Nokia 6670 smartphone challenges PDAs

Nokia has launched a new handset with a 1 megapixel camera, claiming that the market is moving from PDAs to smartphones.

The tri-band Nokia 6670, which includes Bluetooth support, is expected to be available from October.

Nokia also claimed that it is the first Series 60 phone to offer antivirus software. Additional security is available with the phone's virtual private network client and Secure Socket Layer encryption.

"We are witnessing a rapid shift from PDAs to smartphones as manufacturers are able to include voice and PDA functionality into a single device," said Juha Putkiranta, senior vice president of multimedia imaging at Nokia, in a statement.

The company also said that its second clam-shell model, the 6260 smartphone, has started shipping.

The 6670's camera can display images up to 1152 x 864 pixels, while the 6260 offers a VGA-based camera.

"Nokia is driving the expansion of the smartphone market and strengthening its position to capitalise on this significant growth opportunity," said Putkiranta.

Both models feature email capabilities, document and presentation viewers and Bluetooth connectivity.

The 6260 also features a 'walkie-talkie' style push-to-talk capability which Nokia said allows individuals and groups to have quick discussions over a GPRS network "at the touch of a single button".

Both models use the Series 60 platform, based on the Symbian operating system.

The 6670 and 6260 will be available from early October priced at around €500 and €400 respectively.