March 30th, 2009

Nokia, AT&T debut thinnest smartphone ever

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 8:07 am

Categories: AT&T, Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones

Tags: Nokia Corp., Smart Phone, AT&T Corp., Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, Handhelds, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Andrew Nusca

The thinnest smartphone on the market is coming to AT&T.

Nokia has unveiled its E71x, just 10 millimeters thin and coming to AT&T in “coming weeks” for $99.99. The smartphone, which uses the Symbian OS, offers Wi-Fi, built-in GPS navigation, IM, video share, a music player, 3.2 megapixel camera, notes, calendar and the rest of the standard smartphone utility suite.

[ZDNet Image Gallery: More pics of Nokia's E71x]

Just how thin is the Nokia E71x? To compare, Motorola’s original Razr V3 was about 15 mm thick.

The phone comes in a “black steel” finish and is generally meant to evoke the same kind of “ooh, ahh” that Apple’s iPhone 3G commanded before it became the phone de rigeur of everyone and their mother.

In other words: Nokia is making a go of the U.S. market, despite my previous post noting that the company is subscribing to a global strategy. RIM, watch out.

Full specs, after the jump:

Basics:

• Dimensions: 4.4×2.2×0.4 inches
• Weight: 4.4 ounces
• Battery: 1500 mAh Lithium ion Battery
• Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours
• Standby Time: Up to 12 days
• Technology: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA
• Frequency: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (GSM/GPRS/EDGE); 850/1900 MHz (UMTS/HSDPA)
• Operating System: Symbian S60 3.2
• Memory: 120MB with microSD expandable memory up to 8 GB (microSD card sold separately)
• Display: 2.4 inches, 16M colors, 240×320 pixels
• GPS and aGPS ready
• 2.5 mm UHJ connector for audio
• Speakerphone
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g), Micro USB (USB 2.0 Full Speed), Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR + Stereo A2DP, Infrared

Feature Set:

• Mail for Exchange to sync your corporate email, contacts, calendar, and tasks in real time
• Xpress Mail for personal email including Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Windows Live Hotmail, and others
• Mobile instant messaging—including AOL and AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger
• Text and multimedia messaging
• AT&T Navigator support for turn-by-turn voice directions and maps with fast traffic re-routing
• Full HTML browser with Flash support
• Location-Based Services: AT&T Navigator, Yellowpages.com, Where (U-Locate)
• Multi-language support: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• QuickOffice and PDF reader
• Multitask effortlessly with Symbian S60AT&T Navigator
• 3.2 megapixel digital camera with auto focus and flash
• Video Share—share a live or recorded video during a call
• AT&T mobile music
• XM radio
• CV—Stream video clips of news, sports, weather, and entertainment

AT&T also announced several other phones today:

Samsung Propel Pro

The Propel Pro is a full-QWERTY silver and chrome sliding smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1. This fully-featured smartphone will have Wi-Fi, and will sell for $149.99 starting April 14.

Samsung Impression

The nation’s first commercially available AMOLED, or active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, screen results in “one of the brightest and clearest displays in the U.S.” The phone has a keyboard underneath a slim, metallic blue body that’s touchscreen on the outside, buttons on the inside. It will sell for $199.99 beginning Tue. April 7, and includes a 3.0 megapixel camcorder-capable camera, 3.2-inch screen and full browser.

LG Xenon

The Xenon has a full keypad for text messaging and large touchscreen display with a customizable interface. The 3G phone also has a 2.0 megapixel camera and will be available in three colors: black, blue and red for $99.99 starting Wed. April 8. In an indication of which demographic this phone is intended for, the Xenon is also featured in MTV’s upcoming series “The Phone,” produced by pop darling Justin Timberlake.

LG Neon

The LG Neon is a bargain touchscreen device that is green and white on the outside with a full keyboard, 2.0 megapixel camera and mobile Internet. It will be available in the coming weeks.

Samsung Magnet

The Magnet is a slim orange and black candybar phone intended for teens who message like their lives depend on it. It features a WAP browser and integrated camera and will debut in “coming weeks.”