Optimus Prime "rolls out" Nokia X7 in Hong Kong [video]

The phone in Optimus Prime's hand is the Nokia X7, a Symbian "Anna" entertainment-centric smartphone that was just launched in Hong Kong yesterday, in a press conference that also featured Starscream. But that wasn't the best part: the two Transformers did what they do best on stage (see for yourself).

(Translation: The M.C. begins by asking the two Transformers to say 'hi' to the crowd but acknowledges that they can't actually speak. He then refers to them by their Chinese names and hints that they are on stage for a special mission. First, he asks them to battle, and then he asks them to transform.)

Now, Nokia did not randomly feature live cartoon robots (technically adults dressed up as robots) in press conferences just to distract journalists from a phone with less than stellar specs.

Nokia was in the first Transformer movie after all (remember Nokia-bot?) and is now dovetailing on the upcoming sequel to help move some X7s out the door. According to MIC Gadgets, Hong Kong customers of the X7 will get a free movie ticket to Transformers: Dark of the Moon with every purchase of an X7, plus a copy of the movie trailer is already preloaded onto every phone.

The cross-promotion makes sense for the X7 as it is supposed to be a multimedia powerhouse, with a 8 mega-pixel rear camera with HD capability at 720p resolution with dual LED-flash, a camorder that can record at 720p at 25 fps, a 4" AMOLED capacitive touchscreen (albeit with only 640 x 360 pixels), stereo speakers and a SD card slot for up to a 32 GB card. Unfortunately, its 680MHz processor, Broadcom BCM2727 GPU and 350 MB of internal memory means it may not handle the latest games as smoothly or as quickly. It's a shame that the X7 is lacking some of the latest technologies because it does some things right: automatically switches from GSM to WCDMA network, enables tethering, recognizes a stylus, has built-in Ovi maps, a good camera for a phone and looks great, but is just too late to market.

Sadly, this Optimus Prime-endorsed X7 is only available in Asia and Europe with no plans for a North American release. (Engadget reported earlier this year that AT&T had plans to offer this phone to U.S. customers but Nokia opted out at the last minute.) It retails for $3,998 in Hong Kong, which is approximately $513 USD.

[Source: MIC Gadgets, Engadget, Nokia]