Nokia Belle – the latest iteration of Symbian, and arguably the upgrade that brings the platform within spitting distance of rival smartphone OSes – was released for the C7, among other handsets, earlier this week. A sizable upgrade, weighing in at around 250MB, it demands users plug their phone into their PC and use the Nokia Suite app to load it.

Still, all that effort is worthwhile. Belle irons out some of the numerous issues and flaws found in the Astound as we reviewed it at launch, leaving a more flexible homescreen, more useful notifications bar with settings shortcuts, vastly improved widgets and a polished browser.

Responsibility for the decision not to give Astound owners what the C7 will get is presumably down to T-Mobile USA, though whoever is to blame it’s unlikely to leave users – less than a year into their two-year agreements – with particularly positive feelings to either the carrier or Nokia.

[via IntoMobile]

The business of prosthetic bits doesn’t come up often here on SlashGear, but when it does, it’s awesome. Everything from a £35K artificial hand to a full-on tentacle to a Dalek-style gripper has us applauding the industrial design world for their class. Now we’ve got this fellow Prideaux together with no less than official Nokia communications chiefs and a group of medical experts who’ve together created this special custom build.

What they’ve done here is to carve a phone-shaped fibreglass cradle into prototype arm build, this cradle able to hold and grip Prideaux’s Nokia C7. Prideaux believes this to be the first time this setup has been executed in the world, and notes that he’s proud to be part of the project:

“I can now take calls and make texts just by using my one hand, while the phone sits inside my arm. The phone slots smoothly and securely within my limb and is easily removable, when required. I think this would help a lot of people with prosthethic arms – especially those who were not born with the disability. People who have had motorbike crashes and soldiers who have lost limbs – they could all benefit from this.” – Prideaux

Prideaux is a caterer by trade, and has always had his limbs specially made at a place by the name of Exeter Mobility Centre in Devon. Once he had the idea to add a holster for a smartphone in his prosthetic arm, he contacted Apple to try to get ahold of a blank iPhone casing to test the idea out, but he notes that the group “refused to co-operate.” Next he went to his local O2 carrier when it was time to upgrade the device he already had to a new Nokia, the Nokia crew agreed to help him and the technicians at Exeter Mobility Centre to create the new limb.

Specifically it was prosthethist Steve Gallichan, undergraduate worker Sarah Bennett, and technician Les Street and created a prototype of the arm. The fiber cast of the phone was laminated and built into the limb where it could hold Prideaux’s mobile device.

“Now when I get call I can either hold my arm up to my ear or put it on speaker phone. I can also take it out if I need to. Texting is also much easier and a lot safer. I am hugely grateful to the people EMC. This is a leap forward which has helped me out a lot and can also aid others.” – Prixeaux

Now we’ve just got to get something like that for human skin implants as well – could you live with just one size? I imagine your favorite smartphone would really, truly have to be your favorite for you to be able to choose one mold. Love it all!

[via Telegraph]

Isis has ties to the financial industry, partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, Discover Financial Services, and American Express, so they’re certainly legit. Isis formed just this past year and would, if they continue down the road they’re on right this moment, allow customers to receive and redeem coupons on their smartphones, check in, tap tags, and all manner of lovely things with NFC chips. Should three of the four main US carriers invest in Isis, certainly they’d see much quicker growth than the several city debut said to be happening next year.

At the moment, Jaymee Johnson, head of marketing for Isis, has the following to say about the company and its currently released future plans:

“Isis remains on track to launch in key markets, including Salt Lake City and Austin, in early- to mid-2012. … We have yet to announce our national rollout plans.” – Johnson

Welcome to the future, the NFC-intensive future. Juniper Research also notes that according do their research, by 2014 at least one in five smartphones globally will be utilizing NFC (Near Field Communication) for mobile payment functions. This includes Android (which is already in on the game with the Nexus S), Nokia (which already has NFC on the Nokia C7), BlackBerry, and maybe even Apple’s iPhone.

[via Juniper Research]

What this new NFC feature will do, Rovio hopes, is encourage users to seek out and find new friends by asking if they’ve got Angry Birds on their device, asking then that they might tap their phones together for some Magic! Angry Birds Magic will require you to tap a friend with an NFC’s phone after your first five levels of play in order to unlock the next five. After the next five, you’ll need to find another new friend and tap with them, then a third after the next five.

