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Nokia’s rumoured iPhone competitor was shown on a powerpoint slide at the Evans Data Developer Relations Conference on Monday. The handset, code-named as ‘tube’ showed the familiar touch-screen user interface and was demo’d with a movie playback. This is not the first time that Nokia has shown off a touch-screen handset, as the company showed initial prototypes last November to analysts. The handset appeared to be using a touch sensitive screen with haptic feedback and a screen display which does resemble the iPhone interface, if only superficially. It is expected to be launched later this year. The company also added touch screen capabilities to its smartphone OS - the Series 60 platform - at around the same time.

In a research note last November, when news of the new handset emerged, Nomura analyst Richard Windsor warned that Apple claimed to have patented its touchscreen interface. “I think Apple will likely view Nokia as infringing on its user interface patents,” said Richard Windsor “But I don’t see this being the same scale of the legal battle Nokia has with Qualcomm,”  Taiwan’s Innolux, the world’s second largest monitor assembler has previously confirmed that it has touch screen display orders from Nokia, with shipments expected to commence shortly. Innolux is an affiliate of Hon Hai, which is an outsourced handset manufacturer for Nokia.

InfoWorld

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