Nokia E71 is currently winning
by Volker Weber
I have currently four smartphones powered up and ready to go: Apple iPhone (2G), BlackBerry Bold, Nokia E71 and Palm Treo Pro. And more often than I expected, the Nokia makes the race. And it's only because of convenience.
The iPhone is pretty good for everything but answering email. It's the only one that renders HTML mail as intended. And the only one giving me quick access to weather, stocks, Twitter and news. However, typing on the screen is bad. The BlackBerry loses for only a single reason: Mac support sucks big time. If I worked with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, I would love it. The Treo Pro is still ramping up, but I am having the usual difficulties with Windows Mobile Professional. It's just too complicated, especially if you have a Mac. Best Windows-Treo I have seen, but not strong enough to beat the other three guys.
The E71 however is wonderful. The smallest and thinnest of them, with the best build quality. Very easy to operate with one hand, with a fast and usable camera. It syncs with my Mac over Bluetooth, and thanks to iSyncit completely automatically. I never have to dock it at all. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. But it's my current choice.
Comments
I am currently balancing pros and cons between the E71 and the iPhone. I'm tired of carrying both iPod and cell phone around all the time, so I definitely want my new buddy to be able to handle both jobs properly.
Could you briefly comment on the E71's MP3 player? Is it easy to access / control and does it sync with iTunes?
I decided to get the E71 and not the iPhone and do not regret it. I really like VoIP and WiFi on the phone, although it also has its software glitches, e.g., missing location profiles.
The music player on the E71 sucks as does (in my eyes) every other player that I've seen on any kind of mobile/smartphone. If you used an iPod/iPhone once, you'll compare every other player to it and will hardly be satisfied with another solution. But as I do carry an iPod with me for my music, I couldn't care less :)
Carsten, usually I don't even bother unpacking the headphones for any mobile phone. I have to do it for my regular reviews, but they go straight back to the box. I did for the E71 since it has a radio that needs the headphones as an antenna. Good news, it does work. Bad news, I won't bother in the future. Why? I would have to carry the headphones. And if I do that, I might as well pack my iPod nano as well. It's a much nicer player, and it fits all my headphones with its 3.5mm jack. Nokia has not yet learned what Palm and RIM have learned: people often don't want to use their crappy headsets.
Does it sync with iTunes? Not really. You can make it sync the files from a PC or Mac, but not anything on the level that iTunes/iPod provides.
The E71 is great, surprisingly i like the keyboard more than on the bigger E61.
Sadly, the E71 is weak regarding the camera. At least in the firmware on my current device, i have to press "T" to make the autofocus work. Also the gallery will not show pictures full screen by standard, you always have to press the "option"-menu.
Have you tried to use "Nokia Multimedia Transfer"? It syncs Music with itunes, photos with iPhoto (imports new photos from the phone and also, if you like, it copies small size versions of your photos back to the phone).
http://europe.nokia.com/A4423134
Yes, I use it all the time. For those who don't, make it a convenient link.
I had the E71, the iPhone and the Bold on my list for a device update, and coming from an E61, typing a lot on it and not living on a BES, the E71 will win, especially considering what has been written about it on this site and even though it still does not remember access point choices.
I am wondering though if the smaller screen is a step backwards and if a number of glitches have been fixed (like the missing daily repeat function of the "alarm clock" and the lack of automagic copying of contacts' birthdays into the calendar).
This should answer one of your questions:
I talked to senior management at Nokia last week. They are aware of the AP issue. And they seem willing to fix it. Whether that bubbles up to old devices, I am not so sure. They did not fix your alarm clock.
The screen is OK. I think the E61i screen was better in bright sunlight, but the size is not an issue.
Christian, I consider "T" a feature and not a bug. You don't need the autofocus for most pictures. Only for closeups. The way that Nokia implemented it will give you instant photos most of the time.
Thanks a lot! Now I only have to beat my path through Big T's voice and data plans. I used to know them a bit in the past but see that they haven't grown less confusing since.
