Nokia has introduced the E72, the successor to the E71. The E72 has improved features that should make it easier for mobile professionals to stay connected on the go.

The E72 largely keeps the sleek and thin design of its predecessor, and the handset has a full QWERTY keyboard on the face for composing messages. Nokia added an optical trackpad to the E72 for quick navigation, and the 2.4-inch screen has a 320-by-240 resolution.

Thanks to deals with Microsoft and IBM, the handset can receive over-the-air e-mails and calendar syncing with Exchange and Lotus Domino servers. Users also will be able to get e-mails on the go from Web-based providers like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and others.

Powered by Symbian S60 3rd Edition, the handset comes preloaded with a document editor, and it can access Nokia's Ovi Store for downloading applications. Users can stay connected with the integrated Wi-Fi, EDGE, and 3G chipsets. The handset will have GPS that can be used for location-based services such as local search.

"Despite the outstanding market performance of the Nokia E71, we still continually look for ways to enhance the device," said Ilari Nurmi, VP at Nokia, in a statement. "So we included the desktop-like e-mail experience from the Nokia E75 and gave it a new optical navigation key for more initiative scrolling through menus, e-mail, and fast panning of images."

The E72 will sport a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash and photos can quickly be geotagged and uploaded to sharing sites like Flickr and Facebook. The smartphone also has Bluetooth 2.0, expandable memory up to 16 GB via a MicroSD slot, multimedia capabilities, and a standard headphone jack.

The handset is slated to be released in the third quarter in European markets for about $489 without taxes or subsidies. There's no word on if the device will be picked up by a U.S. carrier, but the E71 was picked up by AT&T and offered for $99 with a new two-year contract.

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