Nokia’s latest offering looks just like any other QWERTY smartphone on the market. However, what separates this unit from other phones is what it brings to the table. The Smarthouse Team takes a look at the E71 and sees what this smartphone has in store for us.
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Although the keys are raised, it is tiny and may take some getting used to. A 2.36-inch QVGA screen (320×240), VGA camera for video calling, and light sensor, as well as a left and right selection keys, hotkeys (Menu, Calendar, Contact, E-mail), call and end keys, and five-way navigation keys are all located up front, while the unit’s 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, is located at the back.
The left spine hosts an IR port, microSD card slot, and micro-USB connector, while a headset connector (2.5mm), volume up and down keys, and a voice key are found on the right spine. Finally, the E71’s charging port is located at the bottom of the unit.
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The unit supports POP3, IMAP4, as well as Microsoft Exchange, allowing users to send and retrieve e-mail on the go. And since the smartphone supports office documents, JPEG files, and even PDFs, you can take a look at all your personal or business e-mails without any dramas. The phone also comes with a customisable home screen content that automatically shifts your E71 from a remote workstation to a personal phone, which means you won’t receive work related e-mails from your colleagues while you are away on vacation.
Besides being a full-fledged business phone, Nokia has also included a music player (compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+), RealPlayer for video playback (Flash Lite 3, MP4, 3GP), a photo viewer (Gallery), and an FM tuner to the E71, which can keep you distracted during long trips.
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A-GPS is also included on the device and can help you get to where you want to go. The GPS function is easy to use and helped us get to our office from the CBD. This feature is certainly worth using, especially if you do not have any GPS device.
The 1500mAh battery promises a talk time of up to four hours and a standby time of up to 20 days, putting other phones that only last a day to shame. It also promises a maximum music playback time of 18 hours.
With A-GPS, Bluetooth, IR, Wi-Fi and HSDPA, along with various office programs, the Nokia E71 has everything you need to stay on top. Simply put, this is one of the best smartphones we have seen this year and we highly recommend this phone for on-the-go users.
The Nokia E71 has an RRP of $709, but 3 is currently offering this handset for free on its $49 cap plan (for 24 months).
Visit www.three.com.au for more information.
See page over for product specifications and final rating.
Nokia E71 Specifications:
Operating System:
– S60 3.1 Edition, Eseries
– Symbian Os 9.2
Display:
Screen size: 2.36-inches
Resolution: 320×240 pixels (QVGA)
Keys and input methods
– Full keyboard
– Dedicated one-touch keys: Home, calendar, contacts, and email
– Speaker dependent and speaker independent voice dialling
– Intelligent input with auto-completion, auto-correction, auto-punctuation, and learning capability
– Accelerated scrolling
– Notification light
Email:
– Support for Active Sync for Microsoft Exchange via Mail for Exchange
– Supported protocols: IMAP, POP, SMTP
– Support for email attachments
– IMAP IDLE support
Power
– BP-4L 1500 mAh Li-Po standard battery
– Talk time: GSM up to 10 h 30 min, WCDMA up to 4 h 30 min
– Standby time: GSM up to 17 days, WCDMA up to 20 days, WLAN idle up to 166 hours
– Music playback time (maximum): 18 h
Memory
– microSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 8 GB
– Approximately 110 MB internal dynamic memory
Local connectivity and synchronization
– Infrared, maximum speed 115 kbps
– Bluetooth version 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
– MTP (Multimedia Transfer Protocol) support
– Bluetooth (Bluetooth Serial Port Profile. BT SPP)
– Infrared
– File
– Network (Raw). Direct TCP/IP socket connection to any specified port (a.k.a HP JetDirectTM).
– Network (LPR). Line Printer Daemon protocol (RFC1179).
– Support for local and remote SyncML synchronization, iSync, Intellisync, ActiveSync
GPS and navigation
– Integrated A-GPS
– Nokia Maps application
Photography
– 3.2 megapixel camera (2048 x 1536 pixels)
– Autofocus
– LED flash
Video
Main camera
– 640 x 480 at 22 fps
– 320 x 240 (QVGA) at 30/15 fps
– 176 x 144 at 15 fps (QCIF)
– Digital video zoom
Front camera
– Video recording at up to 128 x 96 pixels (QCIF) and up to 15 fps
– Up to 2x digital video zoom
– Video playback file formats: .Flash Lite 3, mp4, .3gp; codecs: H.263, MPEG-4 VSP
– Video streaming: .3gp, mp4, .rm
Music and audio playback
– Music player
– Media player
– Music playback file formats: .mp3, .wma, .aac, AAC+, eAAC+
– Audio streaming formats: .rm, .eAAC+
– FM radio 87.5-108 MHz
– 2.5 mm Nokia AV connector
– Nokia Podcasting support
– Synchronize music with Windows Media Player
Dimensions: 114 x 57 x 10 mm
Weight: 127 g
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Nokia E71 Smartphone | $709 | 
| www.nokia.com.au
***Also available for Three on $49 cap (www.three.com.au)
For: QWERTY keypad; Connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSDPA, IR); A lot of pre-installed programs; Battery life
Against: Small keys may be a problem for users with large fingers
Conclusion: A smartphone well-worth your money
