After missing the holiday season, Nokia announced today that it has finally started shipping its E7 smartphone to a4Aselect marketsa4 this week.
The company delayed the E7 in December, following the launch of its N8 smartphone, which also faced delays of its own.
So now Nokia finally has two flagship smartphones on the market &8212' although at this point, I think the company probably isna4a4t expecting much from the E7. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is set to unveil his grand new strategy for the company on February 11, and if I were a betting man I would say that Symbian &8212' which basically ruined the N8 for me &8212' wona4a4t play a huge role in the future.
Hardware-wise, the E7 features a slide-out keyboard, as well as some key differences from the touchscreen-only N8. Unlike the N8a4a4s powerful 12 megapixel camera, the E7 only has an 8 megapixel shooter. But the E7 also sports a larger 4-inch screen, so that camera resolution loss may be worth it in the end.
Elop is expected to boot several executives from the company during his strategy unveiling later this week &8212' something that makes me think wea4a4ll see a newly rejuvenated Nokia this year. The company desperately needs some sort of good news soon, especially since its X7 phone for AT&038'T was just cancelled.
I got to fondle an E7 during the Consumer Electronics Show last month, and ita4a4s certainly a handsome piece of machinery. But once I started using it, I was reminded of just how archaic Symbian seems compared to modern operating systems like the iPhone OS or Android. The E7a4a4s biggest selling point at the moment is its keyboard, which is one of the best Ia4a4ve ever handled. If only Nokia could deliver the software its hardware deserves.
Next Story: Verizon iPhone teardown reveals chipset for use on AT&038'T Previous Story: Don&'t miss The Cleantech VC Pitch on February 9
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Companies: nokia
People: Stephen Elop
Companies: nokia
People: Stephen Elop
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
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