While we expect this new game to be available for all the usual platforms soon, it will be available initially as a pre-loaded app on Nokia C7 devices, these devices of course being shipped with the new Symbian Anna, rolling out to all of Nokia’s NFC-laden devices by the end of 2011. Oh Nokia, you mince you. Who would have thought you’d get such a bigtime promotion via Rovio for your new device?

Then again, what a strange way to see things then Nokia is definitely still one of the biggest contenders in the non-USA arena, across the world and back. Then Rovio, you cads! You’ve grown from a tiny company to a worldwide powerhouse of brand-goodness in only a few months! For goodness sakes!

Also I should note that we’ve got not just one, but TWO reviews of the Nokia C7 Astound available for you: one from the USA from yours truly, the other from merry ol’ England courtesy of your good friend Chris Davies.

[via Netbook News]

According to Nokia, the Oro is targeted at the Middle East and Russia. “We have a large number of users who are looking for products with a build quality and superior materials that attest to their success and social standing” General Manager for Russia, Gabriel Speratti claims. ”In some areas, possession of such premium products is the passport to being taken seriously.”

Such buyers will obviously be reassured that any heavy thumbing of the home button will be met with resilience and stoicism: “That’s a real sapphire crystal in the home key,” materials designer Robert Lihou boasts, “which makes it eight times sturdier than glass.” Nokia tells us that there are no recorded instances of C7 home buttons shattering after over-ambitious use, but we admire the Oro for going the extra mile in ensuring thumb-safety.

The Oro will go on sale in Europe, Eastern Europe, China and the Middle east in Q3, priced “upwards of €800″ ($1,122).

The extension adds a right-click menu option to images under Google Chrome. There are options available to send an image from Chrome to the active wallpaper on the C7, to send a URL from Chrome into a list under the NokiaDrop app running on the C7, and to send an image into the same list on the NokiaDrop. The cool part is that it does this without any interaction by the user on the device. The whole thing is done on the back-end and the phone really demonstrated being the endpoint of a complex system instead of a device in-itself.

Check out the video here, Mark shows the whole process, it seems simple. The tinker-hacker-geek in me wants to know the source of the Download Failed that shows up about halfway through the video, but he doesn’t mention that during his explaining.

[via the Nokia Blog]

There’s also quadband UMTS/WCDMA, though sadly not the pentaband support which the European version of the C7 offers. You also don’t get the impressive optics of the 12-megapixel Nokia N8, but then again the Astound is a lot slinkier than its photo-focused sibling.

Now, many will turn their noses up at Symbian, but it remains Nokia’s primary smartphone push for 2011; the company has previously said it expects to ship 150m Symbian devices this year, and the first Nokia Windows Phones aren’t expected until 2012.

First Impressions

This phone is what I at first felt was a blast from the past. It seemed almost ancient to be to be holding a phone without a basically square casing and screen smaller than four inches. Then I remembered that I’d just been handling the LG Optimus V, an Android phone that had essentially the SAME sized screen, only fatter and shorter. Then it came to me – that big long button in the center on the bottom! It was a presence I’ve not felt since I was a young Jedi back before the days of Android, Windows Phone 7, and iOS. Truly I was in the presence of something taken from a far-off time. Right? I mean, wasn’t this an old phone?

As I held and handled the phone for minutes and then hours, I came to realize that this was not only a phone sporting the newest version of Nokia’s Symbian OS, this was a phone with advanced specs as well! What a surprise it was to handle a phone that wasn’t inside one of the bigger mobile OS families but had a power inside it worthy of contention!

Of course I’m not ignorant to the fact that Symbian is an elder sportsman when it comes to being a “smartphone,” indeed forging the way for these other amateurs in many ways. As I explored the system, I looked and I used, I found that this was a phone that I’d even consider using, even whilst considering the plethora of options from other mobile OS creators and manufacturers of devices.

A Tough Little Cookie

There’s no way getting around the fact that this phone is small, and there’s no way getting around the fact that this phone is carrying an OS that appears to more than likely be heading the way of the wooly mammoth – but like the wooly mammoth, there’s always a way to resurrect. Will our angry gods of mobile OS judgement intervene?

