Nokia E71 spotted in the flesh?

Nokia's rumored E71 smartphone may already have been confirmed, courtesy of a live shot circulated on the web. The image appears to confirm beliefs that the device would be considerably smaller than the E61i it is expected to replace, reducing the width without significantly affecting the QWERTY keyboard at its heart. It also validates beliefs that the keypad will change slightly from the earlier device. New is a chromed, rounded edge that suggests Nokia will promote the device to more style-conscious home users in an attempt to compete with RIM's newer BlackBerry models.

No technical information accompanies the shot, though the previous report suggests it will have a 3.2-megapixel camera, 3G Internet on HSDPA networks, Wi-Fi for local networks, and authentic GPS mapping. An announcement is still expected in time for 3GSM's Mobile World Congress on February 11th. [via Unwired View]