Confirmed: Nokia Touch Screen in 2008

July 23, 2008 in Handsets, Nokia

The most popular movie at the moment is Batman: The Dark Knight and while the movie might be all that and a can of pringles, a gadget cameo is where we would like to focus our attention.

A very distinct Nokia device is seen in the blockbuster hit and folks have speculated that it is none other than the XpressMedia 5800, more endearingly referred to as “The Tube”.

In a half-ass debunking, CrunchGear credits a Nokia rep with the following quote:

“In the summer blockbuster, The Dark Knight, a Nokia device is prominently featured. We worked closely with the producers of The Dark Knight to develop an appropriate device that would suit the technology-savvy character of Batman. The Nokia device used in the film is not a commercial product – at this point.”

At this point? So it will at some point? Quit playing games with our heart, Nokia. Regardless of whether or not the Dark Knight handset will BECOME the Tube remains to be seen, but we DO know that Nokia has one (if not many) touchscreens planned before the year ends.

The first touchscreen launched will be a low end handset but a full range of Nokia touchscreens are on the way. Pretty exciting stuff. Here is the full quote from Nokia’s EVP of Devices Kai Oistamo as found on MocoNews:

“We are fully committed to bringing out a complete portfolio of touch input devices to the mass market from the high-end to the low-end. We aim to appeal to the broadest part of the market, and leverage our scale in platforms, manufacturing and distribution. Our first touch device will be aimed at the volume part of the market. It’s competitively spec’d, considering the price point, and it’s scheduled to be out in the second half. Our platform approach to the software will allow us to roll out touch across the entire range from top to bottom, it’s just a matter of Nokia figuring out what features and what specs we want to include, such as GPS, Wi-Fi and Qwerty keypads.”

We’re guessing Nokia will make an absolute KILLING with the entry of touch screens, particularly those aimed at a low end market as this market is pretty much untapped at the moment.

LG has just announced sales figures on their touchscreen phones and its impressive to say the least. Their first touch screen, the LG Prada, was launched only 5 quarters ago. Since then, LG has sold over 7 million touch screens. And, at the average $530 price they’re quoting (without carrier subsidies of course) thats 3.7 Billion dollars worth of touch.

For Nokia, the dominant power in reaching the masses with affordable phones, to enter the touchscreen market with the goal of volume… this will get interesting. They might have a little more trouble with the High End devices, at least initially, but we’re guessing thats why the low end units will find the store shelves first.

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