Nokia Targets Business with New Phones
Nokia has introduced three phones that it plans to market to the business community. The company said Wednesday that its new "E" series would carry features that will appeal to corporate users and will be designed different than other Nokia phones.
The phones will support popular business e-mail services, including BlackBerry, GoodLink, Seven, and Visto Mobile. All E series devices will be built atop Nokia's Series 60 operating system for smartphones, and will be 3GSM compatible with support for alternative connectivity options.
"When we carefully considered the requirements of our customers when developing these devices, two clear new trends emerged: the need for IT departments' to have a secure and manageable platform, and the need for devices to support a variety of employee preferences and different working styles," said Niklas Savander, senior vice president of Nokia's business device unit.
Before operator rebates, the phones are expected to sell for between $420 and $540 USD, according to Nokia.
The Nokia E60 sports a classic candy bar shaped design and will support IP telephony and Push-to-talk, as well as include an integrated speakerphone. Wi-Fi connectivity is also available.
The Nokia E61 largely resembles the popular BlackBerry text messaging phones, but with a larger screen. Nokia says the phone's main purpose is for mobile e-mail. It also includes full attachment handling, including documents, spreadsheets, and PDF capability.
The Nokia E70 comes in the style of the Nokia 6800 and includes all the features of the two lower-end E series models. Two models of this phone are expected: one for Europe with 3GSM capability and another for the United States market.
All three Nokia E series phones are expected to become available in the first quarter of 2006.