Launchpad is Nokia’s mobile app development program, usually priced at €300 annually but currently free for the first year. Membership is available – on an approved application basis – for individuals and companies, and regularly includes early access to APIs and SDKs, promotions in the Ovi Store and invitations to training events.

As well as free devices, however, this new change will see free tech support on all Nokia technologies for the next three months (limited to ten tickets at most) and a free “user experience evaluation” of any apps developers have coded. There’s also the promise of extended business development support. More on the Nokia change in our Stephen Elop interview from MWC 2011 this week.

[Thanks Anonymous!]

18 February 2011

Dear Launchpad member,

In light of the strategy announcement made by Nokia and Microsoft last week, we are writing to you today to assure you that our commitment to you and your work to develop innovative apps for Nokia devices remains as strong as ever.

We understand that you have a lot of questions, and want to reassure you that we understand and we are here to listen to your feedback and provide you with information. We encourage you to visit Nokia Conversations where you can find a great deal of information regarding the news http://conversations.nokia.com and which can help to answer some initial questions.

We are very energized by recent developments, and believe the opportunities to develop for Nokia devices are as exciting and lucrative today as they have ever been. In addition to the opportunities coming soon with Nokia and WP7, we have several new benefits to share with you today, intended to help accelerate your app business to reach the 225 million app-hungry Nokia smartphone owners worldwide today.

Today, Qt developers can target more than 100 million Nokia devices for their apps and we have announced that we plan to sell an additional 150 million Symbian devices. Nokia will continue to provide free Qt trainings to help you learn how to make the most of this sophisticated cross-development platform. We’re enthusiastically meeting the demand, so please let us know whether you’d like a training set up in your area.

We are also excited to offer you one free admission to the next Nokia World/Nokia Developer Summit later this year. We will take care of the registration costs.

To assist you with your development activities in the near-term, we will ship one free Nokia E7 device to all program members. Additionally, we will send to you one free Nokia WP7 device, as soon as it becomes available.

To accelerate your mobile app development, we will provide free tech support on all Nokia technologies for the next three months (up to 10 tickets). Equally, if you would like to take advantage of a free User Experience evaluation of one of your apps, please let us know and we will work with you to make those arrangements.

We will also be extending our business development support to all Nokia developer and content program members who are currently developing apps for Nokia devices, and we will assist in publishing those apps in Nokia’s Ovi Store. We will continue to offer ideas and guidance for ways to fully promote your published apps so that you can reap the rewards of your hard work.

If you have any questions, or need any help from us in the days ahead, we want you to know that you can count on us to be there for you. We are truly excited about working with you to discover new opportunities that will lead to future successes.

Hardware

The E7 may be the largest of the recent Symbian smartphones – looking at first glance like an oversized N8 and significantly chunkier than the svelte C7 – but inside it’s business as usual. Keeping Symbian moving is a 680MHz ARM 11 processor, paired with 256MB of RAM and OpenGL 2.0 graphics support. Connectivity follows Nokia’s throw-in-the-lot pattern of recent devices, with pentaband UMTS/WCDMA (supporting Euro, T-Mobile USA and AT&T 3G bands in a single device), WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS and an FM radio. Accelerometers, a digital compass, proximity and ambient light sensors, and a front-facing camera for 3G video calls round things out.

The E7 may measure 123.7 x 62.4 x 13.6 mm but there’s still been some compromise in terms of fitting everything in. Gone is the N8′s FM transmitter and microSD card slot, leaving only the 16GB of fixed storage, and there’s no 2mm charging port either. Instead, you get a microUSB port and mini HDMI output, and Nokia bundles both an HDMI adapter (to get a full-sized port) and a USB Host adapter (to plug in a keyboard, mouse, or USB drive) in the retail box.

Nokia E7 unboxing & hands-on:

The camera also gets a downgrade in comparison to the N8, a mere 8-megapixels versus the photo flagship’s 12-megapixels, and using EDoF (Extended Depth of Field) rather than active auto-focus. It also has a dual-LED flash rather than Xenon. Still, the smaller camera module does allow Nokia to do away with the N8′s unsightly hump.

