Nokia Surge - AT&T's $80 Symbian S60 phone

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Nokia and AT&T today announced the Nokia Surge, which they're calling a 'socially supercharged smartphone'. It's a Symbian S60 (3.2) phone with a QWERTY keyboard on a horizontal slide with a unique looking design. It features a 2.0 megapixel camera, integrated GPS and includes AT&T's Navigator, Video Share and Mobile Music services. The phone will cost $79.99 ($129.99 before mail in rebate) with a two year contract and will be available in AT&T stores in the next few weeks.

Nokia Surge

Key hardware features of the Nokia Surge

  • Horizontal slide form factor with QWERTY keyboard. Form factor is optimised for messaging capabilities (text, IM and email).
     
  • Dual band HSDPA [3.6 Mbps] (850/1900) and quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900). Also WCDMA (384 kbps up and down) and Edge (multislot class 10).
     
  • Integrated GPS with A-GPS support.
     
  • 2.0 megapixel camera and QVGA video capture
     
  • USB 2.0 (microUSB) for PC connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 (including A2DP and HID profiles), 2.5mm UHJ audio jack.
     
  • 3.82 x 2.8 x 0.61 inches (97 x 55 x 15.5 mm) dimensions, 78.55 cc volume, and 4.38 ounces (121g) weight.
     
  • 2.4 inch QVGA (320 x 240) screen (with auto rotation via accelerometer).
     
  • 1500 mAh battery (BP-4L), charging is via a standard Nokia charger (2mm) - AC-8U is included in the box.

  • 128 MB internal memory, microSD card slot (up to 8GB officially, in practise likely 32 GB)
     
  • Colour variants: black at launch.
     

Key software features of the Nokia Surge

  • Nokia SurgeMessaging services / software include Oz Email 2.8, Oz IM, Mail for Exchange with attachment viewing with Quickoffice and PDF Reader. The device has a dedicated messaging key to give faster access to key messaging software. Nokia acquired Oz Communications last year and its white label messaging services have reasonable penetration in the US market.

  • AT&T services inluding AT&T Navigator, Yellowpages.com, AT&T Music, MobiTV, Video Share, JuiceCaster (upload pictures to social networks), AT&T Mobile Banking. Note the absence of Ovi services - this is a phone that has been fully specified by AT&T.

  • Nokia S60 web browser which offers 'PC-like Internet'.
     
  • Standard Nokia Music player, Real player (video), FM radio applications for multimedia playback.
     
  • Bundled with Asphalt 4, Guitar Hero III, Monopoly and iPlay bowling games.
     

Further information

Here's an extract from the press release:

"Launching at 79.99 USD with a complete email solution, downloadable applications and full HTML browser with Flash support, Nokia Surge hits the sweet spot between a quick messaging phone and a smartphone because of its low-price and strong feature set," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
 
 "Designed in the U.S., this socially charged smartphone comes in a sleek slide form factor that supports social networking and messaging - and all on an open platform," said David Petts, vice president and general manager, AT&T Account, Nokia. "Together with AT&T, we're excited to address the increasing demand for smartphones with a device that's as attractive to the customer as it is to his or her wallet."

 

Nokia Surge