Nokia unveils Fold and Slide handsets

New Nokia handsets are expected to start shipping during the third quarter of 2008

Nokia has unveiled a trio of phones for the mainstream market aimed at balancing form and function.

The range includes one clamshell design, the Nokia 6600 Fold, and two slider phones, the Nokia 6600 Slide and the Nokia 3600 Slide.

The 6600 Fold includes an OLED screen in the front and a 2-megapixel camera with double LED flash.

Both slider phones have 3.2-megapixel cameras with double LED flash and all the usual bells and whistles available in most mainstream mobile phones today.

The 6600 Slide incorporates a 2.2in QVGA display for those who regularly browse the internet or use Nokia's mapping and navigation features.

The 3600 Slide is aimed at music lovers and includes a music player and optional 4GB microSD card, and is the first Nokia product to feature background noise cancellation.

"There is a strong consumer demand for mobile handsets that blend elegant looks with modern features," said Mikkel Drucker, director of connect devices at Nokia.

"Each of the three devices introduced today offers a slightly different take on a core design language. We believe they are both beautiful to use and beautiful to behold, and offer a range of choice."

The devices will retail for between €175 and €275 before tax and subsidies, and are expected to start shipping during the third quarter of 2008.

Nokia has also announced a partnership with ARC Transistance, the European network of automobile clubs, to provide real-time traffic information to users of Nokia devices.

The system will alert drivers to traffic, construction or other road hazards and will be offered as a premium service in Nokia Maps 2.0 and in future versions of Nokia Maps.

When Nokia Maps receives the road updates from ARC Transistance the application can dynamically reroute during navigation and suggest a faster route.

ARC Transistance Traffic Information services currently aggregates the real-time road and traffic conditions in 16 countries in Europe, but this number is expected to grow in coming months.