Nokia World 2010: Hands-on with the E7 business smartphone

Nokia kicked off Nokia World this morning and then opened up the Innovations Lounge for attendees the chance to get some hands-on wit the latest Nokia devices. The one that probably most interests people here on ZDNet is the E7 Symbian^3 device. The device definitely is a beautiful piece of hardware that should appeal to the Nokia business user, but will probably have the same limited impact as other Nokia devices here in the U.S.

Specifications of the Nokia E7 include:

• Symbian^3 operating system
• Penta-band 3G data radio (AT&T and T-Mobile USA supported)
• 4 inch AMOLED display at 640 x 360 pixels resolution
• Full QWERTY keyboard
• 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
• Front facing VGA camera for video calling
• 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• Bluetooth 3.0
• HDMI port
• USB-to-go port
• FM radio
• 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery
• Aluminum body in dark grey, silver white, and blue. I saw a green one too.
• Dimensions of 4.87 x 2.44 x 0.51 inches and 6.21 ounces

I pre-ordered a Nokia N8 and after seeing the E7 announcement was thinking I would cancel it and hold out for the E7. However, the E7 doesn't have that great camera found on the N8 and is larger with the 4 inch display and QWERTY keyboard. It is still reasonably sized for a device with these features and capabilities, but it is not a small device. I have pretty much moved on from needing a hardware QWERTY keyboard and with keyboards like Swype I am not sure they are a necessary as they once were. Then again, many people still like physical keyboards and this looks to be a fine one with good key spacing and tactile feedback.

Who knows, I may end up with both the N8 and E7 when they are released. I was hoping to see more about MeeGo and the rumored N9, but that is not going to happen at Nokia World. I still plan to check out the Quickoffice application, Exchange email, and other business capabilities of the E7 over the next day.