Nokia Unveils Pair Of Eseries SmartphonesNokia Unveils Pair Of Eseries Smartphones

After multiple leaks online, Nokia officially announced a pair of smartphones aimed at enterprise customers.

The Nokia E71 and E66 are packed with features for mobile professionals and they may make for attractive alternatives to the industry-leading BlackBerry.

The E71 is an updated version of the company's E61. It features a full QWERTY keyboard, has a five-way scroll key, and comes preloaded with Mail for Exchange. It supports push mail, calendar, and contacts for Exchange out of the box.

In a first for the Eseries line, the E71 supports 3G over AT&T's HSDPA network, allowing for 3.6-Mbps download speed. If there is no cellular broadband network available, users can use the integrated Wi-Fi for Internet access.

The Symbian S60 handset also features assisted GPS and the memory can be expanded up to 8 GB through the microSD slot.

The E71 sports a 2.4-inch screen, Bluetooth version 2.0, and voice command and dialing capabilities. There's a 3.2-megapixel camera with auto focus, as well as a front-facing camera for video calling. The device can also play many multimedia codecs and it has a built-in FM radio.

The Nokia E66 has almost all the same features as the E71, but it ditches the keyboard for a sliding form factor. The E66 also has an accelerometer sensor that automatically rotates the screen depending on how it's being held.

Both devices are noticeably slimmer than previous Nokia smartphones, and both have a stainless steel casing.

These smartphones are expected to hit the market in the third quarter 2008; there has been no official word on pricing or whether a U.S. carrier will subsidize it.

Nokia smartphones tend to hit the U.S. market unlocked and without a carrier subsidy. The lack of a subsidy may be damaging, as competitors like the BlackBerry Bold and the iPhone 3G should cost significantly less than these Nokia smartphones.