If you haven't been following the recent tidal wave of Nokia phones announced in the recent months, let me refresh your memory:

N79
N85
E71
E66
5320 Xpress Music
N78
N96
6220
6210 Navigator
N82

I'm all for having different form factors, everyone has there favorite whether it's a slider, candybar, QWERTY or flip. Personally I enjoy candybar's and sliders due to the one handed ease of use and size.

So what's the problem here? Nokia is releasing phones that appeal to all audiences (including the s40 phones I didn't list). There's a saying, you can't please all the people all the time...Nokia is definitely swinging a big bat at a big ball, but keeping their eyes closed all the way.

This has worked in all markets save for North America, but with brands like Samsung, LG, HTC and now Apple pumping newer and more focused phones...is Nokia keeping their eye on the ball or are they just packing every feature they can into a phone (making it more expensive) and hoping that it will sell based on features alone...and then releasing a phone with slightly better (but otherwise the same)features 2 months later?

Nokia definitely swung and missed with the N75

Let me confess, I'm a diehard Nokia and S60 fanboy...and have used many other phones including the Iphone and many iterations of Windows Mobile (Including the Palm Treo 750 and HTC Tilt and Titan) so I have a slightly rose colored view of Nokia and S60.

I think there is a couple of things Nokia can do to answer some of their competition:

1. Put a different spin on an existing technology.

We've seen what it's done for Apple and touchscreens, Nintendo and motion control, why can't Nokia do the same thing? Fore example, web browsing (which seems to be popular) or maybe a motion based UI? (like the Wii?) Then spin the marketing ala Apple to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

2. Instead of releasing many handsets annually...focus on a few.

Maybe categorize and focus...a Flagship like the N95 which encompasses all features, then maybe a media phone like the Iphone which concentrates on video/music/picture creation and playback etc... I think one huge thing that Nokia could do is create a phone for aspiring artists that could edit video, audio, and pictures with ease.

Nokia N79 and N85...released just months after the very similar N78 and N96

3. Marketing in North America

Hey Nokia, giving celebrities, bloggers, and big budget movies your handsets do not equal marketing. Hey did you see that Nokia that was in Batman? That was friggin sweet. Where can I get one? What? It's not released yet? Can I at least get sonar on it?

Listen Nokia, I'm one of your biggest supporters, and know many more that blog and scream your greatness to the heavens of the Intertubes, but that doesn't work here in North America.

Sure competition is fierce here, sure carriers rule and they have ridiculous standards and rules, why should you let that stand in your way? Nokia is a great brand, I think they need to start working closer with carriers (including CDMA!) and develop a niche within their segment instead of trying to be all things to all people. Take at&t for example. at&t lacks a QWERTY non-smartphone to conquer the Envy's and the Sidekicks of the world. Why not capitalize and develop a S40 or even a S60 handset with decent multimedia capabilities and unique slide out keyboard or unique design?

I know what people are saying, carriers screw up phones with branding and bloatware, and who would want a S60 phone without all the bells and whistles?

The point of this rant is to get S60 and Nokia handsets into the hands of the masses. Once a person adapts to the UI or a specific type handset...they usually don't stray. That will open the door to gradually up the ante on features and have more and more people graduate to an N-Series device. E Series and business is a whole other subject...

What are your thoughts, is Nokia hitting em out of the park, or are they swinging without watching the ball?