Nearly eight years ago, Finland-based Nokia changed the dynamics of mobile telephony by adding a camera onto the phone. It was, by all means, a radical move then. After all, there seemed to be no real need for a camera on a mobile phone at that point. Most people thought the camera would be used just for taking pictures of friends and family. It was then that the Nokia team discovered that junior surgeons in the UK regularly took pictures while operating and sent them to senior surgeons for consultations.

That one activity simply opened up immense possibilities for a camera on a mobile phone. Today, the phone is still used for talking, sending text messages and taking pictures. But apart from that, now you can also surf the Internet, listen to FM radio, make video clips, listen to your favourite music and help locate destinations. Very soon, you will even be able to watch TV on your handset.

As if all this is not enough, the e11.12-billion (Rs 2,34,384 crore) Nokia has a library of almost 200 concepts. Over the next couple of years, it will hone it down to get newer facilities onto your mobile phone. To ensure that happens, Nokia Nseries has 250 designers — including industrial designers, anthropologists, graphic designers, packaging designers and colour specialists — working across 10 sites globally to bring out the next new dimension in mobile phones. What that will be is still not clear. Anthony Dalby, director (design strategy & portfolio multimedia) with London-based Nokia Design, spoke with BW’s Anup Jayaram on the way ahead for what he calls the multimedia computer. Excerpts:

How long does it take to launch a new multimedia phone from the concept stage?

In Nokia, we have three business groups — mobility, multimedia and entertainment. It takes all of 18 months to make a new phone from scratch. The first 2-3 months are spent in initial research. After that, we go through the information we receive in great detail. Then we do a lot of observational research. We pinpoint 20-30 people across the world who have a busy lifestyle and monitor what they do for a 24-hour period. We usually look at people who take lots of pictures and video clips and forward them to others. We did that anthropological study in Mumbai for the first time early this year.

Based on the information that we gather, we design a product. Then we go back to the same set of people to see what they think of that product. The idea is to see if these people are happy with the navigation that the phone offers. The big difference that we see these days is that instead of us putting applications on the phone, we get people telling us what more they want on the mobile phone.

Do you see the needs of the Indian consumer in sync with the global model?
Fundamentally, at a needs level, people across the globe think similarly. But we are yet to tap into the sheer diversity that India offers. We are just about beginning to do that. I am convinced that we will be amazed with what we can find in India.

Where do you see the multimedia phone a couple of years down the road?
The phone is already a very personal device. Tomorrow, once you shoot a picture of yourself at a tourist spot, the GPS facility on the phone can tie the images or messages to the location where you have taken them. In a way, you leave that image floating in space. Months later, if your friend goes there, he could see your picture there using his mobile. Without the device, the world is just like it is. Look through the device and it is an entirely new universe. Now, you can see messages, pictures, etc., that are floating in the virtual world. This is called digital graffiti. That information will be there in a database that is hooked to your social network.

You can restrict this facility to just your friends or open it for all to see, quite like on image networking sites like Flickr, YouTube, Fropper and Buzznet. Currently, the Nokia agreement with Flickr is not applicable in India. On the Nokia N76, you can send your images to Flickr by simply pressing one button. With millions of people blogging, this phone helps you post on your blog while on the move.

Are you setting up a design centre in India?
We do have a design centre in Bangalore. The team in Finland works closely with universities around the world. We tap into up-and-coming student designers. That is what we plan to do here, too.

How is the Nseries doing?
We have had roadshows for the Nseries globally. It has just begun to bite. What you must realise is that it is no longer a mobile phone, but a multimedia computer. So, while on the move you can do a lot of what you did with a personal computer. That is the biggest change that the multimedia computer will do to our lives.

What that will be is still not clear. Anthony Dalby, director (design strategy & portfolio multimedia) with London-based Nokia Design, spoke with BW’s Anup Jayaram on the way ahead for what he calls the multimedia computer. Excerpts:

How long does it take to launch a new multimedia phone from the concept stage?

In Nokia, we have three business groups — mobility, multimedia and entertainment. It takes all of 18 months to make a new phone from scratch. The first 2-3 months are spent in initial research. After that, we go through the information we receive in great detail. Then we do a lot of observational research. We pinpoint 20-30 people across the world who have a busy lifestyle and monitor what they do for a 24-hour period. We usually look at people who take lots of pictures and video clips and forward them to others. We did that anthropological study in Mumbai for the first time early this year.

Based on the information that we gather, we design a product. Then we go back to the same set of people to see what they think of that product. The idea is to see if these people are happy with the navigation that the phone offers. The big difference that we see these days is that instead of us putting applications on the phone, we get people telling us what more they want on the mobile phone.

Do you see the needs of the Indian consumer in sync with the global model?
Fundamentally, at a needs level, people across the globe think similarly. But we are yet to tap into the sheer diversity that India offers. We are just about beginning to do that. I am convinced that we will be amazed with what we can find in India.

Where do you see the multimedia phone a couple of years down the road?
The phone is already a very personal device. Tomorrow, once you shoot a picture of yourself at a tourist spot, the GPS facility on the phone can tie the images or messages to the location where you have taken them. In a way, you leave that image floating in space. Months later, if your friend goes there, he could see your picture there using his mobile. Without the device, the world is just like it is. Look through the device and it is an entirely new universe. Now, you can see messages, pictures, etc., that are floating in the virtual world. This is called digital graffiti. That information will be there in a database that is hooked to your social network.

You can restrict this facility to just your friends or open it for all to see, quite like on image networking sites like Flickr, YouTube, Fropper and Buzznet. Currently, the Nokia agreement with Flickr is not applicable in India. On the Nokia N76, you can send your images to Flickr by simply pressing one button. With millions of people blogging, this phone helps you post on your blog while on the move.

Are you setting up a design centre in India?
We do have a design centre in Bangalore. The team in Finland works closely with universities around the world. We tap into up-and-coming student designers. That is what we plan to do here, too.

How is the Nseries doing?
We have had roadshows for the Nseries globally. It has just begun to bite. What you must realise is that it is no longer a mobile phone, but a multimedia computer. So, while on the move you can do a lot of what you did with a personal computer. That is the biggest change that the multimedia computer will do to our lives.

 

Nokia’s Digital Graffiti You take a photo of your family at any tourist spot with your mobile phone. Now, you can add a comment too. The global positioning system (GPS) on the phone lets you know exactly where on the globe the photo was taken. You can post the photo on your blog or on image sharing sites like Flickr by pressing one button. With the GPS, the photo is tied to the coordinates. This is digital graffiti. Months later, your friend can see your post at that spot using his mobile phone/ multimedia computer there. The digital graffiti is visible only through a device. You can restrict access to the post to friends or share it with all. Without a device, it is the regular tourist spot. The friend can then add his image apart from posting a comment on your picture.