Nokia 500 - first 1GHz Symbian smartphone announced

Positioned as a "low-cost, full-function smartphone", the freshly announced Nokia 500 is the first Symbian Anna-based device to utilize a 1GHz-clocked CPU. The handset is lightweight at 93 grams (3.28 oz) and features a 3.2 inch, 360 x 640 resolution capacitive touchscreen along with a 5 megapixel flash-less camera at the back (no front-facing camera) and 2GB of internal memory expandable via a microSD card slot up to 32GB.

Connectivity comes courtesy of WiFi b/g (no 'n' support), GPS and A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, microUSB, HSDPA/HSUPA support and a 3.5mm audio jack. There's an FM Radio and three different-colored battery covers (included in the box). Nokia Maps is pre-installed with free driving and walk navigation, as is every GPS-enabled Nokia cell phone these days.

 The Nokia 500 will be available in black starting from Q3 2011 (a white version is expected in Q4) priced at EUR150 (around US$213) "before taxes and subsidies."

 The latest arrival in Symbian Anna line of devices joins the likes of Nokia E6 and Nokia X7 which were first to introduce the updated platform. Symbian Anna is the successor of Symbian^3, bringing such improvements as faster browsing, new icons, virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait orientation or refreshed OVI Maps.

 New naming convention

The Nokia Conversations blog has also explained that no letters in new smartphone's name means a change in Nokia's naming policy. From now on, Nokia will resign from letters suggesting the phone's application (e.g. "E" - for business, "X" - for entertainment, etc.).