Nokia E71 - Reviews, Software, etc.

[quadra]

I recently purchased a E71 and here is what i think on that phone.

The below mentioned information is my personal opinion. Please look at the big picture
Please refer to google for exact specifications. There are tons of sites available for the same.
The below only talks about the things liked when using this phone

Looks
One word,"mind blowing".
This one is a stunner. Metallic shine, great ergonomics & a nice phone cover to protect your possession.

Camera
Its really good. The night shot is not that good. I can live with that. If you want a great camera try N series. You are not made for this device.

Music
I liked it. The default headphones are above average (2.5mm) which one should change to better ones.
Hook a 2.5mm to 3.5mm converter jack and plug a 3.5mm headphone to it.
I tested the jack converter with a normal speakers at a shop and boy the sound was really awesome.

Connectivity:
Wifi - This phone works like a mini-laptop with my home wireless router. Its a breeze. PERIOD.

Mobile office - Its fast and good.

Airtel online - never used it but the speed is good.

The above depend on the available signal strength and it does vary.

Maps
I am new in this area so still learning the basic features.
The speed at which the device responds is really good.

Search
I use this to find messages and other details.
It works great. Just enter the search string and it will display in () the count of the search (in each category)
Nice feature. I have set it up on the main screen so i find it really handy feature.

Menu Navigation:
Nokia is really good at this thing. I find the menu items are placed neatly. Again, i liked it.

Phone Auto lock.
There is keypad lock and there is phone lock (can be on or OFF). I have turned this feature ON and have to punch a 5 alphabet code every time to get access to the main home screen.
This feature is good if you use this phone for sync with M/s outlook.

Remote lock
Choose a code, from any phone (that can send a text SMS) send that code to your phone (in case you forget it somewhere or lost it) and the phone and memory card get locked.
The phone that sends the SMS receives a confirmation that the phone is locked.
Neat feature i would say.

Note: In order to turn this feature ON, you need to turn the encryption ON on both phone and memory card. (read instructions)

Memory size
2gb by default, upgradable to 8gb !!!

E-mail
Configuring e-mail is a breeze with its e-mail setup wizard which is there by default when you switch ON the phone for the 1st time.
Typing is fun on this device. If you are not used to such phones, you will be a pro in no time. Read the manual for specific instruction.
It can be downloaded from Google search "e71 user guide"

Battery
It can stay on for 2 days without charging (few calls, SMS, etc etc)
Again it depends on personal usage.

In all, the looks and performance of this phone are awesome. Of course there is no such thing as a perfect phone, and if there is a perfect phone, i am loyal to E71

Feel free to ask you queries on E71

MODS: please feel free to merge this thread if required and remove this line if you do so.
Thanks

[sharathjeppu]

The E71 is an amazing phone indeed. I have an E61 and know that they have improved in several areas. However somethings which I found as short comings are the following.

1. The E61 supports blackberry connect, the only way for me to get office email on to my phone and the E71 does not support blackberry connect. So this could be a minus.
2. The E61 screen is bigger and this make it a wee bit more convenient to see movies and videos on it compared to the E71
3. I still haven't figured out how to record an on going conversation with a single button. The E51 had this functionality of being able to record telephone conversations to an MP3 file (unlimited)
4. I wish they had a blackberry kind of Holster for these phones instead of the sleek leather cover that they provide. You need to use both your hands take it out which becomes a pain sometimes when one of your hands is unusable (perhaps carrying a big bag or suitcase)

Otherwise, the phone is so much faster than my E61 and easier to navigate that I am often tempted to upgrade. The built in GPS with Nokia Maps v2 is also pretty good. However Nokia Maps navigation is not too great like some of the other GPS units I have seen. It needs a lot of improvement.

[mobike008]

Quadra, very nice and forthcoming review. Glad to know your enjoying your new phone. I am also contemplating to change my phone and E71 is there on my list but due to budget constraints planning in a few months.

So what is the price that you got it in Bangalore?

[furioussphinx]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Quadra, very nice and forthcoming review. Glad to know your enjoying your new phone. I am also contemplating to change my phone and E71 is there on my list but due to budget constraints planning in a few months.

So what is the price that you got it in Bangalore?

Take the plunge Avinash! Its one vfm phone. Since the day i bought my e71, am just loving it!

[bottle]

Using a E71 too, other than the dodgy camera which I hardly use I 'd say its highly recommended.

[aadix]

awesome phone (esp in white) from what i have seen, many of my friends have even down graded from E90 to this!

will pick this up if the nokia 5800 or the blackberry storm arent launched soon, miss my e61i which i lost. believe there going to be a price drop sometime soon.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by furioussphinx

Take the plunge Avinash! Its one vfm phone. Since the day i bought my e71, am just loving it!

Sagar, i didnt know you had this phone. Would love to check it out when we meet next. How much and from where you got it from?

