New York — Nokia and Research In Motion (RIM) are promoting brains and a slender body in launching new smartphones for AT&T’s cellular network.
The Nokia E71x, dubbed the thinnest smartphone in the U.S. with a depth of 0.39 inches, became available
today through AT&T-owned stores and the carrier’s Web site at $99 after $50 rebate and two-year contract. The 3G device, based on the Symbian S60 v3.2 OS, comes with hard QWERTY keyboard, making it the first keyboard-equipped Nokia phone available through a U.S. carrier in about 2.5 years, although the company also offers keyboard-equipped phones on an unlocked basis in the U.S., Nokia told TWICE.
The 850/1900MHz HSDPA phone with quadband also features Wi-Fi, music player, 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera and compatibility with AT&T’s Navigator GPS service.
For its part, RIM is touting its BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone as its thinnest full-QWERTY smartphone yet at 0.53 inches in depth. The quadband EGDE device, available only through AT&T-owned stores and the carrier’s Web site in early summer, will be AT&T’s first Curve with both Wi-Fi and GPS, complementing the GPS-equipped Curve 8310 and Wi-Fi-equipped Curve 8320. Pricing wasn’t
announced, but the device will be sold with free Wi-Fi access at AT&T’s more-than-20,000 hot spots. Other BlackBerry smartphones offering free AT&T hot spot access are the BlackBerry Bold, Curve 8320, Pearl 8120 and BlackBerry 8820.
Other enhancements over the other Curves include faster 512MHz processor. Other features include Wi-Fi 802.11 b and g, 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and image stabilization, and MicroSD/SDHC memory card slot supporting cards up to 16GB. RIM expects the Curve 8900 to support planned 32GB MicroSD/SDHC cards .A removable/rechargeable battery provides a talktime of 5.5 hours or about 15 days of standby time. Onboard GPS supports location-based applications and AT&T’s Navigator service.
