Nokia has launched its first touchscreen smartphone that plays music to compete with the iPhone, but in North America it’s Research In Motion’s anticipated touchscreen BlackBerry that’s expected to take on the popular Apple device.
Even though the Finnish Nokia has beaten Research In Motion to market with its touchscreen phone, it’s not likely to “make a big splash” in North America, PC Magazine’s Sascha Segan said Thursday.
“This is a defensive play in Nokia’s core European and Asian markets against the iPhone as a music and video device,” said Segan, lead analyst for mobile devices at the technology publication.
In North America, it’s RIM’s anticipated BlackBerry touchscreen, nicknamed “Storm,” that will take on the iPhone, not the Nokia phone, Segan said from New York City.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen mobile phone was launched yesterday in London and is aimed at consumers. It isn’t expected to be available in the United States until 2009 and will cost about US$400. No Canadian launch date was available.
While Nokia is the world’s largest cellphone maker, it doesn’t have a good relationship with North American telecom carriers, Segan said.
Segan expects RIM to unveil its touchscreen BlackBerry smartphone this month and, he said, it will likely be carried by Verizon in the United States and by Telus in Canada.
“The Storm is going to be pushed very heavily by these carriers as an alternative to the iPhone.”
In Canada, Rogers has the only networks in Canada to run the new 3G iPhone, and AT&T is the exclusive iPhone carrier in the United States.
On the music front, the Nokia touchscreen will soon have a music service to allow users to download as many tracks as they want for free and keep them for a year. Users will also be able to purchase music on the phone, Segan said.
Research Capital analyst Nick Agostino also said he isn’t expecting the Nokia touchscreen to make a big impact in Canada or the United States. He called its introduction a “defensive move” because the cellphone maker is losing share in the smartphone market.