Or will T-Mobile’s Nokia C7 Astound keep Symbian alive long enough to necessitate her back into the spotlight?

And what about it’s NFC capabilities? Would a manufacturer really take the time to add such a futuristic functionality into a phone that was destined to die only a year after it’s released? We’ll give this phone the full rundown and see what we can see – soon!

That’s after a mail-in rebate and with a new, two-year agreement, but is still a pretty cheap way to grab a very well made smartphone. Unfortunately, T-Mobile has handicapped one of the C7′s best features, its pentaband WCDMA radio, down to just quadband.

Still, for Symbian-starved Nokia fans in the US, this is a potentially easier way to get hold of a new(ish) device, though we imagine most people will be waiting for Nokia’s first Windows Phone. For all the details on the Nokia C7, check out the full SlashGear review.

Press Release:

Nokia delivers Astounding smartphone for T-Mobile USA customers

WHITE PLAINS, NY, and ORLANDO, Fla., March 22, 2011 – Inspired by U.S. consumers who want an affordable smartphone that offers a simplified user experience and on-the-go entertainment, Nokia today continues to broaden its Symbian smartphone portfolio with the introduction of the Nokia Astound. Offering value without compromise, the Nokia Astound will be available exclusively from T-Mobile USA beginning April 6.
The Nokia Astound’s sleek stainless-steel design features an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and 720p HD video capture, a brilliant 3.5-inch capacitive touch AMOLED display, free turn-by-turn navigation from Nokia and access to thousands of free and paid apps via Nokia’s Ovi Store. The Nokia Astound makes it easy for consumers to stay connected. The Astound has three fully customizable homescreens, giving quick access to email, and the ability to check the latest from Facebook and Twitter, or just surf the web. Consumers can kick back and enjoy the Astound’s entertainment features by playing pre-loaded games like Fruit Ninja, listening to the lastest music with the Slacker Radio app, or browsing their own music and video collection, right at their fingertips.
“As millions more consumers make the switch to smartphones, Nokia is proud to offer an alternative that is not only easy and fun to use, but is also very sexy and sleek, unlike anything in its price point,” said Mark Slater, vice president of sales, Nokia. “With a user experience rounded out by Nokia’s Ovi services, including Maps and Store, consumers will be delighted to discover Nokia’s premium design quality with no compromises on services and apps, made affordable with T-Mobile.”
“As T-Mobile continues to make owning a smartphone easy and affordable, we are thrilled to introduce the high- quality design and entertainment experience of the Nokia Astound,” said Andrew Morrison, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “Offering the features of a high-end smartphone at a great price, the Nokia Astound is sure to appeal to a broad array of consumers.”
Uniquely crafted, the Nokia Astound is an example of the quality and impressive hardware that consumers associate with Nokia. Its AMOLED touchscreen is protected by ultrathin, damage-resistant glass and surrounded by stainless steel, which completes the attractive yet durable design.
Equipped with the latest commercial version of Ovi Maps1, the Nokia Astound provides free voice-guided, turn-by- turn navigation in almost 100 countries in 46 languages. The Nokia Astound comes pre-loaded with automotive grade maps for the entire U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean2. With more than 8,000 3D landmarks and free premium content like Lonely Planet guides and Tripadvisor, consumers can explore new places and experiences along the way. New features include improved search engines and WiFi positioning, a drive assistance mode for real-time traffic updates, maps of public transit lines, and the ability to check in to places and share great moments with friends on Facebook, Twitter and many local social networks.
With the Nokia Astound, consumers can visit Ovi Store to discover new apps, games and themes to customize their device. Each week, Ovi Store continues to grow and add more great content that supports 32 languages in more than 190 countries. Currently, Ovi Store sees more than 4 million downloads worldwide per day, including popular apps and games like Angry Birds, OpenTable, Shazam and Galaxy on Fire. As an added convenience, apps and services can be billed directly to a consumer’s monthly T-Mobile bill or credit card.
Visitors at CTIA Wireless in Orlando, Fla., can visit the Nokia Lounge, booth #1626, to experience the Astound along with other Nokia solutions and meet developers who are creating compelling apps and content for consumers to enjoy on Nokia devices.
Availability
1 Ovi Maps uses automotive grade maps from NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data. 2 Additional contries and languages are available to download free from Nokia. Data charges may apply.
PRESS RELEASE 1 (2)
The Nokia Astound will be available nationwide starting April 6 through T-Mobile retail stores and online at http://www.t-mobile.com for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card with a two-year service agreement and qualifying voice and data plan.
The Nokia Astound will also be offered at select third-party dealers, and at leading national retailers including Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club, Target Mobile locations and Walmart. For more information, visit http://www.nokiausa.com/astound.

