It’s full steam ahead for Nokia and their recently-launched Symbian^3 OS. The next stop? Courting business users with their forthcoming E7 model.
Here at JOE we’re the forgiving type, and we haven’t given up on Nokia’s efforts to retake the smartphone market, from the Mini N97 to the recent N8 release, the latter of which introduced the new Symbian^3 OS to the Finnish giants range of high-end handsets. With the Nokia E7, the company appears to be building upon solid foundations established in last month’s N8, while even bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Nokia 9210 Communicator which first hit shelves ten years ago.
The Nokia E7 is being positioned as Nokia’s flagship smartphone experience and is clearly aimed at business executives rather than the average entertainment-obsessed early adopter. Boasting a 4-inch screen with CBD (ClearBlack Display) technology, the device is said to be perfect for viewing PDF or offline documents when on the go.
Aside from the intriguing CBD tech (which is an AMOLED display with a polarised filter for greater outdoor visibility), the E7 features an aluminium shell, 16GB onboard storage, 8MP camera, 720p-capturing video and Adobe Reader for sharing office docs.
Bah, it looks so much better with the keyboard sticking out
As you can see from this article’s main photo, however, the major selling point of Nokia’s next smartphone is its four-row QWERTY keyboard. In addition to the E7’s touchscreen display, business users can benefit from free walk and drive navigation thanks to Ovi Maps, while multi-party conference calling is also possible.
Continuing its business-related theme, the E7 comes sports an array security features including business grade device lock and wipe functionality, secure intranet access and remote device management. A compatible Nokia USB adapter is included too.
After the relative disappointment that was the N8, it’s good to see that Nokia still means business, literally, in the smartphone arena. Whether or not the E7 can help prise business users from their beloved Blackberry’s may be an insurmountable task to some, yet we have a feeling the E7 could be the beginnings of a highly competitive smartphone marketplace the likes we’ve not yet seen come 2011.
The Nokia is expected to ship in January 2011 for around €495 and will be available in dark grey, silver white, green, blue and orange.
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