Nokia hints at new touch-based Communicator

Every so often, Nokia will pop out a brick-like beast of a clamshell smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard -- a black sheep in Espoo's lineup in every sense of the word. These so-called Communicators even had their own custom Symbian-based operating system, Series 80, until the E90 came around and brought 'em in line with the rest of the S60 crowd. Of course, S60 just took a big leap to the world of touch today, and that means the E90's starting to fall a bit behind -- so what's next? Nokia dropped a little teaser during its webcast today in the form of a stylized touch-based concept bearing strong family ties to the E90 and its ancestors, suggesting S60 5th Edition won't spell doom for the form factor. If it materializes, history suggests it won't be a mainstream device -- but if the real thing can look as good as this render, who knows?

[Shoumik @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:38PM]

n-series tablet?

[Sarig @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:54AM]

Already exists. n800 and n810.

[damiaking @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:38PM]

it looks good
but is it a slider or what?

[ZSX @ Oct 3rd 2008 8:11AM]

It has to be a sideways slider like the E72 and the QWERTY HTC phones. If it were a clamshell (like the other E-series communicators) then, if you look at the lower picture, the keyboard would be on the outside when folded up. That said, this is still a rendering of a concept. Who knows how this will go?

[Rogue_Genius @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:12PM]

@ ZSX

You're right, but I have a gripe with that picture. Physically, your explanation is correct. However, Nokia's done a rather "blah" job with this rendering because it isn't accurate. The drawing dictates it has to slide to end up oriented as shown, but if we look at it closely, there is no overlap between the top and bottom halves. The top half is floating above the bottom, almost separated entirely. It is closer to what a clamshell would resemble. So someone was lazy. Sadly, I'm at work and can't access the article "read" link, so if there are better pictures then excuse my analysis :)

[Pyrotechnic @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:38PM]

Here we go again.

[wako @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:44PM]

damnit nokia! enough with the stylus already..... and the guitar picks...!!!!

[asg84 @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:02AM]

it is fully usable with finger too
go and check few sites u will find it

[Troels C @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:47PM]

Ah, there it is... my next phone. I'm glad that Nokia finally announced it :)

[Troels C @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:50PM]

Yeah, ok, hinted at it.

[thedesolate1 @ Oct 2nd 2008 10:17PM]

Ive been waiting ages for a Nokia pda with a big screen and a querty keyboard. I dont like the form factor of the other ones. I would say its about damn time. Too bad the economy might not make it far enough for me to be able to afford one. Any1 knows how long this bailout will hold us for?

[Troels C @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:49PM]

Ah, there it is... my next phone. I'm glad that Nokia finally announced it :)

[Troels C @ Oct 2nd 2008 7:52PM]

Hmmm I did reloads, even forced ones. Either I have major cache issues or there is some delay. Im sorry folks.

[Reader @ Oct 2nd 2008 8:38PM]

You waited 2 whole minutes? Hot damn. I'd say you must be new here, but your profile is pretty old.

[Troels C @ Oct 3rd 2008 6:11AM]

Well why does it show up after 2 minutes, and why didnt it show on my other computer at all after 30 minutes, even though it was the first time that it hit this page? Im beginning to think that Engadget runs on a cluster with flawed syncronization...

[)law( @ Oct 2nd 2008 8:04PM]

I am digging the top one, if the make a thin touch screen n series phone that isnt a wallet gouge then i am all for it

[Tejas @ Oct 2nd 2008 8:48PM]

The two devices in the image are the same device! The phone at the bottom is what the phone at the top looks like when it's flipped open on it's side-hinge.

That's the trademark of the communicator series.

[KilgoreTrout @ Oct 2nd 2008 8:18PM]

TheE90 and its predecessors are unwieldy , heavy and pretty ugly devices with ridiculously high prices, so obviously not many suckers could be found to buy them, but this one doesn't look ugly at all; if it will also be practical and not so heavy it will surely find its market niche,maybe I could give another try to Nokia too; but just as for all touch based devices , in the end what will cause its success or its quick extintion will be its UI & its OS.

In any case I and about everybody I know would really love to buy a new cellphone but nobody does because we are all waiting for the Omnia, the SE experia , the Renoir, the BB Storm, the new LGs, the HTC HD, and all the other touch phones that all makers keep on presenting but never deliver.
If it's a maketing ploy to sell their cheaper models is failing miserably, all they have done is paralized the smart phone market. Nobody buy anything anymore because all these wonders are supposed to be always behind the corner.

[VZsolt @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:41AM]

The Omnia has been out for a while.

[indihack @ Oct 3rd 2008 8:36AM]

Hey Nokia, make sure my dad can use it, or I'll destroy you... just kidding about that last part...
The keyboard on 9300 was the best on a phone ever... I don't like the one on the E90... unnecessarily complicated WHEN compared to it's predecessor... Simplify it again...

[telepheedian @ Oct 2nd 2008 9:53PM]

Sorry to rain on your parade guys, but those are some really crappy photoshop jobs. Check out the reflection on the keyboard on the lower one, and the ring around the center button on the higher one, as well as the sketchy looking screen for a few examples.

[telepheedian @ Oct 2nd 2008 10:00PM]

Also, rotation-wise, the red and green buttons don't match in both images.

[Benson @ Oct 2nd 2008 10:11PM]

So, so funny. Except that it isn't.

Go away, 'CLAK'!

[Justin @ Oct 2nd 2008 10:40PM]

Looks neat.

[Johan S @ Oct 2nd 2008 10:54PM]

triple touchscreen, with swappable snap on keyboard/game controller?

[HalfJoey @ Oct 2nd 2008 11:01PM]

I could go with this. With Verizon :(

[andy @ Oct 2nd 2008 11:16PM]

touchscreens are so fucking ridiculously over hyped. The user experience is simply terrible.

