Nokia Goes For High Style With 'Arte' Mobile PhonesNokia Goes For High Style With 'Arte' Mobile Phones

Nokia on Tuesday unveiled two new mobile phones designed for style-conscious consumers that are willing to pay a premium price for elegance and functionality.

The new Nokia 8800 Arte and Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte phones feature casings made out of high-end metal and glass materials, as well as a sapphire gem stone and an accent of leather for a sophisticated look and feel. When the steel surface below the display is tapped with a finger, an analog clock appears.

Nokia said the sense of exclusivity is further enhanced on these phones with a videotrack and soundtrack composed by internationally-acclaimed producers Kruder & Dorfmeister, who Nokia invited to create a musical compilation specifically for the Arte and the Sapphire Arte.

Beyond their elegant design, the phones are also functional. They're capable of browsing the Web at high speeds, since they use 3G cellular technology, and offer 1 Gbyte of built-in memory. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera with 8x digital zoom, a MicroUSB connector, and anti-fingerprint coating on the metal and glass casing.

But the phones' hefty price tag is equivalent to some notebook computers. Nokia is clearly promoting them to the high-end consumer market. The Arte model will start shipping in the fourth quarter of this year and will cost 1000 EUR, which is about $1,460. The Sapphire Arte is even more pricey at 1150 EUR, or $1,680, and will start shipping in the first quarter of next year.

Nokia is well-known for its luxury products, such as a diamond-cut phone called the Nokia 7900 Prism, which came out in August. Premium mobile phones, however, are being offered by many manufactures besides Nokia as a must-have accessory that shows style and sophistication.

Motorola last month introduced a special edition of its new Razr 2 phone model. The Razr 2 V8 Luxury Edition is 18K gold-plated and covered in snake-like skin. For that extra luxurious look and feel, Motorola also added a diamond-cut pattern on the phone's surface.

Earlier this year, LG Electronics and fashion house Prada Group unveiled the Prada Phone, which has metallic black casing, touch-screen technology similar to the iPhone, and a $780 price tag.