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Nokia E71 and E66 owners get free Ovi Maps navigation
Nokia's new Ovi Maps software just made its way to the venerable E71 and E66 business handsets. While Nokia was constrained from offering its premium nav services like Guide Michelin and Lonely Planet on these legacy S60 3.1 handsets, owners are nevertheless being treated to free walk and drive navigation with turn-by-turn guidance. So really, you can't complain... unless of course you picked up a US-flavored E71x which isn't eligible for the free update. Check the full press release after the break for download instructions and a list of compatible devices.
Nokia brings minor firmware updates to E66 and E71
If you've got absolutely no complaints with your E66 or E71, you could just leave better off alone and forget that you ever read this. If you've got beef, however, we'd suggest hitting the read link pronto. Nokia has just unloaded a new firmware update for both of the aforementioned mobiles which includes new versions of Mail For Exchange and Nokia Maps. Additionally, the updates provide "a number of performance improvements including camera viewfinder orientation, Mail for Exchange synchronization and browsing." Thankfully, it seems as if the suits in Espoo took Oscar Rogers' advice to "JUST FIX IT," and, well, fixed it.[Via AllAboutSymbian]
Nokia's North American E66 shows up in flagship stores
Barely a month after Nokia's North American E71 went on sale at the Chicago / New York flagship stores, we've received word that the QWERTY-less sibling (that'd be the E66) has now arrived at the same locales. The quad-band slider boasts support for AT&T's 3G network, and there's also a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi and all the other goodies you'd expect from another solid S60 contender. Snap it up now in Grey Steel for $540.[Via IntoMobile]
BlackBerry Connect ominously missing from E66 and E71
As the new business-class torchbearers in Nokia's smartphone lineup, it only stands to reason that the new E66 and E71 would support BlackBerry connectivity out of the box. After all, the E61, E61i, E62, and E65 all did, thanks to RIM's BlackBerry Connect client and the sobering realization that just such a software package is the only way for some employees to get out of using a RIM device at their office. Alas, support for BlackBerry Connect has quietly been dropped from the gorgeous new devices -- and as much as we'd like to say otherwise, no amount of beauty is going to make up for being unable to grab the average user's corporate email. Users are upset, particularly those who upgraded from older models assuming that BBC support would be carried over, so RIM had better be cooking up an update if they want to avoid the grizzly scene that usually ensues when you fire up a bunch of people wearing formal business attire.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia E66 mini-review
Hate to break it to you, but there's little more to tell about the E66 that we didn't already cover with the E71. It's basically the exact same hardware and screen in a portrait, sliding form factor, which loses the QWERTY for a numeric keypad. That said, we wanted to go over the specific quality of those differences, and touch on a few things we missed with the E71 review. Oh, and in case you missed our video hands-on with both devices, you can find it right here.%Gallery-26345%
Video hands-on with the new E66 and E71 from Nokia
We got a quick little bit of quality time with Nokia's new business-centric S60 phones, the E66 and the E71. Both phones are virtually identical when it comes to specs, so it really boils down to what you prefer in form factor. If you're a T9 maven and prefer a vertical screen orientation, the E66 slider is obviously your ticket, but the E71's full QWERTY keyboard and glorious 10mm of thickness are probably going to guide it into many a business slack front pocket. The E71's keys have a harder, clickier feel to them than its predecessors, and they're also a tad more crowded than usual -- we had a bit of trouble typing at first, but it's a solid, well-built keyboard that'll certainly come to be second nature with a bit of use. Despite the phone's thinness we found it to be incredibly sturdy and just the right weight. As for the E66, we just love the feel of its slider mechanism, but we're a little puzzled as to the thickness compared to the E71. That said, it's a quite comfortable and small form factor for a smartphone. Our favorite new feature on these phones is the quick switch from business to personal use, which can swap your home screen, email accounts and calendar to your personal stuff after hours -- and with that hefty 3.2 megapixel camera, A-GPS and WiFi, there's plenty of fun to be had with these phones when your work is through. Video after the break.%Gallery-25237%
