Nokia Intros New Business PhonesNokia Intros New Business Phones

This morning, Nokia piped up after a long silence and announced a handful of new messaging handsets. Two of the three devices run Nokia's S60 platform, which is its more powerful smartphone operating system. Can these handsets survive in the iPhone and Android era?At first glance, there's nothing terribly exciting about the C6, C3, or E5. They don't break any new ground with respect to design, and in fact appear to be follow-ups to already existing phones.

The C6 combines both a touch screen and full slide-out QWERTY keyboard for messaging. It bears a striking resemblance to the Nuron and 5800 XpressMusic, though the keyboard sets it apart. It runs S60 5th Edition, which is the version of S60 that has been optimized for (resistive) touch screens. S60 5th Edition is also now being referred to as Symbian^1, the first iteration of new platform software coming from Nokia and Symbian. It will run on AT&T's 3G network, though U.S. availability hasn't been announced. It also has a five megapixel camera and Nokia's new Messaging and Ovi Maps software on board.

The E5 looks to be the sucessor to the E71 and E72 line of QWERTY-equipped messaging phones. It is BlackBerry-esque in basic form, and has a a full keyboard for messaging. It runs Nokia's S60 3rd Edition platform, which is the most up-to-date version, and also has a camera, Ovi Maps and Messaging, and support for AT&T's 3G network.

Last up in this trio of texting telephones is the C3, an entry-level device that runs Nokia's less-powerful Series 40 platform. It is similar to the E5 in appearance and has a full keyboard for typing. It lacks 3G, though it does pack Wi-Fi.

All three devices will be available in the second quarter of this year. Exact availability in the U.S. hasn't been announced.

The real question is: Can these devices sell in the U.S.? The U.S. smartphone market is being dominated by the iPhone and Android platforms right now, with webOS and Windows Mobile fighting for relevancy. Is there room for a fifth smartphone platform? Hard to say, but if Nokia's U.S. sales figures are any indication, five platforms is at least one too many.