“We promised to sell millions more Symbian devices” the invite taunts, a reference to Nokia’s intention to ship 150m handsets running the platform this year alone. As for what might be brought along for the US market, it’s most likely a release of the Nokia C7 on T-Mobile USA.

We’ve already reviewed the C7 and found it to be another example of the current Nokia story: great hardware, great connectivity, and a software experience that leaves many cold. SlashGear will be at CTIA 2011 later in the month, so we’ll see if some T-Mobile support can change our minds.

Hardware

We’ve always had a soft-spot for Nokia’s high-end smartphone design, and while the C7 may not initially stand out quite so well from the crowd as the N8 or E7, it’s a surprisingly pleasing device in the hand. Slimmer than the N8, at 10.5mm thick, it’s a narrow slice of glass, metal and high-quality plastics that feels easily up to being dropped into a pocket without the benefit of a case. There are three color variants on offer: a silver “frosty metal”, metallic brown “mocha” and, like our review unit, “charcoal black”.

Nokia C7 Unboxing & Demo:

Up front is a 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, running at 640 x 360 resolution and capable of 16.7m colors. It’s not the highest resolution around, but the image quality is excellent and viewing angles superb. We had no issues with touch responsiveness, either. Inside, Nokia has again used its woefully-underpublicized pentaband WCDMA radio (850/900/1700/1900/2100) capable of 3G speeds on European, T-Mobile USA and AT&T networks. There’s also quadband GSM/EDGE, Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi b/g/n and both an FM radio and FM transmitter. GPS, A-GPS and Nokia’s proprietary – and speedy – WiFi network positioning system are also present. Any other company would be screaming features like these from the rooftops, and yet Nokia seems reluctant to talk about the C7′s hardware prowess.

On the back is an 8-megapixel camera (“full focus” rather than autofocus) with a dual-LED flash and flanked by stereo speakers, while a second, VGA camera faces forward for 3G video calls. On the top edge there’s a microUSB port (under a flap) for charging or synchronizing, together with a 3.5mm headphone jack and power button. On the right side there are volume buttons flanking a shortcut key, together with a camera shortcut, while on the left is a 2.5mm Nokia charging port. The microphone is on the underside. Curiously, while the SIM card slot is accessible under the battery cover, without removing the battery itself, the same can’t be said for the microSD card slot (that augments 8GB of internal storage).

Nokia doesn’t include the adapter in the box (unlike with the N8), but the C7 will work with their USB Host dongle to hook up external storage or peripherals. As we found with the N8, however, the effectiveness depends on what power requirements the external drive has; too hungry, and the C7 can’t supply enough juice. Unfortunately there’s no HDMI output.

Software

Symbian^3 is likely to be the stumbling block for most people, with a reputation that’s proving difficult for Nokia to shed as it attempts to promote the platform’s relevance. We’ve covered it comprehensively in our Nokia N8 review, and the build on the C7 is identical. That means you get three homescreen panes which can be filled with up to six widget-bars each, together with rudimentary social networking integration. The latter falls short of what, say, HTC has achieved with Sense on Android devices, basically amounting to Twitter and Facebook updates pulled down and your own status changes supported.

You do get threaded SMS conversations, and there’s support for a single Exchange account and multiple POP/IMAP accounts, all of which worked as you’d expect. Multi-tasking is also convenient, with a long-press of the single menu key pulling up a graphical switcher from which you can also end programs; we still prefer this to iOS and Android’s icon-based task-switcher. Nokia has promised an update to Symbian’s on-screen keyboards in early 2011, and to be honest they can’t come soon enough. Swype is preloaded, but there’s no portrait-orientation QWERTY keyboard, only T9/multitap, and you actually enter text into a different, separate text box that pops up when you tap. Both are due to be changed, but until then text input can be frustrating.