Controls are limited to a power/profile button on the top edge (in-between the HDMI and 3.5mm headphones ports), a volume rocker and camera shortcut on the right edge, and a lock switch on the left edge. All are beautifully bevelled, the silver aluminum glinting against the matte black finish. A backlit home/menu button sits underneath the 4-inch capacitive touchscreen. That display runs at an underwhelming 640 x 360 resolution – given the size, the pixels are clearly discernible – but the quality of the 16m color AMOLED panel, using Nokia’s Clear Black branded technology, is almost enough to make us forgive the pixel shortage. Colors are rich, blacks inky and the E7 holds its own on all but resolution when put next to a Samsung Super AMOLED screen.

You honestly have to search hard to find a hardware point on which to criticise Nokia. The Finnish company has built a reputation for rock-solid phones – at the budget end and at the premium end – and the E7 is no different. Our only complaint is a slightly rattly lock switch, and when that’s the sum flaws of a handset then the company is obviously getting something right. Of course, we knew that from the N8; what the E7 introduces is a brilliant QWERTY keyboard as well.

We had high hopes for the E7′s ‘board after Nokia World 2010, even having only played with the prototypes the company brought to the show, and the production models don’t disappoint. A nudge at the left edge pops the spring-loaded display open with a pleasing thunk, tilted at a useful angle. The keys themselves consist of four rows of slightly domed, hard backlit buttons, with a broad spacebar and dedicated @ and arrows. Numbers share the top row of letters, triggered with the function key.

The whole thing is perfect for holding two-handed and thumbing out emails and texts. The buttons have just the right amount of resistance and travel – far better than the membrane panels we’ve seen on, say, recent Motorola Android phones – and you can even put the E7 flat on a table and use four fingers for speedier typing. Nokia bills the E7 as the new Communicator, and fans of those business-phones’ full keyboards won’t be disappointed.

Software

The E7 runs Symbian^3, the same PR1.1 release as just made public for the N8, though of course renamed PR1.0 for the newer device. That makes it instantly familiar to existing users, but also means it faces the same uphill struggle to convince would-be buyers that Symbian remains competitive in the face of Android, iOS and other platforms.

It can be easy to overlook Symbian’s strengths. The 680MHz processor may be old tech in comparison to the newest 1GHz single- and dual-core chips we’ve seen on recent Android devices, but it’s certainly sufficient to keep the E7 moving along swiftly. The only real sluggishness we’ve noticed has been in the native Symbian browser, where complex webpages could be slow to render or navigate around. The flip side, of course, is that a low-power CPU means less battery consumption, something we’ll touch on later.

As on the N7, C7 and C6-01, the E7 has the same three-pane homescreen, each with room for up to six widget blocks. Options include email (with the two newest messages from the inbox shown), calendar, speed-dials, sets of four app shortcuts, media controls and entertainment news from Paramount and others. Alternatively there are more on offer to download in Nokia’s Ovi Store. Bizarrely, Nokia continues to insist on introducing artificial lag in swiping between the three panes, something which belies the capacitive touchscreen’s actually responsive performance.

Beyond that it’s generally Symbian as standard. Preloaded is the Ovi Store, Nokia’s photo and video editing apps, QuickOffice and Ovi Maps, among others. Ovi Maps in particular has evolved into a capable Google Maps alternative, complete with turn by turn directions, offline mapping data support and various third-party POI, recommendation and review services. There’s also rudimentary social networking integration, capable of pulling in Facebook and Twitter updates and pushing them to a homescreen widget, though nothing as comprehensive as we’ve seen on Android. Nokia’s sharing functionality falls well short as well; perhaps we’ve been spoiled by Android’s all-inclusive Share feature, which offers both the platform’s homegrown apps and any compatible third-party methods as well, but Nokia’s standard options – by email, message or Bluetooth, or on Facebook or Twitter – fail to open up to other apps you might download from the Ovi Store.

Symbian’s perhaps tired UI will be refreshed in a software update expected later this year, and that really can’t come too soon. Little things, like the absence of a QWERTY keyboard in portrait orientation – instead you get a T9-style numeric keypad with numbers – jar the user experience somewhat, though at least the E7 has its physical ‘board to salve the pain. Filling in text boxes using the on-screen keyboard (both portrait and landscape) still insists on calling up a separate dialog pane, though thankfully the same isn’t true when you’re using the hardware keyboard.

