Last August, Microsoft and Nokia teamed up to bring Microsoft Office functionality to Nokia’s smartphone lineup. The first fruits of this joint venture have come in the form of the newly announced Microsoft Communicator Mobile. Just as the name implies, Communicator Mobile will improve the peer-to-peer communication within Nokia’s Symbian-powered handsets by allowing users to view a colleague’s current status, check their availability on a certain date, and launch an IM session, send a text, or write an email from within the contact card. The mobile communications client will be available initially from the Ovi Store for Nokia’s E71 and E72 handsets, while future E-Series handsets will ship with Communicator Mobile pre-installed.

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Another year, and even more devices, products, and services to look forward to. Things will be smaller, more advanced, faster, and some new markets might even be defined, but for now, check out the top 10 posts of 2009 (by traffic):

1. Motorola DROID hands on

2. BlackBerry vs. iPhone 3G: yeah, we definitely went there

3. Android 2.0 screenshot walkthrough

4. BlackBerry 9700 Review: Part 1

5. Nokia E71 Review

6. BlackBerry Curve 8900 hands on

7. Palm Pre Review: Part 1

8. T-Mobile’s Walmart roadmap: the wrap up

9. BlackBerry Tour hitting Verizon Wireless in July?

10. Motorola Calgary live photos: Verizon’s second Motorola Android device

Thanks to all our readers, connects, ninjas, and writers!

UPDATE: The above posts are listed by traffic, even if they weren’t published in 2009. Since most people expected just 2009-published articles, we’ve listed those after the break.>

1. Motorola DROID hands on

2. Android 2.0 screenshot walkthrough

3. BlackBerry 9700 Review: Part 1

4. Exclusive Apple iPhone 3.0 screenshots leak out

5.BlackBerry Tour Review: Part 2

6. Palm Pre Review: Part 1

7. T-Mobile’s Walmart roadmap: the wrap up

8. BlackBerry Tour hitting Verizon Wireless in July?

9. Motorola Calgary live photos: Verizon’s second Motorola Android device

10. A handful of FireFox tweaks that will double your browser speed

With employee HSPA training well under way, one of our TELUS connects hit us up late last night to let us know just what smartphone hungry Canadians can expect once its HSPA network overlay goes live next month. Apart from the obvious ones – iPhone 3G and 3GS — TELUS will be dishing out the BlackBerry Bold 9700, LG Chocolate BL40 and the Nokia E71 (odd, we know). Road warriors should also note that TELUS will be offering the Sierra Wireless 306 USB data stick which is capable of taking full advantage of TELUS’ 21Mbps HSPA network. Okay, fine, rumors about many of these devices coming to TELUS aren’t exactly new, but we’re the first to be able to confirm this 100%. Just one more thing…. We’ve been told that the HTC Hero is definitely in TELUS’ play book and it’s going to be the GSM/HSPA variant.

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Apparently Nokia’s online sale last week was pretty effective because the Finnish manufacturer has decided to give it another go. This time around the sale is good at both Nokia Flagship Stores — in New York and Chicago — and online as well for those who don’t live near a shop. Here’s how this one shapes up:

• 5800            $280.00
• E63              $195.00
• E66              $275.00
• E71              $285.00
• E75              $380.00
• N79              $260.00
• N85              $330.00
• N95 8G         $355.00
• N96              $440.00

Not bad at all, Nokia. As you can see, some of the prices are even better than last week’s deal and all fall into range off the 30-50 percent off. So when can you get your Symbian fix on the cheap? Thursday, June 25th in New York City from 11am-4pm local time (Eastern) and in Chicago from 10am-3pm local time (Central). The sale will also be going down in the same time slot on nokiausa.com. Anyone eyeing some new kit?

Do you have a burning desire for a new Symbian smartphone but an even deeper burning desire to save money? How does 15 – 50 percent off select shiny new Nokia handsets sound? For only three hours starting at 9pm Central/10pm Eastern, here’s what you’re looking at:

• N97 – $594
• E75 – $265
• E71 – $295
• 5800 XpressMusic – $299
• N85 – $320
• N95 8GB – $378
• E63 – $167
• E66 – $245
• N79 – $279

While a few of those price points might still be a bit steep, we’re generally looking at some solid deals on these brand new, unlocked, warrantied handsets. Anyone eying one of these bad boys and planning to pounce tonight?

