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Video: Nokia E7 demoed live at Nokia World
We've just spent a little bit of time ogling a very, very green E7 here in the so-called Experience Lounge at Nokia World 2010, and needless to say, this thing makes an impression -- you might think from the shots you've seen so far that it's roughly the same size as the N8 (especially since it shares the same case design), but it's actually quite a bit larger and more imposing. A friendly booth rep walked us through the beast's hardware and software highlights on video; check it after the break. Oh, and yes -- when it launches, it'll be available in five colors, so you don't have to get the green if you're not cool enough for it.
Nokia E7 first hands-on
Wow. That's the feeling that hits when you pick up the Nokia E7 for the first time. That 4-inch "Clear Black" display really pops as you'd expect from AMOLED and the full QWERTY slider is packed into an incredibly svelte and attractive form factor. Impressions coming up shortly. Until then, check out the E7 next to its N8 cousin and iPhone 4 foe. Update: Follow the break for some quick thoughts on this bad boy. %Gallery-102120%%Gallery-102151%
Nokia C6-01 first hands-on
So the C7 might be the sexiest Symbian^3 device... but the C6-01, well, it just may be the cutest. Just all depends on what you're looking for (and how much you're willing to spend), you know? Like the C7, we had a little difficulty getting screen swipes to register while trying to change home screens, but considering that the top of the bezel had the very prototypish "C0" mystery name badge, we're more than happy to cut it a little slack. Having come directly from the C7, it's a little tricky to be comfortable with the smaller display -- not to mention the thicker body -- and the back definitely tends toward the cheap side with matte hard plastic, but again, this is clearly designed to be a budget device. And hey, how many budget smartphones can you think of with AMOLED displays that have extreme black levels? Check out the gallery for a few shots. %Gallery-102115%
Nokia C7 first hands-on
We've just played with both black and silver versions of Nokia's just-announced C7 -- a phone that you might call an N8 for the masses -- and we think it's probably going to come away with the "sexiest Symbian device" crown by the time it's on shelves. We're a little concerned with screen sensitivity; on both the C7 and C6-01, we had a little difficulty getting home screen swipes to actuate -- but you never know what the deal is with these well-handled protos, so we're going to hold off on passing judgment until we've got retail units in our hands. The black's a little unnotable, but the silver really pops in person -- maybe it's just the lighting -- and the screen seems to perform nearly as well as the C6's so-called ClearBlack AMOLED, so unless you need a monster cam, the C7 might be your Symbian^3 device of choice when it launches later this year. Hit the gallery for shots of both colors! Update: The display seemed to look as good as the C6-01's because we've confirmed that it is ClearBlack! Rock on. %Gallery-102113%
Live from Nokia World 2010
Got an itch that only Symbian can scratch? Then pull up a chair and get ready for a deep tissue rub down and Espoo mud pack, we're coming at you live from Nokia World 2010 in London, ready to bring you anything that Nokia chooses to dish up with the launch of its Symbian^3 OS. Question is, will we see any MeeGo devices or will this be an S^3 only event? Stay tuned, it all gets going at 0900 London time.
Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki resigns, the search for a new smartphone chief begins
Holy moly, it's all gone topsy turvy over in Nokia's camp. After Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo was given his marching orders on Friday, this week it's the turn of Anssi Vanjoki -- who only recently became the company's Mobile Solutions leader -- to announce his departure. Anssi has handed in his requisite six-month notice along with the following statement: "I felt the time has come to seek new opportunities in my life. At the same time, I am one hundred per cent committed to doing my best for Nokia until my very last working day. I am also really looking forward to this year's Nokia World and sharing news about exciting new devices and solutions." It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to recognize that Anssi's sudden desire to explore new opportunities is at least in part motivated by Nokia's choice to install Stephen Elop as its future CEO at the expense of good old OPK. Still, you've got to think there could've been a better time to announce such heart-stopping news, maybe after your company's most pivotal Nokia World convention in recent memory? [Thanks, Ted]
Nokia said to be launching E7 smartphone next week
Well, it looks like the mystery of Nokia's Symbian^3 slider may soon be solved -- Reuters is reporting that the company will introduce its new "flagship" E7 smartphone at its Nokia World event in London next week, and it says that the device will pack both a "large" touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard. That's further backed up by the existence of an XML file on Nokia's own site, which seemingly confirms that the E7 does indeed run Symbian^3, and that it boasts a 640 x 360 display along with that QWERTY keyboard. Not much more than that at the moment, but those previous leaks suggest that we're basically looking at a slider version of the Nokia N8. [Thanks, Wes]
Video: Nokia's N900, N97 mini, X3, X6 and Booklet 3G hands-on roundup
Just in case you missed it, you should probably be informed that Nokia had quite the morning yesterday as Nokia World 2009 kicked off in Stuttgart. Not only was the N97 mini made official, but the company's Booklet 3G was fully detailed and the first two handsets in the newfangled X series were also unveiled. Naturally, a slew of cameras descended upon the new gear just as soon as the suits left the stage, and we've rounded up the best of the best below for your perusal and enjoyment. If you're looking for the actual news on these very devices, have a look right here, and feel free to hop on past the break for a few videos from the show floor.Read - Booklet 3G hands-on photos (more angles)Read - Booklet 3G hands-on video (another take)Read - Nokia X3 and X6 hands-on videoRead - Nokia N900 hands-on videoRead - N97 mini hands-on video
Nokia's 3D N810 Internet Tablet caught on blurrycam
We can't say that the idea of stereoscopic displays on cellphones ever really appealed to us -- more than anything, it sounds like the recipe for a nasty migraine. But provided a company figures out how to do it right (and without the silly glasses) true 3D could lead to some pretty interesting interface design, to say the very least. With Sony singing the technology's praises at IFA this morning, it's fitting that Nokia is showing off one such number at Nokia World in Stuttgart today. According to Pocket-lint, the N810 Internet Tablet shown above has been outfitted with a "special screen" made by a "secret third party manufacturer" and displays 3D content to the naked eye. Sure, we're pretty skeptical that 3D will be a hit (or even stop being lousy) any time soon, but who knows? There seem to be a few companies out there who think that it could pull them out of their doldrums. [Via The Raw Feed]
Nokia's Booklet 3G detailed further at Nokia World, priced at €570
The news from Stuttgart just keeps on flowing, with Nokia also revealing the unashamedly long specifications list to its hotly-anticipated Booklet 3G. Moving forward, the company will focus on "phones, smartphones and mobile computers," with this here netbook being the first major entrant into that final category. The biggest news is probably the half-day (12 hours) battery life, though we're understandably curious to see how that holds up under real-world testing. The machine will also ship with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU, Windows 7, WiFi and a built-in, hot-swappable SIM card slot for 3G access. The whole thing will measure just 0.78-inches thick and will ship in black, ice (white) and azure (blue) motifs, though we're most interested to see just how toasty this thing will get given its "fanless design." Other specs include 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive (1.8-inch, 4200RPM), integrated Ovi Suite, a 10.1-inch LCD (1,280 x 720 resolution) and an almost unheard of 16-cell Li-ion battery that's user-removable. Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Assisted-GPS, HDMI, USB 2.0 (x3), an SD card reader and a 1.3 megapixel camera will also be present, and the inbuilt accelerometer should make for some unique add-ons. We're still searching for an exact release date, but Anssi Vanjok made clear that the €570 ($810) asking price is apt to be heavily subsidized by carriers across the globe. Still, $810 for a netbook? Ouch.
Nokia N900 running Maemo 5 officially €500 in October (update: Video!)