How about charging over the USB cable? Did you address that with the Nokia people you talked to? Did they make a statement?
"The BlackBerry loses for only a single reason: Mac support sucks big time."
Whats wrong with Missing Sync for Blackberry? It seemed to work fine for the few months I was using it. Do tell. I did not continue using it, as I found I had no need for it.
Missing Sync is OK at the basic syncing it does (apart from the occasional obtuse message), but it’s not a complete solution. For a start, you can’t install anything with it, and whilst the vendor surveys people regularly to see what they’d like added to the product, they haven’t actually updated it in an age, and there’s no sign of them doing so.
Hi,
just to sum up the Mac apps for the E71: our iSync plugins make it work with iSync and our FoneLink app will let it sync with iTunes, manage your files, fotos, videos and does manage SMS.
Best regards,
Jan from nova media
The funny thing with Nokia and headphones: this is only an issue on the E series (N I don't know). The lower end phones, for example 5310 ExpressMusic, now have a normal headphone jack. But it has a Micro USB connector instead of the more standard Mini-USB of the E series.
In fact I don't get why they don't put a standard headphone jack in the E series when they can do it elsewhere.
E71 also has Micro-USB. And why-questions are always hard to answer.
Reiterating my question from above, any hints on when or if at all the E series devices (particular E71) will charge over the microUSB anytime soon?
the N Series Nokias have a multi-jack, that takes either their own jack for the headset, or a normal headphone jack, or a mic. I use the one on the N95, and really like it. I still don't use it as a music player, as I've got an 80gig iPod that's full, but for listening back to video on the bus, the headphone jack is great. :)
@ Ragnar
It's a series 60 problem - its just not implemented, so charging via usb is impossible (at the moment).
I got a E71 and love it almost allthe features. When watching videos on the default realplayer you can´t rewind or forward, Any solution to this? Where can I find nice free applications&games? Does it has voice recognition to place a call to a selected contact? I´ve a micro SD 4Gb card, the box says you can use a card up to 8Gb, does anybody have used it? Does this card makes slower the phone? tks
Did you read the manual? tks
Why the E71 does not charge via the USB connection? can anyone help?
i Have the Iphone 3g, Blackberry Bold and Nokia E71
My Iphone sits in the house without a sim card.. really acting like an iTouch 16gb.
I use the Iphone for it's FUN factor.. other than that it is useless in my opinion for
all the reasons mentioned.. NO MMS, Poor keyboard or the lack thereof, abysmal battery life, etc etc. I love the remote app, games, ipod, stockmanager..
The E71 is a VERY nice PHONE.. but that's where it ends for me.
Symbian S60 is just plain old Vanilla. There are few apps that are wow! and actually make the phone better. No Slingbox support (yet), email is sketchy.. the new Nokia Mail seemed to be a step in the right direction in lieu of the unsupported blackberry Connect, but still buggy. The screen resolution is antiquated at 240x320.. on the plus side, the battery lasts foreever and I can sync out of the box with my Mac.. oh but wait.... No Categories on the E71!!!! OUCH.. that really hurts me .. I need categories and I need them to sync. Brings me full circle to the out dated and boring Symbian Platform.. This hardware with updated software and a screen that is up to par with current models... I would grab it!
Lastly.. my Blackberry Bold! The screen is what a screen on a phone should be! It is gorgeous ala Iphone...
I can watch Slingbox on my Bold and it works and looks FLAWLESS!!!
I have lots of third party apps that makes my Bold Better..
I sync wirelessly with my Mac via Missing Sync (latest version). works GREAT!
Google Maps, Pocket Day, Viigo,Istock manager with links to my Financials for up to the minute trading,etc etc.. a great keyboard, a great email manager, and decent battery life.. lasting me at least the full day and night. I upgraded my OS to version .190.. noticing improved battery and internet..
anyway.. The Bold is the one I grab.. the Iphone is a toy, and the Nokia... well.... it sits in a box.
