photo credit: swruler9284 Over at Engadget there is a funny discussion going on about the rumoured iPhone Nano.The best bet seems so far an emerging market device (discussions w China Mobile, anyone?), with no wi-fi, 3G or GPS, possibly no App Store, just an iPod with call and sms capabilities. While I'm not interested in the actual product that much, it would be something Nokia should do in 2009, anyway. I've been writing up a concept phone, called Nokia Evolution in the last few weeks, with the following base requirements in mind:

• stable form factor through product iterations (6500 classic size)
• start simple (call, sms, photo/video view, music), full touchscreen
• start with no extras to keep the cost to minimal (only 4GB and wi-fi, no camera, no 3G, no GPS, no custom app install support)
• animated graphics UI and landscape orientation, with senior citizens as focus group (touchscreen for the masses)
• ecosystem: announced with support from accessory manufacturers, initial carriers and a target yearly sales volume
• OS is based on Open Symbian, starts with basic functionality only and grows as more and more parts of Symbian are transferred to the Symbian Foundation, automated sw updates via sideloading
• yearly renewal of hardware, released Q2 2009, sub-100 EUR unlocked price (estimated 60 EUR manufacturing cost)

If you think about the iPhone Nano, it could easily fulfill these requirements except the animated UI and the open source part and still be released in Q1 2009. If it will not be announced, I'm hoping that Nokia makes the Evolution device in 2009 and truly brings touchscreen to the mainstream market.