Push To Talk comes to series 60
Published by Rafe Blandford at
Nokia announced today that Push To Talk will become available for the 6600, 6620, 6670 and 7610 (if your provider supports it though).
Here is the press release:
Nokia provides push to talk into their leading Series 60 based mobile phones
November 02, 2004
Add-on client for Nokia 6600, 6620, 6670 and 7610 mobile phones expands device portfolio and user base for push to talk
Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced a PoC (Push to talk over Cellular) client for select devices based on the Series 60 Platform. The client makes the "walkie-talkie" functionality available for users of the popular Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6670 and Nokia 7610 mobile phones. They can download the PoC* client from their operator's website or at an operator store*. The PoC client is already integrated into the service offering on the Nokia 6260, which began shipping in September 2004.
With push to talk functionality, mobile phone users can use their phones like walkie-talkies to connect with another individual or with a select group for quick voice communications at the push of a single button.
"Nokia's commitment to push to talk is reflected in our growing product portfolio and our ongoing cooperation with operators to bring this method of real-time, direct communications to consumers and business users. By offering the PoC client at no charge to operators, we are enabling the spread of the functionality to several widely-sold Series 60 phones from Nokia," said Jari Pasanen, VP, Multimedia Technology and Quality, Nokia. "This client is also a concrete evidence of how easy it is for operators to bring new services on Series 60, which illustrates the differentiation opportunities of the platform. Series 60 helps the industry to accelerate innovation and time-to-market."
"Being the first mobile operator to offer push to talk service to customers in Hong Kong, we're glad to gain full support from our long-term business partner Nokia in providing the client that brings our new service, 'Press 'n Talk', to the most popular Nokia phone models," said Dr. Norman Wai, Operator President & Chief Executive Officer of New World Mobility. "The new software built on top of Series 60 helps us to significantly boost the user base by enabling users to quickly and easily download the add-on client from our website to their existing handsets."
Nokia will provide the PoC client to network operators and service providers based on a Software Distribution Licensing Agreement at no charge. Mobile phone users will be able to add the client by downloading it to their Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6670 or Nokia 7610 from their operator's website or at an operator store, turning their phones into push to talk devices. Alternately, the add-on client can also be offered on the MMC card in the sales package. When using the application on the Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6670 and Nokia 7610, the 'send' key works as the push to talk button.
The PoC client is developed on the Series 60 Platform that runs on the Symbian OS. It is based on open specifications, which provides for a smooth migration to the upcoming OMA specification. Nokia is leading the way in push to talk with an expanding portfolio including four push to talk phones launched earlier, two new models with dedicated push to talk buttons - the Nokia 6020 and Nokia 3230 - launched today and, as well as the possibility to install push to talk on four more models. Additionally, Nokia has commercial "Push to talk over Cellular" network contracts with 19 operators and trials with well over 30 operators.