Name : Nokia E71

Nokia E71 Overview.
Touted as the slimmest QWERTY keyboard phone on the market today, this new-found pocket-friendliness - especially in comparison to its E61 predecesor - hasn?t seen the E71 lose any key features, in fact, it?s difficult to find a feature it doesn?t have! The Nokia is a quad-band handset with HSDPA supporting 3G, plus GPRS, EDGE and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, video-call lens and plenty of business software either built-in or easily downloaded and installed from Nokia themselves.

Nokia E71 as part of the Nokia Line-Up.
The Nokia E71 is the replacement for the E61i handset launched back at the beginning of 2007, which in turn replaced the E61 from 2005. Nokia?s E-series are business focussed devices and therefore incorporate plenty of connectivity options, email systems and detailed organisers. We live in a media and entertainment age however and a phone without at least some fun inside is never going to win many fans, thus gaming, music and video functions are also present and correct. The prevalence of SMS message use today makes the QWERTY keyboard a welcome addition for those non-business users who love texting too.


Online with the Nokia E71.
One of the most important functions of the Nokia E71, particularly if it is setting itself up as a serious iPhone alternative, is its ability to work with email and the Internet. This was one area highlighted in The Gadget Show?s feature and while the iPhone proved to be something of a master, the E71 more than held its own. With 3G and Wi-Fi, you should never be far from a fast connection and once online, using the Nokia browser is an enjoyable experience. Navigating a large webpage brings up a mini map which shows you where you are on the page overall and the standard landscape orientation of the handset?s screen lends itself well to surfing the Internet. YouTube fans will be pleased to see Flash and Java support, enabling you to browse the full YouTube site rather than the watered-down mobile version.

Email, accessed with a dedicated soft key, is also a breeze. For services such as Google and Yahoo, all that?s needed to start receiving email on your phone is the account name and password, simply enter this and Nokia?s servers will do the rest. Of course, for the more complex systems such as Microsoft Exchange, SEVEN Always-On-Mail and Visto (all of which the E71 supports) some further set-up will be needed. Those who are security conscious will be pleased with the integrated mobile VPN too.

Maps on the Move ? GPS and the E71.
At the launch of the iPhone 3G much was made of the inclusion of GPS, something Nokia have been incorporating into its top range handsets for a while, so how do the two compare? Well, Channel 5?s Gadget Show team challenged the two handsets to guide them to a London Underground station, a test which the Nokia E71 ended up winning thanks to a more reliable GPS signal. Nokia Maps comes pre-installed, with a library of 200 different maps available for download. If you prefer not to use Nokia Maps, you can also install your own choice of GPS software. Since the E71 features Assisted GPS, lock-on times are lessened in some circumstances.

Additional Features of the Nokia E71.
To think the E71 is nothing but the mobile equivalent of a stuffy businessman is to do it an injustice, as not only will it handle the business side, but it?s happy to have fun once the work is done too.

l A 3.2 megapixel camera.
This is one area where the E71 trumps the iPhone. Although the camera is not a Carl Zeiss lensed item like its bigger N-series brethren, it still boasts autofocus and a flash. The autofocus is rather impressive too, as it locks on faster than many other cameraphones, making snapping pictures a far less frustrating affair.
l Music, Video and Gaming.
Nokia have included their brilliant music player in the E71, so expect great sound quality and the ability to play the majority of file formats too. An FM radio is present and correct as is the ability to use A2DP-Bluetooth for wireless stereo sound. Video playback can be full screen and you get a choice of two 3D games, with more to download.
l Symbian S60 3rd Edition Operating System.
For many, this will be the E71?s big attraction. It?s simple to use, pretty to look at and almost endlessly customisable thanks to the wealth of software and widgets available on the Internet. 128MB of SDRAM keeps things moving along nicely and Nokia have kindly tweaked a few of the stock applications including the calender, which has become a superb day-to-day organiser.
l Brilliant Battery Life and Masses of Memory.
The 1500 mAh battery is quoted to return an astonishing 410 hours standby (that?s 17 days!) and an equally impressive 10 hours of talktime! A MicroSD slot accepts cards up to 8GB in size.

Design of the Nokia E71.
Handsets with full QWERTY keypads are rarely beauties, but the E71?s casing has enough curves and swoops to lessen its slab-like form, plus its 10mm thickness and 120 gram weight make it stylish and never irritating to carry in your pocket. Compare this to the E61i?s 14mm thickness and 150 grams weight and you?ll see just how much Nokia have moved the game on.

The mixture of metal and plastic materials used in the construction of the E71 means it feels solid and expensive in your palm, and making the choice between the standard Gunmetal Grey and special edition White Steel finish will be a difficult one.


Summary of the Nokia E71.
Those who saw the Nokia E71 on The Gadget Show will remember it equalled the Apple iPhone 3G?s 4/5 rating, and who are we to disagree. It may have a smaller screen at 2.3? and the browsing may not be quite as intuitive, but in every other way it equals or betters the iPhone. The E71 is a tremendously capable business device while not skimping on the fun and games. Anyone who prefers the feel of a real QWERTY keyboard under their thumbs should be placing the E71 firmly at the top of their shopping list.