Nokia slides out its new 6260 handset

Nokia unveils its new 6260 handset. Image: Nokia.

Not one to be out of the gadget spotlight for too long, Finnish manufacturing giant Nokia Corp. has added its new Nokia 6260 handset to the Samsung Omnia and HTC Touch Pro smartphones offered up this week by Verizon Wireless.

While most smartphones are generally pushed towards the business community, the Nokia 6260 is described as also being well suited for those people who simply use their mobile phones “to share their lives with friends and family.”

Arriving as a slide-format phone equipped with “lightning-fast” 3G technology through both Wi-Fi and Cellular connectivity, the Nokia 6260's performance is bolstered by high-speed upload packet access (HSUPA) and high-speed download packet access (HSDPA).

Providing quick and easy access to online search engines and points of interest directly from its home screen, the 6260 handset includes Nokia's new 360° navi-key, which is said to provide users with “a great mobile Internet experience.”

Helping to support and expand that claim, the 6260 comes powered by the Symbian operating system and also includes access to a range of Nokia-branded Ovi services, an integrated 5.0 mega pixel Carl Zeiss digital camera, and an on-board music player.

Other features include GPS assistance (aGPS) coupled with Nokia Maps – a first-time addition for Nokia's popular Series 40 software platform – Bluetooth 2.1 (with A2DP) connectivity, a high-resolution 2.4-inch VGA display screen (320 x 480), 200MBs of internal memory, expansion for up to 8GBs via a microSD card slot, and an FM tuner.

Comfortably styled for the palm of the hand, the Nokia 6260 slider is a respectable 15.4mm in thickness and weighs in at an equally consumer-friendly 114g. In terms of operational longevity, Nokia has outlined that (3G) talk time will stretch up to four hours, while standby time will reach as high as 400 hours.

Expected to hit retail stores in the early part of 2009, the new Nokia 6260 slide will come with a recommended price of 299.99 Euros before taxes and subsidies.