When I first physically saw the Nokia E71 I was impressed. I had seen the pictures over the last few months and was eagerly awaiting its arrival into Canada – which certainly had a tough time as it was originally supposed to go to Fido, then Rogers made the brand change and took ownership of the sleek smartphone.
This year was a good year for Nokia devices, they certainly put our products that target a specific market. They know how to make low end phones work (Nokia 6555), and with gaming they nailed it right on with the Nokia N95 8GB. Now with the Nokia E71you have a sleek device that weighs in at 127 grams and is only a mere 11 mm thin.
If you’re a business person using your smartphone all day, this is honestly a device you should consider. It can do your e-mail, contacts, calendar, GPS, documents (presentations and worksheets) and has a full QWERTY keyboard with a display of 240×320. You will have no problem getting used to this phone as its easy to use and find your way around to the common applications you need. The steel backing is all metal and yes it does catch a great deal of fingerprints but that is your only issue when it comes to the E71.
In regards to the media functions, I was impressed with the speaker for the music – the sound quality is good and can hold up to 8GB (and comes with 2.5 mm earphones). The device has an impressive 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, autofocus and zoom. For the web – 3G and loads up fast and has no problem surfing with its crisp display. To navigate your way around you will have to use the middle directional pad which could cause a bit of frustration as we’re getting used to scrolling or swiping the screen for faster response times.
For the home screen Nokia created 2 of them – one for business and the other for personal. You can configure each according to your lifestyle. Have your documents, calendar, contacts and web on the business… then go for the media player, web, camera, clock and GPS on your personal side. This is a great option to have if you’re the person who continually checks your phone for new work e-mails. However, the only place I can see myself using something like the “mode shifting” is while I’m away on vacation.
The price point is certainly worth it. I’ve seen it around at several Rogers Plus locations for $49.99 promo on a 3-year contract with a minimum $45 voice and data plan… but other locations are currently selling this for $99.99.
Here is our video review:
