Earlier on Nokia has announced its Anna software roll out to first generation Symbian^3 devices but only to be pulled out from Malaysia. Nokia Malaysia claims that Anna isn’t ready for Malaysia as we are supposed to be getting the localised version of the update.

Now Nokia Malaysia has announced that it is officially available for the Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01 and Nokia E7. However a check at Nokia Malaysia’s Anna page revealed that Nokia N8 is labeled as coming soon. Most people have also feedback that they can’t enable split-screen messaging, a new feature which lets you do keyword input while still staying on the original screen. Unfortunately even with this new announcement, split-screen isn’t available for users in Malaysia/Singapore. Instead they will be releasing this feature in the next Anna software ugprade.

To get to know the features, head after the break for Anna introduction video.

UPDATE: Nokia Malaysia has announced that Anna update for first generation Symbian^3 devices isn’t officially ready for Malaysia and some users may experience issues upgrading. For those who managed to upgrade to Anna, it’s confirmed that we won’t be having keyword split-view as some countries we’re exempted for now. However they have confirmed to be working towards having it available at all countries in the next update. Anna updates for Malaysia will be published here but so far no dates were given.

Nokia has announced that Symbian Anna is now rolling out to first generation Symbian^3 devices. This includes Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01 and the Nokia E7.

To download the update, you can do it via Ovi Suite through a computer or you can download OTA through SW Update on the device. The first software update to Anna takes about 25MB to download. After completion, there are 2 more Anna updates about 58MB to bring it up to the latest version.

So what’s new with Anna? Apart from the rounded icons which is the interface design for Nokia right now, it brings a host of improvements in usability. The first obvious improvement is the availability of full QWERTY keyboard on portrait mode. Previously you only get T9 keyboard in portrait and full QWERTY is only available in landscape mode. Although this is good, some time is needed to get used to it as the keys are tiny while the Backspace button is placed at the bottom right, instead of the top. Another improvement is the availability of having split screen which we can’t seem to find right now. This lets you see the original contents of the page while typing instead of having the full screen taken over for input.

Browser seems to be improved as it is slightly smoother than before. The navigation and menus look better. For business users they have added meeting request support and couple of encryption enhancements. For the full list of enhancements, you can read the previous post or head to Nokia Conversation Blog here.

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When Nokia announced their new Nokia E6 business phone and Nokia X7 entertainment device, they have also revealed Symbian Anna which was formerly known as PR2 update for Symbian^3. The new Symbian Anna comes with a number of key enhancements as follow:

• New icons, appear more rounded
• Improved touch screen keyboard for better typing and QWERTY in potrait mode
• Improved Ovi maps with check-in support for Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare
• Improved Ovi store with increased download limit for WLAN
• Improved Social app
• Enhanced Browser with touch UI improvements and URL bar. Responsiveness and navigations are improved

Nokia has mentioned that Symbian Anna will be available for existing Symbian^3 devices such as Nokia N8, C6-01, Nokia E7 and C7 in the coming months but no dates were given.

For more information, head to Nokia’s Conversation blog here.

Check out more screenshots and introductory video of Symbian Anna after the break

Nokia has recently launched 2 new devices, the Nokia E6 and the Nokia X7. The E6 is fresh new upgrade of its popular QWERTY candy bar model of its Nokia E5/E72 siblings which now comes with a touch screen. The other device, the Nokia X7 is an entertainment skewed smart phone which comes with toughen glass and seamless stainless steel body.

Nokia E6

While BlackBerry is expected to release its BlackBerry Bold Touch, Nokia has delivered its own version of a touch screen QWERTY phone much earlier. While typing on a QWERTY keyboard is preferred choice for text and email savvy users, a touch screen makes it more easier to navigate through apps and menus.

The hardware has been vastly improved with the screen being a capacitive 2.46″ LCD display that produces 16 Million colours at 640×480 resolution. Not sure if it uses Gorilla glass but the screen is said to be toughen for better durability.

