First impressions of the Nokia E71, a QWERTY device for the business user

Andy has been sending me Nokia Nseries devices to evaluate as part of the Nseries Blogger Relations program for almost 3 years now and today I was sent a device the branches out into an area that I am highly interested in and that I think relates even more directly to the readers here at ZDNet. You see, I was sent a Nokia Eseries (E is for enterprise) device, the Nokia E71 for evaluation. I bought a Nokia E61 and then E61i last year and really enjoyed using those devices, but found them a bit too wide and heavy for every day use and moved on to the Nokia N95 that had a much better camera and other media features. The E71 is a much slimmer device that also adds a 3.2 megapixel camera and may be the perfect compromise for those of us who want a QWERTY keyboard with some multimedia features. I took some unboxing and comparison photos for my initial impressions image gallery along with the video first look below. I also take you on a tour of the device and let you know what my impressions are after using it for about 4 hours.

	Image Gallery:I am very impressed by the quality and classy looks of the Nokia E71 Eseries device.

Different versions: I was a bit disappointed because I thought we were being sent the North American version of the E71-3 (WCDMA 850/2100), but the European version (E71-1) with WCDMA 900/2100 was sent along first with the possibility that the North American model may follow shortly. The good thing is that this model does have a quad-band GSM radio so it will work with T-Mobile and AT&T here in the U.S. There will also be an E71-2 (850/1900 MHz) model of the device for other parts of the world so make sure you know which one you are buying when you shop for one.

The E71 also comes in either a Gray Steel or White Steel color scheme and I was sent the Gray Steel model for evaluation.

In the box: The Nokia E71 comes in a rather compact white with orange highlights retail box. After opening the top flap of the box (along the long axis) you will see the E71 up towards the top of the box. Under the unit you will find the a compact Nokia A/C adapter (with foreign plug), BP-4L 1500 mAh battery (same as in the Nokia N810, E61i and E90), USB to microUSB cable, lanyard, wired stereo headset with 2.5mm jack, slip case, CD, a Quick Start Guide, and the full manual.

The slip case is interesting with the opening on the right and upper ends so the device slips in at a slight angle to rest in the leather (at least it feels like leather) case. It isn't a case for keeping it secure, but just for protecting the device while it is in your bag. I used to be a big case user, but lately prefer just throwing my device in my pockets and plan to do that with the E71 too.

Specs: The Nokia E71 is packed with all of the latest and greatest wireless radios and more as you can see from the specs list below:

• Symbian OS 9.2 with S60 Feature Pack 1
• Marvell PXA270 416 MHz processor
• 110MB internal dynamic memory
• 2.36 inch 320x240 QVGA display
• Integrated 802.11 b/g WiFi radio
• Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 radio with EDR
• Infrared port (Yes, you read this right)
• Integrated A-GPS receiver
• 1500 mAh Lithium ion battery (BP-4L)
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• 3.2 megapixel camera with 15fps video support at 320x240
• Very small front video conferencing camera (I thought this was a light sensor)
• 2.5mm connector for wired headsets
• Weight of 4.5 ounces (127 grams)
• Size of 4.5 x 2.24 x 0.39 inches (114x57x10 mm)

This latest device also supports FOTA (firmware update over-the-air) that I believe is the same thing that is now available on the Nokia N78 that I updated a couple of weeks ago.

Tour around the device - front: The first thing that you will notice about the device is the QWERTY keyboard that takes up just over a third of the lower part of the front. The keys are hard plastic with a matte finish on them to make them easier to feel and find. It is a compact keyboard with each key butting up to another key, but they are also raised up quite a ways in the middle and so far it has been easy for me to type on. The keyboard on these devices is something that takes a bit of getting used to so I won't comment too much at this point on the functionality of it.

I really like the large space bar and the central keypad layout of the number keys. The number keys (and */#) are highlighted in gray tones while the rest of the keyboard is black with white characters. The characters have white backlighting and are clear in low light conditions, but not too bright and glaring either. You press and hold the function key and the corresponding key to enter the alternate character or you can simply press and hold the key with the alternate character over it (you can also quickly double press it to leave the Fn key enabled). I wish that Nokia would add the shortcut functionality I talked about on the Samsung Blackjack II as that makes the keyboard even more functional, IMHO.

I also read in the manual that you can press the Fn key and the Chr key to enable Ctrl and then press the desired key to initiate the action (such as ctrl-c to copy text).