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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Okay, so one of our Fido ninjas hit us up with some exclusive snaps of what is reportedly the entire roadmap for the rest of 2009. We’re very far away from being able to confirm this information — it actually made us pop about 50 antacid tablets — but we’re going to do our jobs as best we can and report the goods. So here we go…

The most notable slide has to do with a 4GB iPhone 3G. While there is a huge disclaimer that the image isn’t the device itself, the slide depicts a 4GB iPhone model that will run for $99 and come with quad-band EDGE, tri-band HSDPA, a 2 megapixel shooter and, believe it or not, iChat video calling (oh hi, front-facing camera). You might recall all of that talk of a $99 iPhone at Walmart that we brought you a while ago — it looks like the timing was a bit off but it may actually happen. Moving on to the other handsets, we have the BlackBerry Curve 8320 for $50, Nokia E71 for $50 and Nokia E55 for $25, Sony Ericsson Z780i for $75 and a bunch of low-end goodness at great prices.

So, what do you think? Is this real, or is it like that total BS Rogers roadmap we saw at Christmas? Hit the jump for the rest of the slides and sound off in the comments.

If you’ve been itching for some new Nokia gear lately and live within driving distance of one of Nokia’s US Flagship stores, you might be in for a treat this weekend. Nokia sent out a bulk email yesterday evening alerting customers to some pretty big happenings over this coming weekend, May16th and May 17th. Deals include 25 percent off of all accessories, $100 off the sexy new E75 in black and 20 percent off all handsets currently in stock (excluding current clearance and Vertu) which pushes both the 5800 XpressMusic and E71 under the $300 mark. Also, and as is the case with online pre-orders, anyone who slaps some cash down to score an N97 as soon as it’s released will get a free BH-804 Bluetooth headset delivered with his or her new Nseries. All in all, it’s a pretty big deal that brings several prices down to “shady importer” territory. If you don’t live in the New York or Chicago areas, well, say hi to the shady importers for us. Hit the jump for the full text from Nokia’s email blast.

Thanks, John!

Good Afternoon!

Wanted to let you know about our Semi-Annual Sale and some awesome deals going on at the Nokia Flagship Stores both in Chicago and New York City. Right off the bat, ALL accessories and service packs are 25% off. What’s this mean? Nokia’s slimmest Bluetooth headset BH-804 is no longer $99.99 but rather it’s $79.99! You can also get a handsfree speakerphone for your car like the HF-200 or any other accessory you’ve wanted to buy.

We’ve also taken $100 off the NEW NOKIA E75!! That’s right, it’s now $429 for this stylish side-slide qwerty (currently available in black)! We’re also taking 20% off all devices in stock that are not already on clearance (and not Vertu). These include the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (now under $300) and Nokia E63 (under $225) as well as WIRED’s “2008 Test Best” for Cell phones – the Nokia E71 (now under $290)!!

This two-day sale starts Saturday, May 16 at 10:00 am and ends Sunday May 17 at 6:00 pm and is valid only on current stocks (no rain checks).

One more thing – Anyone who preorders a Nokia N97 on these days (May 16 and May 17) will be given a free Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804.

(Quantity restrictions apply, Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804 will be given to consumer when they receive their Nokia N97, not at time of purchase.)

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It looks like we’re not the only ones excited to see a desirable Symbian handset finally land on AT&T. Amazon.com is so excited in fact, it’s basically giving the phone away. AT&T’s slender new smartphone isn’t even a day old and it can already be had for the low, low price of 1¢. Seriously, just a penny — with free activation and free shipping! Of course the deal requires a 2-year contract but for Symbian fans, two years should be perfect. If the amount of time it took the company to launch the E71x is any indication, AT&T should just be releasing the N97 by the time your new contract is up. Those of you who have been begging for the E71x ever since we first scooped it back in November have probably already pulled the trigger at AT&T’s $99 price point, but no worries. $100 is hardly a tall order for the thinnest QWERTY smartphone in the world — plus FP2 bragging rights over your unlocked E71-carrying friends.

Thanks, Balki Bartokomous!

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If this wasn’t from one of our normal ninjas we probably wouldn’t publish it, but since it is, here we go… We’ve been told that there’s a “swiveling E71-type handset” that’s going to be launched on Verizon around the July/August time-frame. Yes, a swiveling QWERTY Nokia phone. Before you get too excited, we’ve been informed the OS it will be running will be S40 and not S60. Major buzzkill, huh? The image above is a mockup our guy sent us based on first hand impressions.

Thanks, Daddy G.!

Nokia made an interesting showing at CTIA this year, opting to focus almost entirely on apps and services rather than hardware. Ovi this, share that, social this, messaging that… Fair enough. A solid portfolio of value adds and supporting services is essential for the company as it continues its efforts to make the “Internet Company” branding stick, but we’ve yet to see Nokia enter the leader phase in this space. Nope, it’s still a game of catch up for the time being so for now we’re a bit more interested in what Nokia does best — handsets. Nothing that hadn’t been previously announced made a showing at the Nokia booth this year; in fact the company’s newest handset is the E71x that we scooped way back in November. It’s finally here though and it’s cheaper than we expected which definitely isn’t a bad thing. So with that, feast your eyes on the E71x after the jump, along with its relatively new unlocked brother-in-law the E75. More on Nokia to come.

