Nokia focuses on converged devices

As the Consumer Electronics Show kicked off in Las Vegas on Monday, Finnish vendor Nokia unleashed a whole raft of products.

Along with the Skype-enabled internet tablet, the handset manufacturer also announced the Near Field Communications-capable (NFC) 6131, which acts as an electronic wallet or ticketing device.

The Nokia 6131 NFC phone is expected to be available during the first quarter for approximately Eur260.

Of interest to all the video bloggers out there, Nokia also took the wraps off its N93i camcorder phone which packs a 3.2 megapixel camera and support for miniSD cards.

Perhaps seeking to cash in on the demand for thin phones, the company was giving a first look at the N76, which seems to borrow its basic design from the successful Motorola RAZR.

The company is still pushing its “multimedia computer” strategy, with Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo indicating a focus on converged devices.

“Single purpose devices are becoming less attractive,” said Kallasvuo. “And the converged devices taking their place are increasingly powerful and easy to use.”

According to Nokia, the market for converged devices reached 90 million units in 2006 and is expected to reach 250 million units in 2008.

Nokia sold almost 40 million converged devices in 2006.