We’ve already read some stuff about the upcoming Nokia E6, a full qwert Symbian^3 Touch and Type device.
Nokia has announced their last Touch And Type devices at the Nokia World 2010, but only for the S40-Platform.
The pictured device features the standard-Symbian^3 specs, 680Mhz ARM11, 256MB-Ram, roughly 350 MB free C-space, USB-On-The-Go, TV-Out (no HDMI).
What differs from the already known devices (C6-01, C7, N8, E7) but fits in the rumors of the E6 is the 640×480 portrait (capacitive) touchscreen.
What differentiates this one from the E6?
- It has less internal memory.
Exactly 0, expect for the already mentioned C-space and the Micro-SD-Card (2GB are in the box). - It has no camera!
Yes, I know, that sounds very unlikely. But it is part of the positioning of this phone. And in my opinion a great differentiator! - It is cheap!
The price is very close to the E5-00, which was introduced at 239€ (incl. VAT). So it will be the cheapest Symbian^3 device out there.
Why on earth no camera and what is this at the back?
The white thing at the back is an LED. Without a camera it’s only use is as flash light. This feature is very handy and it was cheaper to just let the LED in there instead of altering the design. To reach this very low price point, the model uses as much as possible from it’s predecessor, including the back cover.
The black thing is a dedicated barcode reader (1D&2D, b/w). The resolution is less than 0.04 MP and the API is dummed down so that it cannot be used to take pictures. That was necessary to get the ISO security certification so that can be used in places where no cameras are allowed.
The last point is vital for the E5-01s audience. There are millions of people who are not allowed to carry cameras where they work (think about research facilities, plants, military personal, private security, etc…). They have now (or in the near future) the chance to get a smartphone.
One other audience would be people who just don’t care to have a camera and prefer a cheaper handset.
What do you think, could this concept work out?