E71x:

E75:

Did you read Friday’s news about the E71x and think to yourself, this is just too good to be true? Well, it looks like you might be right. We have good news and bad news regarding the impending arrival of Nokia’s slim smartphone — which do you want first? Ok, the bad news: It appears as though the release of AT&T’s E71 has been delayed, possibly by as many as eight weeks or even longer. We’re hearing some last minute issues arose and the unit will require a new firmware build before AT&T will release it. The specific problems are a bit unclear at this point but we’re told they relate to email/Mail for Exchange syncing. Ouch. If this info pans out, and we have no reason to doubt our ninja, this would put the release some time around late May at best. Now for the good news: Nokia is apparently pushing hard for a $149.99 price point (after $50 MIR) and it looks like it might actually happen. Woo! Ok, so the good news doesn’t exactly outweigh the bad but if the E71x hits shelves at $150 it could definitely make a splash — as long as it’s released before 2015, that is. One last note as many posted this question in the comments section of Friday’s post: the E71x will be considered a smartphone/PDA and as such, the $30 data plan will be a requirement. Look on the bright side, at least you’re not paying $45 for BES.

Thanks, iBold!

What’s better than a picture of a sexy black Nokia E71x headed to AT&T this month? A picture of four sexy black Nokia E71x’s headed to AT&T this month, of course. Since we scooped it like grandma’s mashed potatoes back in November, S60 fans have been clamoring for the AT&T-branded E71 and the wait is almost over. Units are currently arriving at AT&T stores across the country and one of our ninjas managed to wrangle up a flock of them fresh off the truck for a photo shoot that would make Sports Illustrated proud. In terms of release details, everything is apparently still on track for a March 24th release — as in, next Tuesday — and pricing looks to be set at $199.99 after rebate; not bad for what is undoubtedly still one of the slimmest, sexiest QWERTY smartphones around, despite its age. Better late than never, right? Hit the jump for more pics including a handful of comparison shots with an iPhone 3G.

Thanks, iBold!

AT&T customers, it looks like you’re in for quite a few sexy new phones over the next few months if this new report ends up panning out. Here’s what we’re looking at according to a report from the boys over at Engadget Mobile:

• Nokia Piranha, March 24th – Internal codename, a “thin smartphone with a touchscreen”. If true, it will have to be the 5800 XpressMusic we imagine, but we find it highly unlikely. The other, more likely possibility: The tipster is confused and it’s the E71x which will reportedly follow at Best Buy on April 1st.
• Samsung Propel Pro, March 19th
• Samsung Impression, March 26th – Touchscreen slider, 3 megapixel camera
• LG Xenon, April 9th
• LG Neon, May 9th
• Samsung “BJ 2″, May 9th – Possibly the Blackjack 3, though that codename is extremely odd considering the existence of the already-available Blackjack 2.
• Sony Ericsson C905, June 9th

See anything you like?

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Rumored to be a portion of a stock sheet from Best Buy a “major national retailer”, this image above is reportedly reveals the release dates of a variety of upcoming handsets. No, there’s nothing too exciting there but if the source is reliable it does indeed fill in a few question marks that have been looming — namely the E71x release date. So let’s have a look… Starting with AT&T, the document lists both the Samsung i627 “Jackfrost” and blue Samsung A767 “Propel” as becoming available on March 29th. Next up is the Nokia E71x, listed as “E71 Charcoal”, finally arriving on April 1st and the LG Xenon, which was apparently delayed so long it’s now called “Zenon”, arriving on April 10th. Moving along to Verizon, it looks like the Nokia 7205 Intrigue will hit store shelves on March 15th along with Sprint’s Palm Treo Pro which has been delayed more than a connecting flight in Atlanta. Sure, the more exciting handsets of 2009 won’t be out until the Summer months and beyond, but there are a few nice looking pieces of kit here to tide us over in the meantime.

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Now that the E63 is a reality it’s tough to get excited about a crazy deal on a new E71 but… No, wait, we forgot. The E63 is is like the Star Wars prequels — a mistake that never should have seen the light of day. The E71 is still far and away one of the sexiest handsets Nokia has ever produced and those who haven’t had a taste can finally get one today for the more than respectable price of $289.99. The reduced price is part of Amazon’s Gold Box deal offers where a new item is offered at a steep discount every day. Think Woot without the snarky commentary. Today’s price is $37 lower than Amazon’s regular price and $60 lower than Nokia’s direct price but like we said, it’s only available today. Actually, at $290 we might just snag a handful of them to throw in a drawer until BAS for S60 is finally released. BAS on the Touch Pro is awesome but BAS on an E71 would be… Wow.

[Via The Nokia Blog]

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