Although Nokia's Symbian OS is slated to simply go away, it hasn't begun its walk into the sunset just yet. Yesterday, the Finnish phone manufacturer announced two new smartphones running an updated version of the world's most ubiquitous mobile OS (for now) -- the E6 and X7.
The refreshed Symbian features new icons, better text input, a faster browser, and updated Ovi Maps.
"We are further strengthening Nokia's smartphone portfolio with these two new devices, both of which offer a more beautiful and intuitive user experience that will soon also be available for the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01," said Jo Harlow, head of Nokia's Smart Devices business in a press release. "With these new products and more Symbian devices and user enhancements coming in the near future, we are confident we can keep existing Nokia smartphone customers engaged, as well as attract new first-time and competitor smartphone users."
Nokia E6
And while the official spin at Nokia might be all roses, analysts don't have the same enthusiasm. "Several Nokia executives have attempted to walk back from [Nokia CEO Stephen] Elop's February comments and limit the damage he did to Symbian products," Tero Kuittinen, an analyst at MKM Partners told Reuters. "It's just a bit too late to put Humpty Dumpty back together. Developers are bailing out in droves."
Nokia X7
As for the two new devices, the E6 is being touted as "a sleek business smartphone," thanks to its QWERTY keyboard and high-res touchscreen crafted from "premium materials such as glass and stainless steel." Nokia also boasts that the E6 sports "the best out-of-the-box Microsoft messaging experience on a business smartphone," with access to Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Communicator Mobile, and Microsoft SharePoint. The full spec sheet is available through Nokia.
The X7 is an entertainment and media-friendly device, with a 4-inch screen and 8-megapixel camera. It comes preloaded with the games Galaxy on Fire HD and Asphalt 5 HD. Jump over to the Nokia website for the full spec sheet.
According to Reuters, both devices will be available later this quarter and will run 340 euros for the E6 ($491.6) and 380 euros for the X7.
The updated Symbian software, nicknamed Symbian Anna, will come standard on many newly shipped Nokia devices such as the N8, E7, C7, and C6-01. It will also be available to download on the same previously purchased devices.
