Nokia goes after iPhone with device code named Tube

April 9, 2008

Nokia is no stranger to the touch screen market. It already has a number of touch screen phones that run on Linux in the market. Now it is changing its game and creating a new model, code named “Tube” that is directly aimed at the iPhone market.

The phone will be based on the new Symbian operating system instead of Linux, to better compete with the usability of the iPhone. It will tentatively be released in the second half of this year, if development continues to go according to plan. It will be released under product family S60.

Nokie is keeping details of the phone close to the vest, releasing no pictures as yet. It has been noted; however, that third party manufacturers of accessories have already begun designing holsters and skins for the phone, which seem to have a similar footprint to an iPhone.

Rumor has it that the Tube will support photos and Java applications, but the company has yet to confirm or deny anything more than that there is a phone in the works under a new, touch screen based operating system. With a 53% world wide market share in phone sales, I’m guessing Nokia may have a bit of a head start on this release, especially if the company is smarter than Apple and does not tie the phone to a specific carrier. Apple topped 4 million sales of the iPhone recently, and Nokia is at 60 million for all models.