I think it was during SMS Text News Podcast 8 when I explained to the team amid loud jeers that I wasn’t massively looking forward to the next Nokia E-series unit. Dan, Ben and James were positively gagging to get a look at the device and obsessing over the sexy new design. I’ve been there before. I’ve been the happy-clapper Nokia fan, itching to get my hands on the unit, only to then begin finding problems and issues with it.
I haven’t had a good hands-on play with the E71 as yet. I can tell you, however, that it will be ‘good’.
Not brilliant. Oh no. For, ’tis a Nokia. It is, unfortunately, the law of Nokia that every handset they produce continually underwhelms. And when you’re paying 500 pounds a time for the experience, that begins to add up. And then you become me.
In the podcast I explained my viewpoints and my experiences.
“No!”, they cried, “You heathen!”, they jeered.
And then Podcast 10 arrived. Last week, you see, SMS Text News contributors Ben Smith and Jonathan Jensen, headed off to the Nokia E-Series Q&A event and walked off with E71s (by mistake, it seems, but, they’re nice chaps, they’ll give’em back).
Big time. I’m only disappointed I was 6,000 miles away whilst Podcast 10 was being recorded. In it, the chaps — the previous E71 uber-dandies, made a series of points that didn’t surprise me at all. Yes, the Emperor is naked.
The E71’s prime function, obviously, with it’s qwerty keyboard, is email/messaging.
How does it perform, Ben?
“As a nice email device, it’s good.”
These are actual quotes.
Here’s Ben again:
“It’s nice to see Nokia putting some styling effort into their E-Series devices. Previously they’ve been pig-ugly. A lot of people in my office have been commenting on it.”
So it’s not pig-ugly. The camera’s “not that good” and is “fine for daylight shots.” But what about video streaming with the likes of QIK?
“As for QIK, the E71’s processor can’t really handle it.”
Right. And the actual email client on the E71, Ben?
“The email client is really quite poor.”
And a closing statement on the E71, Ben?
“It’s a lot more capable [in terms of calendar and contacts], except on email. That does seem strange on a device that you buy primarily for email.”
I’ll certainly sit down and have a play with the E71. I expect it to be well made, contain the usual Nokia E-Series functions that we know and, generally love. But I don’t expect it to be a piece of brilliance. I’ve just had far too much experience with Nokia to even hope for that.
Expect brilliance from Apple (he writes, typing away on his MacBook Air) but expect a dependable and ok performance from Nokia.
No more Nokia fanboys please, not until they produce something worthy enough.
Maybe I shouldn’t be such a nokia fan boy 🙂
http://twurl.nl/l164d5
Yep. I said those things. And you're right – it is sub-par in some areas.
But it's much better than what went before it and that's reason enough to be excited about it. Look at the alternatives – RIM (huge infrastructure cost, smaller range of applications in the areas we get excited about), HTC with Windows Mobile (worse user experience and reliability)…. who else?
P.S. I stole an E66 not the E71 – that's a legit loaner… 🙂
Maybe I shouldn’t be such a nokia fan boy 🙂
http://twurl.nl/l164d5
Isn't the point about the E71 that it's pitched as a high-end smartphone, but we all know it'll be pushed down range pretty fast and soon be available on the lower priced contracts… and so really it;s been designed for that price point and therefore comes with compromises?
No, not high end… It's mid-range. It's the E90's and the like that are high-end for E-series. I do hope they do a QWERTY high end device, but this isn't it. It is however, the best device of this form factor in the range 🙂
No, not high end… It's mid-range. It's the E90's and the like that are high-end for E-series. I do hope they do a QWERTY high end device, but this isn't it. It is however, the best device of this form factor in the range 🙂
No, not high end… It's mid-range. It's the E90's and the like that are high-end for E-series. I do hope they do a QWERTY high end device, but this isn't it. It is however, the best device of this form factor in the range 🙂