bit wider) than the N73. We also notice an "XpressMedia" label on the phone which would indicate an affiliation with Nokia's XpressMusic class of media devices. You'll also notice that the icons have been slightly revised since we went hands on with the S60 Touch UI back in February. Real deal or not, it's a mystery worthy of your skills.

[Thanks Jose and to everyone who sent this in]

[gibsonorbust @ Apr 9th 2008 4:15AM]

If it ain't multi-touch, I dont care about.

Multi-touch IS the future.

[riggs @ Apr 9th 2008 8:43AM]

so is a rotary phone. lolwut?

[Marc Jacob @ Apr 9th 2008 9:37AM]

ya, the UI could use some apple-fying... the D800i Hiphone is a hot phone, no multi-touch, but still i like mine even though it got stolen yesterday ;( http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1531&HS=1

[Haydur @ Apr 9th 2008 8:52PM]

What the fuck is multi-touch good for besides expanding and contracting pictures? In any case, a feature that requires two hands is not a feature. It's a useless gimmick.

Gimme Single-Uno-Ein...touch. That's it.

[jonathan @ May 19th 2008 6:20AM]

Multi-touch is good for scrolling.

[superted @ Apr 9th 2008 4:17AM]

If the UI is as smooth as the iPhone they stand a pretty ok chance of making an impact with this thing; especially in europe. Sadly, judging by my N73 sluggish UI I really doubt it'll produce anything mind blowing.

Like it or not this is going to be directly compared to the iPhone straight off the bat.

[Pdexter @ Apr 9th 2008 4:50AM]

All the new N series are really fast like N95, N78, E51... well all smartphones after N95 so i'm not really worried about speed at all. What am i worried is that this wont probally have monster spec. I did suspect it as this will be first phone from a line of TS phones that are coming so releasing flagship right away dosent sound right(it would souns good for me, but not for Nokia =D).
AND i hitted the nail with it being Xpress device!

I'm satisfied with this one if it has gps, 3mpx or higher and as you can even use older firmware softs in it will have tons and tons of apps i will buy this next to my iphone....thought of course there's still iphone 2 to come.

[Soze @ Apr 9th 2008 5:37AM]

Symbian-Freak is hinting that
"we can expect the real touch beast will be announced after this"
So after this would be released it's more of this waiting game?

[David @ Apr 9th 2008 6:15AM]

This UI certainly appears ugly enough to be a true Nokia product.

I've never liked anything Nokia's made since day one, on the software end, and I guess that legacy continues (I knew it would!)

It's something about that vertical signal bar, and the way icons are organized that just irks me.

[Cellenin @ Apr 9th 2008 4:23AM]

T-Mobile germany? Looks that way

[TomWBrowning @ Apr 9th 2008 4:41AM]

That interface looks like arse.

[BrianB @ Apr 9th 2008 11:38AM]

We have a long list of iPhone clones. Scroll down and you'll see how well this Nokia fits in.

http://www.pmptoday.com/?s=iphone+clone

Think about this: Nokia is the most popular cellphone brand in China. Maybe they're dropping this in the Chinese market, now that Apple and China don't jive.

[Darkest Daze @ Apr 9th 2008 4:55AM]

Call me picky, but I'd personally like to have a slide-out QWERTY to go with the touchscreen.

[Warhorse @ Apr 9th 2008 10:39AM]

That would work great. I love my Wing but would like GPS and a better camera.

[Soze @ Apr 9th 2008 5:07AM]

It looks thin, bu one thing i really like about the dimensions is that it seems much more ergonomic than iphone.

[Rynth @ Apr 9th 2008 6:42AM]

Uhhm, ergonomic? Its a bloody rounded rectangle you fruit loop!

Ergonomics my arse..

[Pdexter @ Apr 9th 2008 6:45AM]

Huh you got that really personally....
What i mean it's not as wide as iphone, but i dont think you had anything else in your mind than trolling, right? =D

[Edward Boucher @ Apr 9th 2008 7:26AM]

I have never heard about the iPhone being too "wide" for a persons hand... you must have really tiny hands.