For storage it comes with 8GB of memory which is expandable via MicroSD card up to 32GB. As usual, it comes with the bare connectivity necessities such as WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. For the shutterbugs, the E6 has a 8MP camera with dual LED assist flash. For extended multimedia usage, the E6 also supports USB on the Go, HD 720p recording and AV-out.

For extended usage, the E6 claims to have a month standby time and 14 hours talktime which is quite unheard of for a smart phones. The long battery life is powered by its BP-4L 1500mAh battery. Most notably, this device runs on the latest Symbian Anna OS which comes with a variety of business related apps and tools.

The E6 is expected to be made available in Q2 2011 at €340 (around RM1487) before tax and subsidies.

Nokia X7

The next device, the Nokia X7 dubbed the extreme entertainment device looks like a music oriented N8 from its apperance. It features a large 4″ AMOLED display with 640×480 nHD resolution under a toughen glass for durability. Just like the new E6, it also runs on Symbian Anna.

It features a 8MP camera with dual LED assisted flash which is capable of shooting 720p HD videos. In terms of storage, it has rather small 350MB in built storage but comes pre-installed with a 8GB microSD card which can expand up to 32GB. At 146g, the X7 is slightly heavier than the N8′s 135g.

Despite having a larger screen and having a entertainment label on it, the X7 battery is only 1200mAh. It wasn’t mentioned if the battery is removable but this is most likely the case just like the N8. The Nokia X7 is expected to be made available also in Q2 2011 with an estimated price tag of €380 (around RM1663) before tax and subsidies.

Press Release

Nokia strengthens smartphone portfolio with two new products and a renewed user experience

Nokia E6 extends business mobility range and Nokia X7 introduces a new entertainment device for mobile gamers, both using the latest update of Symbian software

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Nokia today announced the Nokia E6 and the Nokia X7, two new smartphones aimed at business people and entertainment enthusiasts respectively. The two devices are the first Nokia smartphones to contain the updated Symbian software, with new icons and usability enhancements such as improved text input, a faster browser and refreshed Ovi Maps.

“We are further strengthening Nokia’s smartphone portfolio with these two new devices, both of which offer a more beautiful and intuitive user experience that will soon also be available for the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01,” said Jo Harlow, head of Nokia’s Smart Devices business. “With these new products and more Symbian devices and user enhancements coming in the near future, we are confident we can keep existing Nokia smartphone customers engaged, as well as attract new first-time and competitor smartphone users.”

Following on from Nokia’s highly successful Nokia E71 and Nokia E72 devices, the Nokia E6 is a sleek business smartphone with a full QWERTY keypad and a high resolution touch display. Designed using premium materials such as glass and stainless steel, the device comes in a compact size that makes it easy to use with either one hand or two. The Nokia E6 offers exceptional battery life and the best out-of-the-box Microsoft messaging experience on a business smartphone, including access to Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Communicator Mobile and Microsoft SharePoint.

The Nokia X7 is an entertainment-focused smartphone with a large 4” display ideal for gaming, and an 8 Megapixel camera for capturing pictures and HD-quality video. A distinctively designed device, the Nokia X7 is made from a combination of seamless stainless steel and glass – delivering a solid and durable feel in the hand. The Nokia X7 comes preloaded with the popular Galaxy on Fire HD and Asphalt 5 HD games.

The Nokia E6 and Nokia X7 are also the first smartphones to contain the complete update of the Symbian software user experience[1]. This update offers a host of usability enhancements, including fresh, new icons, improved text input, a faster internet browsing experience and a refreshed Ovi Maps application with improved search and new public transport routes. The renewed software also offers a strong set of new features aimed at business users in particular, including true enterprise grade security with hardware accelerated encryption, and new e-mail features such as full meeting request support.

In coming months the software update, which is nick-named Symbian Anna, will also be available as standard on newly shipping Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01 devices, as well as available to download on previously purchased models of those same smartphones.

For developers, Symbian Anna greatly enhances the user experience on Nokia smartphones and makes the Qt business opportunity with Nokia even greater. Read more at: http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/nokia-developer-news/

For more details on the Nokia X7 and Nokia E6, please visit: http://events.nokia.com/discover-symbian

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