We’re live at Nokia’s Go:Play event in London’s Old Billingsgate and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia’s CEO has just lifted the wraps on Nokia’s new media phone - the N81. Billed as the gaming maestro, the N81 is an 8GB-hoarding monster phone ready to stomp all over the opposition.
The brand new N81 sports a ‘navi-wheel’ for navigation, a la iPod. The wheel is clickable though currently it only works in the multi-media menu and the music menu, offering fast access to long menus. It certainly makes for easy navigation and looks like a first for Nokia. The phone works in portrait or landscape mode, just like the N95.
Dedicated gaming buttons are present at the top of the phone (the two little circles either side of the speaker we saw in the photos). The device flicks different ways for different activities. Hold the phone like you would an N95 for imaging, flick it over (with the navi-wheel in your left hand) for gaming. If you want to do boring stuff like make calls, that’s there too in portrait mode.
Specs wise the N81 is a bit weak. 2-megapixel camera, 2.4-inch screen and no HSDPA!!!! Standard 3G only. There’s also two versions available, a standard model and the 8GB version.
Check the latest from the Nokia Go:Play Event