Nokia’s browser is also due an update in 2011, with greater speed and stability promised (which will also have an impact on third-party apps that use the same underlying engine). Until then, the default C7 browser is a passable affair, supporting multitouch gestures and Flash playback, but proving sluggish at times when trying to handle the latter. It works, but it lacks the slick swiftness of, say, the iPhone 4. Of course, there are third-party options available through Nokia’s Ovi Store that provide an alternative, and it’s worth digging out Opera Mobile 10 and Opera Mini; you lose Flash support, but gain a portrait QWERTY keyboard and windowed browsing.

Ovi Maps may require some UI acclimatisation to those used to Google Maps, but after that it’s a solid GPS app with some useful third-party extras. Unlike Google, full offline navigation is supported (you can download select maps to the C7′s memory, and then turn off the data connection), and unlike HTC’s latest Sense offline mapping you don’t have to pay for the navigation functionality. We’d like to have seen a car kit in the box to make the most of that, but unfortunately it’s an optional accessory.

Camera

Nokia’s 12-megapixel camera on the N8 has been rightly lauded, and happily the C7′s 8-megapixel unit is another strong performer. The lack of true autofocus means shots are quick to take, snapping as soon as you hit the dedicated camera key, and while there’s no Xenon flash, you can at least use the bright dual-LEDs for a video light during 720p HD recording.

Stills are impressive, with plenty of detail and minimal noise, together with rich, well-balanced colors that look great on the C7′s AMOLED display and on bigger screens. Unfortunately sharing them is made a little trickier than on rival devices; you can email them, but there’s no native Twitter or Facebook uploading.

Video, meanwhile, is similarly strong (and, again, we wish there was a way to upload it from the C7 to YouTube or other sharing sites). Colors are rich and there’s plenty of detail, though fast pans – like with most cameraphones – could lead to jags or blur. Still, you’re getting a fair chunk of the N8′s overall image abilities in a more pocketable device.

Nokia C7 720p HD video sample:

Phone & Battery

Nokia has a reputation for solid phone performance, and the C7 is no different. There are dedicated call keys on the front panel, both with pleasantly solid tactile feedback to let you know you’ve hit them, and earpiece clarity is high. The speakerphone is also loud and clear.

Battery life, too, is impressive when compared to other smartphones. We easily managed two days of solid use, with push-email turned on and a mixture of calls, browsing and photography. Considering most smartphones demand a nightly recharge (or more), that’s impressive stuff. The average user could probably squeeze out a third day, too, with little compromise.

Wrap-Up

The Nokia C7 suffers from the same problems as the N8: the hardware is some of the best around, especially when it comes to connectivity, but the software is a tougher sell. Symbian has many strengths – and many users – and Nokia’s plans for cross-platform compatibility with Qt should mean the OS isn’t left behind when MeeGo devices begin to take the smartphone top spots, but the Finns are less successful at convincing people that the platform is more than UI deep. 2011′s interface and browser changes should go some way to addressing that, but until then Symbian^3 simply lacks the out-of-the-box user friendliness of Android, webOS and iOS.

Priced at £359 or free on a £20 per month agreement in the UK (the C7 is yet to show up at Nokia USA’s online store) the C7 undercuts the N8 by £70 (or £120 over the course of a two-year subsidy). For your money you’re getting strong camera performance and excellent “core” abilities – phone, battery and connectivity – but less endearing browsing, social networking and text-input than from other manufacturers. It’s certainly not a bad smartphone, but Symbian still needs work if it’s to successfully take on Android and iOS devices on all fronts.

“The reason is that the NFC software is not ready yet on the devices,” a Nokia spokesperson confirmed, “We didn’t want to postpone the whole device announcement because of the software upgrade.”  The exact functionality that software update will bring is unclear; the C7 is not believed to have the secure chip necessary for wireless payments, which could limit the handset to transferring non-secure data such as links and social networking information.

