Nokia shipping C7, its second Symbian 3 phone

Nokia today began shipping its new C7 smartphone around the world.

The follow-up to the recently launched N8 smartphone, the C7 is Nokia's second phone powered by its new Symbian 3 mobile operating system.
The 3.5-inch glass touch-screen is an active-matrix OLED that offers 640x360 pixel resolution. The C7 offers an 8-megapixel camera that can shoot stills and high-definition video. Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity and 8GB of memory are part of the package as well.
But the real focus of the new phone is social networking.
The C7 can display multiple home screens to receive live updates from Facebook and Twitter and provide quick access to certain e-mail accounts, such as Ovi Mail, Yahoo Mail, and Windows Live Hotmail. You can customize the home screen to display different widgets, including news, weather, e-mail, and contacts. A locations widget can pinpoint your location, which you can then share with Facebook friends.
As with Nokia's other smartphones, C7 customers can tap into the company's Ovi Store to download apps.
"Designed specifically with the style-conscious consumer in mind, the Nokia C7 also brings excellent social networking abilities, making it perfect for people who want to check in and stay up to date," Jo Harlow, head of smartphones at Nokia, said in a statement.
Nokia is running a contest to kick up interest in the phone. Following the C7's launch, the company will choose five of the most active users on its Nokia global Facebook page. Those five finalists will be provided with a C7 to put together a party using different social networks. The one who generates the greatest amount of coverage will win a C7 for themselves and 20 of their friends.
The C7 has a $466 price tag, though price and availability will vary by region and carrier.