Personally I would rather have a iPhone with the current big screen over a smaller screen and less wide phone.

You want a small phone... get the Samsung juke... which is a total joke/waste.

[Rynth @ Apr 9th 2008 10:54AM]

Yay for low rankings!

What I ment was that its quite hard for something thats essentially a special square with its corners cut off to be ergonomic.

It wasn't fanboyism of the apple/nokia kind, just more a general obs.

More than likely the same people who ranked me low there will do the same to this, but I fear ye not!

[xasan @ Apr 9th 2008 5:08AM]

The use of a stylus does not bode well for this thing being anywhere near as intuitive and responsive as an iPhone unfortunately.

Nokia, I will be happy for you to prove me wrong.

[Soze @ Apr 9th 2008 5:16AM]

Aye thats a bummer. There was talk that you can change the OS on fly to stylus or finger, but if you always need stylus for some tasks it's just a shame.
Why cant they ever take perfect pictures of these prototypes? ;)
Thought it should still be long way before this thing is released(probally on time to compete with X1?) so we will see how it shapes out....if this even is the real one.

[Engadgetluvsappl @ Apr 9th 2008 5:51AM]

s60 touch is totally finger compatible, the stylus is an option for if you want to use the stylus keyboard mode or the finger mode.

[lauralemay @ Apr 9th 2008 10:02AM]

The N700/800s come with a stylus but you can use pretty much everything with your fingers. The typing on the onscreen keyboard is a little rough.

[cmc @ Apr 9th 2008 5:22AM]

"a camera (front facing too based on the picture)"

That would be camera for video calling, the auto-focus camera will be on the back. You may not be accustomed to video calling as you are usually licking your iPhones, but most other phones have 3G ;)

[Graham @ Apr 9th 2008 8:33PM]

We don't have video calling in the US anyway even on 3G phones, so it's kind of a moot point. AT&T removes the front facing camera on all phones that come with one before releasing them here. Welcome to America...

[John @ Apr 9th 2008 5:24AM]

Phonebook 2?

[L.Rawlins @ Apr 9th 2008 5:28AM]

There's a good chance that Apple own almost all of the patents to the functionalities and implementations that you'd have liked to see implemented in this Nokia. Or in an any other touch oriented phone for that matter.

I wouldn't be surprised if they opted for the stylus interface based on the fact that had they gone the route of 'touch', they wouldn't have been able to do it properly for love nor money anyway.

[Pdexter @ Apr 9th 2008 5:33AM]

I dont think it's opted for stylus at least looking at those pictures in symbian freak because all of those "buttons" are huge, but it think there's some oprations where you need stylus maybe for business orientated actions where's multimedia is done and normal OS navigating with fingers.

[Rich @ Apr 9th 2008 7:03AM]

"There's a good chance that Apple own almost all of the patents to the functionalities and implementations that you'd have liked to see implemented in this Nokia."

And how many Nokia patents do you think that Apple are already infringing upon? I think Nokia could quite easily copy anything on the iPhone without worrying about Apple's lawyers too much.

[L.Rawlins @ Apr 9th 2008 8:00AM]

'And how many Nokia patents do you think that Apple are already infringing upon?'

In phones? Not many, if any. Apple haven't released what could be described as a 'traditional handset' into the mobile market that would have done in terms of its design... and the iPhones OS is a flavour of OSX, so there's nothing 'third party' or Nokia in there either.

[Anthony @ Apr 9th 2008 10:52AM]

Don't forget- unlike the iphone- the Symbian based smart phones allow for things like database or spreadsheet manipulation. A stylus would be very welcome in those situations.

[Rich @ Apr 9th 2008 12:18PM]

@L.Rawlins
By Jobs' own admission, Apple are already ripping off Nokia's code signing scheme.
What about the modem in the iPhone? How many Nokia patents do you think that uses?

[L.Rawlins @ Apr 9th 2008 1:32PM]

I thought code signing was a Symbian initiative? But since Nokia are likely a primary party in that group with the bulk of S60 powered N-Series devices on the market, that is a fair point you raise.

