14 DAY TRIAL // Among the mobile phones that Nokia should launch on the market during the ongoing year with Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system on board, we should expect for a QWERTY-enabled device, some of the latest reports on the matter suggested.
Apparently, the mobile phone maker is set to bring to shelves a handset sporting a full physical keyboard in an attempt to rival RIM's BlackBerry devices in the business segment.
The Finnish handset vendor confirmed a while ago that it would aim at bringing to the market several Windows Phones during the ongoing year, but did not offer specific info on what these devices will be all about.
However, a recent article on shinyshiny.tv (via WMPoweruser) notes that a Nokia representative confirmed the company's intent to launch a QWERTY device among the first set of Windows Phone handsets that would be released in 2011.
The mobile phone should arrive on the market sometime during the fourth quarter of the ongoing year, but specific details on when that might happen lack at the moment.
Nokia's Windows Phones should also pack a series of specific services the company already offers to its Symbian users.
These services will be brought to Microsoft's OS as part of the agreement the two giants signed back in February, and will be present on handsets coming from other manufacturers as well.
Nokia is also expected to pack is handsets with specific applications and features, along with interface changes, which will differentiate them from other Windows Phones.
As for availability, some of the latest reports on the matter suggested that Nokia might launch its Windows Phones in six European markets in the beginning, including the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy.
What remains to be seen is the number of handsets Nokia will release with Microsoft's OS on board, and what form factors they might sport. The QWERTY-enabled device might be a slider, the same as the Nokia E7, although nothing is confirmed on this for the time being.