The Nokia C7 smartphone is now shipping to customers around the world, Nokia
announced Oct. 11—the same day Microsoft
launched its Windows Phone 7 on five new handsets. Following the Nokia N8,
the C7 is the second smartphone to run the Symbian 3 operating system and is
one of four new phones with which Nokia, much like Microsoft, is looking to
regain lost market share.
The slim glass-and-stainless-steel C7 measures 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.4 inches and
features a 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touch display. It comes with free driving
and walking navigation, thanks to Ovi Maps—which can additionally point out
nearby restaurants and area landmarks—and support for a variety of email and
messaging solutions. It has an 8-megapixel camera with HD video, an HTML
browser with Flash Lite 4.0 support, 8GB of internal memory and a microSD card
slot that can support up to 32GB more.
A full-touch glass display allows users, with a single click, to launch
email, networking apps, games or the Ovi Store, which features a new design
that first shipped on the N8.
“Designed specifically with the style-conscious consumer in mind, the Nokia
C7. . .brings excellent social networking abilities, making it perfect for
people who want to check-in and stay up to date,” Jo Harlow, head of
smartphones at Nokia, said in an Oct. 11 statement.
Nokia—looking to emphasize what a fit the C7 is for the social networking inclined—
kicked off a contest, in its Oct. 11 announcement, to find the most active
Facebook user from among its 1.4 million fans.
“Nokia will. . .pick five finalists who will each be provided with a Nokia
C7 to organize a party using various social networks,” Nokia explained in the
statement. “The fan who best captures their party through Facebook—generating
the most coverage with updates and posts—will win a Nokia C7 for themselves and
20 of their friends.”
Not a bad haul, considering the C7 carries an estimated retail price of 335
euro, or approximately $465—though Nokia says pricing will vary between regions
and operators.
For
a look at the newest Nokia smartphones, click here.
Nokia introduced
the C7, along with the N8, C6 and E7 smartphones at its Nokia World 2010
conference, in London, Sept. 14. Niklas Savander, Nokia’s executive vice
president, said during the event’s kick-off address that the company wouldn’t
apologize for not being “Apple or Google or Samsung or anybody else,” but that
Nokia has gone through a challenging transition and is now ready to regain its
leadership role.
While Nokia leads the worldwide market in unit shipments, in recent quarters
it has lost market share, particularly in the high-end smartphone space, to
Android-running smartphones, as well as to RIM BlackBerry handsets and the
Apple iPhone.
“Today we shift into high gear in Nokia’s fight back in smartphone
leadership,” Savander said.
The E7 slider phone, which will feature a 4-inch touch
display, a four-row QWERTY keypad and business-grade security solutions, and
the smaller and more consumer-geared C6, with its 3.2-inch full-touch display,
have yet to begin shipping.
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