Alternatively, however, other sources have suggested that Nokia are aiming to take advantage of the single-wire protocol standard, which would see the secure chip shifted from the handset itself to the SIM card.  With Nokia all but silent on the issue, however, we’ll have to wait for the incoming announcement to find out what’s exactly going on with the C7′s mysterious extra radio.

[via RegHardware and via The Nokia Blog]

The C7 is up for preorder today from Nokia’s online store, priced at £389 SIM-free or free on a £25 per month agreement.  If you order through Nokia, you’ll also get it a little earlier: from October 25th, in fact, or next Monday.

Until then, you’ll have to make do with our unboxing and hands-on with the C7; our review is coming up soon.

Press Release:

BEAUTIFULLY SMART

NOKIA ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE NOKIA C7

London, 18th October 2010 – The beautifully smart Nokia C7 is available to pre-order from the Nokia Online Shop today for £389 SIM-free, and £25 p/m on contract. The Nokia C7 combines classical Nokia design, with all the functionality you would expect from a modern smartphone.

The Nokia C7 will be shipping from the Nokia Online Shop from Monday 25th October. It will also be available with UK retailers The Carphone Warehouse, O2, Phones4u, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone, and T-Mobile with the exclusive black limited edition from 1st November onwards. Contracts are available from £25 per month.

Combining stainless steel and glass, with a full touch screen, The Nokia C7 is ideal for managing your life on the go, also incorporating HD video, an 8 megapixel camera and WebTV. Facebook and Twitter feeds are on your homescreen, as well as one touch access to popular email accounts including Ovi Mail, Yahoo!® Mail and Windows Live™ Hotmail.

“The Nokia C7 combines beautiful design with loads of great apps and powerful media tools, it really brings social networking to life at the touch of a button.” says Sami Lehtinen, General Manager at Nokia UK.

The Nokia C7 also opens up a world of apps, games, videos, and web and location-based services through the OVI Store, such as the exclusive X-Factor app, the highly addictive Angry Birds, and free OVI maps.

Unlike the N8′s well-stocked box, the C7 makes do with a somewhat sparser selection of accessories. There’s a compact 2.5mm charger (rather than a microUSB charger, though you can rejuice the C7 via its microUSB port) and a basic wired stereo headset with an in-line call answer button and microphone, together with a very short – as in only a couple of inches – USB cable, getting-started guide and the phone itself. Unlike the N8 there’s no HDMI output, but the C7 does support USB On The Go; you’ll have to buy the required cable yourself, though, since Nokia don’t bundle one.

Nokia C7 unboxing & hands-on:

The C7 itself feels sturdy and expensive, with lashings of metal around the bezel and the battery cover, and a glass front panel covering the 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. As on the N8 that runs at 640 x 360 resolution, and in fact our first impression is that both devices run pretty much identically. Nokia’s usual suite of apps – Ovi Maps, a shortcut to the Ovi Store, the video editing software – are all loaded, and you have three homescreens to customize, each with up to six widgets.

On the back there’s an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and a dual-LED flash; no Xenon or 12-megapixels as on the N8, but it does make the C7 slimmer and less likely to catch on a pocket or bag. It’ll record 720p HD 25fps video clips, too. The C7 also shares the N8′s superlative connectivity: as well as WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 there’s quadband GSM/EDGE and five-band WCDMA, making the handset suitable for both AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, and use across Europe.

At a casual glance, then, the C7 arguably offers the best of the N8 at a considerable saving: it’s €335 pre-tax and subsidies, but we’d imagine carrier deals will bring that down to a free device and a relatively cheap monthly agreement. Whether it’s worth the money is still to be seen, however; we’ll be working that out for the full SlashGear review.

There’s also 8GB of onboard storage, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, together with GPS and both an FM radio and FM transmitter.  Like the Nokia N8 there’s five-band UMTS/HSPA for pretty much global 3G access, along with quadband GSM/EDGE.

The Nokia C7 has an RRP of €335 pre-tax and subsidies.

[Thanks Ben!]

Press Release:

Nokia C7 shipments begin
October 11, 2010

Nokia’s second Symbian^3 smartphone to hit the market

Espoo, Finland – The smartphone for the design-conscious social networker, the Nokia C7, has started shipping to customers around the world. The second Nokia smartphone based on the new Symbian platform, the Nokia C7 follows hot on the heels of the company’s entertainment powerhouse, the Nokia N8.

