Nokia Announces E6 and X7 Symbian Smartphones

Nokia unveiled two new smartphones today, the Nokia E6 and the Nokia X7, both of which will feature the newly updated Symbian operating system.

The Nokia E6 is going to be a business-oriented device, following in the footsteps of the Nokia E71 and E72. Featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, the E6 will have a 2.46-inch capacitive Touchscreen and a host of standard smartphone features, including 8GB of storage, GPS, accelerometer, front- and rear-facing cameras, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

In sharp contrast, the Nokia X7 has been designed for gaming and entertainment, and it will provide users with a large, 4-inch display. Other features will include an 8-megapixel camera, hot-swappable microSD card slot (expandable up to 32 GB), and a dedicated graphics processor with OpenGL 2.0. Like the E6, it is also going to include an accelerometer, GPS, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

A New OS, Too
The new version of Symbian, codenamed "Anna", includes a number of usability enhancements, including new icons, improved text input, faster web browsing, and a revamped Ovi Maps application, according to a press release from Nokia. Business users especially will benefit from the Symbian Anna upgrade, which will also feature "true enterprise grade security with hardware accelerated encryption," as well as new e-mail features like full meeting request support.

The Nokia E6 and X7 aren't the only smartphones to boast the newest version of Symbian, however. in the coming months, newly shipping Nokia N8, E7, C7, and C6-01 smartphones will all have the Symbian Anne pre-installed, and customers who already have any of the aforementioned devices will also be able to download the update.

Nokia did not reveal exactly when the newly-announced E6 and E7 are going to be available.