Nokia’s native browser is also due for an overhaul, useful since right now it’s outclassed by rival devices. There’s Flash Lite 4 support (for most Flash Player 10.1 content), which is welcome, but there’s no text-reflowing on zoom which makes for plenty of pinch-zooming or panning if you want to read blocks of text. The relatively low screen resolution also makes its presence known; where on rival devices with similar-sized displays you can often read text at low levels of zoom, the E7′s 640 x 360 simply lacks the pixels for that degree of crispness.

The Ovi Store offers some salvation, with the popular Opera Mobile Browser being one of the most downloaded titles (and offering a far better online experience). There are also mainstream titles like Skype – which works very well for voice and IM chat – and popular Twitter app Gravity (which we still say Nokia should buy and install as standard). Unfortunately, there are also plenty of gaps where rival platforms iOS and Android have big name apps; it’s worth exploring the Ovi.com site to see if anything you particularly rely on is available on Symbian yet.

For enterprise, out of the box there’s support for multiple email accounts – with presets for Exchange, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Ovi Mail, Hotmail, and various ISP accounts – together with threaded SMS and MMS conversations. There’s also a Message Reader app, which will do text-to-speech from your inbox. With the right capacitive stylus (not included) you can also use handwriting recognition, though we don’t imagine many will opt for that over the physical keyboard. Finally, there’s VPN support for those needing to access private networks, and a SIP client that tightly integrates VoIP services into the native contacts app.

Camera

Nokia has built a reputation for high-quality cameras on its mobile devices, and the E7 follows some way in that tradition. As we said, the limitations of space mean the 8-megapixels have to make do with EDoF rather than true auto-focus, and a dual-LED flash rather than Xenon. Still, it does mean you can use the LEDs as a video light, and the E7 will shoot 720p HD clips at 25fps that can then be easily played back via the HDMI port. A second, VGA-resolution camera on the front is intended for video calls, but can also be used to shoot grainy stills.

The end result is similar to what we saw on the C7: decent general scenes, but a real struggle with macro and close-up shots. The EDoF system simply can’t handle getting up too close, as you can see in the macro sample in the gallery. Otherwise it’s a good showing, with accurate colors and crisp edges. The speed between shots is also impressively fast. It’s worth noting that it was a grey and dreary day when we took the sample shots, which the E7 still managed to make the best of.

Video, meanwhile, only really smears during the fastest pans, and the quality is solid for 720p HD on a cellphone. Detail can be prone to blurring at times, however. You can see a sample clip below. Being able to hook up an HDTV via HDMI (as long as you’ve remembered the adapter cable) is useful, and quality is solid.

Phone and Battery

On another device we’d save some serious words of criticism for a sealed-in battery, but the E7′s frugal CPU actually leaves the smartphone capable of a couple of days’ use from a single charge. Impressive stuff, given the size of the display and the fact that we had Gmail regularly checking throughout. On the flip side, we didn’t reach for the E7 to generally play with apps and the internet as much as we find ourselves doing with, say, an Android device, so that somewhat reduced use needs to be accounted for too.

Phone performance is solid, as we’ve come to expect from Nokia, though the absence of the camera hump meant that the speakerphone sounded a little more muted than on the N8. It’s possible to set the E7 to automatically kick into speakerphone mode when the display-slide is opened.

Wrap-Up

There are several reasons for which we want to love the Nokia E7. The physical design is cleaner than the N8, build quality puts rival handsets from Samsung and LG to shame, the physical keyboard could give RIM nightmares and, mediocre display resolution aside, Nokia’s hardware spec sheet is bulging with everything the smartphone needs to be taken seriously. Even the relatively underpowered CPU makes sense when you look at battery life and the moderate demands Symbian makes of it.

Unfortunately, as with the N8 and C7, solid, beautiful hardware isn’t sufficient in today’s smartphone market. Symbian remains the sticking point for us and for many users; serviceable, but lacking the flare, ambition and ease of use of rival platforms. Yes, it can be coaxed into doing much of what the majority of us expect from a high-end device, but it feels workmanlike where now we expect magical.

If the Nokia E7 was running Android, or Windows Phone 7, it would undoubtedly be a best-seller. Nokia’s quality design and construction are rightly admired, and for text entry the E7′s physical keyboard is superb. Where the original Nokia Communicators drove innovation in the mobile segment, however, blurring the lines between phone and computer, the E7 falls short. Symbian fans will love it, but the E7 won’t open up the market any more than the N8 and C7 before it.

