Nokia (News - Alert) is once again turning to the Symbian operating system as it launches three new smartphones.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Nokia says it is “committed” to Symbian even with a forthcoming partnership with Microsoft and many industry watchers questioning the Symbian relationship.

The Journal described Symbian as a “moribund” system. And Nokia’s commitment to Symbian is a “marketing exercise,” The Journal adds, until the Windows Phone (News - Alert) gets in full swing.

“This is a dog with fleas,” Horace Dediu, a former Nokia employee turned mobile analyst, told The Journal.

But the company claims even more Symbian products are expected from Nokia.

The Associated Press has described Nokia as a “troubled handset maker.” It has to compete with “top-end” rivals as well as those making “cheaper” products.

“Nokia has, of course, tried to catch up,” according to an analysis from TMCnet. “The company hired a new CEO … Stephen Elop, ditched its Symbian mobile OS in favor of Windows Phone 7 and is rowing its heart out to try and stay in the race.”

Nokia's “basic,” older-style handsets lead to better profits than its smartphones, TMCnet adds.

Still, Nokia no longer dominates the phone market as an “innovative technology bellwether,” The AP said.

“Nokia is being increasingly squeezed in the low end market by Asian manufacturers like ZTE (News - Alert) and in the high end by the makers of smartphones like Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion's Blackberry,” The AP reports.

Nokia is counting on success from Windows Phone 7 after it is launched later in 2011. The Windows Phone OS will be the “main platform” for cellphones made by Nokia, The AP said.

Google's (News - Alert) Android OS beat Symbian as the top smartphone software during 2010, The AP said.

Nokia’s Symbian Belle and the three new handsets are based on the Symbian OS. Ilari Nurmi, a Nokia vice president, told The AP, "These will not be last products or updates we will deliver on Symbian."

The three new smartphones are the Nokia 600, Nokia 700 and Nokia 701. The new Nokia phones feature near-field communication technology. The 700 model weighs 3.5 ounces making it the "most compact touch monoblock smartphone in the world," Nokia said. It features a 1Ghz processor, a 3.2-inch screen and two gigabytes of inbuilt memory.

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