Posted by Dogmann
Hi all,
So it's been just 24 hours now with the E71 and here is how i have found it and what i think of it so far.
As i mentioned before pictures really just don't do it any justice at all it really need to held in your hands to appreciate just how slim and light and tactile it is. It really is the best built device i have seen in along time if not ever as virtually all of it is metal only a small area at the top and bottom where the antenna's are and along the sides where the control or access buttons are plastic. Even then it not a cheap plastic but even this has a great feel and exudes quality the screen is very bright and clear and the keyboard although small is one of the best i have ever used. Now although the keys look small they are just incredibly tactile and easy to use surprisingly so i may add as coming from an E90 on first look i thought they where going to be problem, sometimes it's nice to be wrong.
On the right hand side of the E71 are just 3 buttons volume up and down and the voice command key on the left hand side yo will find the Micro USB and Memory card slots both with a flexible rubber door these both sit nice and flush to the device with only a slight raise on the ends to make opening them easy. The top half of the E71 has the beautiful screen which although being smaller then the E61 is still very good as it is clear and bright. Below the screen you have anew arrangement of buttons, left a and right soft keys that can be configured fora large variety of apps depending on what the user wants there. Below this you have the Home Key and Calender keys, the Home key serves two purposes one is to take to the Home screen form where ever you may be the other function is that if you are already on the Home screen it opens up the Menu with all your folders. then you have the D-pad but not just any D-Pad it really is the best and most tactile D-Pad i have used words can't do justice to just how good it is not o mention just all the functions it offers to but more of that later. To the right of the D-pad you have the Phone book key and the Message key that takes you to your primary E-Mail and with one click back the Messages app in full.
Here are some pictures showing what all the above apps look like on the E71 the first picture shows the E71 and the Keys below the screen.
Next we have the Calender with some of the views available of particular note is the split screen month and day view as first seen in the E90. Followed by the Day View and the Appointment highlighted when the cursor is over it.
Now you have the view you are taken to with the Message button followed by the full view shown by hitting the back button whilst in your preferred E-Mail folder.
Now we will go deeper into just what the E71 offers the first thing i should point out is that a cold start takes just 27 seconds the same time as the E90. The amount of customisations available for the user to tweak should even satisfy serious Power users. As although the Active standby apps has been reduced to 5 really with the ability to switch modes it means you have ten apps in this bar and the two soft keys can have two apps assigned to them by the user one with a normal press and a second app that opens with a long press. Even the 4 keys for Home Calender, Phonebook and Mail have the long or short press function which by my accounting makes 17 shortcuts just on the Home Screen. I have not fully utilised the Switch mode and am really just using it as an extension of the first screen but the user can decide exactly how he wants this to be, as Nokia are suggesting you could use for Work and one for leisure but as always each user can decide how he wants to set this up for his/her personal preferences.
Here are some pictures of the two standby Home screen reached by using the Switch Mode.
Next we will see what the Home key from the Home screen does which is opening up the Menu of Folders also we can see just how many apps come pre-installed for the user and what we have sitting in the Office and Multimedia folders to.
Ram really isn't a problem and the E71 is fast and stable here is a picture of the free Ram with some apps open and includes Seven always on Push E-Mail which is quite Ram intensive.
I haven't tried the Music player yet as don't have a head phone adapter but sound through the speakers is excellent as have watched a program through the BBC iPlayer that works perfectly and in great quality. As of now i am having trouble converting my Video's to play as although i can get sound i have been unable to get sound and video in H.264 but wil continue to try and see what results i can achieve.
I have made and received some calls and both ringtone and voice is loud and clear give me some more time as i explore all the E71 can do and i will report further my findings but so far i am very impressed with the performance of the E71. If it will replace my E90 or not I'm not sure yet but i definitely like it and if i decide i can sacrifice my large screen and great Multimedia for the connivence of a smaller lighter device i wouldn't hesitate getting a E71.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-04 02:10 ]
Posted by Mizzle
Nice one, man. This and the E90 are the only E-series phones by Nokia I like. Especially the white E71.
Posted by Yakkaimono
This phone looks really great the only thing that keeps me from getting it is the small screen.
Anyway how is the battery life of the E71?
Posted by johnmcl7
Hmm...was about to order an E51 as a slim alternative when I'm not wanting to take the E90 but now I'm not so sure...
John
Posted by adnansanni
Nice review.
Posted by reyaan
well .......... i was kinda underestimating this phone
but after ur short review i really reconsidering it ... waiting for more details .... i wish u cud do the same this with Iphone 3g n XPERIA
thx anyways
Posted by EMS06
Nice one Dogmann! I'm still trying to get used to its looks. I'd really like to see you try this after the huge screen of your E90, I bet you'll go back to the E90 in no time.
Posted by pmerryman
Nice review there. The screen to me doesn't look that small, does it?
Posted by gpanda
Hi Dogmann,
Really nice 1st hand report, surely it will make me to decide for E71 as my next handset, hopefully I will get mine by 21st July
Posted by EMS06
On 2008-07-03 12:33:33, pmerryman wrote:
Nice review there. The screen to me doesn't look that small, does it?
I meant the inside screen, when the E90 is opened.
Posted by pmerryman
Ok. Thats cleared that up then, as i thought the screen size looked great.
Posted by Dogmann
Hi all,
As i have said initially when this was announced the screen size and Keyboard where really what worried me about this device. The keyboard although it is really small is just about if not the best i have used on any device and that really surprised me.
It is just so easy and fast to type with i have not had one mistype on it in 48 hours it's just so tactile. The next thing is the screen and whilst obviously it's much smaller than the E90 it really is very bright and clear. I always have brightness turned to Max and Font size to large and it is really easy to read and doesn't require as much scrolling as you would think.
I have even watched a program via the BBC iPlayer on it and the quality was great, using the Web does require more scrolling than my E90 but then what doesn't.
Those were just my first impressions and i really need to use it for a few days more before reporting on all the other great features it has.
But already i have decided i am no longer interested in the BB Bold or Thunder and will definitely be getting a E71 on my upgrade in a couple of months. The question is will i keep my E90 with it or sell the E90 and take the hit on Multimedia.
I really can't say enough the pictures just don't do it justice you need to have one in your hand to appreciate just how slim and sleek it is. It exudes quality and has the best build quality of any device i have used really a great job done by Nokia on this one.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-03 13:23 ]
Posted by johnmcl7
I should have said earlier, thanks for the review!
You've got a window in messaging which shows Yahoo and Hotmail, can the E71 connect directly to these systems and if so can it be set to automatically poll them or are they simply apps to go to the mail?
Play have the E71 black at 300 which is tempting, I really like the look of the E51 which is about 190 and would slip better into a pocket but no qwerty.
John
Posted by Dogmann
Hi John,
Although the E71 comes with both Windows Live and YahooGo3 that's not what i am using i am using Seven which sets it up like that in the messages app.
Seven is my preferred Push E-Mail service especially as so far it hasn't cost me a penny the free Beta has been running for ages. But when it does end i believe it is about £65 per year and i will be happy to pay that. Which i think is cheaper than using BIS on a BB. As i already get 500mb of Data included in my price plan from VodaFone which covers my Web and Mail use when away from WiFi.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-03 16:08 ]
Posted by technical-expert
Thanks for the Review
Can u review the multimedia features ( audio, Video, Camera, music)
thanks
Posted by Dogmann
Hi all
Of course i will try and answer as many questions as i can but i need some time to use them all.
So far today i used the Camera and i must say it was very easy to use you press the T key to focus and then press the D-Pad to take the picture, here are the results.
All of these where taken just by pointing and pressing the T key to focus and then the D-Pad to take the picture all the settings where left on Auto.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-03 19:41 ]
Posted by johnmcl7
Not that it would bother me too much but the processing on most of those photos looks awful, the metering seems to be quite a lot out and the WB seems questionable as well especially in that last shot.
John
Posted by jackdaniels
That is a shame as that was one of the things i would like to be decent. Can you maybe do a comparison shot with the E90 as i liked the camera on that. Thanks for a great review as well Marc.
Posted by Prom1
On 2008-07-03 17:08:20, Dogmann wrote:
Hi John,
Although the E71 comes with both Windows Live and YahooGo3 that's not what i am using i am using Seven which sets it up like that in the messages app.
Seven is my preferred Push E-Mail service especially as so far it hasn't cost me a penny the free Beta has been running for ages. But when it does end i believe it is about £65 per year and i will be happy to pay that. Which i think is cheaper than using BIS on a BB. As i already get 500mb of Data included in my price plan from VodaFone which covers my Web and Mail use when away from WiFi.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-03 16:08 ]
EXCELLENT REVIEW!
This quote above just answered most of my questions - and the price you listed (free beta now, roughly $65lbs - US keyboard settings sorry) REALLY makes me reconsider getting a Blackberry for personal use (I'll have one for work by the end of July). It seems that it integrates into the OEM Email app, am I correct in this assessment?
In the above photo, what are those folders near the top right corner?! Is it for different Email folders, or different Email accounts??
Last Q for today - does the E71 have Stereo speakers or Mono Speakers?? Early Nokia press stated mono. I gotta be sure on this one.
Posted by Prom1
There is a bit of purple fringing (tint) in the photos ... you don't notice it in the first one, but the others its there.
Posted by johnmcl7
On 2008-07-03 23:17:39, Prom1 wrote:
There is a bit of purple fringing (tint) in the photos ... you don't notice it in the first one, but the others its there.
That's what I was thinking, it's definitely the case for the first pictures although that's obviously acceptable with it being a phone camera but I'm not sure if it's the overexposure causing harsh contract and thus more fringing or if the WB is just out. The houses in the background look odd colours which makes it look more like both the metering and WB are a bit wonky. The E90 does allow you to set minus EV compensation so I assume the E71 does as well, if set to underexpose by one stop (-1 EV) I think the pictures would come out a lot better.
John
[ This Message was edited by: johnmcl7 on 2008-07-03 23:21 ]
Posted by Dogmann
@Prom1
Those are the folders for my other E-Mail accounts and all the other messaging options. I believe it's mono but when i watched a program on BBC iPlayer the sound was good, even when i watched a Music Video on YouTube it sounded good.
@all
Really i think we need to remember E series devices are Business focussed and whilst they have some Multimedia abilities it is not there strong point. Same as an N series device will perform some Business functions but there strong point is Multimedia. The E90 gets closest to performing both but even that has it's weak points in the Music player and not quite as pretty UI.
I have given up on waiting for the ultimate convergence device as up till now it doesn't exist and personally i don't think manufactures will ever give it to us. Although of course they could if they wanted to IMO but for their own reasons just don't seem to want to.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-03 23:54 ]
Posted by Prom1
On 2008-07-04 00:54:25, Dogmann wrote:
@Prom1
Those are the folders for my other E-Mail accounts and all the other messaging options. I believe it's mono but when i watched a program on BBC iPlayer the sound was good, even when i watched a Music Video on YouTube it sounded good.
@all
Really i think we need to remember E series devices are Business focussed and whilst they have some Multimedia abilities it is not there strong point. Same as an N series device will perform some Business functions but there strong point is Multimedia. The E90 gets closest to performing both but even that has it's weak points in the Music player and not quite as pretty UI.
I have given up on waiting for the ultimate convergence device as up till now it doesn't exist and personally i don't think manufactures will ever give it to us. Although of course they could if they wanted to IMO but for their own reasons just don't seem to want to.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-03 23:54 ]
Thanks Marc.
I think the N95 & the soon to be shipped N96 ARE THE ultimate convergence devices. They come closer to than anything I can recall. The E90 also is right up there ... its really a laptop replacement - I would've loved to see USB Host abilities on it and the N95 but hey we cannot have it all.
E71 - on the bottom Left/Right there is a small grate ... I'm thinking those are the speakers. In the same position on the E66 they are there as well.
