Nokia's Age of Anna - A More Modern Symbian
The Symbian platform is still here to stay with its codenamed Symbian Anna update and two new mobile phones. We dropped by Nokia headquarters yesterday to check these out.
Meet Anna from Nokia
Symbian Anna, one of the many promised updates to come for the Symbian platform, signifies a new start with a new name. And what better than to kick start this significance than with two brand new devices? With the E6 and X7 handsets coming on board, the new Symbian Anna aims to provide a better user experience on the high-end products of the Symbian line. This also includes providing OTA (over-the-air) software updates in Q3 for previous Symbian^3 devices such as the , , and handsets. If you are planning to buy one of these models in the near future, fret not - the new OS update will be available out-of-the-box. So what's the big hoohaa? We shall illustrate our points alongside our hands-on experience with both the E6 and X7.
On the left, we have the entertainment smartphone with a 4-inch AMOLED display, the X7. Externally, it passes off as a flashier-looking cousin of the N8. On the right, we have the business smartphone, the E6. If you are familiar with the earlier E71 and E72 smartphones, the E6 looks almost identical to them.
Off the bat, app icons/shortcuts have been given a facelift on Symbian Anna.
Here's a better look at how the new icons look like on the X7.
Part of Anna's improvements is the inclusion of a virtual QWERTY keyboard for easier and more comfortable typing. Nonetheless, users still have the option to fall back onto the old school alphanumeric keyboard if they need to.
To further streamline the Internet experience on Symbian Anna phones, there have been slight changes made to the built-in browser. Users can now easily make quick changes (say for example, open more windows) from a comprehensive shortcut menu as seen below on both phones.
Refinements to Ovi Maps include improved search, new public transport routes and a 3D view mode.
Nokia X7
 | Key highlights of the Nokia X7
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Grilled speakers!
The X7 comes with a unique way to remove your MicroSD or SIM cards - simply push in the slot cover on one end to dislodge it and easily pry the card out.
We found the metallic brushed back of the X7 rather appealing and in tandem with its tough as nails but stylish exterior. Comes in both black and silver variations.
Nokia E6
 | Key highlights of the Nokia E6
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A seen from above, the Nokia E6 comes with a 2.46-inch VGA touchscreen and the trademark E-series 4-row QWERTY physical keyboard. Gearing towards the business-centric users, the E6, like the E7, comes with F-Secure and USB OTG (On-the-Go) features.
The E6 comes in three colors - the black and silver variations will be available on launch in June; the white version will be released a few weeks later.
Overall, we found our experience on the Symbian Anna a largely positive one. Apart from the welcoming cosmetic changes, the user experience on both phones feels a lot faster, smoother and intuitive as compared to those on the N8 and E7 especially in terms of messaging and general navigation. While we initially question the efficiency of a 680MHz processor in a day and age where a 1GHz processor has become the standard, running games like Angry Birds on the X7 was one experience without any glitches.
With Nokia slowly phasing out the Symbian platform to focus on making Windows Phone 7 smartphones, will these efforts be wasted? We certainly do not think so as there's still quite a while before the Windows based Nokia phones make their appearance.
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