[gopz]

Mods can merge this thread with this one:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...-required.html

OK, about the phone - Its absolutely the best phone I have used till date (Well, if I make that comment, I have to give this intro - I have been using cellphones right from the stone age when they used to be Rs.16/- per min for incoming calls, I have changed around 25 handsets so far)

I must say that Nokia have hit the jackpot with this phone - atleast for business users.

Some of the striking features:

1. Quad-Band with built in GPS.
2. Supports SIP - I use the phone to make free calls to US/UK/Australia and a host of other countries, using my GPRS connection, by paying a measly fee of 10 Euros for 90 days - Unlimited calling to many other countries included.
3. Email support (though Blackberry connect is not supported)
4. Battery life - Simply awesome. In fact, this is a single most important feature for a cellphone with so many features, which drain the battery. I am a heavy user of GPRS, WiFi, SIP calls & regular calls/SMS. I get atleast 2.5 days backup. Awesome!!!
5. 128MB RAM and 369Mhz processor - this is faster than the first Desktop PC which I had bought. I haven't seen a faster phone so far!
6. Symbian OS - IMO it is far better than the crap Windows Mobile platform.
7. Awesome QWERTY keyboard - perfect size.
8. Metallic body, slim candybar design, can speak volumes about the build quality, when compared to N95 etc.

Just Google and read the reviews, I am sure almost all the reviewers are totally impressed. The only minus point is the camera, but who cares, its not a Digital SLR, and doesnt really matter to me. In fact, I would have been more happy if Nokia released a version without a camera.

Some of the applications that I have installed:

1. Barablu (freeware) - I have a UK number, and folks from UK call me on this number, they get charged for local calls only.
2. Slick (beta, free) - MSN, Gtalk, Yahoo messenger buddies are always online.
3. Nimbuzz (freeware) - People can buzz me from a website and even call me from the website for free, in addition to sending me texts.
4. Fring (freeware) - I use this to make SIP calls, great clarity even with GPRS connection.
5. Internet Radio (freeware) - works flawlessly on my home WiFi.
6. LCG Jukebox (trial) - Slightly better than the Nokia music player.
7. Googlemaps (freeware)
8. S60 SpotOn (freeware) - Uses the camera flash as a torchlight.
9. Advanced Call Manager (came with the phone) - can use this to filter unwanted calls, setup voicemail etc.
10. WorldMate (came with the phone) - Check weather conditions of any City (updated hourly), Exchange rates (updated hourly), World Time, etc.

And the other regular things like QuickOffice which is really useful for me to check email attachments.

I know that most phones can do atleast 75% of the above, but, the point is, this is the only phone which is built so well and is so fast. I still remember how the N95 hangs when multiple applications are running!

So, anyone who is contemplating to buy this phone, should go ahead and purchase it, I am sure you wont regret.

[furioussphinx]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Sagar, i didnt know you had this phone. Would love to check it out when we meet next. How much and from where you got it from?

Bought it on diwali eve Got it from mobile store. There was an offer, buy the E71+Nokia BT headset for 20.6k. W/O BT headset, it costs 20.1k. I was anyways planning to buy the BT headset for driving ease (when I get my car). So it was a perfect offer for me

[adityasatish]

i use an e71 too.the blackberry is soon to be launched for e71 is what i heard.

[gopz]

Originally Posted by adityasatish

i use an e71 too.the blackberry is soon to be launched for e71 is what i heard.

No, they won't launch Blackberry support, they want to promote Nokia's Mail for Exchange is what I heard.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by furioussphinx

Bought it on diwali eve Got it from mobile store. There was an offer, buy the E71+Nokia BT headset for 20.6k. W/O BT headset, it costs 20.1k. I was anyways planning to buy the BT headset for driving ease (when I get my car). So it was a perfect offer for me

Do i understand correctly that you bought a E71 because you wanted to buy a bluetooth?

[furioussphinx]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Do i understand correctly that you bought a E71 because you wanted to buy a bluetooth?

Ofcourse not! Lol. I made up my mind for the E71. My old 9300 dint have BT to support a BT handsfree and it was a headache to take calls while driving. So now anyways I made up my mind for buying a BT along with the phone and luckily they had a combo offer on both the products I was interested in. What else could I ask for?

[adityasatish]

Originally Posted by gopz

No, they won't launch Blackberry support, they want to promote Nokia's Mail for Exchange is what I heard.

well, we'll just have to wait and see

[nishantgandhi]

I am sure BB Connect can be made to work on E71, just like I have got it to work on E51 (through a minor jugaad). When you go to Nokiaforbusienss.com website to downlaod the BB Connect software client, just select Operator as "Other" and download the application. BB Services work flawlessly with that. Google around and I am sure a similar 'crack' exists for E71 as well.