FOR MOBILE executives such as Frenchman William Hamilton-Whyte, a handheld is an auxiliary to his lifestyle.

He wakes up to the alarm of his Nokia 6700 Classic, an updated version of the world?s best-selling 6300. After going over his SMS, he shifts to his smartphone, the new N97, a palm-size version of his multimedia netbook.

At breakfast, he goes over his e-mails ? between 100 and 200 a day ? and continues his correspondence in the car.

?There are a lot of approvals that need to go through me as general manager for Nokia [Philippines],? he says. ?If I don?t have this access, the company stops. That?s why I?m always 24 hours, 360 days connected. This is worldwide, whether I am here, in Singapore or Paris. I don?t have to worry about going to a WiFi store or going to a hotel. If I need to download, it can read everything ? Excel, PowerPoint.? He can also make a video call to another part of the world. It has many applications such as VOIP, WiFi.

Even on holidays, he doesn?t need to lug his notebook since the N97 does the job. With the touchscreen of his smartphone, he downloads photos and videos of his trip to Club Paradise in Palawan. When he?s taking a PAL flight, which has no movies, he can entertain himself by watching films compressed on the N97.

At night, when partying with friends, Whyte doesn?t need the full smartphone. Hence, he switches to the Nokia 6700 Classic, which still has the high-end features. It complements his black or white suits by Kenzo, Boss or Versace.

?It?s an expression of my personality,? he says.

A fashion hound, he considers the mobile phone to be as visible as his stainless-steel Baume & Mercier watch and Cartier bracelet.

Like piece of jewelry

Nokia keeps producing some 40 new models in every image category. Whyte predicts the successes of the N97, the first of the N series. Its touchscreen and QWERTY or typewriter keyboard will be a hit among techno freaks.

To those still intimidated by the smartphone, the 6700 Classic comes close. It will even make a bigger splash with its 5-megapixel camera and expandable memory, which can easily sustain up to 8 gigabytes.

As a lifestyle phone, the 6700?s style is similar to what Whyte finds elegant in a Montblanc pen ? both are the ultimate handheld instruments which are instinctively user-friendly and seduce through the shape and feel.

These amount to an emotional and physical attraction to the device. With its stainless-steel body coated with silver chrome, it could be mistaken for a sterling-silver lighter, address book or cigarette case. The chrome-finished keypad presents the keys in four strips rather than separate buttons.

?Like [a piece of] jewelry, it?s an extension of your personality and social position,? says Whyte.

?Everybody knows the Nokia interface, so the usage of all those functions on the phone makes it much easier to access. Most people with the 6300 will be moving toward the 6700 with no handicap. The phone size is big [bright 2.2? screen and bigger fonts] ?which is important for people after 40.?

It has an enhanced 3G and higher data-transfer speeds and capacity. Another lifestyle feature is its connectivity to Google, YouTube, Facebook and other major social networks.

With Nokia?s new online service, the Ovi, users can swap videos, photos and content. As a mid-range phone worth P16,570, the 6700 is the new MP3 player, what with 150 megabytes that can store thousands of songs.

Timing and innovation

Like many of the new Nokia phones, the 6700 has mapping, which is foreseen as valuable in the future.

?When you download the map on your phone, you have the possibility to let your friends know where you are,? says Whyte. ?If you are sitting on a café and you open it to meet up with people, just activate your signal. The network knows you are here and informs all the others on the database whom you have identified as friends that you are sitting here. This helps people interact.?

When the West switched from the analog network to the digital called the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) standard, Nokia pioneered in the GSM phone in the early ?90s. In 1994, it made inroads when it launched the 2110, now dubbed ?the retro brick phone.?

?That was the smallest and most sensitive, and had a better battery life then,? says Whyte. ?When you start selling millions around the world in the mid-?90s, that helps in the marketing and communications.?

Nokia infused its reputation for making durable phones with a stylish image. Unlike the flip phone of other brands, its monoblock shape was compact and light.

Nokia subsequently introduced phones as fashion accessories when it offered changing faceplates. Consumers liked the way they could personalize their phones.

?Nokia was the first manufacturer to come up with entry phones,? Whyte says. ?The product portfolio we had between ?95 and 2000 helped Nokia go to other places.?

First encounter with mobile

In the Philippines, sales volume on the first half of 2009 is even higher than the last half of ?08.

?First, Nokia has been gaining more market share in the past six months,? he says. ?Second, in the past 2? years, we were able to set up a retail network of professionals who have partnered with Nokia in making sure consumer experience in stores is enhanced and the service is also of better quality.

?I have expanded care services around the Philippines. When you buy a Nokia phone, you don?t have the concern that if it breaks down, what do you do? You?ll always have a solution not very far from your house. It helps build the brand and consumer confidence.

?Nokia has been physically in the Philippines for over a decade, with local marketing and retail teams,? he adds. ?In the past 10 years, we have supported the operators on one side, retail on the other. This has been our strength. We can service anybody from Manila to General Santos, Pampanga, Baguio, and upward.

?To a lot of people around the world, especially emerging markets, their first encounter with a mobile is Nokia. People who bought the phones years ago are still using them.? Marge Enriquez, Contributor