Friday, November 28, 2008

How about an alternate to the X1 -- the Nokia E71?

Okay, so if you're still looking for a super-cool, full qwerty-keyboarded phone, but are unwilling to part with RM 3,199 of your hard-earned cash, what can you do?

Well, if waiting is an option (I think my M600i can go on indefinitely, actually) then that's the surest way of getting the price down. Give it six months and I'm sure it will be in the comfortable side of 2k.

If waiting is 'not' an option, and you really need /want / itch to upgrade the phone, then how about this...

Presenting the kinda new and not quite hot-off-the-shelf, but still top scoring Nokia E71!

Lets start with what it isn't
  • it surely isn't the X1 (duh!)
  • it isn't trying to be an iPhone killer
  • it isn't the loser of a wifi-less, boring and bulky Nokia E60/62 as well!! (I almost bought that, yikes!!)

Okay, before you proceed further, I must stress that this is *not* a touchscreen phone. So if you're looking to touch, poke, stroke and write on a phone, then you can forget about the E71.

If you've made it through the caveats so far... then you're in for the alternate coolness that the E71 can offer! Firstly, lets hear what the critics have to say...
  • CNET.UK says the E71 has enough finesse to not look out of place, sitting in an Aston Martin. And gives it a 8.9 (excellent) rating for an almost-perfect phone.
  • Allaboutsymbian.com says there's a lot to like about the E71, which it calls a 'miniaturised masterpiece'.
  • engadgetmobile.com summarises the E71 as as "manages it all with style, providing a plethora of features in a speedy, beautiful and minuscule device"
  • Brighthand.com concluded its review calling it "probably the best handset available for prosumers" by taking the iPhone features people want and the BlackBerry functions needed and sticking it into a "package that is well designed"
Here are a few shots of the E71 from GSMArena .... if you love the BlackBerry's looks, then you'll find this quite irristable!


Source: GSMArena.com


Source: GSMArena.com


Source: GSMArena.com

And this is what you have inside that slim, 10mm metal-clad body -- Nokia's slimmest phone so far!!

  • Quad band, 3.5G (3.6mbps), GPRS (100kbps), Edge (296kbps), Wi-Fi (54mbps) and Bluetooth
  • 16million colour 320x240 display that still looks clear under sunlight
  • GPS receiver with assisted GPS function
  • Fullscreen browser, FM radio, instant , Vlan, VIOP
  • Stable S60 Symbian OS 9.2 with loads of 3rd party software
  • Software included in the package: QuickOffice, Active Notes, Dictionary, PDF reader, Skype.... the list goes on!
There is, however, one consistent complaint about the E71 -- its Achilles' heel -- the 3.2m autofocus camera. It seems that Nokia had gone cheapskate with this particular component and put in a mediocre camera -- washed out colours, poor contrast, slow shutter, purple fringing... in short, something not at par with the rest of this phone! So phone snappers... beware this point!

So, with all of the above, wrapped up in a nice, handsome package, and a street price of RM 15xx for 'original' and RM 13xx for grey imports.... one would say this is actually a real bargain!

18 commented:

foongpc said...

I think it's better to wait for the X1 : )

Fishman said...

I actually thought it looks really ugly, hehehe

Center Parted said...

PC... Yeah, X1 beats this in looks.

Center Parted said...

Fishman.... ugly huh? heh heh...

sting said...

it still looks kinda bulky for me though it's supposed to be nokia's slimmest phone.. hmmm, guess I'm not the high-tech phone person huh :-)

Center Parted said...

Sting, until some fancy new technology comes along (and we all hope so too!!) there will be two things that will keep thing big, no matter how you try to squeeze...

One will be the screen -- everybody loves having a big screen.

The other will be the keyboard -- if you want full qwerty, then its either the blackberry block (as with this E71) or the X1/Nokia Navigator size....

What to do, what to do... :)

Anonymous said...

Hi "center parted", do you interested to contribute tech related writing to tech stuff site?

I cant find your email or contact anywhere else in your blog so i msg you here....

Anonymous said...

The only thing that bothers me about these types of phones are the fact that I can't keep them in my pocket. They often will ruin the keyboard, and overall structure of the phone :(

Anonymous said...

not perfect, although nice all around .. i still count on my blackberry

Anonymous said...

I got this phone for christmas, I really enjoy it so far, but I guess I need more time to tell, hehe.

Center Parted said...

Hi Keat,

Apologise for the late reply...

I can be contacted at centerparted@gmail.com

Center Parted said...

Emperor Penguins,

Too true!

We are now at this juncture where the technology allows us to shrink a phone down to really tiny sizes, but our physical needs, i.e. for a large screen and a usable keyboard seems to be running contrary to any attempt shrink phones further....

All that's needed is some truly revolutionary change in the way we communicate to break all the usual constraints.

What that revolutionary change will look like is anybody's guess, but boy, wouldn't that be something worth waiting for!!?!

Center Parted said...

Sausage Recipes,

That seems to be the problem with technology isn't it?

Nothing's ever 'perfect'... and if and when something really has been perfected, you can bet your shiny new dollar that it would be overshadowed by some new thing that's got all the latest must-have features but bombs every 15.888 minutes!

Center Parted said...

BBN, good for you! Hope you can post a follow-up comment on the phone after you've had time to get acquainted with it! :)

Anonymous said...

I am not a technology lover but I don't know why Nokia is not my favorite brand so I prefer X1

Mike said...

Hi,

I like your view. its cool. Do you know my favorite mobile brand is Nokia. So accept all new technologies which are related to Nokia!!

intercoms said...

Geezz..I want this! I need to replace my phone. anybody who knows a bargain price?

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