Inside Nokia Connection 2008

It’s a no-brainer that a company with the corporate slogan “Connecting People” will call its annual mid-year media and trade event in Singapore that launches a whole new array of handsets, mobile devices, and technologies “Nokia Connection.”

And Nokia Connection 2008 was what the spectacularly successful Finnish company used as the springboard for its two new business handsets — the Nokia E66 and E71 — as well as other models, including the N-Series, XpressMusic phones, enhancements, and other technologies and services currently being offered in the market.

This year’s theme is Share More, Experience More and the event, which showcases Nokia services like navigation, music, games, media-sharing, video, e-mail and more, highlights Nokia’s commitment to expanding its offer to include Internet services on mobile devices.

The stylish E66 slider and sleek E71 with full QWERTY keyboard are designed to meet a broad range of personal and professional messaging needs, including Microsoft Exchange, the world’s most widely adopted corporate e-mail solution.

Both handsets are expected to hit the market next month.

“The Nokia E66 and E71 were designed for people who lead a mobile lifestyle and want quick and easy access to their personal and work e-mail. With both of these devices, we have responded to consumer feedback by making calendar and contacts available at the touch of a button,” says Chris Carr, Nokia vice president for sales in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. 

“Equally important, people want well-crafted devices that are as beautiful to use as they are to behold. Stainless steel was chosen as the core material for these devices, giving additional strength and a touch of class. Furthermore, the E66 and E71 offer all the latest multimedia features that people desire,” he adds.

The E66 and E71 come fully equipped for easy-to-install and easy-to-use professional and personal e-mail.

People who use Microsoft Exchange at work can access their e-mail using the Mail for Exchange mobile e-mail client, which comes pre-loaded with the two new E-series devices.

With the E61 and E77, people can get reliable real-time access to their e-mail, calendar, contacts and tasks, as well as download attachments like Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF files directly to their devices.

Both phones support e-mail accounts from more than a thousand Internet service providers around the world, as well as Gmail, Yahoo!, and Hotmail.

Additionally, the E66 and E71 support the Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email solution as well as third-party e-mail solutions like System Seven and Visto Mobile.

Both devices come with the new switch mode that allows people to easily switch between personal and work home screens.

Aside from its sleek stainless steel skin, the centerpiece E71 sports etched graphics and come in two colors: gray steel or white steel. The cool metallic finish is complemented by a bright color display, which showcases the E71’s brilliantly simple user interface.

Designed for one-handed and two-handed use, the E71 pays special attention to ergonomics, as evidenced by its narrow shape and specially designed keypad.

The E66, on the other hand, offers a premium look and feel with its stainless steel accents and smooth sliding design.

Sharing the same key features as the E71, including an enhanced calendar, contacts and customizable home screen modes, the E66 offers unique additions like an orientation sensor that automatically optimizes itself for full-screen viewing or silences the ringer simply by turning the device over.

It is also available in gray steel and white steel versions.

Ovi support

In addition to e-mail and personal information management, the E66 and E71 support the latest Ovi services, including maps, music, and media-sharing that power users expect from a handheld device.

These include fast and seamless browsing with HSDPA, wireless LAN and 3G connectivity, Assisted GPS (A-GPS) and Nokia Maps for navigation, a music player with support for up to 8GB expandable memory and a 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera. 

In addition to serving entrepreneurs and smaller businesses, the E66 and E71 also come fully equipped with a robust suite of enterprise-grade features, including a built-in encryption functionality for both the device memory and for the memory card.

Both handsets also include integrated mobile VPN support that gives mobile professionals access to their company intranet, and device lock and wipe to protect corporate information.

Incorporating underlying technologies that allow IT departments to effectively manage security settings, corporate applications, data and advanced voice features, the E66 and E71 expand the range of Nokia E-Series devices that support enterprise-specific deployment.

Other handsets showcased in Nokia Connection 2008 are the 5320 and 5220 handsets from Nokia’s XpressMusic range of music-oriented phones, as well as the successor to the groundbreaking N95 multimedia phone, the N96.

The 5320 XpressMusic is the first phone to be equipped with Nokia’s innovative new voice-controlled Say and Play feature. Users need only to say the name of a favorite artist or song in the playlist for the phone to automatically play it. 

Another first is the built-in lanyard on the 5220 XpressMusic so you can easily tote the phone anywhere. The 10.5mm-slim candy bar comes alive with rhythmic pulsating lights when music is played.

Both phones feature 2MP cameras, a 2-inch TFT display, dedicated XpressMusic keys, a 3.5-mm audio jack, up to 24 hours of playback time on a single charge, an FM radio, and expandable memory up to 8GB.

The N96 offers a whopping 16GB of onboard memory plus a microSDHC slot for even more storage space. It supports video formats, including MPEG-4, Windows Media Video, and Flash Video, plus you can tune in to mobile TV with the integrated DVB-H receiver.

For added convenience, the Nokia N96 features a “kickstand” on the back cover that allows for hands-free viewing.

Like the N95, the N96 has dedicated media keys, a 3.5-mm headphone connector, an FM radio, and built-in 3D stereo speakers. It also has a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, flash, and video light; its secondary VGA camera is made for video telephony. Connectivity is taken care of by WLAN, GPS, Bluetooth, IR, and USB.

Also announced at the event are a number of Nokia accessories that support the E66 and E71, the Nokia car kit CK-100 and Nokia display car kit CK-600. Both boast convenient handling, simplified installation and software updatability.

The CK-100 features Nokia Talk voice guidance and a remote control, while the CK-600 features a removable color display and a remote control with illuminated keys for active call management.

Nokia also took the wraps off the sleek Nokia Bluetooth headset BH-212 as well as the Nokia mobile holder CR-105 and CR-106, both designed to complement the Nokia E66 and E71, respectively.