Nokia N77 Set For 3GSM?
Tarmo Virki at Reuters is reporting on a new Digital TV device from Nokia, set to be announced at 3GSM in Barcelona on Monday. In the same family as the N73 and N71, which apparently is "mass-market appeal," the device will have DVB-H and be mid-level.
Their source said, "Immediately when the phone prices reach the 200-300 euro
price point, mobile television goes mass market…"
However, I disagree. DVB-H is cool, from the videos I’ve seen, but it’s a lost cause in the US. Verizon is the only US carrier that’s expressed interest, but (as expected) has their own version from Qualcomm called MediaFLO. Look at the last DVB-H handset that Nokia created, the N92. It wasn’t released till about a year after its announcement, and even so it’s been a big flop. Until there’s more DVB-H networks, I fully expect the N77 to flop, as well.
Via: DarlaMack
I’d disagree with the N92 being a flop, it was pretty much a research device like the 7700, and not really very useful if you didn’t have a DVB-H network in your country/region.
Nokia are a little ahead of the game here, and until DVB-H rolls out further they won’t try to sell many phones with these capabilities.
That’s an interesting and different way of looking at it, Jim. I suppose I would measure a device’s success by the consumer’s acceptance and demand of it. In which case I would also designate the 7700 as a flop. But you’re right, looking at it as a research device, it’s been a smashing success. I know the N92 has been used in most of the DVB-H testing done around the world.
Thanks for the good perspective.