Nokia rolls 6216 classic with wireless payments
updated 08:05 am EDT, Thu April 23, 2009
Nokia 6216 classic
Nokia early on Thursday revealed one of its first phones built explicitly to use near-field communications (NFC) for close-up data. The 6216 classic uses special SIM cards from carriers to let the phone make a payment or get access, such as at a subway station or at a store, just by bringing the phone near the right device. The NFC link can also serve as very short-range networking and can let two similarly ready devices exchange info or media clips without a more complicated setup.
Aside from its core feature, the 6216 classic also appears destined as a mid-range phone for North America courtesy of 3G data access on the 850MHz band. A 2-megapixel camera and a microSDHC slot that holds up to 8GB of storage likewise support its role and give it enough space to serve as a media player.
Nokia hopes to ship the candybar design sometime in the summer for 150 Euros ($196) to unnamed "select markets," but the 3G frequency points to a likely release either through AT&T in the US or else Rogers in Canada.