[andy @ Oct 2nd 2008 11:19PM]

lets try adding a comment again.
A full qwerty keyboard, with no tactical feedback!?!?! are you fucking kidding us?
FAIL

[ed. @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:47AM]

could be a haptic (i think thats what theyre called) touchscreen. They would provide adequate feedback.

[Shravan @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:14AM]

Wait. So the D-pad will appear when you are using the display on the QWERTY side of the phone too ? Flip it the other way. Now what ? the QWERTY is the battery cover ? My eyes are kidding me.

[jerome @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:33AM]

I believe its more likely a qwerty-slider thus breaking the traditional communicator-style form factor and more in line with the touch+qwerty combo PDAs of WinMo.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:44AM]

I think clak is a drunk poster. I pity the people on his phone contact list. :)

[happy_penguin @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:45AM]

It would have helped if I had replied to clak. Who's drunk now? :)

[Benson @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:12AM]

The engadget comment system is broken in spots. 'CLAK' has discovered one of those spots. It's trivial to work around, with Opera or Ff3+Firebug.

[Jah @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:07AM]

When will people accept hat we are all different. Not everyone wants an iPhone or a touch scree device. You try composing a SMS while walking or try to use a touch scree device when you only have one hand free. Button based devices have a role to play and the majority of devices are not touch screen. Also the Nokia 9500, predecessor to the E90, was the most popular device for Nokia employees. why, because like the E90 it is not a bad laptop replacement that has great comms features and DVD quality video capture. The Communicators are not main stream but no other manufacturer can compete with Nokia in this area.

[Andrew @ Dec 1st 2008 1:40PM]

I just ordered an N85 for that reason alone, I like text driving, er I mean texting with one hand while operating the lawnmower with the other. But I think buttons are still necessary, otherwise the N85 is fully featured sans touch.

[Bj Sisco @ Oct 3rd 2008 4:37AM]

What's with the mega heavy reflection on the keyboard?

Maybe someone should reduce the opacity in photoshop a tad.

[yohoehaha @ Oct 3rd 2008 6:38AM]

I'm sure it has tactile feedback. Even Tube has that. That's the big thing everybody forgot to report yesterday. Don't believe me? Check Nokia's own website..

http://www.nokiausa.com/A41271075

"Touch user interface optimized for one-hand use with tactile feedback"

[will @ Oct 31st 2008 12:48PM]

if you look at it, I'd strongly suggest that the thing opens up like the old comunicators but then the screen rotates on a bevel - take a look at which end the navigation keys now are (so the handset only actually has one screen). looks neat, hope they sort out the gps problems off the e90.

[Pinoy @ Nov 2nd 2008 10:51PM]

if they could actually make a phone that can play games like a PSP, I wouldn't mind the size. The ngage didn't really have cool games and graphics.

[apollo689 @ Dec 1st 2008 3:12PM]

Yes, it still could be photoshop, but i believe it is similar in form factor to the e90 and the 9300 of the past. External touch screen has a glossy screen surrounding. Interior touch screen, most effectively used with the stylus, the D-pad has a more subdued dark grey. The back of the device is not shown. I would expect a high grade plastic to be used to complement the silver trim that is similar to the rop portion of the rear of the E51 and N85 or N96. This is on the belief that the back would be set down on a table and would only get scratched to oblivion if it were glossy. There could be a possibility to use the high quality light grey plastic that is found on the N96 on the inside and rear surface due to the phone folding. It would be necessary also due to the possible presence of a camera and a standard issue speaker phone. With an uneven rear side due to the presence of "rubberized rails" such as found on the 9300, a battery door could slide off width-wise. This would also give room for a receased speaker phone, which i found is very effective projecting sound into a flat object when it is stationary, a la E51. From a packaging standpoint, this would allow for the battery to be placed farther from the edge of the phone, benefitting in weight distribution. Externally, the way that the metal accents may look opposite, of the other side, but ideally this would aid in the structural integrity of the screens, button pads, battery, card slots, and camera. With screens being used and possibly super thin OLED, massive amounts of room is saved versus traditional keypads, and the devices are able to be created thinner and lighter. A USB port is expected. It is on record that USB will be used to recharge as well as for data transfers. I noticed that the lower picture does not show a speaker for holding it up to your ear on the screen we see alongside the qwerty key pad. Also, the D-pad button colors are of a different layout in the two pictures. If rotating both phones with their keypad to the bottom, the would be viewed as white-white on top, and green-red on the bottom. The bottom picture would view as white-white on top but red-green on the bottom. this would allow the ability to accept or reject calls or incoming information. and be able to continue to work on any other application you have open, without losing the utility of the white buttons associated with the respective function on the work screen. One problem found with the 9300 was as an incoming call or message is received, the entire screen interrupted what you were doing. As we can see with other devices a high resolution screen would allow for a small message to be viewed in the event of a notification and allow one to speak on the phone and refer to the content present on the inside screen. Nokia saw an advantage to the e90 as being able to work on something and be able to transition seamlessly to the inside screen. As for what looks like a qwerty touchscreen, it may be haptic or just a concept. But in both cases, would be limited in functionality of what can be put on that lower screen. There would be no reason to have anything in that format that would have an increased utility compared to using the front screen of the device. I do not think this will be a thin device but should be a more streamlined form factor than that of the E90. The stylus would be integrated somehow. This will still be an E series device. I think we can all agree that the communicator line is business oriented. Regardless, it won't be available soon. I am sure it is around the corner. I would not be surprised if this was $1,000+. And Engadget if you're reading, do you mind throwing me a pair of those Nokia bluetooth headphones from the black friday giveaway?