The Nokia C7 combines stainless steel and glass in a sleek, full-touch design. The 3.5 inch AMOLED display is ideal for networking, with updates from Facebook and Twitter fed directly to the home screen, as well as one touch access to many popular email accounts including Ovi Mail, Yahoo!® Mail and Windows Live(TM) Hotmail. The Nokia C7 also opens up a world of apps, games, videos, and web and location-based services through the Ovi Store.

“The Nokia C7 is our second smartphone based on the new version of Symbian to hit the market,” says Jo Harlow, head of smartphones at Nokia. “Designed specifically with the style-conscious consumer in mind, the Nokia C7 also brings excellent social networking abilities, making it perfect for people who want to check-in and stay up to date.”

Following the release of this social-networking centric device, Nokia will be setting out to find the most active Facebook user from the more than 1.4 million fans on Nokia’s own global Facebook page. Nokia will then pick five finalists who will each be provided with a Nokia C7 to organize a party using various social networks. The fan who best captures their party through Facebook – generating the most coverage with updates and posts – will win a Nokia C7 for themselves and 20 of their friends.

The estimated retail price of the Nokia C7 is EUR 335 before applicable taxes or subsidies, with pricing and availability varying from region to region, operator to operator.

Nokia isn’t talking core hardware specifications, Anssi Vanjoki only saying that the new models were fast enough to whip through the menus and open apps without delay. Perhaps it’s unfinished software – neither smartphone is due to reach the market until Q4 2010, after all – but our experience wasn’t quite so slick. There was some lag in opening the app menu, and apps themselves could prove troublesome too.

Nokia C7 and C6 hands-on:

Still, if Nokia can price both handsets competitively – and, let’s fact it, that’s something they’re usually pretty good at – then the Symbian^3 OS is a significant improvement on its predecessors. We’ll have to spend more time with them to figure out whether that’s enough to make for competitive smartphones, however.

Update: The  C6 will be €260 ($334) while the C7 will be €335 ($431) when they arrive later in the year.

The C6 also has an 8-megapixel camera and WebTV support, along with Nokia Navigation with turn-by-turn directions.  It shares the CBD display with the C7, which Vanjoki describes as having “the sleekest, smoothest device in the world, no doubt about that”.

Both phones have Ovi Store access, pedestrian access features in Ovi Maps – including public transportation information – and broad social networking integration.  Both will begin shipping in Q4 2010; no word on pricing as yet.

Update: Nokia says the C6 will be priced at €260 and the C7 at €335.

Press Release:

Nokia announces powerful family of smartphones and Ovi services at Nokia World showcase; vision of location-based future brought to life
September 14, 2010

London, UK – At Nokia World, the destination for people passionate about mobility, Nokia today announced a family of smartphones powered by the all new Symbian platform which brings significant enhancements in speed and ease of use. The new devices, which are tightly integrated with enhanced Ovi services and apps, reinforce Nokia’s vision of a mobile industry that is increasingly being defined by socially connected, location-based devices and experiences.

Highlights include:

- Three new smartphones, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6, which join the previously announced Nokia N8 to form a family of Symbian products. – The latest version of the Symbian platform brings more than 250 new features and improvements and retains the familiarity enjoyed by millions of smartphone users worldwide;
- Showcase of the Nokia N8, the ultimate entertainment smartphone and world’s best cameraphone;
- Availability of a richer Ovi Store experience – starting with the Nokia N8 – that includes a friendlier look and feel, and more popular and unique apps and games;
- The latest beta release of free Ovi Maps with new pedestrian and motorist features.

“Today our fight back to smartphone leadership shifts into high gear,” said Niklas Savander, Executive Vice President, Markets, Nokia. “Despite new competition, Symbian remains the most widely used smartphone platform in the world. Our new family of smartphones introduced today feature the all-new Symbian OS, rewritten to be faster, easier to use, more efficient and more developer friendly.” Savander also commented on the high level of anticipation for the Nokia N8. “Based on the level of consumer interest and the highest online pre-orders in Nokia history, we expect big things from the Nokia N8.”

