I still find it slightly funny that two years after its original release, we’re still looking for an iPhone killer. It seems that every new smartphone from one of the major manufacturers is touted as the phone we’ll all be selling our iPhones for. So far, it’s not happened.
Enter the Nokia E71, Nokia latest entry into the aggressive smartphone market.
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Nokia, stretching back to my 8210 days (nearly 10 years ago now!). That soft spot started to firm up a little once they started making their bigger, more chunky handsets though. The N95 for example is a phone I could never use. This E71 however might just be a return to form for the Finnish giant.
I’ve not had a play with one myself, but Jim Louderback of Revision3 has, and he seems rather taken by it !
Have a read of his thoughts over on his blog, and if you’ve either got one or used one be sure to drop me a message. I’m really interested in how people are getting on with this.
Maybe the question should be, is the Android G1 the Nokia E71 killer?
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I purchased an E71 a few months ago and really like it. I had strongly considered an iPhone and an Android handset, but ultimately felt that while there are undoubtedly some great iPhone apps, Apple’s closed app store was too limiting and there were still too many nagging omissions (copy/paste, tethering, replaceable batteries, etc.). I’m sure Android will be very compelling after another round or two of revisions and new phones, but it’s just not there yet, and I’m not willing to move to T-Mobile. An added bonus of getting the E71 is it allowed me to keep my legacy AT&T voice/data plan which is much better than the current iPhone plans. I occasionally get iPhone envy when the latest greatest app comes out, but for my core apps the E71 suits me better (i.e. Profimail for a highly-configurable IMAP mail client, Opera Mini or the built-in browser for web browsing, Tribble for Twitter, etc.). The battery life is great and I bought two extra batteries plus a charger for $4 on eBay, can’t beat that!
@Bill: Thanks for the input, it’s good to hear from someone who’s actually used the E71. I’m just too taken with my iPhone to move over, but it does look a very good handset !
Always happy to see more praise of the E71, and am very encouraged by Bill’s use of the E71 as a platform for “core” 3rd party apps. One correction, though; Nokia is a Finnish company, not Swedish (big difference, especially in that part of the world).
-Oren from Nokia S60 marketing
I just got an E71 3 weeks ago in white and it is really superb. It looks fabulous in white, feels so solid but slim and light, and yet amazingly powerful. It is a masterpiece of miniaturisation and performance. I have yet to find a real issue with anything. It is quick, easy to use, staggeringly powerful and huge capacity, clear screen, comfortable to use. The acid test is would I be able to give it up. I don’t think so.
It would have to be a red hot product to make me swap for now. Well done Nokia.
@Oren: Correction noted and corrected – my mistake !