The news will come as a disappointment to those hoping 2011 would mark a significant break with tradition, as has been well-rumored since new Nokia CEO Stephen Elop hinted at broad-sweeping platform changes in the company’s recent financial results call. Nonetheless, while a Symbian device may be the mainstay of Nokia’s range this year, future devices may have a far more North American focus.

Update: Video added after the cut

We loved the E7′s hardware back at Nokia World, when the Finns only had prototypes to show us, and we love the quality of the production model too. Resembling a larger N8, the E7 is longer, broader, thicker and heavier than its touch-only counterpart, but overall we prefer the design; the N8′s awkward camera bump on the back has been dropped (the camera resolution and Xenon flash have also been dropped, too) and it’s a smoother device as a result.

Ports include microUSB, HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge, with the SIM card loading in a carrier on the right edge. Physical controls continue Nokia’s well-machined bevelled style; the lock switch is the only mild frustration, audibly rattling a little if you shake the E7. Still, it’s the only negative (and a minor one at that) on a piece of high-quality design.

Pop open the screen and you’re presented with one of the best hardware keyboards on a device today, four rows of tactile, pleasingly-clicky buttons that are nicely backlit and responsive. The 4-inch screen itself is a marked improvement over the N8, a 640 x 360 AMOLED “Clear Black” panel with broad viewing angles and rich, inky blacks.

Nokia E7 unboxing & hands-on:

Of course, the thorn in the Nokia E7′s side will be Symbian for many would-be smartphone buyers, and while the platform has plenty of loyal fans – and, it has to be said, its own share of advantages – we can’t help but be disappointed that this isn’t the company’s first MeeGo handset. The UI refresh expected later in 2011 should go some way to tweak things aesthetically, but frankly the design and keyboard of the E7 are so strong that, if it were running Android or Windows Phone 7, it would easily slot in as a top-tier device.

It’s how all these elements stack up which we’ll be judging for the full SlashGear review of the E7, so if you’ve any curiosities of your own then let us know in the comments.

Press Release:

All-in-one business smartphone, the Nokia E7, arrives in stores

Espoo, Finland – The highly anticipated Nokia E7 will begin arriving in stores in select markets this week, with broader availability building up quickly in several markets.

With its tilting 4 inch ClearBlack display, full qwerty keyboard and a fast access to a wide variety of apps directly on the homescreen, the Nokia E7 is the key to having a successful day in or out of the office. Importantly, the device supports business applications from leading enterprise technology partners including Microsoft and IBM.

Key features of the Nokia E7
• Easy access to private and business email
• Create, edit and share office documents and view PDF files with Adobe Reader
• Fast, secure intranet access with the built-in VPN
• High-resolution photos and HD video with the 8 megapixel camera and dual LED flash
• HDMI connectivity to project files, videos and images onto large screens
• 16 gigabytes of on-board flash memory
• USB-On-The-Go, enabling easy file sharing by connecting a USB stick to the smartphone

For business users, Nokia E7 provides direct, secure and real-time access to email, calendar, contacts, tasks and the corporate directory through Microsoft Exchange servers, as well as Office Communicator Mobile, developed by Microsoft for Nokia smartphones, which brings presence and corporate instant messaging.

Additionally, a wide range of entertainment and social services available on the Nokia E7 make it the perfect off-duty companion, and the Ovi Store offers a wealth of apps such as Bloomberg, Angry Birds and Sports Tracker.
The new arrival offers drive or walk navigation in 80 countries. The latest commercial version of Ovi Maps, available immediately via Ovi Store or Ovi Suite, adds visibility to subways, trams and trains, real-time traffic, safety alerts, visibility to parking and petrol stations, speed limit warnings, and improved search and location sharing capabilities.

In fact, he says Nokia has taken out a full three page newspaper ad for the E7 there, which would certainly imply that the Symbian smartphone is due sooner rather than later. Nokia announced shrinking market share predictions as part of its 2010 financial results last week, with the delayed E7 making no contribution to Q4′s sales as originally expected when the device was officially announced at Nokia World 2010.

With Mobile World Congress fast approaching, it looks like the E7 will land at roughly the same time as we see a bevy of new devices – including some dual-core handsets – from rivals. Nokia has been tipped to be preparing something “interesting” for the show, but so far – beyond whispers of MeeGo devices, either tablets or phones – there’s no confirmation on what exactly that could be.

