Nokia aims handsets at the cocktail set

Nokia yesterday launched three new tri-band phones with fashion inspired designs that have allowed the company to add a twist to the common keypad.

The high-gloss finish and bold red, white and blue designs with leather and mirroring target these phones firmly at the technology fashion conscious.

At the top of the range, the Nokia 7280 features a keyless rotating dial in place of the traditional number keypad, echoing the flywheel made famous by Apple's iPod.

Nokia said in a statement that the 7280's design makes it "perfect to whip out at cocktails".

In addition, the VGA camera hidden within its sliding case, voice-activated user interface and hands-free functionality should be able to keep any gadget fan entertained.

Like the other two new phones, the Nokia 7280 is planned for release sometime during the fourth quarter of this year and will retail for about €600 (£410).

It also enables interoperability with Apple Mac computers so that users can transfer ring tones and pictures between the two.

The 7270 has a clamshell design with changeable snap-on textile wraps and will retail for about €400 (£270).

It also boasts push-to-talk functionality and messaging features alongside a built-in camera, high-quality display and other, more traditional, Nokia characteristics including a built-in FM radio and GPRS connectivity.

The 7260 is more in line with traditional Nokia handset designs as it does not have the sliding or clamshell features of the 7280 and 7270. It will retail for about €250 (£170) when it goes on sale at the same time as the other two.

It has chrome and steel design elements, as well as the same camera, display and FM radio features as the other phones in the range.

Like the 7270, it will also have a special 'converter' application for comparing shoe and clothes sizes that no Nokia 'fashionista' can do without.