The E61 can connect via Edge, 3G,HSDPA or 802.11b/g Wifi

Tag : nokia
Nokia’s E61, for example, appeared in 2006 and was afantastic phone for business users, but with no camera and a ratherboxy design it wasn’t going to win over many consumers. Withthe new E71, Nokia has clearly tried to widen the appeal of itsbusiness smartphones.
For starters, the E71 is more pocket-friendly. It measures just57mm wide and 114mm tall, making it slightly smaller than theiPhone 3G.
Despite this reduction in size, the front still holds a full Qwertykeyboard with keys that are each 5mm wide. Although packed closelytogether, they are cleverly shaped and anyone who learned tothumb-type on a Treo, Blackberry or Nokia handset will have noproblem using this one.
There’s also an unusual mode option that changes between twocompletely different home screens: one for work, and one forpersonal use. We’re not entirely sure that this is necessary,but it works well enough.
The E71’s 3.2-megapixel camera has a higher resolution thanthe iPhone’s two-megapixel sensor and, unlike Apple, Nokiahas included a flash and autofocus. It’s better suited topicture messages, which aren’t supported on the iPhone, thanto large prints, but with very little shutter lag it’s goodenough for snapshots.
Of course, for many smartphone users access to the web is far moreimportant then taking photos. The E61 can connect via Edge, 3G,HSDPA or 802.11b/g Wifi, so fast internet access is usuallyavailable.
Connecting to Wifi networks on older Nokia handsets was a pain, buton the E71 it’s a cinch: choose a network, enter the passkeyand you’re browsing. The web browser itself has to make dowith a far smaller screen than that of the iPhone, but websites arerendered neatly.
Nokia has produced several previous phones with GPS built in, butit hasn’t always been easy to use. With the E71 we downloadedthe Google Maps application, and within a few seconds itsassisted-GPS pinpointed our location and plotted out a street planaround us. Nokia’s own Maps application is pre-installed,too, and can be upgraded to a full driving GPS with voice promptsif you wish.
Although the GPS, camera and web browser work well enough, the E71is clearly designed for email and it does this very well. Pop3,Imap4 and Exchange accounts can be set up, and the keyboard isdesigned for email: there’s a button to access your inbox,for example, and another to add an ‘@’ symbol with oneclick.
The Quickoffice software makes it easy to open a Word or Exceldocument attached to an email, and there’s also an option toread emails aloud that works surprisingly well. There’s onlyone caveat: Nokia does not provide a Blackberry Connect tool forthis handset.
Nokia claims that the E71’s battery will last for up to 17days in standby. In our rather more demanding tests, checking emailregularly and surfing the web, it ran for seven days before needinga charge.
All in all, it’s hard not to be impressed with the E71.It’s a great tool for email, provides all the bells andwhistles anyone could expect from a modern smartphone, comes with agreat battery, and from around £300 contract-free it’sgood value. Music-loving design fans should stick to Apple’stouchscreen marvel, but everyone else should put this handset atthe top of their smartphone shopping list.