In backwards order, Nokia has finally launched the N900 after we've already seen a review and countless leaks. Nevertheless, it's good to have the new Maemo 5 Internet Tablet out in the open and official-like. The specs include a 3.5-inch 800x480 pixel (resistive) touchscreen, sliding QWERTY, 32GB of on-board storage expandable to 48GB via microSD, GPS/A-GPS, FM transmitter, TV-out, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, 1320mAh battery, and 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash. Better yet, this monster MID brings the power of the ARM Cortex-A8, up to 1GB of application memory, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration to make quick work of polygons and what Nokia promises will be a "PC-like experience on a handset-sized device." It also brings a Mozilla-based Maemo browser with Adobe Flash 9.4 support. As expected, it'll be on display at Nokia World next week before this quad-band GSM/EDGE, 900/1700/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA handset heads to select markets in October for €500 (pre tax and pre carrier subsidy). And by the looks of that 1700MHz band, this baby's heading to T-Mobile USA.Update: Videos added after the break.
Nokia rumors: Xseries is XpressMusic successor, new Nseries touchphone in '09?
German site NokiaPort has rounded up a nice little cache of juicy Nokia details that it says is culled from "official information from Nokia, confirmed rumors and reputable sources of information," and while we can't personally vouch for most of what we're seeing here, it's all sounding reasonable enough -- and with Nokia World right around the corner, we figured this would be a grand opportunity to lay it out and see how the chips fall. First up, Cseries and Xseries are said to be presented at the show, with the first Xseries model being an upgraded version of the just-launched 5530 XpressMusic with 3G thrown in, probably spelling doom for the 5800 -- in other words, Xseries is very likely a wholesale rebranding of the XpressMusic line, which totally makes sense. Speaking of touchscreens and Nokia branding, the site says that we'll see another touchscreen Nseries model to keep the N97 company before the year's out, followed by Eseries' first S60 5th Edition model in 2010. Coincidentally, they've got a part of a supposed new touch model pictured on the site (see above), though we're not clear on what we're seeing. In the Maemo department, the N900 is likely to be the only Maemo 5 device for the better part of the year, though there's apparently a mysterious N920 already making the rounds in the Espoo campus. As technologies go, xenon flashes are apparently on the outs with Nokia -- better hang onto your phones, N82 owners -- while capacitive screens should start to take hold. Samsung has already proven that S60 works just fine and dandy with a capacitive display on the i8910, so we're stoked to see where Nokia takes it. Finally, OMAP3 cores are said to be working their way into the lineup following a Cortex A8-based introduction in the N900; Nokia has historically lagged its competition as processing power goes, so it'll be great to see them start to match up with the Pres and the iPhones of the world -- at least as far as raw computational might goes, anyhow. [Thanks Hermann S., image via Eldar Murtazin]
Nokia N97 Mini is seriously just a smaller, cheaper N97, it seems
Eldar Murtazin over at mobile-review has chimed in on those alleged Nokia N97 Mini shots that leaked last week -- and as anyone who follows the mobile industry knows, when the ridiculously well-connected Eldar speaks, folks tend to listen. The dude says that the N97 Mini is very much real, as is the name, which -- get this -- he claims was leaked by Nokia itself in an effort to stave off an unnamed competitor who'd also been planning to release a smaller version of one of its handsets with a "Mini" label slapped on the name. At any rate, the N97 Mini apparently isn't pulling any punches -- it's said to be exactly what you see, little more than a smaller N97 with a reconfigured keyboard and no camera lens cover. That sounds like a tough sell at first, especially when you throw in Eldar's claim that it'll step down to 8 and 16GB versions from the N97's 32GB, but the good news is that Espoo's seemingly looking to get this on the market for about €100 less ($144) than the N97. As for an official announcement, Eldar says that Nokia's planning to unveil it at Nokia World next month; the original model was revealed at last year's show, and frankly, we're hoping for a little bit more innovation than this by the time they're done unveiling the new lineup. Rover, perhaps? [Via Unwired View]
Nokia claimed to be working on Android phone for unveiling later this year (updated)
Talk of a possible Android / Nokia tie-up has been ongoing since time immemorial, and the latest fuel to the fire comes from the Guardian which is sourcing "industry insiders" as saying that the world's largest phone manufacturer will reveal an Android-powered touchscreen handset at its Nokia World event this September. Though Nokia itself has never truly ruled out the possibility of working with Open Handset Alliance code, a move into Android right now would truly be an odd one -- granted, the Symbian Foundation is probably on thin ice any way you look at it, but even without S60 and its successors in the mix in the long term, Nokia still has Maemo quietly reaching platform maturity in the background with rumors of an imminent MID / superphone hybrid swirling in recent months. It seems that adopting Android (even if only for a select number of models) would be an admission on Nokia's part that it has failed to be a Maker of Standards, despite its overwhelming size and market position -- not to mention a major bet that it can continue to win customers based on the strength of its hardware alone, since it'd now be working with a common platform adopted by dozens of companies large and small. So, here's the million- (or maybe billion-) dollar question: all things being equal, can Nokia outdo HTC and Samsung on the same platform?Update: And now the Nokia spokesman response: "Absolutely no truth to this whatsoever, everyone knows that Symbian is our preferred platform for advanced mobile devices." Yes, unfortunately / fortunately, we do know that.
