LONDON—Nokia is preparing "custom" devices for U.S. carriers that may not be the exact phones released at Nokia World tomorrow morning, Nokia U.S. president Chris Weber said at a dinner with journalists on Tuesday.
When asked by The Verge editor Thomas Ricker whether those phones would be customized in terms of hardware or software, Weber only said, "Yes."
Nokia is expected to release its first Windows Phones here tomorrow, but Weber made it clear that these "global" devices may not be the customized models that are sold in the United States. He kept enough details back, though, but we'll be sure to ask questions about U.S. releases when we meet with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop tomorrow.
Weber also hinted that Nokia was thinking about entering other product categories beyond phones. "Our definition of mobility is broader than just phones," he said.
"We haven't even talked about a tablet," Weber said, when asked specifically about them, but added, "I think Windows 8 can redefine that space."
Nokia has never released a full-size tablet. The handset maker's one recent foray into laptops, the Nokia Booklet 3G, failed in large part because it was priced much higher than competing netbooks.
Nokia is rumored to be releasing up to three Windows Phone Mango-based phones tomorrow: A higher-end unit, a lower-priced one, and one with a slide-out keyboard. At least one of those phones is said to have the body of the Nokia N9 (see slideshow below).
And there could be yet another phone from Nokia on its way. Engadget editor and former PCMag writer Zach Honig on Tuesday uncovered graphics hinting at an additional inexpensive feature phone with a QWERTY keyboard.
Earlier this month, Weber said that the company was trying to bring its Windows Phones to multiple U.S. carriers, saying, "take your favorite carrier, and we'll focus on them."
We'll have news and hands-ons from Nokia World in London on Wednesday.