Nokia has announced its new X3 Touch and Type, which mergers the convenience of a touch-enabled display with a type-friendly 12 button keypad.

 

The Series 40 phone sports a 2.4" QVGA touch display, 5 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, HSPA, WLAN 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1, a hot swappable MicroSD memory card slot supporting up to 16 GB and FM radio. It also boasts dedicated music as well as messaging keys, a 3.5 mm audio jack and push email, all in a compact (106.2 x 48.4 x 9.6 mm) and lightweight (78 g) package.   

 

“With the Nokia X3 we are giving consumers the best of both worlds by combining a touch screen and a keypad in an affordable device,” said Mary McDowell, executive vice president of Mobile Phones at Nokia. “We have given people a larger screen with clear icons and menus plus kept critical keys such as the send and end keys. We’ve also added dedicated function keys for important links like music and text messaging.”

 

“We have designed the Nokia X3 to be a touch and type device because typing is ideal for SMS and social networking where fast and frequent input is needed, while touch is ideal for functions such as setting alarms, smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games.”

 

The phone is expected to go on sale by Q3 2010, but the local pricing and availability isn’t available yet.