Nokia Handwriting recognition, take two

Nokia 3108Nokia has recently announced its second pen-based phone for the Asian market, the 3108. The 3108 uses a system similar to that of the 6108 that came to market earlier this year. Users can either use the numeric keypad to enter data, or flip the keypad down to reveal a handwriting pad. The 3108 can recognise handwriting in both Chinese and latin characters, making it quite flexible for messaging. Like the 6108, the stylus clips on to the back of the handset.

The 3108 is a more consumer orientated version of the 6108, which was quite successful for Nokia because it helped them gain market share in China and other Asia-Pacific countries with a large population of Chinese users. It's good to see that Nokia is "thinking outside the box" when it comes to localising phones for new markets. Apart from the Chinese handwriting recognition, the 3108 includes themed wallpapers from Chinese comic artist Ma Wing Shing, a Lunar calender function, as well as the Java game "Empire Mahjong" pre-installed. In terms of hardware, the 3108 is the usual Nokia Series 40 fare with Tri-Band GSM, 128x128 4K color screen, Java, and xHTML browser.

The 3108 is expected to be released before the end of the year.

You can find the full specifications below:

• Tri-Band (GSM 900/1800/1900Mhz)
• Weight: 93g
• Battery Standby: 150-360 hours, Talk time: 2-6 hours
• Integrated handwriting recognition pad, supporting both Chinese and Latin characters
• 128 x 128 resolution, 4K color display
• Lunar Calender function
• Java
• MMS
• xHTML browser
• WAP 1.2.1
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Nokia Pop-Port connector

More high-res pictures are available on the following pages.