Supernova comprises a series of key products playing an important role in the company's market plans for the second half of 2008. Nokia invests much hope in the new product line and predicts a steadily high demand for the new gadgets. First of all, the Supernova handsets are seen as direct competitors to Samsung products playing in the fashion phone segment, especially the ones targeted at female audiences. Nokia seems to have adopted their rival's primary weapon in whis local challenge: Supernova phones will come in a variety of bright colors. Such color variations as green, yellow, brown, azure are quite rare on the present-day market, which makes them a perfect choice for the new products. Oh, we just forget to mention that the brightly colored front and back panels are fully replaceable: Xpress-On is back.

According to the company's designers, the employment of replaceable panels will continue and expand over the boundaries of the fashion segment. The three senior models of the line will come with two extra panels in the box to serve as optional replacements for the basic color. Personalization is increasingly becoming one of Nokia's priorities, which is accentuated on every possible occasion. The vividly colored panels, a lot of preinstalled themes, an auto theme creation option which instantly makes up a new themes just by analyzing a selected photo - all of this is sure to bring even more attention no Nokia's latest image creations.

7610 Supernova

Let's get familiar with the senior model first. 7610 is the flagship of the series, the most functional and expensive handset. From the hardware point of view, the handset is fully analogous to Nokia 6600 Slide, the main difference between the two being the exterior design. The dimensions and the general casing outline remain the same. The slider is very compact, almost sinking down the open palm, the glossy plastic is obviously of a high quality and gives your skin a fresh and gentle feel. The impression of much metal used is but an illusion provoked by the relatively large weight; all the metal-looking surfaces are but a special class of plastic - solid pieces, not a coating, so you aren't risking scratching it or rubbing it away. The low durability of coatings plagued Nokia for a period of time in the past, that's why now such issues are met with a most serious approach, usually being sorted out during the phone design stage. Nokia 7610 Supernova will start selling in the third quarter, the guiding price stated as 225 euros. That isn't too much for a fashion slider with a lot of functions, for sure. Nokia 6600 Slide is going to cost an extra 30 euros and is remarkable for a lack of replaceable panels; as for the rest of features, the two handsets are practically the same thing.

Specifications:

• S40 platform
• TFT screen, 2" с QVGA resolution (320x240 ), 16M colors
• 5.4 hours of talktime or 300 hours of standby
• 64 Mb of onboard memory
• micriSD card support
• four GSM/EDGE bands supported
• 3,2 Mp auto-focusing camera with a LED flash and 8x digital zoom
• VGA video recording (30 FPS)
• Bluetooth 2.0
• FM radio with RDS
• size: 98x48x15 mm
• weight: 99 g

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7510 Supernova

This model is a spring-action clamshell, almost identical in this sense to Nokia 6600 fold. Similar to 6600, the new product is equipped with an exterior secondary screen, which is hardly visible from a distance unless it's active. The screen is black and white, can display animated graphics, clock, etc. There is no motion sensor, so you can't summon the clock by tapping on the casing. The clamshell comes in fewer colors: dark blue, green, red and brown; both the front and back panels are replaceable. The handset is rather heavy, the joint is entirely made of metal; the opening mechanism is magnet-assisted, the clamshell opens quite smoothly. The trigger button is hidden on the right edge of the casing, extremely hard to spot if you are unaware of its presense. The inner surface of Nokia 7510 Supernova is all glossy and mirror-like, very vulnerable to greasing. That's why the handset is likely to ask for a rub every now and then, especially after a long-lasting talk. In real life the phone looks much better than it appears on the photographs. The plastic used for the casing is of a quite fair quality, we wouldn't call it cheap.

Specifications:

• S40 platform
• TFT, screen 2.2" QVGA resolution (320x240) 16M colors
• monochrome external screen 128x160 (almost invisible unless active)
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz
• 27 МB of onboard memory
• micriSD card support (up to 8GB), a 512 Mb card in the box
• 2 Mp camera without AF, LED flash, 4x digital zoom
• FM radio with RDS
• 2,5 mm audio jack
• BL-5BT 870 mAh battery
• size: 92x46x17 mm
• weight: 124 g

Nokia 7510 is to appear at sale in the fourth quarter, offered for a price of 180 euros. A nice price label for a high-quality fashion phone.

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7310 Supernova

An inexpensive candy bar based off Nokia 6300 with the same thickness, size and functionality, save for the addition of a TV-Out. This model enjoys the largest number of available colors, all of which are quite bright and appealing. Each color version comes with a unique texture, the most original one for sure belongs to the green variant. This model is meant to become the most numerously sold item from the series. The assembly quality stays on a high level, the parts of the handset are neither wobbly nor screech on squeezing. Numerous web sources announced a 3.5 mm audio jack, which turned out to be a misinformation. Only a 2.5 mm jack is available, being the standard type in the whole Supernova series.

Specifications:

• S40 platform
• TFT screen, 2" с QVGA resolution (320x240 ), 16M colors
• up to 4 hours of talktime or 300 hours of standby
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 Mhz
• 2 Mp camera, 4x digital zoom, QCIF video (176x120, 15 FPS)
• FM radio with  RDS, supported formats: MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA/eAAC+
• 32 Mb of onboard memory
• micriSD (до 4GB)
• Bluetooth, microUSB, 2,5 mm Audio Video (AV) TV-out
• BL-4CT 860 mAh battery
• size: 106,5x45,4x11,95  Mhz
• weight: 83 g

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Nokia 7310 will enter the market first, it's already available in China, while first American and European shipments are coming in a week or two. The device is priced 155 ueros.

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7210 Supernova

Being the junior model in the line, it displays little difference from 7310, save for a lack of a TV-out and replaceable panels in the box. The keypad isn't too convenient, the buttons are flat, with a very short track. This model also employs a QVGA screen, contrary to the erroneous allegations which are known to have been circulating around the web lately. The price difference from 7310 Supernova will make 30 euros, however the higher-ranking model looks a better offer. The handset enters retail starting from the third quarter of this year.

Specifications:

• S40 platform
• TFT screen, 2" QVGA resolution (320x240), displays 262K colors
• up to 2 hours of talktime  or 250 hours  of standby
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 Mhz
• 2 Mp camera, 2x digital zoom, QCIF video (176x120), 10 FPS
• FM tuner with RDS, supports MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA/eAAC+
• 30  Mb of onboard memory
• supports micriSD cards (up to 2GB)
• bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP), microUSB
• BL-4CT 860 mAh battery
• dimensions: 106x45x10,6 mm
• weight: 69,8 g

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This small article only covers the basic features of the new Nokia phones, all the details to follow in our traditionally thorough reviews which are planned to be published shortly. For a conclusion, we would assess the new Supernova series as a collection of highly appealing solutions remarkable for their vast personalization capability and an eye-catching selection of colors which is bound to face serious attention from the female audience. The prices charged for Supernova handsets look quite democratic, considering the charge of image which powers the new series.

Next week we will be publishing an interview with the company's representatives concerning new designer ideas, Nokia's plans for further expansion on the Russian market and a lot of other interesting things.

Author: Anton Spiridonov, editor@smape.com

SMAPE.com

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