All of which begs the question, why hasn't Nokia been bigger in the U.S.? More importantly, how will it grow?

To the second question, Nokia clearly has pinned hopes for U.S. growth on the , which AT&T Inc. will be selling in May for US$100 after rebates.

An AT&T spokesman said Thursday that the E71x will go on sale in "early May," meaning it will be on store shelves just before the mid-May expected launch of the .

At .39 inches thick, the E71x has been called the thinnest smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard. It also will provide ActiveSync, giving users access to Exchange e-mail.

Sean Ryan, an analyst at IDC, said AT&T appears ready "to put a big marketing push behind the E71x." The smartphone's inclusion of ActiveSync as well as Lotus Notes Traveler will give it appeal among U.S. enterprise customers, he noted.