Topics: Mobile

Nokia Finally Makes The E66 And E71 Smartphones Official

Posted by Eric Zeman, Jun 16, 2008 10:26 AM

These smartphones were first spotted on the Internet back in December 2007. Today, Nokia finally owned up to their existence and said that they will be available in the third quarter of the year. The best part of the news is that they will come in versions supporting U.S. 3G networks.

Nokia's E series is the class of device reserved for the enterprise (hence the "E" moniker). The E66 and E71 are officially smartphones, and run Nokia's S60 operating system, with Feature Pack 1. It is disappointing that Nokia didn't provide them with Feature Pack 2, which is the latest version of S60, but these business devices are near to bursting with other features.

They both share most specifications, with the form factor providing the only real differentiation between the two. The E66 is a slider phone that carries the design of the E65 forward to the next level. The E71 is the offspring of the E61/62 full QWERTY devices. The good news is that the E71 is noticeably slimmer and thinner than its predecessors. This is fantastic, because the E61/62 were two ginormous smartphones and probably played a role in preventing them from being hits in the market.

Underneath their metallic integument, you'll find some serious horsepower. They both have: 850/1900 WCDMA/HSDPA for U.S. 3G support (AT&T); 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR with support for stereo streaming; 3.2-megapixel cameras with autofocus and flash; GPS for location-based services; support for microSD cards up to 8 GB; and dedicated buttons for retrieving e-mail, messages, and other applications. They will come stuffed with business-centric software, including VPN capabilities and compatibility with Microsoft's Exchange server for push e-mail.

In all, these are two classy-looking smartphones that are sure to be successful additions to Nokia's business lineup.

Price points and their exact availability weren't provided.

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