Nokia
6600

The Nokia 6600 smartphone was an important addition to Nokia’s portfolio when it was launched in June 2004. It bore a remarkable similarity to the Siemens SX-1 smartphone, which was also based on the Symbian OS and had been unveiled earlier in the year. The 6600 had a more conservative keypad design than the SX-1 and was well-positioned as an upgrade purchase for Nokia customers seeking to replace ageing handsets such as the Nokia 6210 and Nokia 6310. At the time, the Symbian/Series 60 combination was consolidating its position as the de facto smartphone platform in European markets and the new version of Symbian on the 6600 (version 7.0s) had a capability called "UI Themes" that allowed mobile network operators to define branding themes, new icons and change other elements such as background bitmaps. Operators were also able to define one of the menu soft keys with a bitmap such as an operator logo offering one-click access to a mobile network operator's portal. This approach seemed sensible at the time but proved highly problematic to Nokia because having numerous specific operator variants for the 6600 meant the company had to support multiple software builds and all the associated testing necessary to release the phone. This was arguably one of the contributory factors to Nokia's eventual downfall as it allowed so much personalisation for the network operators. In contrast, Apple refused any customisation with the iPhone. When it was launched, the 6600 was about twice as heavy as the lightest mobile phones on the market and although the chunky design had an ergonomic feel, it lacked the slim, lightweight elegance of some rival products. During its lifetime, the Nokia 6600 sold 15 million units.