Nokia 5510 - Cell Phone and More

matthew.thompson writes: "Nokia have released a phone to give the RIAA nightmares - it includes built in MP3 playing AND encoding and an FM stereo radio - so you can MP3 up tracks from the Radio or from an external source via a line in jack. It's also got a full qwerty style keyboard and GameBoy Advance style layout. RIAA headache inducing features here and piccies etc here." I'm not quite sure how this works - Nokia's page says the gizmo plays "secure" mp3 files, which sounds to me as if it is crippled. Here are some hi-res photos. Update: 10/11 12:59 GMT by M : Ahh, my misreading. It says "secure AAC and MP3 files", and apparently "secure" is intended to apply only to AAC. According to the FAQ, the phone is crippled - only stores crippled AAC files, not unencumbered mp3's. A shame.

Comments

Hmm.

[serial frame]

Devices that do everything are usually pushed aside in favour of an individual device that does something.

I like that kind of 'modularity'.

hmm..

[XyouthX]

I don't like how this cell phone that doesn't really have any new features at all (phones with mp3 players have been available for almost 2 years).
get this much exposure, while the technically more interesting solutions (GPRS, built in bluetooth, POP3 and SMTP client etc.) like the Ericsson T39 and the upcoming T68 doesn't.

the only thing new about this thing is the keyboard and the poor stand by time.

Re:hmm..

[kju]

Did you read before posting? We are not talking about an phone with a mp3 player (i grant this is old) but about an phone which can RECORD mp3-files. Surely new technology. We are currently seeing the first portable mp3 recorders and here we have it included into a phone! Impressive technology and you say "no new features"?

Wow, karma for me?!

[haunebu]

I actually work for Nokia, and work near the designer who created its outer shell. (Got to see it last Winter). I never liked the phone myself, the screen's too small, and the keyboard makes the shape a bit awkward for me personally.

Anyway, to end the controversy: Much like the Nokia Music Player, the 5510 plays both AAC (the proprietary, "secure" filetype) and MP3. The MP3 player is NOT crippled in any way. You copy the file from your PC to the player and that's that. (It holds 64MB, just like the regular Nokia Music Player).

it WON'T be marketed in the US!

[steve.m]

so it won't upset the RIAA. why don't people check these things *before* posting them.
see here for the availability and operating frequencies. duh!

Are you sure?????

[barnaclebarnes]

According to the FAQ:

Can I play downloaded MP3 files on the Nokia 5510?

Yes, the Nokia 5510 can play MP3 files in protected format. Copies of the downloaded music files are added to the Nokia Audio Manager database. Nokia Audio Manager encrypts the music files and downloads the protected MP3 format to the memory of the Nokia 5510.

In what format is the music saved in my hard disk?
All the songs are saved in encrypted AAC format.

So it looks like the Audio manager encryps mp3's before they get sent to the device. Which also means that you probably can't download and play then on another machine. It also probably means that the format on the device is NOT mp3. more like AAC format, which is exactly the reason why I haven't got a Sony Memorystick walkman...

Maybe what you saw has been changed by the marketing folks to conform to 'industry standards'?
/b

I think this fails one of my phone choosing rules

[AssFace]

In order for me to buy a phone, it needs to be two things 1) shiny, and 2) small.
I love Nokia phones, esp the two I have, the 8860, and the 8890 - and they pass the "smaller than my penis" test. and they are shiny as all get out.

but this monster looks huge. how exactly are you to carry it around? and only a small part of it is shiny.

Re:Using this phone in the US with Voicestream

[kju]

United States GSM-Systems are on 1900 MHz not on 900 or 1800 like the european ones (900+1800 were already used in the united states). So you need a GSM phone which can work on 1900 MHz or a triple-band which can work 900/1800/1900. This phone is only 900/1800.

Re:Finally - a full keyboard

[Troed]

MAME _is_ ported to Epoc [Quartz]

Even the info on how he did it is posted on the symbiandevnet.com website.

SMS for kids?

[ericvids]

But this one is for SMS senders only (ie Kids).

I beg to disagree with your kids-only viewpoint. =) I don't mean to troll, but SMS is basically in full swing here in the Philippines and in other parts of the world (Finland would instantly come into mind.)

Heck, even fishball vendors (the ones who sell food-on-sticks on the sidewalks in urban places) and jeepney drivers (i.e. public transportation guys) actually own cellphones here, and they use it mainly for SMS messages (frequently pronounced by Filipinos as just "texts")

It's the simplest way to keep connected in this side of the world. Then again, SMS is pretty cheap here at PhP1.00 (around US$0.02) compared to a cellphone call at PhP6.00/minute. You also get hundreds of free messages per month, too.