AT&T Launches QWERTY-Carrying Nokia E71x Smartphone

AT&T has launched Nokia's E71x smartphone, offering assisted GPS, QWERTY keypad, a 2.4-inch screen, 3.2 megapixel camera...for $99.

Nokia might finally be deciding to make a stronger push in the U.S. smartphone market: AT&T has launched the Nokia E71x smartphone, offering a sleek design, a QWERTY keyboard, assisted GPS and an integrated camera for just $99 with a two-year contract.

The E71x runs Symbian S60 3.2, and sports a 2.4-inch 320 by 240-pixel display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, assisted GPS, and both EDGE and 3G data capabilities—the phone can also tap into Wi-Fi networks, and also integrates with corporate email systems from IBM and Microsoft. The E71x can also handle media, including audio (MP3, WMA, AAC, and more), video (MP4, H.263, MPEG-4, etc.), and comes with a full HTML Web browser—and, unlike the iPhone, the E71x comes with Flash Lite, so it can handle some Web-based Flash content. The E71x can also top into XM RAdio and AT&T mobile video services; users can also access AT&T’s branded turn-by-turn navigation service for directions and mapping information. The E71x has 120 MB of onboard memory and a microSD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and Stereo A2DP.

The E71x may be the start of a new smartphone push for Nokia in the United States market: although Nokia smartphones and Internet-enabled devices are available in the U.S., Nokia has largely been offering the devices directly to consumers without going through a carrier partner…which means they routinely sell for over $500. Although Nokia is the world’s largest handset maker, this strategy has put it distinctly behind the likes of Apple and RIM in the U.S. smartphone market. The E71x—marketed with partner AT&T—may be the start of a new push by Nokia to target smartphone products directly at the U.S. marketplace.