Update: Fransiscus has come through with scans of the three-page advert:

That gets you a 4-inch display, physical QWERTY keyboard and an 8-megapixel camera with HD video recording, all packed up into a metal chassis we still reckon is among the best physical design around today. No word on when other European pre-orders will open, not to mention North American availability – the E7, like the N8, has a pentaband modem for use on both AT&T and T-Mobile USA – but we’re guessing it’ll be sometime in February too.

[via Twitter]

Billed as the more business-focused cousin of the Nokia N8, the E7 has a 4-inch touchscreen, AMOLED display, QWERTY keyboard and an 8-megapixel camera. It runs Symbian^3 and supports both T-Mobile USA and AT&T 3G data thanks to its pentaband (850/900/1700/1900/2100) UMTS/HSDPA. More details in our hands-on.

Nokia E7 hands-on:

Update: Nokia comment after the cut

Announced at Nokia World 2010 back in September, the E7 has a full QWERTY keyboard and a 4-inch touchscreen, and was described by the company as the spiritual successor to the original Nokia Communicator. We’re waiting to hear back from Nokia, hopefully with some more details as to the E7′s untimely release.

Update: Nokia spokesperson Ray Haddow has given us the following statement:

“We are taking corrective actions to the hardware durability issue we discovered. We are committed to provide the best possible user experience on the Nokia E7 and now expect to begin shipping the Nokia E7 shipments in early 2011.”

Ray couldn’t specify which aspect of the hardware was giving Nokia problems, but he did tell us that as far as he’s aware it’s not a major fault and instead something the E7 team were not entirely happy with.

Nokia E7 hands-on:

Among the usual internal and external photos, the FCC filing also includes the E7′s user manual [pdf link], though there are no great surprises to be found inside. Still, the E7 alone may be interesting enough; as well as being pentaband UMTS/WCMDA – and so compatible with T-Mobile USA, AT&T and European 3G networks – it supports the same HDMI and USB On-The-Go connectivity as its N8 cousin.

[via Cellfanatic]

While the delay most obviously means that the browsing experience on the N8 and E7 will still fall short of rival devices for a little longer, it also has an impact on applications. Many Symbian apps take advantage of elements of the browser engine, and the new version was expected to bring with it a speed and stability boost across the board. We’re waiting to hear back from Nokia with a comment, but having been told that Symbian was morphing into one “constantly evolving” platform we were hoping that evolution would be somewhat faster.

Update: Nokia has made a mistake, it seems, and now says the E7 is on track to ship in December 2010 rather than on December 10th.

In fact, in terms of pure hardware the E7 is one of our favourite smartphones of 2010, being solid, distinctive and very usable. The only issue may be Symbian, which – despite Nokia’s ambitions for the platform – still has some way to go in persuading the mainstream technology press that it’s as covetable as rival OSes such as Android or iOS.

[via The Nokia Blog]

They’ve also got it priced a fair bit higher than Nokia’s original suggestions: the Finnish company tipped a €495 sticker for the E7, but Expansys are currently asking the equivalent of €688.  Obviously there’ll be subsidized deals when the E7 hits the carrier market, but it doesn’t bode well for SIM-free customers.

Still, there’s a long time to go until the end of the year, and we imagine Expansys are looking to factor in some wiggle room both in terms of price and availability.  Nokia is yet to put up its own pre-order page for the E7, but we’re checking with the company as to whether there’s any change in the expected RRP or release.

Update: Nokia tells us that there is no change to the E7′s Q4 2010 ship window, nor their pricing.  They point out that they have no influence over retailer pricing, and that Expansys – like other stores – set their own final figures.

Nokia E7 hands-on:

[via NokNok]

According to Rivas, the key differences between the N8 and the E7 is the software suite.  The E7 is the first device from the company to show the fruits of their collaboration with Microsoft, including preloaded business apps and much stronger integration with enterprise services like Exchange.  However, Nokia also envisages the E7′s huge screen and strong connectivity to appeal to multimedia producers and consumers, as well as mobile bloggers.

