When
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the original
iPhone last year, he criticised the current
generation of qwerty-buttoned smartphones
beloved by countless millions of business users.
His argument – and one with more than a measure
of merit – was users would all be better off
having the whole front surface of a device as a
display to allow applications the space they
needed. This was an innovative notion, and one
which works very well for the iPhone, which
despite its enterprise-friendly 3G version,
still remains a device for multi-media
consumption rather than creation.
But the continuing popularity of the BlackBerry-type
form factor shows that, especially when
someone's banging out text messages and emails
all day, you really can't beat the tactile
nature and satisfaction of a real keyboard –
however small.
Jobs's original comparison used the Nokia E62 as
an example, which suffered from weak RAM, a
sluggish processor and annoying joystick. It was
upgraded, but the problems persisted.
Now, Nokia has gone back to the drawing board
and overhauled its flagship business device to
bring to the market the E71. And what a mighty
fine smartphone it is. When compared to the E62,
the modifications are most apparent in the
slimmed-down size, which brings with it a
smaller screen and a smaller keyboard (be
warned, people with chunky fingers).
The upgrades include a better camera with a
decent 3.2 megapixels and optional auto-focus
and LED flash – better than the E62's 2mp. The
processor also seems to be a good 50 per cent
faster and the free RAM has been tripled.
Additionally, the use of S60 3rd Edition Feature
Pack 1 has made things smoother and nippier at
all turns – with the inclusion of
up-to-the-minute audio and video codecs,
including H.264 and WMA. Of the other
improvements, the first surprise is on the
standby screen, with a new ying/yang icon,
marked Switch mode. Modes are a new concept,
based around the idea that you do different
things with your smartphone at different times
in your day/week.
Two example modes are supplied, modelling
possible standby configurations, but you can
create your own and generally fiddle until the
cows come home. It's a neat idea but it remains
to be seen how many non-geeks get round to
serious tinkering. Of interest on the standby
screen is something called smart dialling,
allowing a user to start tapping out the
characters of a name and they will be matched
quickly against saved contacts. Otherwise, the
E71 has everything you would expect from a
smartphone – from office applications to
calendar – and an excellent, although not
perfect, media player.
Overall, the build quality of the E71 is
exceptional, the communications options vast,
text input potentially fast and flexible, and
professional software support and built-in
enterprise features – all in something as thin
as the average mobile. While it is an
exceptional phone for professional use, a
tougher call is for people buying one for
personal use.
However, its minor negatives should not put
anyone off investigating what is a great
all-rounder, and enough to give BlackBerry a run
for its money.
When
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the original
iPhone last year, he criticised the current
generation of qwerty-buttoned smartphones
beloved by countless millions of business users.
