Nokia launched its new age communicator, the E7 smartphone, in Oman and other 'Lower Gulf' countries (UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar). E7 makes a late entry in the region as it is already available in European markets since September.
Nokia also announced the appointment of Tom Farrell as the general manager for its Lower Gulf operations. Speaking at the launch, Farell said the Gulf market was special for Nokia and the company will focus on it in the coming years.
"E7 has all the features that a business phone user needs. It offers built-in synchronisation with Microsoft Exchange and comes with Office Communicator Mobile, a corporate instant messaging app developed by Microsoft for Nokia phones," he said.
Farrell said that Nokia has about 60 per cent market share in Oman and 41 per cent in the MENA region. Nokia has faced stiff competition in recent years in the smartphone segment, particularly from Apple's iPhone, Android-based handsets and Research in Motion's BlackBerry.
When asked why Nokia was lagging behind in the smartphone category, Farell said that the company would work strenuously to introduce new age models in the future and that in order to compete in the smartphone arena, it has tied up with Microsoft to catch up with Google and Apple products.
"I am very privileged and excited to have the opportunity to lead Nokia's business in Lower Gulf, a region renowned for its trend-setting consumers," said Farrel. "There is a tremendous opportunity to connect people in new and better ways, fuelling the next phase of growth and innovation. Given our existing brand and market strength in the Lower Gulf, Nokia and its partners are very well positioned for this new opportunity."
E7's features include the Symbian 3 operating system, a four-inch Amoled ClearBack touch screen designed to improve outdoor visibility, a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, an eight-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash and HD video capture, USB and HDMI connections.
© Muscat Daily 2011
