Nokia unveils swivelling XpressMusic phone, more

Nokia on Thursday morning contributed a trio of later entries into the phone announcements at the CTIA phone expo. Leading the announcements is the 5700 XpressMusic (PDF). As hinted at through a promo image, the phone is a bar variant of the 5300 whose keypad rotates for different modes: twisting it halfway points a 2-megapixel camera outwards for photos or videos, while completely reversing the pad reveals dedicated controls for media playback. Nokia also stresses format support with unprotected AAC/MP3/WMA support for its microSD slot as well as protected WMA for music from online stores such as Napster.

The phone's Internet access is handled through UMTS, reflecting its targeted release in Europe this spring at a price of 350 Euros ($467), though a quad-band GSM radio in the phone should ensure a North American version later in the year. Click through for more phones and a gallery.

Also confirming earlier leaks is the Nokia 7088 (PDF). The slider design is the first in the L'Amour Collection of fashion phones to operate on CDMA phone networks and serves as a starter phone with extra style and usefulness. An oversized select button is meant to recall jewelry, and a dedicated button on the phone jumps directly to video recording for the 7088's built-in camera. The Finnish company hopes to bring the new L'Amour handset to Africa, Asia, and South America during the spring.

Rounding out the announcements is the Nokia 5070 (PDF). It serves as an entry-level phone for the Xpress line but offers a number of features relatively advanced in its range, such as Internet access through EDGE broadband and an FM radio for music. The candybar shape also makes room for a VGA camera and quick voice messages for when SMS would be slow. Official plans have the 5070 launching in Europe during the spring at 100 Euros ($133), though a second version of the phone will support North America's 850MHz GSM band and all but confirms a release for that continent later on.