The taste of Nokia

Early morning in the production line, there’s a frenzy of activity. People are churning out new things – gadgets, young people like to call them. They come in great numbers. Their variety, overwhelming but their potential, unknown. Somewhere in this mix of all things new, there are some destined to stand out. They will be remembered for a long time, be a hallmark of perfection even. They will become the classics and Nokia has been known to produce a lot of these.

Perhaps, they owe this to long years of experience. Nokia’s place in the telecommunications world goes as far back as the time when wireless handheld phones were yet unheard of. Nokia Corporation was the result of a marriage of three companies in the late 1800s. A forest industry endeavor partnered with Finnish Rubber Works Ltd. and Finnish Cable Works, giving birth to a corporate giant all have come to know as simply (but not all that simple) Nokia. Further acquisitions in the coming years strengthened the company’s position in the market. It also helped put Nokia in the forefront of a great innovation – handportable phones.

The company launched the first of these phones in 1992 and Nokia has never stopped since. More models followed. It was in 1997 when Nokia launched its 6100 series. The 6110, 6130, and 6190 catered to GSM 900, GSM 1800, and GSM 1900 networks, respectively. These phones were all designed with both work and play in mind. Over time, this series became known for its equal usefulness inside and outside the office. The balance that it is able to strike in its users’ daily lives did not go unnoticed. Soon, just about every Nokia user knew that the 6-series was going to become Nokia’s Classic series.

Today, it seems that everybody’s celebrating the classics. In fact, we recently attended an incredible night that Nokia dubbed as "Toast to the Classics." Held at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Toast to the Classics was a celebration of all things, well, classic. The elegant evening started with some cocktails. Between sips of wine and pleasantries, we wondered where the night would lead us. As we were ushered into the ballroom, we took our seats while Mauro Montanaro, Nokia vice president of customer and market operations for Southeast Asia Pacific, took center stage. He explained that as much as we were about to get a first glimpse of five of the newest models from Nokia’s classic series, we were also about to get a taste of five sumptuous courses created especially to complement Nokia’s five new phones. Eat your hearts out! Australian chef Brett Deverall was the conductor par excellence of the gastronomic symphony for the night with Nokia’s newest classics as his muses.

And so it went, a night of degustation and sheer fascination, a time to taste and touch.

The Nokia 6131 is one sophisticated, functional, and compact phone equipped with a push-to-open button that makes for an easier-to-handle flip phone. It boasts a 1.3- megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, a quadband system, and a music player that supports MP3, MP4, M4A, and WMA types. Available in Softtouch Black, Nokia 6131 has one of the most comfortable keypads that anyone would enjoy using.

Paired with this little black beauty was a Parmesan taco with Woodside goats curd, golden beetroot, white asparagus, baby herbs, and apple balsamic caramel. The taco echoed the phone’s fold design. Indeed, Chef Deverall did a tastefully great job. One was meant to play around the dish as he ate it. There was subtle harmony among the cheeses, apple, asparagus, and beetroot, which was further enriched by the balsamic caramel. It was crisp and refreshing – yes, just like Nokia 6131.

According to Matt Rothschild, Nokia head of product marketing, business line management, and mobile phones for Asia Pacific, Nokia 6070 is for those who would like a simple upgrade. It is a phone designed with the older set in mind, as reflected by its rather bigger keypads, font size, and large color display. Nonetheless, Nokia 6070 promises tons of fun for both the oldies and the young ones. This mobile phone is equipped with a VGA camera with video recorder, integrated hands-free speaker, and stereo FM radio while supporting MP3 and polyphonic MIDI ringing tones. Available in dark grey and light blue colors, Nokia 6070 is simply stunning. To match its stunning simplicity was foie gras and truffle terrine with a black fig tart tatin, potato galette, and summer truffle oil. Chef Deverall noted that foie gras and truffles had always been a classic gastronomic combination, quite synonymous with Nokia 6070’s classic design. The black fig tart and galette reflected the phone’s new twists. Coming in an easy-to-handle fold design, no one would have guessed Nokia 6125 can pack in so much, This compact mobile phone comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera with an 8x digital zoom, Bluetooth connectivity, a music player that supports MP3, MP4, M4A, and WMA, a quadband system, Nokia Xpress audio messaging, Macromedia Flash Player, and a MicroSD card reader that allows you to store images and videos on the microSD memory card. And hear this: Nokia 6125 has a stereo FM radio equipped with visual radio that allows one to see more information about the artist, along with services like how to download a ring tone of your favorite songs. Matt Rothschild said that Nokia users can also look forward to voting competitions through this visual radio feature. Also, Nokia 6125 comes with a flight mode feature that allows one to access the calendar and music features during a flight.

Nothing spoke better of Nokia 6125 than our third course – scallop carpaccio, lobster, and saffron jelly with white tomato and champagne sorbet, osteria caviar, and finger limes. Only superior ingredients to match the phone’s superior features.

Nokia 6103 is a testament to life’s simple mobile pleasures. Compact in form and available in black and red, this mobile phone features a VGA camera with self-portrait possibility, Bluetooth wireless technology, Nokia Xpress audio messaging, push-to-talk button, and Integrated Handsfree speaker, among others. It guarantees a sound experience with its integrated FM radio and downloadable content support, which includes MIDI and MP3 ring tones as well as themes and games.

Reflecting this phone’s unassuming elegance was Chef Deverall’s Castricum lamb loin with Akudijura crusted rolled lamb shank, fricassee of wild mushrooms, potato fondant, broad beans, and porcini foam. According to the chef, the free-standing pastry cover of this dish was reminiscent of the phone’s fold feature.

A sure head-turner was the sleek and stylish Nokia 6233 with its classic design in stainless steel. It boasts a 3G multimedia that allows for video sharing and fast downloads of games, ringing tones, music, and video. You can also take more photos with its 2-megapixel camera armed with an 8x zoom and landscape mode. More, it’s loaded with stereo speakers that give cool 3D sound effects and a music player that supports MP3, AAC, M4A, and eAAC+. Plus it’s equipped with a PC application and Macromedia Flash Player. Sleek and loaded, this thing truly is!

To capture the innovativeness of this phone was a very creative and egg-citing dessert by Chef Brett – a trio of egg dessert, orange curd, spiced cherries, soft meringue, and egg yolk spaghetti. It was a melange of egg goodness, where the familiar met the new, a sweet end to a perfect evening.

Truly, it was an exquisite night, a pairing of all things sensual, sensible, and satisfying.

With Nokia’s high mobile penetration in the Philippines (they say we’re Nokia country), expect these new Nokia classics to be making their way into our shores very soon – perhaps with the exception of Nokia’s 6125 and 6103. All these phones will be made available in Asia by the second quarter of the year. Whatever model you’re opting to buy, you’re sure you’ll never go wrong with a classic. As Chef Brett Deverall said, "Classic is perfection – it stays perfect."

Say hello to Nokia’s new classics!

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Visit http://www.nokia-asia.com.