Nokia to unveil touch- screen phone next week: sources

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top cellphone maker Nokia ( NOK1V.HE ) will unveil its first touch-screen phone at a media and analyst event in London next week, two industry sources told Reuters on Friday.
Smaller handset vendors -- LG Electronics ( 066570 .KS ), Apple ( AAPL.O ) and Samsung Electronics ( 005930 .KS ) -- have rolled out numerous popular touch-screen phones over the last two years.
Both sources said Nokia was set to unveil the phone, codenamed "Tube," on Oct 2. A Nokia spokeswoman declined to comment.
"The phone is extremely important. We have been waiting for the market leader to respond to iPhone for a year and a half now. There is a lot of pressure on Nokia," said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Gartner.
Nokia said in July it would introduce its first touch-screen phone this year, and would sell it more cheaply than rival touch-screen models in order to tap into a higher-volume market.
"The demand outlook in emerging markets, like India, is good for a cheaper touch-screen phone," said Hannu Rauhala, an analyst with Pohjola Bank.
Kai Oistamo, head of Nokia's devices business, said in July the Finnish firm was fully committed to bringing a complete portfolio of touch devices to the market, both in the high-end and low-end segments.
Shares in Nokia were 3.4 percent lower at 13.43 euros by 6 :05 a.m. EDT, hurt by grim outlook comments from Blackberry- vendor Research In Motion ( RIM.TO ) ( RIMM.O ).