Nokia 5500 Sport Music Edition Launched

Nokia has introduced the "Nokia 5500 Sport Music Edition," the latest addition to its line-up of "Active" phones.

The company says that the Music Edition, which is an enhancement to the Nokia 5500 Sport, is befitted with a 512 MB microSD card for enjoying up to 375 songs, as well as a fitness carrying strap, bicycle holder, and sports headset packed in a new energetic color.

Announcing the latest edition, Antti Koivula, director - lifestyle products, Nokia, said, "Music is a great source of energy and inspiration for many, during a workout, a fitness routine, or just relaxing. To complement its sporty and fitness-inspired design, the Nokia 5500 Sport Music Edition offers an expanded range of music features, and bears the Nokia XpressMusic feature brand, which guarantees an outstanding mobile music experience."

The Nokia 5500 Sport Music Edition can be worn around the waist or strapped around an arm to ensure that the handset stays in place, even during vigorous exercise. The sports headset also offers hands-free convenience for music and conversation with an anatomically engineered, over-the-ear design.

The Nokia Music Manager application in this phone makes music transfer to a multitude of different digital music formats from a PC easy and convenient.

This Music Edition features an integrated pedometer that lets users know the distance traveled, and the calories burned during a run. During other activities too, such as a bicycle tour or cross-country skiing, distance covered and calories burnt can be monitored with an optional GPS module. Results of workout routines can then be transferred from this phone to a PC, to follow individual progress.

With a 2-megapixel camera, the phone has three dedicated "modes," where one can switch to a phone mode to stay in touch, a music mode to relax or energize, or a sports mode to help users go the extra mile. The phone even supports text-to-speech technology, where an SMS can be read aloud after pressing two taps.

The triband Nokia 5500 Sport Music Edition (GSM 900/1800/1900) is now available in select shops around Europe. The expected retail price before taxes and subsidies is approximately 350 EUR (Rs 20,300).