Running S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, Nokia has launched the 5730 XpressMusic, with E75-style side-sliding qwerty keyboard. There's a 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and GPS, plus the “Say and Play” feature first introduced in the Nokia 5320. It has the same customised home screen to directly access contacts and Ovi services, as seen in the Nokia 5630. More below, including photos.

The 5730 shares a form factor with the recently announced Nokia E75. The specifications are very similar and they are based on the same hardware platform, but the focus and target market of each device is very different. The 5730 has a strong music and messaging, but, in contrast to the business orientated E75, is aimed squarely at consumers. QWERTY devices have become more popular in the mid-tier in the last year (e.g. LK KS360) and Nokia research indicates that half of QWERTY device owners are non-business users suggesting there's a good sized target market for the 5730.

The music credentials of the 5730 include integration with the Nokia Music Store, dedicated music control keys, Say and Play music finder, 3.5 mm audio jack, comprehensive format support (MP3, WMA, AAC, and eAAC) and 8GB memory card included with the device. In select markets the 5730 will also be available as a Comes with Music device and I would expect the 5730 to be a key device in Nokia's music line up for Christmas 2009 lineup.

The key component of the 5730's messaging focus is the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Software is also an important component; the device will ship with Ovi Contacts, Nokia's combined presence and instant massaging application, and Nokia E-mail, Nokia's push email solution for consumers. Other software experiences improved by the QWERTY keyboard include text-based search in Music player (quickly find the track you want), entering information on the web and any other text-entry heavy applications.

It's worth pointing out that, at launch prices, the 5730 is 95 Euros cheaper than the E75. Some of this difference is down to the cheaper materials (plastics instead of metal) used in the 5730 and some may be down to the different segment being targeted. As such the Nokia 5730 will offer great value for money for those looking for a full QWERTY device for messaging purposes, be it personal or business.

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic will hit the shops in the third quarter at a price of EUR 280 (before taxes and subsidies). It will be available in four colour variants: red, blue, pink and monochrome.

Key hardware features of the Nokia 5730:

• Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard (four lines of keys, with layout similar to the E75).
   
  
• Dimensions of 112 x 51/80 x 15.4mm (82 cubic centimetres) and a weight of 135g.
   
  
• Connectivity options include quad band GSM (800/900/1800/1900), and tri band WCDMA (900/1900/2100) with HSDPA, WiFi, USB and Bluetooth.
   
  
• USB charging with simultaneous USB connectivity, including support for HiSpeed USB 2.0 data transfers.
   
  
• 3.2 megapixel (2048 x 1536) camera (focal range: 10cm to infinity) with a LED flash (range 1m, ~ 40 Lux) and support for VGA resolution video capture at 15 frames per second.
   
  
• 2.4 inch QVGA (240 x 320) TFT screen, 16 million colours with backlight and ambient light sensor (automatically adjusts screen brightness to optimise power consumption).
   
  
• 8GB memory card included with the phone (enough room for 3000 tracks at optimal encoding), with support for microSDHC cards up to 16GB in size.
   
  
• Around 100MB of internal memory (i.e. amount that's free after system usage from 256MB total flash memory). 128MB of RAM for running OS and apps.
  
  
• Dedicated music controls of the left hand side of the device with a 3.5mm Nokia AV port (3.5mm audio jack) and an integrated FM radio (Internet Radio supported via software).
   
  
• Integrated A-GPS with Nokia Maps 2.0. The 5730 also includes a magnetometer (compass) which will automatically turn the map in pedestrian mode.
   
• BL-4U (1000 mAh) battery. Web browsing time: 6 hours, video playback time: 5.8 hours, video recording-time 2.7 hours, music playback time: 25 hours (offline).
   
  
• In box contents includes: Nokia 5730 Xpress Music, BL-4U Battery, Wired stereo headset (HS-83) and remote control plug with music controls (AD-54), microUSB cable (CA-101D), 8 GB microSD card, travel charger (AC-8), short user guide and Mini DVD.

Key software features of the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic

• Runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 on Symbian OS 9.3
   
  
• Features a customised homescreen with a 'Contacts Bar', which provides direct access to up to 20 contacts and includes a communication history/log for each person, which is shown when the contact is highlighted. The homescreen also offers application shortcut bars with quick access to Music Player, Radio, Web, Search, N-Gage and Photos, as well as the usual homescreen plug-ins for music (current track information), Calendar (upcoming appointments) and WiFi.
   
• Music software features include 'Say and Play' (voice controlled music search), access to Nokia Music Store on the device and music management with Nokia Music for the PC (drag and drop/sync transfer via MTP). In selected markets, the 5730 will be sold as a 'Comes with Music' device.
   
  
• UPnP capable device with DLNA Certification. This enables you to control and playback music, videos and images on other UPnP devices such as the XBox 360, Playstation 3, or Nokia Home Music appliance. This is done through the Home Media application.
   
  
• N-Gage compatible device. The phone will likely ship with an N-Gage voucher in the box, giving everyone who buys the device a free game.
   
  
• Widgets to access social networks, including Facebook, MySpace, and Hi5. These are shortcut widgets rather than 'full' application widgets. They act as shortcuts to the mobile web site version of the social network concerned. Other shortcut widgets are available for YouTube and other web services.
  

See also

Nokia 5730 specifications on Nokia.com

Nokia 5730 specifications on Forum Nokia

Interview with Device Experience Product Manager (Nokia 5730) on YouTube