E Series handset puts voice first

No-nonsense E-series models from Nokia aimed squarely at business users

Nokia has added a new voice-centric model to its E Series corporate handsets, offering business customers a no-nonsense basic phone that can also run email. The communications giant also unveiled new device management tools to help IT staff provision company-owned handsets and control vital settings.

The Nokia E50, available from June, is a small and sleek handset specifically targeted at users who primarily want voice capabilities.

"It's the smallest S60 device available, and also very affordable," said Pekka Isosomppi, communications manager for Nokia Enterprise Solutions.

The quad-band handset supports GPRS and Edge networks, but not 3G or Wi-Fi to keep costs down. It is available with or without a digital camera, and supports the same email systems as other E Series models. These include Microsoft ActiveSync, Imap and POP3 as standard, while clients for push email systems such as BlackBerry Connect and GoodLink can be included if supported by the customer's carrier or reseller.

Nokia also unveiled Intellisync OMA DM Edition, a part of the Intellisync product family with added support for the Open Mobile Alliance Device Management protocols in the E Series handsets. Nokia acquired Intellisync earlier this year.

The new tool enables administrators to deploy applications to handsets and enforce corporate policy, Nokia said.

"It's about building a trust relationship between the device and the server, to ensure access is given only to authorised devices," said Tarja Kantola, senior marketing manager for Nokia Enterprise Solutions.

Some settings can be made mandatory, for example to enforce use of the device lock in case a handset is lost or stolen, or to prevent users from changing their email client configuration.

Another important feature is the ability to take a company-wide inventory of all mobile devices in use.

"Administrators told us it is very hard to keep track of who is using what device," said Kantola.

Using a web-based admin console, IT staff can also remotely install or uninstall applications from devices. A silent install mode enables applications to be upgraded transparently to users, and installs can also be scheduled to happen outside of working hours or at different times for different groups of users, Nokia said.

The OMA DM tool will be licensed on a per-user basis, allowing staff to carry more than one managed device at no extra cost. Pricing will depend on whether firms buy from a carrier or a reseller, but is likely to be start at about $90 (£48) per user, Nokia said. The tool is expected to be available from the end of May.