Nokia could give Linux a spin in high-end mobiles
To anyone even remotely familiar with Nokia's history, this tidbit won't come as a surprise at all. In fact, we've been hearing "Linux" and "Nokia" in the same sentence for years. At Nokia World in Barcelona -- the same place where the almighty N97 (pictured) was unveiled -- Ukko Lappalainen, vice president at Nokia's markets unit, informed Reuters that "in the longer perspective, Linux will become a serious alternative for our high-end phones." Potentially more interesting was his followup line: "I don't see anything in Android which would make it better than Linux maemo." Quite frankly, we'd be entirely more interested if this was some revolutionary epiphany, but it's basically just more of the same song and dance. Now, if an N98 pops out next month with a freakishly awesome and nimble mobile variant of Ubuntu, well -- that's a horse of a different color.[Via LinuxDevices]
Nokia Maps gets upgraded, Messaging hits most devices
The news is flowing hot and heavy from Barcelona, and the latest succulent tidbits to land in our laps are these. First up, a fresh version of Nokia Maps is on tap, which includes "a number of new features such as high-resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for 216 cities and terrain maps, as well as a new route overview during routing and during Drive, the purchasable turn-by-turn car navigation guidance." Furthermore, users will find new options such as access to real time information (camera alerts, safety spots, traffic information, etc.) and Wcities event guides that give real time information for events and movies in over 450 destinations. Next is Nokia Messaging -- which is bringing popular IM services to the majority of Nokia handsets -- and Mail on Ovi, which enables PC users to "create and access Ovi email accounts as well as gain cross access to other Ovi services with just a single sign-on account." Plunge into the links below for more details on each.Read - Nokia Maps updateRead - Mail / Messaging%Gallery-38333%
Nokia teases major new product launching tomorrow
Come on, you didn't think Nokia's only response to the G1, iPhone, and Storm would be the 5800 XpressMusic, did you? Word on the ground at this week's Nokia World conference is that Espoo is planning a major announcement tomorrow -- and hey, is that a countdown timer to the keynote that just went live on Nokia's site? Interesting. Our pal and yours Robert Scoble says that Nokia execs are running around bragging that "the Internet" is totally in the dark on this one, and that only a small number of people within the company have seen the new device. That's certainly got our ears perked up -- we're guessing this is something a little more major than that hinted-at touch Communicator. We'll let you know right away if you want to stay up with us -- the event is scheduled for 3:15AM EST.Read - Scoble's takeRead - Nokia countdown clock
What's coming from Nokia this week?
A tradeshow to call its own, Nokia World kicks off this week in Barcelona -- and while it's expected to mostly be a way for developers to get out of their windowless offices for a couple minutes and connect with like-minded folks, a countdown timer has appeared on Nokia's European and Middle Eastern / African sites that suggests something bigger is afoot. New handsets, accessories, or initiatives? We're hoping for the first choice there -- because you know, Nokia, we haven't seen any Nseries devices running S60 5.0 yet. Hint, hint.[Via Symbian-Guru]