Posted by dgable
Hey Marc,
Nice review. Pics look better than the ones my tytyn 2 takes and thats the phone im looking for the E71i to replace as it looks more pocketable and s60 is more user friendly for everyday use on the move imo.
I have an N95 8gb for my multimedia needs but i want a qwerty fone for msging, email and facebook etc and your review has convinced me this is the phone ive got to have so the sooner vodafone stop trying to butcher it with their own firmware and get it released the better.
Many Thanks!
Posted by johnmcl7
On 2008-07-04 00:54:25, Dogmann wrote:
@all
Really i think we need to remember E series devices are Business focussed and whilst they have some Multimedia abilities it is not there strong point. Same as an N series device will perform some Business functions but there strong point is Multimedia. The E90 gets closest to performing both but even that has it's weak points in the Music player and not quite as pretty UI.
The point is more I think the hardware can perform a lot better, if you look at the picture of the dog in the shadow where it is exposed properly you can see it is very good. I think with some fixes to the camera part of the software they could improve it considerably.
John
Posted by Dogmann
Hi John,
It may not all be the Camera's fault as i am most probably to far away and not even an average photographer as i said that really was just wait for the green focus box and take the picture. No real thought or any idea of what i am doing comes into play.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E90,8GB SDHC, Fring, Seven, Tom Tom 6
Honoured to have won BEST DEBATER
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2008-07-04 13:38 ]
Posted by Prom1
On 2008-07-04 14:37:48, Dogmann wrote:
Hi John,
It may not all be the Camera's fault as i am most probably to far away and not even an average photographer as i said that really was just wait for the green focus box and take the picture. No real thought or any idea of what i am doing comes into play.
Marc
No apologies accepted/nor needed for the photos ... it SHOWS just how useful the camera is ... most ppl would LOVE to take photos from afar of the subject and it represents how most would use it! Great job.
@John, the hardware is QUITE capable (I'll try to find a video comparison link on a blog vs the N95-4), and I'll agree a firmware fix would greatly improve it.
I cannot help but think this is Nokia's big messaging push, and a precursor to a new E90 replacement down the road - slimmer, powerful, pure genius.
This is Symbian power! Also has anyone tried to new Nokia Email service?
Posted by johnmcl7
It's a phone camera, it should be able to work on full auto - the camera module looks a good one so hopefully they can do some tweaking to get it working properly.
John
Posted by @ftyk
an e51 with a qwerty keypad.
Posted by Prom1
On 2008-07-04 19:05:40, @ftyk wrote:
an e51 with a qwerty keypad.
oh much more than that. GPS tweaked S60 3.1 better calendar & Contacts newer CPU. E51 is still pretty good.
Found that N95 vs E71 video playback comparison. Courtesy of Mark Guim.
http://thenokiablog.com/2008/[....]8gb-video-playback-comparison/
Posted by Dogmann
Hi all,
Well my time with the E71 is now over and it has gone back in it's box and it will not be joining or replacing the E90 after all.
Now don't get me wrong it is a great business device and a worthy successor to the E61 but an E90 beater it isn't.
I really have had no issues with it other than it won't play H.264 Video @23fps and although it does at 15fps this of course results in it being choppy. But it will play H.263 @23fps perfectly and due to the screen size this is still great quality although personally i wouldn't watch anything over 30 mins.
I have just tried out the Music player and the volume and quality of sound is good with my 256kbps AAC tracks and that was even using the supplied headset. I would imagine using your own set with an adapter will produce even better sound.
My one and only compliant with the E71 is something that it took someone else to point out the top of the Keyboard is not flush to the screen. Their is a small gap all the way along the top of it which leaks light but worse IMO will let dust and dirt into the E71.
Could other E71 users confirm theirs are the same or not?
Marc
_________________
Posted by @ftyk
@prom1,
i would love to see all those features on a series 80 nokia.
Posted by AbuBasim
GSMArena just posted a review.
Posted by Daphne
it's available in the UK for pre-order guys, http://shop.nokia.co.uk