A smartphone for everyone.
In addition to the Nokia N8, the new family of faster, more intuitive Symbian smartphones includes:

- Nokia E7 – the ultimate business smartphone. With Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync on board, the Nokia E7 provides direct, real-time and secure access to corporate email inboxes and other personal applications. Equipped with a 4-inch touchscreen display featuring Nokia ClearBlack technology for improved outdoor visibility and a full keyboard, business users will find the Nokia E7 is the perfect shape and size to work on documents, review spreadsheets, or read and edit slides. For corporate peace of mind, a combination of business grade security solutions is available. Estimated retail price is EUR 495, excluding taxes and subsidies.

Nokia E7 image

- Nokia C7 – beautifully crafted, sleek social networking smartphone. Get live updates from social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and keep track of new email from your Yahoo! or Gmail accounts directly on the homescreen. The Nokia C7 features a 3.5-inch AMOLED display and a stunning combination of stainless steel, glass and soft edges. Estimated retail price is EUR 335, excluding taxes and subsidies.

Nokia C7 image

- Nokia C6 – the small and stylish smartphone. Sporting a 3.2-inch AMOLED display with full touch capabilities and Nokia ClearBlack technology for improved outdoor visibility, the latest Nokia C6 (C6-01) features the best of social networking and mobile entertainment in a stainless steel and glass design. Stay connected to email, access millions of tracks through Ovi Music, and download apps and games from the Ovi Store. Estimated retail price is EUR 260, excluding taxes and subsidies.

Nokia C6 image

As a smartphone family, the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7, Nokia C6 share several similarities. All are built on the new version of Symbian, the world’s most popular smartphone platform. It strikes a balance of innovation and intuition offering a variety of improvements and features such as support for multiple homescreens, visual multitasking, gesture-based interactions and a noticeable reduction in prompts — all while presenting a familiarity that means millions of people can pick up one of Nokia’s new smartphones and instantly know how to use it. People will also discover free Ovi Maps, access to Ovi Store, messaging, social networking and other experiences that come standard across all of these smartphones.

The Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6 are all expected to begin shipping before the end of the year.

…with content for everyone
The new family of Symbian smartphones will include a completely updated Ovi Store experience. The new store experience is driven by a friendlier user interface and a new collections feature to quickly access popular apps and games available now, or soon, such as foursquare, Angry Birds, Need for Speed Shift and Real Golf 2011. Additionally, Ovi Store will continue to offer exclusive apps including Audiotube, Tesco and others along with favorites such as Fring, Shazam, and Asphalt 5.

For developers, the uniform Symbian platform together with the Qt development environment enables easy smartphone application creation and extensive reach.

A mobile world centered on where you are
Free access to Ovi Maps, the world’s most comprehensive walk and drive navigation, to Nokia smartphones was only the start. With the latest beta release of Ovi Maps, available for download today, people will benefit from new features and even greater map detail. Ovi Maps beta adds visibility to subways, trams and trains in 85 cities around the world, real-time traffic, safety alerts in or out of navigation mode, visibility to parking and petrol stations, and speed limit warnings. In addition, people can use the improved search capabilities and share their location immediately via text messages or email to other browser-enabled phones.

New gear for on-the-go
Nokia also showcased the Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905i offering an improved audio experience with active noise cancellation and a collection of five unique new Bluetooth headsets designed for a variety of needs, including hands-free multitasking, talking and navigating in the car with voice guidance.

Please visit www.nokia.com/press for press materials, including photos and product information. For more information on Nokia World 2010, please visit: http://events.nokia.com/nokiaworld.

About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia’s NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.

There are also stereo speakers and a front-facing camera, together with stereo speakers flanking the rear camera and a 3.5mm headphone socket up top.  Beyond that, with no sign of photos showing the camera powered on, it’s unknown what OS the C7-00 will run; we’d like to think that it’ll have Symbian^3 (rather than S60 5th Ed) and a capacitive touchscreen (rather than resistive).

It’s an unusual design for Nokia, though we’re not complaining; it looks far slicker than some of their other recent touchscreen devices, such as the X6.  No word on release dates or pricing, but going by the roadmap leak this should be near the top of the CSeries and priced accordingly.

[via Engadget]