Eisa Awards 2008 Results: S60 scores 1, Nokia 0

In the past Nokia has won the Eisa Award (European Imaging and Sound Association) of Media Phone since the category was created in 2005. This year, 2008, the category was changed into Smart Phone. After Nokia's winning streak with the N90, the N93 and last year with the N95 the award now goes to the Windows 6.1 Pro running HTC Touch Diamond. Quoting Eisa's statement on the new winner:

Here’s a device that is certain to attract undivided attention from gadget connoisseurs everywhere. The Touch Diamond’s glossy, shiny case contains an operating system based on Windows Mobile v6.1 Pro, enhanced with a new 3D TouchFlo interface. Images on the 2.8-inch VGA touch-screen are very sharp and clear, making the Touch Diamond a refreshing and rewarding device to use. No user will want for anything in terms of functions, since HTC has included a 3.2 Megapixel camera, 4GB of internal memory, an FM radio and GPS navigation. Connectivity options include HSDPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB. By achieving such slick looks and performance, the Touch Diamond is a clear winner.

Though the touchscreen makes for a larger display, I'd rather choose myself the E71 (not in the least because of Symbian) or the HTC Touch Pro, both with a mini-qwerty keyboard. According to the dutch Tweakers site the 3G iPhone did not enter as a contestant since it was not available for testing though it is doubtful it would have won.

Also the Samsung G810 running S60 wins the European Photo Phone of the Year award. Personally I prefer the N82. Pictures on the internet by the Samsung G810 show a slight haze compared to the Nokia N82. Secondly at maximum optical zoom the image is fuzzier than unzoomed, which negates the 3x optical zoom for a large part. Last but not least Sony Ericsson scores nicely with the W980i as the Music Phone of the Year. This year 0 awards for Nokia. The full list of EISA awards can be found here.