Nokia debuts 'touch and type' design with the new X3

MANILA, Philippines - In a move to continue driving innovation in user interface (UI), Nokia unveiled in its hometown of Espoo in Finland this week the super-slim Nokia X3 Touch and Type, a new handset with a unique combination of a touch screen and traditional 12-button phone keypad. 

As Nokia’s first “touch and type” phone, the X3 allows people to tap quickly on the bright color touch screen, as well as enjoy the familiarity of the full keypad for rapid-fire text messages and phone calls.

Slated to be on sale late this third quarter, the Nokia X3 is expected to retail for approximately 125 euros, excluding taxes and subsidies (no local prices yet).

“Innovation is not just a high-end game. The Nokia X3 is a great example of bringing new consumer value to lower price points,” said Mary McDowell, Nokia executive vice president for mobile phones.

“With the Nokia X3 we are giving consumers the best of both worlds by combining a touch screen and a keypad in an affordable device. We have given people a larger screen with clear icons and menus plus kept critical keys such as the send and end keys. We’ve also added dedicated function keys for important links like music and text messaging,” she said.

“We have designed the Nokia X3 to be a touch and type device because typing is ideal for SMS and social networking where fast and frequent input is needed, while touch is ideal for functions such as setting alarms, smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games,” McDowell said.

“Our research tells us consumers who have invested years in becoming fast one-handed, one-thumb texters want to maintain their speedy edge for SMS, chat and instant messaging — yet enjoy the benefits of touch as well,” she added.

With its sleek and modern design coming in at a very thin 9.6mm — making it one of the slimmest Nokia phones ever — the Nokia X3 slips easily into the purse or the pocket, and looks the part with its brushed aluminum back cover which will come in five vibrant colors.

Despite its size, the Nokia X3 is packed with features, including 3G, WLAN, a music player and an FM radio. Lovers of the snapshot and social networks will enjoy a great five-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom that can take both still and video images.

The Nokia X3 also features dedicated music and messaging keys allowing fast access to important Ovi services, including social and entertainment applications. In addition to Ovi Mail, a user’s favorite consumer e-mail and chat accounts can be pushed direct to the phone via Nokia Messaging. 

With the touch screen, people can go online and get access to many services, including thousands of apps from Ovi Store.

In certain markets, the new phone will also be available with Ovi Music Unlimited, enabling the user to access a virtually limitless range of the latest hits that can be stored on the available 16GB memory card.