T-Mobile's Nokia E73 Mode; refreshing to go back to a simpler time
A couple of weeks ago Nokia and T-Mobile USA announced the E73 Mode with a 16 June release date for just $69.99. I have been using a Nokia E73 Mode for a few days and assembled a full review and started adding articles to my Nokia E73 Starter Guide over on my Nokia Experts site. I am a HUGE fan of the latest Nokia Eseries devices in large part due to their rock solid construction, inexpensive cost, messaging focus, outstanding call reception and quality, and stable operating system. While the E73 Mode may not have the latest and greatest shiny operating system, the hardware is superb and it is a very attractive choice.
I have been using several high end touchscreen smartphones for the last several months, but I have to tell you it was a real breath of fresh air to go back to using the T-Mobile Nokia E73 Mode with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 software. The hardware is fantastic and the T-Mobile USA E73 Mode is more like the excellent E71 in terms of hardware and construction than the E72 was. I liked the E72, but thought the E71 was a better piece of hardware. There are indeed differences in the E73 Mode compared to the E72 and some are quite major.
T-Mobile USA also includes support for UMA WiFi calling so you can make and receive calls via WiFi if you have a weak T-Mobile cellular signal. The last good device with support for UMA was the BlackBerry Bold 9700. This is a great BlackBerry, but I personally prefer the Nokia Eseries devices and am very happy to see the E73 Mode support UMA as well.