NOKIA took the audience at Nokia World down memory lane before announcing the E7, by showing clips of its Communicator 9000 being used in the 1997 movie The Saint.
Indeed a lot has changed since that seminal smartphone was launched in 1996. While the 9000 had a monochrome screen, the latest Communicator sports a large 4in AMOLED touchscreen display with Nokia's latest Clear Black Display (CBD) technology for improved outdoor visibility.
The touchscreen can be tilted up to reveal a full Qwerty keyboard for faster and easier typing.
Touted as the ultimate business smartphone, the E7 comes with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync that provides direct and secure access to corporate e-mail inboxes and other personal applications as well as those that allow users to view and edit Microsoft Office files.
For corporate peace of mind, a combination of business grade security solutions is available, Nokia said.
As expected from a premium class smartphone, there is also the usual host of entertainment and connectivity options thrown in. Examples include an 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, 16GB storage, A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi.
The E7 will have an estimated retail price of 495 euros (about RM2,000), excluding taxes and subsidies.
