Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (S60 5th Edition) now Official

Nokia officially announced its first touchscreen handsetthe Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is the first mobile device running the 5th Edition of Nokia’s Series 60 OS. And with it comes two new features that Nokia’s trying to promote as the handset’s strengths.

New Features

First, there’s the Media Bar, which Nokia calls “a handy drop down menu that provides direct access to music and entertainment, including favourite tracks, videos and photos.” It also offers a direct link to the Internet and online sharing sites. Then there’s the Contacts Bar, which again according to Nokia, “lets consumers highlight four favorite contacts on their home-screen and, through a single touch, track a digital history of recent text messages, emails, phone logs, photos and blog updates.”

Music and Multimedia

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic comes with all the basics you’d expect to find in a multimedia-oriented handset: graphic equalizer, 8GB memory, support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Nokia also claims that it will have built-in surround sound stereo speakers that offer the industry’s most powerful sound.

Touchscreen Display, Camera and Connectivity

The touchscreen display on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic measures 3.2-inches and has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which makes it widescreen and capable of 30 FPS video playback and recording. Recording can be done, of course, via the built-in 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash. It comes with one-touch sharing to Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook. Input is done via its virtual alphanumeric keypad, virtual QWERTY keyboard, a pen stylus, or plectrum (otherwise known as a flatpick, for “true music enthusiasts”). GPS, as well as Bluetooth, 3G, and Wi-Fi will be found on board.

Release Date and Pricing

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be released some time in Q4 2008, and will retail for 279 EUR (about $385 USD) before taxes and subsidies. The version with “Comes With Music,” meanwhile, won’t be available until next year, for a still to be determined price. And as an XpressMusic device, it will be available in Blue and Red variants.