Nokia E7 browser & multimedia demo:

We can’t really argue with that.  The E7′s 4-inch 640 x 360 AMOLED – using Nokia’s new ClearBlack Display tech – is clear, beautifully color saturated and looks great showing off photos and video (including those taken by the phone’s own 8-megapixel autofocus camera).  Symbian^3′s media browser is as close to CoverFlow as you imagine Apple’s lawyers would allow, and the handset’s processor proved easily capable of keeping up with fast-flicking navigation.

As on the N8, the E7 gets Nokia’s preloaded video editing app (which can also be used to create photo slideshows), complete with transition effects, titling, optional soundtracks and even basic editing.  Unlike iMovie for iPhone, it’s not a cost-download either.

The browser is solid, meanwhile, but not the best on the market.  Although it supports multitouch for pinch-zooming, the animation is jerky and there’s a pause while the page renders.  Pinch-zooming in the photo viewer was stronger.  Double-tapping a block of text, which for instance on Android will automatically reflow it to suit the zoomed-in screen, only zooms, meaning there’s still plenty of side-scrolling to be done.

That’ll all improve, however, when Nokia’s new Webkit-based browser is launched.  According to Rivas, that will put them on the cutting edge of mobile browsing technology, and is evidence of Nokia’s stance that the browser is the single most important application on a device today.  The new version will prioritize efficiency and compatibility with web standards, and see the underlying rendering engine made available to other applications (whether Nokia’s own or from third-parties).  That should have the effect of boosting app speed, since a sluggish browser engine has often been a stumbling block for developers.

Rivas also confirmed that E7 owners can expect regular firmware updates, moving away from the historic pattern of a few OTA changes but generally “big” sideloaded upgrades, and instead transitioning to more regular, incremental OTA packages.  However there’ll also be more significant PR updates, which Nokia expect to be much more timely in their release.

There’s plenty to like about the Nokia E7.  The display is brilliant, easily better than the Nexus One we compare it with in the gallery below, while the QWERTY keyboard is useful and tactile.  Truth be told, if it were running Android we’d have no qualms at all about its mainstream success; with Symbian^3, as with the N8, there’s a sense that the hardware is a few steps ahead of the software it runs.  The company is still bullish about their smartphone sales, and still enthusiastic about Symbian and its future, but while the OS is certainly well polished (as Michael Gartenberg says, it’s the best implementation of the platform to-date) it simply doesn’t feel as fresh as its Android, iOS and webOS rivals.

It’s a slightly larger handset than the N8 in all directions, to accommodate not only the keyboard but the 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display, but it’s just as well made. The aluminum chassis is smooth and tactile, and the screen hinge – which is fixed, when open, at the angle you can see in the photos – feels solid and flicks open and shut nicely. The touchscreen, too, is responsive, and we were able to navigate between apps with no noticeable slow-down.

The QWERTY itself is punchy and quick, with firm rubber keys that snap nicely during typing. It’s well-spaced, too, and the curved outer edges of the phone don’t impede your thumbs. We can see this becoming a firm favourite for users who’ve previously looked to the E7x for their email fix.

Nokia E7 hands-on:

Unfortunately there was no SIM in the E7 we were looking at – it was literally straight out of Nokia’s war-chest of demo handsets – so we couldn’t test the internet experience. Still, we’re guessing it’ll be just like that of the N8 (pretty good in its own right) only stretched across the bigger display. It should also do a good job showing off photos from the 8-megapixel camera, though it’s worth noting that, unlike the N8, there’s a dual-LED flash rather than a Xenon unit.

We’re left feeling surprisingly positive about the Nokia E7, despite our preference for other platforms to Symbian^3. Anssi Vanjoki did tell us that they were attempting to make the best business smartphone around, and we think – within that relatively narrow category – Nokia stands a decent chance at succeeding.

There’s full Exchange integration, Office document viewers and all the usual Ovi applications.  That means turn-by-turn directions in Ovi Maps, Ovi Store downloads and more.  Vanjoki calls it the best business smartphone to date; we’ll have to wait for some hands-on time to find out if that’s true.

Update: Price will be €495 ($636) when it arrives on the market in Q4 2010.  Specs are impressive, too: five-band WCDMA (850/900/1700/1900/2100) and quadband GSM/EDGE, an AMOLED display with polarizing layer, 16GB of onboard storage, FM radio, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS, HDMI, USB Host support, HD 720p video recording and more.  Full specs in the gallery below.

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.