Nokia and Polar announce cooperation to bring mobility to athletes and sports enthusiasts

Munich, Germany -- On Monday, 2nd February at ISPO Winter 04, Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications and Polar Electro, the world's leading manufacturer of sports instruments and heart rate monitoring equipment announced a formal cooperation to bring the benefits of mobility to high performance athletes and sports enthusiasts. The two industry leaders have combined their technological expertise through research and development in connectivity, software, content and optimisation. As a result of their cooperation the recently announced Nokia 5140 phone connects wirelessly with top-of-the-line Polar products like the Polar S625X Running Computer and S725 Cycling Monitor.

Polar and Nokia have combined their technological expertise to serve the needs of today's and tomorrow's athletes and sports enthusiasts. The Polar Java™ application is optimised for the Nokia 5140 phone and is easy to buy and download from the Nokia Software Market website. Runners and cyclists are able to send physiological and environmental exercise data from their Polar S625X Running Computer and S725 Cycling Monitor wirelessly to their Nokia 5140 mobile phone. The Nokia-Polar co-operation offers athletes and sports enthusiasts innovative, easy-to-use solutions that support and enhance their training.

“There is a growing number of sports-oriented consumers for whom mobility offers multiple benefits,” says Kai Öistämö, Senior Vice President, Business Line Management, Mobile Phones. “Our cooperation with Polar, a trusted brand in the sports instruments space, enables us to introduce our products and mobility solutions to a technology-savvy sports-oriented audience.”

With The Polar MobileLink™ to Running and the Polar MobileLink™ to Cycling application installed in the phone, it is simple to view the physiological and environmental exercise/training summaries immediately on the phone’s screen. The Nokia 5140 phone also offers additional storage capacity for more training data and enables the sharing of data. It is straightforward to transfer training or competition data instantly over-the-air from the Nokia 5140 phone directly to training mates, team-mates or a coach via SMS. This provides runners and cyclists with the opportunity for advanced performance analysis during training or competition.

”This cooperation has made it possible for the sporting consumers to receive information in a whole new way,” says Olli Vähänen, Vice President, Marketing from Polar Electro. “By using the new application, runners and cyclists and their coaches are able to analyze their training achievements instantly, and the distance is not an obstacle anymore.”


The top-of-the-line Polar S625X Running Computer and the Polar S725 Cycling Heart Rate Monitor incorporate unique Polar technologies, such as OwnCode™, OwnCal® ,OwnIndex® and Polar Fitness Test™, OwnOptimizer™ and a host of features to measure speed, distance, altitude, temperature, cadence etc. that enable athletes to get a deeper understanding of their race, run or ride.

The Polar S625X Running Computer with Polar Footpod are available in leading sports and sports equipment stores.

The Polar S725 Cycling Heart Rate Monitor, Polar Wireless Cadence Sensor, Polar Speed
Sensor and Polar Power Output Sensor are available in all good cycling outlets.

The sporty and durable Nokia 5140 phone is the first phone from Nokia specifically designed for sports people to include an integrated VGA camera. In addition to an integrated camera, flashlight and colour display, the Nokia 5140 features removable covers that offer additional protection against dust, bumps and splashes.
The Nokia 5140 phone is planned to be available in leading telecommunications and sports stores from 2nd quarter 2004.

Availability

Download the Polar MobileLink™ to Sports application:

Polar MobileLink™ to Sports (local download) »

Download the Polar MobileLink™ to Fitness application:

Polar MobileLink™ to Fitness (local download) »

     Please note: The Polar F55 is not yet available in Australia
This application software will be of no value unless you have an F55


About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and secure products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.

Media Enquiries:
Nokia Communications, Tel. +358 7180 34900,
E-mail: press.office@nokia.com

About Polar Electro
Polar Electro, founded in 1977, is the leading brand and the true partner in improving health and well-being through the understanding of human physiology and environment. Moreover, Polar Electro is the world's leading manufacturer of sports instruments and heart rate monitoring, registering and evaluation equipment. Polar products represent the state of the art in heart rate measuring devices for athletic training, fitness, rehabilitation and weight management.
Polar Electro concentrates on the development, production and marketing of sport instruments and heart rate monitoring equipment. Headquartered near Oulu in Finland, Polar Electro operates internationally in over 50 Countries. The company has approximately 1400 employees internationally and net sales of 144 MEUR (year 2002). The main markets for Polar heart rate monitors are in Europe and North-America.

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