Nokia E66 and E71

Nokia today ended a rash of leaks by announcing two high-end Eseries smartphones. The E71 is the company's new flagship and aims to improve on the earlier E61 both inside and out. The E71 has both a more upscale steel design and a narrower profile that allows it to be used one-handed while still fitting a QWERTY keyboard; it also marks the first full Eseries phone to support 3G over AT&T's HSPA network and introduces assisted GPS to the smartphone design.

The Symbian S60 handset comes preloaded with Mail for Exchange and is one of the few non-Windows Mobile devices to support "push" calendars, contacts, and mail for Exchange out of the box.

Nokia further pitches the phone as a high-end device for home users with an upgraded 3.2-megapixel camera, a microSDHC slot for 8GB or more of storage, and continued support for Wi-Fi.

A slimmer device, the E66, is virtually identical to the E71 except for its switch to a more conventional number pad slider design. Both phones come in black or white and will be priced at about 350 Euros ($539) before factoring in carrier discounts. Launch dates are unavailable, though both are expected soon and are likely to appear in the US either as unlocked devices or partnered with AT&T.

By Electronista Staff