Nokia E71 NAM First Impressions
I’ve finally gotten ahold of the Nokia E71 NAM, and had a few days to set it up and play over the weekend. I’ll be putting together a full review, but until then, I wanted to, as usual, give you my first knee-jerk reactions, followed by a look at how the handset tackles various common uses.
If you’re still not aware, the Nokia E71 NAM offers a QWERTY keyboard in the traditional candybar form factor. A 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus (sort of) and LED flash is on the back of this smartphone, and a microSD card slot and microUSB port keep things connected. Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual-band WCDMA (850/1900MHz) support for AT&T’s high-speed 3G network pair nicely with WiFi for data and calling.
First off, this thing is stinkin small - MUCH smaller than it looks in pictures, and much smaller than you would imagine. It’s also mind-bogglingly thin. All in all, a really killer hardware package. The build quality is rock solid, typical of the Eseries, and the keys all give a very nice tactile response.
Unfortunately, once you power the E71 on, the honeymoon is over, and you’re greeted with those horrendous grey default icons. Honestly, I wasn’t even able to look at the phone until I’d changed those to something more manageable. I’ve found that the icon pack from Flahorn looks really close to the old default icons, and will be on the hunt for more themes using those icons.
Overall, priced at less than $450, the E71 is really a rock solid purchase, specifically if you’re looking for a US 3G S60 with a QWERTY. Those panting after the mythical US 3G E90 (doesn’t exist) should DEFINITELY look a little closer at the E71, that’s for sure.
So, what questions do you have about the handset that I can answer as I give this baby a good workover? Is there anything specific that you’d like me to check out? Leave them in the comments and I’ll make sure to answer.
Went to a local mobile store in my town today and looked and tested a couple of phones, whereas two of them were E66 and E71.
However I really don’t like the keypad as it seems a bit hard to press. (Maybe because I’ve got used to the keypad on my N82)
That was especially on the E66.
I do agree that the build quality is excellent as well as the keypad.
The icons was a bit “ugly” as you’ve said.
I’m in fact quite afraid that this is the new icon set that Nokia will provide in their newer phones.
(From screenshots of the Tube for instance)
And yes, it is really thin, very light and small.
The screen was also very good as you get a lot of information.
I must however admit that I’m more of a N-series user.
So however how nice the new E-series devices are. I don’t think I will switch my current phone for one right now.
(Also decided to wait for the N96 and try it and wait further for the Samsung Inno8)
I will keep an eye on your review though as I find it interesting to follow on the mobile phone segment.
Thanks for posting the pic of the E71 next to the N82, it really shows how small that handset is! I had no idea before seeing that!!
The main reason for this comment though is to say that I love the Flahorn icon pack too, so if you do manage to find a good selection of themes that use them any chance of making a post of the best ones?
Thanks Ricky
I found the keypad to be way better than the ones found on the E61, E61i and the E62. Yet, the space key was still a bit weird. I found it better to just press it from the left side instead of the middle which takes getting a little used to.
Dear Guru
I am using Nokia E61i, please tell me about E71 on these:-
1. any improvment on PIM over E61i?
2. improvement on the layout of calendar?
3. is there still lag when opening a contact in address book?
4. the default mail software in E61i does not really delete an e-mail, does E71 still the same?
5. what version is the Quick Office in E71? does it allow synchornisation with Excel in PC?
6. I do not like MS Outlook, does E71 come with a desktop version of PIM?
7. Any software that can synchronise between E71 and a database e.g. MS Access, MS SQL or MySQL?
8. The E61i’s keyboard is strange, try typing “1:30am” you will see what I mean. Does E71’s keyboard layout the same?
Thanks.
I actually love the new grey icons, much nicer than the old default icons
Hello, could the E71’s gps act as an external gps for other handsets?
I might sound silly, but how did you manage to get the flahorn icons on the E71 ?!
I currently have an E61 and am planning to replace it with an E71.
Does anyone know the difference between the Euro and the US versions of the E71? I live in Spain and with current Euro-USD exchange rates the US version is a steal. Are there any drawbacks to getting the US version? Also, is there any support in the US version for typing non-ASCII characters (for example, accents or Ñ)?
Thanks!
Aug 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am
[...] the E71 is on your radar and you can’t wait for Ricky to follow his first impressions with the final review of the handset, then you might want to take a look at these three E71 reviews [...]