Nokia Rolls Out E Series SmartphoneNokia Rolls Out E Series Smartphone

Nokia introduced Wednesday a Symbian-powered smartphone that is heavy on features but should be light on the wallet.

Nokia said the E63 will start shipping soon, and it will cost about $249 before taxes and subsidies. Depending on how aggressive the carriers want to subsidize it, the E63 could hit the market for $99 or even $49, making it a mass-market smartphone.

But the lower price doesn't mean it is low quality, as the E63 packs integrated Wi-Fi for checking corporate mail or surfing the Web. The smartphone can also use EDGE when hotspots aren't available.

Nokia is also hoping to bridge the gap between work and personal life with this smartphone, and the E63 has the ability to switch profiles and modes with a single press.

"Our research shows that people want a device that deals with both their personal and professional lives, but helps them to separate the two," said Soren Petersen, Nokia's senior VP, in a statement. "When someone sits down at lunch, they want to update their social network or browse their personal e-mail account and they don't want work getting in the way of that. It's another great case of technology adapting to the people that use it."

The company is also including its Files on Ovi service on the device, which lets customers get remote access to PC files even when their computer is offline. Those buying the E63 will also get 1 GB of storage for free, Nokia said.

The E63 features a similar design as the E71, but the casing is plastic instead of stainless steel. The E63 also has a 2.3-inch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard.

For entertainment purposes, the new E Series smartphone can play a plethora of video and audio codecs, and there's a standard headphone jack. Additionally, the 2-megapixel camera can be used to snap photos and videos.