Nokia trumpets socially-savvy smartphones
Stepping up with Symbian^3
Nokia launched a "powerful family" of three high-end Symbian^3 Smartphones in London today. Here's a run-through:
Crafted with business in mind, the Nokia E7 comes with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, a 4in touchscreen and ClearBlack technology for improved outdoor visibility. A full keyboard should appeal to business users for working on documents and spreadsheets. The E7 will be available for roughly £420.
E7 - business in mind
The Nokia C7 is Web 1.0 and Web 2.0-centric, featuring easy access to Gmail and Yahoo!, live Facebook and Twitter feeds. The spec inclueds a 3.5in AMOLED screen encased in a body of stainless steel and glass and an 8Mp camera. IT will retail at about £280.
Nokia C6 is a more compact social networking phone that includes the social network features and comes geared up for music and mobile entertainment. With a 3.2in AMOLED touchscreen, an 8Mp camera and the inclusion of ClearBlack technology, the C6 should retail around £220.
These handsets join the already announced N8 to form Nokia's new collection of Symbian Smartphones. Featuring 250 fresh Symbian features, an updated Ovi store with a so-called friendlier interface and the latest beta release of free Ovi maps, the new Nokias promise to pack a punch.
All three are expected to ship by the end of the year. ®
COMMENTS
24 hours later and there are only 10 comments
New range-topping smartphone announced and barely a murmer from Reg readers? Surely that says as much about where Nokia are now as any other metric.
@Graham Jordan ... sounds familiar
I've been a long term Nokia dude too, owned every communicator etc etc. ... Always bought them SIM Free .... always paid well over the odds.
The N900 was the last straw. For me it was the ridiculous Micro USB which broke, just like it did on the N97, same design flaw, same fault, same stupid stupid mistakes.
I played with my other halfs HTC Desire for an hour or so. I bought one. The Nokias are binned. I won't be going back.
Nokia Internet tablets
I have a N770 in a drawer somewhere. I thought it was a good idea, and I really liked the way that some of it worked. The drag scrolling for example.
It got a problem after less than a month where it wouldn't connect to a WiFi point unless it was less than 1M away. Sent it off to Nokia (premium phones department no less), and was basically told that it was a bit of a gimick, they couldn't do anything with it and Nokia isn't really interested in them (like their old set-top boxes).
That and what I read on the forums about the N800 and N810 kinda put me off the N900. There were a few software issues, but Nokia always seemed to be looking to ship a new model rather than fix the old ones.
I'm sad to say that I'm now using an ipod touch for what the N770 was bought for (small hand-held terminal for use about the house).
Oh dear
Got my first Nokia in 1995 and have been a staunch supporter up to know (albeit with a brief sojoun to Ericsson with their amazing T39).
The hardware is just that - solid, mostly dependable (excusing the N95's battery cover debacle). Phones you can stuff in a pocket with keys, change and a load of grit and will still work 3 years later.
But the software!!! When that just meant putting snake on a 3310 it was no problem - but Symbian has always sucked. S80 never got there (9310i) and S60 is ..errr ... agricultural. My kids has Samsung touch screens, but then they just fashion items ... then I got an Android Phone .. the Pulse Mini. The hardware is cr*p - it will be lucky to last a year - but then Android 2.1 though not mature delivers so much more than S60. And the Android App availability buries Symbian.My Pulse will expire in 2011 but it only cost £70 (plus £8 unlock) so who cares? The replacement will probably be an Android 3.0 phone.
Which rules out Nokia. Pity, Android on Nokia hardware would be really nice.
Believing Symbian can solve Nokia's problem is a symptom of denial. Believing Meego (unless it is Android App compatible) is the same. Remeber Betamax/HD-DVD? That's the story that should haunt Nokia. The best hardware, but the best/most apps/movies will always win.
Long term nokia fan... until recently
Levente has it right. I dispised the N95 and every Nokia since. They were shit. My loyality almost had me buy the X6 but fear of another shocking effort pushed me to the HTC Desire and I love it.
It'd take something unlike a revolution to bring me back to Nokia, something so huge I can't even think it up.
