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Nokia's all you can download Comes with Music service is finally DRM free... in China (updated)
We've been browbeating Nokia for using DRM to "protect" its Comes with Music offering ever since the service launched back in December of 2007 -- a time when the industry was just beginning to shed its DRM shackles. Now get this, the idle talk is over, Nokia just launched its all-you-can-eat (for 12, 18, or 24 months, typically) Comes with Music service in China without any DRM at all. India is on deck as Nokia looks to hook more emerging markets on the (kind of) free music drug. That means you no longer have to strip the DRM illegally to play your downloaded content on devices other than your main PC and Nokia Comes with Music handset. And yes, you can keep the tracks for life after your CWM subscription expires. At launch, Chinese consumers will have a choice of eight (ok, seven really) CWM handsets (X6 32GB and X6 16GB, 5230, 5330, 5800w, 6700s, E52 and E72i) with prices starting at a local equivalent of €140 (the CWM service fee is baked in to the cost, mind you) excluding taxes and subsidies. Suspiciously, Nokia's not making the usual boast about the millions of tracks available in the CWM catalog. It is, however, reassuringly supported by all the Big 4 music labels in addition to some Chinese indies, as you'd expect. Sorry, no word on when they'll strip the DRM from its European CWM stores and we're still not clear when CWM will finally see a US launch. Hopefully soon as a service like this could go over very, very well Stateside -- a market that Nokia is desperate to crack. Get on to the other side of the break for the full press release. Update: We met with Jyrki Rosenberg, Director of Music at Nokia, who shed a bit more light on the offering. Unfortunately, while DRM-free music aligns with Nokia's global vision, he had nothing to announce for the US or Europe today. And as you might expect, the onus to go DRM-free in China was in part driven by rampant, local piracy concerns -- recovery of any revenue was better than nothing at all in the eyes of the Big Four. Jyrki also told us that Chinese CWM subscriptions will be 1 year in length but the terms of renewal are still being hammered out. We also know that the music catalog numbers in the "hundreds of thousands" at launch (comparable to competing services in the region, according to Jyrki) and is growing every day. Privacy advocates will be happy to hear that the 256kbps MP3 files are "clean" -- in other words, no user data is embedded in the files unlike the practices of Apple and Walmart, among others.
Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition is expensive, gold plated
If we know you (and we think we do), your idea of class isn't a modest candybar dipped in gold -- no, it's a modest candybar made from hand-cut and polished solid gold. But just in case you feel like slummin' it, the Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition is, as the name suggests, a 6700 Classic handset with a limited edition 18-carat finish, some special wallpaper (to compliment the phone's Fort Knox-esque new look), and a €370 (roughly $550) price tag. Tempted? You have until Q1 2010 to come to your senses.
Nokia's 6700 slide and 7230 make up in price what they lack in excitement
No one's going to accuse Nokia of going after the high end, the fanboys and girls, or the fashionistas with its latest pair, but they've got at least two things going for 'em: 3G and blowout pricing. Starting on the left, the S60-powered 6700 slide marks a distinct break for the company, shedding its tradition of Xpress-on cover compatibility for permanent shells available in six loud shades; it's supposedly pretty tiny (Nokia touts that it'll fit "in even the smallest pocket or bag") and still manages to offer up a 5 megapixel cam with Carl Zeiss optics. Next, the 7230 (pictured right) kicks up the style a notch (okay, really, they just rounded the edges and chromed them up) and offers a 3.2 megapixel camera to go along with its 2.4-inch display. Look for them both to hit retail in the first quarter of next year for around €160 and €100 ($240 and $150) respectively.
Nokia's Illuvial Collection is pretty in pink
We're not sure why the color pink tends to spawn special editions with greater frequency than other colors, but for pink lovers, it works out pretty nicely because you end up getting all sorts of free crap bundled with your phone simply for buying your favorite shade. Take Nokia's new Illuvial Collection, for example, which has taken the 5530, 6303, and 6700, dressed them up in a very hot shade of pink, and stuffed 'em in boxes with custom leather cases and straps. The pinkfest doesn't stop there, though: the phones also include custom themes which are dominated by -- you guessed it -- pink. It looks like all three models are already available from the UK's mobiles.co.uk, and other markets throughout Europe should be getting hooked up with at least some of these in the coming weeks. [Via mobil.cz] Read - 5530 Read - 6303 Read - 6700
Nokia rests on laurels, launches 6700, 6303, and 2700 classic handsets
Nokia just launched three new handsets said to "build on the formula that made Nokia the world leader in mobile phones." The threesome includes the new 6700 classic (pictured) that continues the legacy of the Nokia 6300, a phone that "topped all sales records for a mid-range mobile phone" back in 2006 according to the tall slender cats from Espoo. As such, don't expect any fancy-pants software or touchscreen novelties here -- the "slim" 6700 classic (pre-tax €235 / about $311) plays it straight as a small-screened candybar with a 5 megapixel camera, aGPS navigation, and "high-speed" data access undoubtedly of the HSPA variety. Nokia has the nerve to call the 2.2-inch display on the (€135) 6303 classic, "large," but makes up for that assery with the inclusion of supposed "excellent" battery performance, a 3.5-mm audio jack, and aGPS with Nokia Maps. Bringing up the rear is the (€65) Nokia 2700 classic touting 2GB of on-board memory plus memory card expansion, a 2 megapixel camera, and full integration with Nokia's Ovi suite of services, natch. All are expected to ship before June. Hey, Nokia, we understand your quest for mid-market domination, but with market share in decline and your unlaunched, flagship N97 receiving a lukewarm response at announcement (think Palm Pre by comparison)... might we suggest looking forward, not back?%Gallery-43396%
Cooked WinMo 6 ROM verified for PPC-6700, XV6700
Well ladies and gents, it seems the rumored Windows Mobile 6 update for the Sprint PPC-6700 / Verizon XV6700 is looking a little more legit. True to his word, ppcgeeks user Helmi_c showed us that the proof is indeed in the pudding with a goodly pile of pics of what appears to be a real handset running the updated operating system. It should be dropping tomorrow -- though no word of an exact time -- so feel free to hit the gallery we've put together while you wait. Gallery: Cooked WinMo 6 ROM verified for PPC-6700, XV6700
