Nokia E71 - Wonder or dud?

Below: 2 modes for quick easy access to your needs: Work or Play. Work mode featured here with my YSL wallpaper:-P More sombre and serious. But a red theme for good luck at work in CNY!


Below: Lots of applications for this Nokia E71 phone...

Below: Example of sub menus...easy and clear to understand

Below: WLAN wiz to get connected easily...

Below: Switching modes...'WORK' is over and time to go 'PLAY'...

Below: Louis Vuitton Graffit Wallpaper for my 'PLAY' mode! Relevant applications are now displayed for easy access. And I can customised again, my theme and wallpaper:-)

Below: Blue theme to unwind and chill...

Below: Sample pic taken in midday, bright daylight. More inclined towards bluish/reddish hues. Quality and sharpness is pretty impressive for the 3.2 megapixel camera.

Below: Sample pic taken in evening before darkness falls. Using night mode without flash. Again more inclined towards bluish/reddish hues. Quality and sharpness is acceptable. Can see an increase in noise levels in dark areas

Below: Sample pic taken in night time using night mode. More inclined towards bluish/reddish hues. Quality and sharpness drops due to high levels of noise. But almost all camera phones are like that.

Nokia E71 Trial Report #01

It has been almost a week since I first trying out this Nokia E71, so I thought I want to share with you guys how I have been getting along with this new gadget.

And contrary to my doubts, this complex piece of gadgetry is actually more simple and user friendly than what it appears to be! All those function keys, abundant menu items and applications and the cramped qwerty keypad are just mere appearance. This phone do deliver! I can't say how much I have fallen in love with this phone. I was a Sony Ericcson convert, but upon using this wondrous device, Nokia E71, I think I am going to 'cheat' on my Sony and may have a long and rewarding 'affair' with Nokia again.:-P

First up, the most curious question that a lot of friends have for me...is the qwerty keypad easy to use? The small cramped keys seem intimidating for guys especially since we tend to have big thumbs and fingers. Okay, since I am a slim person, my hands are not huge, so it really does not pose a problem to me. To be honest, guys with bigger hands than me will be surprise with the ease and feel of the keypad. The keypad is designed in such a way where it tapers to the top, leaving a gap around each key, although they are placed closely to one another. So that means, you really do feel where each key is and with a bit of getting used to, you can hit the right button without pressing the adjacent ones. Plus, one more amazing thing, the pressure needed to press a button is perfect. Not too hard and yet not too sensitive. I have so much joy pressing the keypad. This is probably the best I have encountered and I am saying becos I really felt so and not to flatter Nokia. To alternate between alphabet, punctuation marks and numbers, there is a simple function key at the corner to enable to quick switch. It is so clever!

Next, the applications itself...Although I am not a tech wiz, I am impressed by the amount of capabilities this phone can perform. The most interesting feature is that you get 2 separate modes for the phone, one for work and one for play. That means, you customised your each mode to have different easy access applications. For example, while at play mode, you have all your music player, gallery etc right on display for your convenience. While at work mode, all the working applications like email, internet, calendar are display for easy access. Being a 'vain' phone user, of course I customised my wallpaper on both modes to reflect the different moods for each. Louis Vuitton graffiti pattern for play, and YSL B&W photography for work!:-P Beyond wallpaper, the themes can be customised for each mode as well. Since it is chinese new year, I am using a red based colour theme to reflect the joyous festivities!

The phone has WLAN, or GPRS functionality for web browsing. GPS capability, Quick office for browsing Microsoft Office documents. The video and camera capabilities are more than sufficient for all the photo and video fanatics around. At 3.2 megapixel, the camera delivers very crisp quality images, although they tend to lean towards a more red based colour tone. You have Realplayer, Flashplayer to ensure compatibility for video formats. The LCD screen is both sharp and crisp with brilliant colours. I love it!

Now, for the flaws, I dunno if I am an 'idiot' with gadgetry...but I cannot seem to find a way to turn the phone into silent mode with a simple button. I have to run thru selecting menus and sub menus before reaching profiles to get into silent mode. Kinda hassle. The same goes for mass deleting of messages, there is no 'MARK SEVERAL' function, so you have to mark the messages one by one, going thru the pull down menu, before you can mass delete. Sucks!

Beyond the basics, I have yet to explore deeper into the capabilities of the phone. But for now, I am very contented and pleased with this device and am seriously contemplating to buy this phone once my mobile contract expires and I am eligible to purchase a new phone. This is truly design meets capability. Slim and slick, stylish and powerful. Way to go Nokia! You did it again!