Nokia Unveils First XpressMusic Phone with a Keyboard

Nokia has just taken the wraps off a trio of smartphones with support for its music store. One of these, the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, will offer both a numberpad and a full keyboard.

This Symbian S60 device has been designed for people who want to use their phone for messaging, music, and games. On its front will be a numberpad, while a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard will slide out of one side. It will also sport dedicated gaming keys.

The 5730's Homescreen will feature an improved contacts bar with up to 20 friends and family members, and provide direct access to music, N-Gage and other applications, like Facebook, Photos, Ovi Contacts, Maps, messaging and more.

The Music shortcut will offer quick access to the music stored on the device as well as to the Nokia Music Store where users can find for information on artists, music and over-the-air downloads.

"Combining a connected digital music player like the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic with unlimited access to millions of tracks via Comes With Music means that in addition to their favorite tracks, music lovers can discover, experiment, and keep the new music they find," said Jo Harlow, Devices, Nokia.

This smartphone will also offer direct access to the N-Gage Arena community, and come preloaded with N-Gage games.

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is expected to begin shipping this month for an estimated retail price of 280 EUR before subsidies and taxes.

Nokia 5330 XpressMusic and Nokia 5030
Nokia also announced two more music-oriented phones.

The company says the Nokia 5330 XpressMusic will be ideal for music and social networking. Keys on the side of the display will provide easier access to music, and the extended battery life will give more than 26 hours of playback. In addition, this smartphone will give users access to sites that specialize in online sharing, including Ovi, Facebook, and MySpace.

The design of this model will include a sliding numberpad for easier dialing, and this will also handle text input. It is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of this year for 160 EUR.

The Nokia 5030 will be a simpler device than the other two, and is expected to be sell for just 40 EUR when it debuts in the second quarter of 2009. It will be based around a built-in FM radio, and will be the company's first phone with an internal FM antenna. Nokia says it is ideal for emerging markets, where people rely on a radio as their main source of entertainment and news.

Source: Nokia