Above the QWERTY keyboard are the send/call and end keys, left and right selection keys (right under the display), center Navi key (directional pad), and four one-touch keys. I actually opened up the manuals for this phone to see what everything is on the device and discovered that each of the four one-touch keys has three functions (short press, 2nd short press, and a long press) so you can perform 12 functions with these four keys. For example, the Home key lets you access the home/standby screen, open the menu (screen of all your folders and applications) and the E-mail key lets you open your default email inbox, return to the previous application (the secondary function for all keys, but the Home key), or create a new e-mail message. I think this one-touch key functionality will come in very handy as I continue to use the device. You can also customize the short and long press shortcuts for the Contacts, Calendar, and Messaging keys.

Along the top of the front, from left to right, you will find the light sensor, earpiece speaker, and front facing camera. Below the keyboard on the far left is the microphone opening.

Tour around the device - top and bottom: The power button is located on the right side of the top and is highlighted with a red plastic button that is flush with the top. Over on the left side of the top is the speaker grill. The left side of the bottom is where you will find the standard Nokia charging connector with the lanyard opening further out to the left.

Tour around the device - sides: The left side of the device does not have any buttons, but does have the infrared port (it has been quite some time since I saw this on a new device), microSD card slot with rubber cover, and microUSB connection port with rubber cover.

At the top of the right side is the 2.5mm headset port with the volume up key, then voice key, and volume down key below it. The voice key lets you mute/unmute active calls. It is also used in the voice commands application and for push-to-talk applications.

Tour around the device - back: The back has a very classy looking stainless steel cover with a tight grillage of indents all over it and Nokia Eseries stamped in the upper part of the battery cover. This silver battery cover takes up most of the back of the device and hides the 1500 mAh battery and SIM card slot. There are two buttons on the lower part of the battery cover that extend out to either side that much be pressed to release the catches from the back cover. The 3.2 megapixel camera with self-portrait mirror and flash is located on center above the battery cover and protrudes out from the back a bit.

Software: One of the first things I discovered on the E71 that almost had me jumping for joy out of my chair was the ability to start typing a contact's name or number right from the standby screen and having my contacts filtered automatically. This is one MAJOR feature that I love in Windows Mobile (called Smart Dialing) and I am extremely happy to see it on the E71. My wife may soon be taking this device from me since that is probably the only reason she uses a Windows Mobile Smartphone.

I also discovered there are "Modes" available on the E71 so you can create custom modes that you can switch to easily if your usage patterns change between work and play. There are two modes loaded by default (Business and Personal). With the modes you can customize the Home screen applications, theme, and wallpaper. I am not sure how many modes you can have or if I will ever use this functionality, but it seems like it could be handy if you want a more classical business looking device at work and then a more customized and fun device when you leave the office and I do plan to try it out.

The new month view with side agenda list is something I have been wishing for and am very happy to see on the E71. I prefer to view my Calendar in a month view so I get the big picture and like the ability to quickly select a day and see what is scheduled over on the right side too.

The full version of Quickoffice version 4.1 is included on the E71, but there is an even newer version 5.0 that you can upgrade to for a fee. I think this version will be fine for what I do on the road, but don't think it supports Office 2007 file formats so that may be a concern.

I was a bit surprised to see that Mail for Exchange was not included on the device, but I quickly downloaded and installed the latest version to get all my data on the device. I was a bit disappointed that the Messaging application hasn't seen an overhaul since I still think that is a very weak area in S60 that is a strength in Windows Mobile. I do plan to see if the new Nokia Email application works on this device since that application has a nicer layout and some good functionality.

Nokia Maps 2.0 is included along with Nokia Sports Tracker and after starting it up the first time I was able to get a GPS connection in about 2 minutes. I need to do more extensive testing of GPS and will include those experiences in a full review after a couple weeks of usage.

Initial thoughts and experiences: The Nokia E71 has dimensions just less than that of the Apple iPhone (4.5 x 2.24 x 0.39 inches and 4.5 ounces for the E71 vs 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches and 4.76 ounces for the original iPhone), but is targeted to the business user looking for a powerful messaging solution versus a device with multimedia as the main focus. After holding and using the E71 for several hours, I have to say that for my usage needs the E71 is my preferred choice. I don't know yet what the cost will be for the unlocked North American model, but the device exudes superb quality in an extremely attractive form factor and I would be willing to pay something on the order of US$600+ for the device. Eseries devices generally run at a cost less than Nseries so we may see this device come in at a lower than expected price.

I can't wait to see how long this huge 1500 mAh battery goes during my daily usage and am quite excited about the prospects for this device.

The device is quite snappy and switches between screens, opens applications, and performs to a level expected of a high end device like this. My S60 devices have always been rock solid and if the E71 continues that trend, along with excellent phone quality, this will be one tough device to beat.

Please post any questions you want answered or features you want tested in the Talkback and I'll make sure to add the answers to my full review.