[Pdexter @ Apr 9th 2008 5:28AM]

Some video about S60 TS
http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/008/03/symbian_screenplay_demonstration.htm

[JohnTs @ Apr 9th 2008 11:44AM]

Dont know why i'm gicing you this actually. Here's shortcut ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66B1AjAvFA8

[OGHowie @ Apr 9th 2008 5:29AM]

Early 2009? WTF...

[Abba Shaib @ Apr 9th 2008 5:40AM]

don't look half as neat as the iphone... and symbian? please move your graphics into the future for once in your life... Geeze!

[Kaze @ Apr 9th 2008 6:06AM]

Really i wasent looking any kind of Apple looks from Nokia's TS devices and at least by looking at that Pdexter's video link (http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/008/03/symbian_screenplay_demonstration.htm) Symbian has it's reasons to be number one by big margin and it looks really flexible to operate, but still far more simple than winmo.

[TimL @ Apr 9th 2008 5:45AM]

Does anybody have any idea if this one will have that haptic feedback that Nokia patented and showed with N810 and N800?
In Symbian-Freak he kinda hints to that way, but dosent confirm it. Because if it will have those 1mm raised screen thingies it would be a killer.

[wouwout @ Apr 9th 2008 6:16AM]

stylus and buttons for 'exit' and 'options'? Nice try but no iPhone killer.

[TT @ Apr 9th 2008 6:24AM]

Still this wont be competing with iphone as nobody wont be buying it in NA where Nokia dosent exist and iphone remains silent in Europe. So actually those 2 companies are hurting the least of each other. It's Moto that keeps getting hits from every direction.
I believe that this will sell 2x(if N95 has sold +7 million) the amount as iphone did because it has Symbian that 75% of smartphone users are using and you can use same apps as the old ones, it's Nokia, will be more marketed in Europe, Asia and you will be geting this one contract free.

[Engadgetluvsappl @ Apr 9th 2008 6:34AM]

Put your glasses on. Those are green and red answer call and end call buttons.

[prisoner 01 @ Apr 9th 2008 6:54AM]

a phone with buttons for answering and receiving calls

poppycock! what kind of phone is that!

[Version 1.0 @ Apr 9th 2008 6:24AM]

Wifi, GPS, HSPDA, uPnP, Bluetooth... How is that not flagship? 2 Megapixels maybe? And the flagship will have 5?

[Engadgetluvsappl @ Apr 9th 2008 6:34AM]

This is Nokia we're talking about... Those are last year's Nokia flagship features.

[Pdexter @ Apr 9th 2008 6:29AM]

Every upcomming N and E series(+ some random devices) have GPS and those features you where referring thought not every one has over 2mpx camera(like N81) so it's not high end in Nokia Samsung world, but it will probally be enough.
I didnt actually want to even hear that there's flagship TS phone coming right after this because i'm not able to hold for that long. It's X1 or this oh and all iphone fans dont worry i do have iphone already too =)

[fool @ Apr 9th 2008 6:44AM]

it better be BETTER than the Iphone!!! considering that the iphone came out a year ago and the second is on the way.. this thing better beat it in every aspect!!! coming from the biggest European tech company!

something tells me that it won't.. or will it?! :-o

[CamryFan @ Apr 9th 2008 6:50AM]

I want one of these, bad. I love the touchscreen and the fact it runs Symbian my face phone OS

[Pdexter @ Apr 9th 2008 6:54AM]

Nah it wont be killing iphone..iphone is here to stay. I dont have any worries that this Nokia wouldnt sell, but it wont have as good TS input and Apple products have that cool factor(especially with OS this time). This will be flexible version of iphone to those over 100 million S60 users.
And rememeber where iphone releases one phone in a time this is totally new line of phones to Nokia where we will see many of these TS phones released next year. Low and high end S60 5th(TS) edition devices.

[Kelmon @ Apr 9th 2008 6:59AM]

"and a stylus"

A stylus? Next! I got fed up with those things from my old Palm V and Pocket PC PDAs.