Author: Sandra Prior

Article:
It’s not often that we find a device so notable that despite not
being strictly PC, it deserves a little attention. The Nokia E71
is one such device. Having reviewed many phones during my
tenure, this reviewer can say without doubt this is the best
smart phone I have ever used and arguably the best on the
market.

Weighted perfectly for one or two handed operation, the Nokia
E71 sits just right in the hands. It feels solid and oozes
quality all the while looking way better than its spade head
parameters should allow. The full QWERTY keyboard has been
extensively revamped giving the type of control that Nokia users
have only dreamed of. Think Blackberry without the ugly. But the
interface is more than just well planned keys; in this case it
comes down to performance which, thanks to a 370MHz processor
and 120MB of RAM, is sublime. Flipping through menus is
completely smooth, even laden websites scroll seamlessly. This
phone is fast on a whole new level and even when I managed to
stall it by overload, the reboot is mere seconds and takes you
straight back to the ‘desktop’.

The entire dance takes place on one of the best screens on the
market. Did we mention it’s gorgeous? Some of the extra fluff
includes a GPS, a revamped web browser and a Symbian incarnation
that will make you giggle like a schoolgirl on crack. There are
Easter Eggs around every corner from a 3.2MP main camera to a
gentle glowing backlight behind the scroll key to let you know
something happened while you were away. There is also a menu
item that allows you to switch between a work interface and a
weekend mode, just like a mullet.

Despite being my favorite phone in a long time, the E71 is not
without a few hiccups. Nokia’s download-as-you-go maps are
completely useless when abroad without roaming and damned
expensive when you are not. The GPS also takes ages if you turn
it on far from its last location, and while we can’t prove it we
suspect it takes longer still if you don’t allow it to waste
bandwidth from switch on. The ear piece, while very clear, is
tiny and off centre so going lefty takes some getting used to.

All these however are minor gripes as the phone is more than up
to anything you could throw at it.

About the author:
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