Nokia E66 S60 slider goes official
Nokia's bringing some new, unsurprising, E series hotness to the States in the form of the new E66 slider. Featuring GSM, EDGE, WCDMA and HSDPA bands galore, the phone is slated for a Q3 release this year. Features include a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, along with a front-facing cam for video calls, WiFi, A-GPS, 3.6mbps web browsing and a 2.4-inch QVGA screen. What really sets it apart from its E series forebears is the 13.6mm thickness, and some rather sexy new styling. Nokia's also worked in a sort of business / pleasure switch to change profile from your work email and documents to your personal accounts and such -- you can also swap to landscape mode by turning the device. Battery life is certainly no slouch, with 14 days of standby, and 7.5 hours of talk on GSM, or 3.5 hours of talk on 3G. There's only 110MB of internal memory, but you can supplement that with an 8GB microSD card. The phone comes in "grey steel" or "white steel" (what, no blue steel?), but brace yourself for the pricepoint: Nokia's quoting this at "under $500," and probably won't have any carriers Stateside subsidizing it in the short term. Quite a hefty price for a QVGA phone with little built-in storage, but some Nokia fanboy is certainly going to get a kick out of it.%Gallery-25221%
Nokia E71 and E66 online demos leak out
After spying those "in the wild" shots of Nokia's E71 and E66, we knew something had to be up -- and that does appear to be the case. A forum member over at Mobile-Review has stumbled upon user demos for both of the forthcoming devices, featuring in-depth Flash walkthroughs on how to master all the basic features of either phone. It seems likely that an announcement is due any day now (though we're thinking it won't be coming on Monday) -- but at least you can enjoy a bunch of new angles and animations while you wait.[Via Cell Addict Blog]Read - E71 DemoRead - E66 Demo
Nokia E66 and E71 getting dressed backstage for grand entrance
We'd always prefer an actual announcement to a mere teaser, and in the case of the E66 and E71, we've seen these things exposed so many times in so many ways now that we're actually starting to think that we might know more about the business-class hotties than Nokia itself. Here's the latest scoop: Mobile Phone Helpdesk has gone ahead and locked down press shots of both devices, adding a little more glitz and glamor to the pair than the typical prerelease in-the-wild shots afford. We're seriously not sure what Nokia's waiting for here, but we think it'd be well served to push 'em out ahead of the Touch Diamond and 3G iPhone rushes.
Nokia E66 finds its way into the FCC
One of Nokia's upcoming business-class handsets, the svelte E66 slider, has garnered FCC approval ahead of a launch that we've got to believe is happening in the very near future now. That's the good news; the bad news is that there's zero North American 3G involved from what we can see in the test reports. That would make this one a tough sell for existing E65 customers in the States, we think, especially considering that prerelease units haven't been seen sporting Feature Pack 2. Ah well -- the E67, perhaps, Nokia?Update: Disaster averted! Turns out there's another E66 lurking in the FCC's midst that trades HSDPA 2100 for 850 / 1900. Thanks, Jim!
Nokia's E66 and E71 in the wild!
Nokia fans, S60 fans, Symbian fans of all types, your attention, please! Allow us to set your hearts a-flutter with a few pictures of Nokia's latest two all-business smartphones, the rumored E66 and E71. Both models are pictured here out and about, doing what they do best -- a promising indication that we might be due for an official announcement in the not-too-distant future. We're told that both have 3.2 megapixel cameras (as expected), 128MB of memory, and as we've suspected from the few photos we've seen before, they're "sleek and sexy" in the flesh. Nokia's manufacturing processes appear to be continuing to improve, too, because we're told that the E66 feels "rugged and solid" despite the slide mechanism -- a sore spot with many an N95 owner. Whenever you want to get official with these, Nokia, that would be just fine with us, thanks!%Gallery-22320%
