Nokia bans the word 'phone'

NOKIA DESIGNER Ryuichi Sakamoto has a big bottle of cod liver oil on his desk which he takes every time he mentions the word 'phone'.

According to the Seattle Times, Nokia staff are forbidden to call the devices it makes 'phones'. Instead they are called "multimedia computers".

Now while you might think that the "multimedia computers" made by Nokia are a tad light on the functionality side, that is because the title is inspirational. In otherwords what Nokia wants to do is replace the computers that most users have, with a phone, er multimedia computer.

According to Antti Vasara, vice president for corporate strategy, the big idea is to make mobile the dominant way for most punters to access the internet.

This will mean that people can buy goods from vending machines, program or change the channels on their tellies, listen to music on your stereo really anything you can think of.

Meanwhile, Sakamoto's has a choice. Either he toes the company line, or his heart and bowels will be given a new lease of life.

More here. µ