GLOBAL – A little over 24 hours ago the new Nokia 5530 XpressMusic sprouted onto the mobile scene, first seeing daylight in Singapore and simultaneously unveiled in our Pass the Parcel unwrapping here on Conversations (watch video). Many have been alluding to the new Nokia 5530 XpressMusic as a baby brother to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, which I guess in many ways is a fair assessment. Some folk highlight how feature-packed media savvy touchscreen smartphones such as this are now becoming part of the mid-range norm, while others focus on the compact styling and low cost. Carry on reading after the break to read a bunch of initial reactions from across the web, and, of course, to leave your opinions.
Here are some of the reactions I came across this afternoon, but please feel free to highlight any others in the comments section below that you might have come across (the good, the bad and the down right barmy). And don’t be shy to leave your thoughts on the new 5530 XpressMusic inside.
Rafe Blandford over at All About Symbian touched on the significance of the low cost of the device in this short snippet:
“It will be one of the cheapest touch smartphone of the market when it launches later this year and uses the S60 platform to deliver key music software and services.”
An opinion echoed by Mikael Ricknäs, IDG News Service, writing for PC World – the piece goes on to highlight some interesting insights from Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight:
“The phone is yet another example of how the line between smartphones and cheaper mid-tier phones is being blurred. “It’s definitely for people who can’t afford an iPhone, and that is not a negative thing by the way. There are people who want that experience, but can’t justify the expense of an iPhone,” said Wood.””
Boy Genius wasn’t over the moon about the lack of 3G, yet acknowledged the value and low cost accessibility angle of the handset:
“Seriously, Nokia? You put out a phone capable of speeds over 10Mbps and you’re still making EDGE-only phones? Ok fine, this will help make the phone insanely accessible compared to the competition but sheesh, are 3G radios that expensive?”
Techgadgets.in had this to say:
“The 5530 incorporates superior media handling capacities in one small and sleek package”
Finally Zara Rabinowicz at ShinyShiny (a self-confessed lover of the 5800) unabashedly expressed a soft spot for the look of the new 5530:
“But what really attracts me to the phone shallow as I am, is the style.”
Agree or disagree with any of these? Want to add something to the mix? Please feel free to throw your thoughts into the pot in the comments section below, and highlight any other views that you might’ve come across.