Both the E66 and E71 have been designed to simplify the process of mobilising email, said Soren Petersen, senior VP of devices category management at Nokia, speaking at a launch event in London.

The E66 is for users who want all the business critical information but prefer a small form factor, he said. It includes an accelerometer so the screen automatically turns sideways if the phone is held horizontally, much like an iPhone.

Nokia will be launching touchscreen devices this year, he added.

Credit: Nokia

The E71 (pictured above) with its full Qwerty keyboard is "an uncompromising messaging platform", said Petersen.

He demonstrated signing up for email can be as simple as inputting the email address and password for common email accounts. Nokia runs a server with thousands of ISPs' profiles on it to ensure the sign up process is "extremely easy for the end user", he added.

To further improve work/life balance, the E71 has a dual home screen option — so users can set up a business-focused home screen and a second that has a more personal flavour and switch between them.

Credit: Nokia

Keeping with a work/life balance theme, Petersen said Nokia has recognised business users want to use their phones for fun stuff like taking photos and playing games out of office hours, so both handsets support Nokia's Ovi entertainment platform and have GPS and access to Nokia maps. They also have 3.2 megapixel cameras with flash.

The handsets run Symbian's S60 open OS, meaning thousands of third-party apps can be downloaded.

Credit: Nokia