In the third and final part of his review, Ewan reports on the application set in the Nokia E61i and also pronounces his verdict. What are its strengths? Is it worth dumping the E61 for? What about new users?
Read on in the full article.
The Nokia E61i - the Applications and the Verdict
It looks like this will be my next phone, if I will manage to save some cash.
I'm waiting for the P1 vs E61i comparative review, they're very similar from initial spec reading.
Just like the E61i covers the E61's flaws, the P1 seems to fix the obvious M600 omissions.
Ewan says that this would not be his choice of smartphone. What would be?
I use an E61 to browse internet... and is a disillusion... Not the size, but resolution. A phone like this one should have VGA screen, like the new E-Ten 500+. 2,8" of screen on VGA, should be a pleasant operation, but not this one. Same thing with N95... The better for me is N80, because have more pixels. Maybe, only, E90 could be good for that job.
nj7, I agree, it would have been nice to have a higher resolution as the E61 / E61i screen is physically so large. Perhaps the true sequel phone (E63?) will have more pixels.
While it may not be anyman's cup of tea (because of its wideness I guess), I don't see the E61i as that much of a 'niche' device. The thing with the E61i is that you really get a lot for your money. A really solid, well-built smartphone with excellent battery-life, a big screen (I'd take a physically big screen with a relatively low resolution over a tiny screen with high resolution any day) and a full keyboard all in a slim, pocketable package at a decent price.
The E61i should appeal to all those people that do a lot of text messaging, and here in Scandinavia (and I suppose most of Europe and Asia) there are a lot of people that use SMS more than calling...
Raven, I think it's niche purely because most people don't want a phone that looks like a computer. That's possibly the secret of Symbian's success, as Symbians tend to look more like phones than most Windows Mobile or Palm devices.
The E61 / E61i is a really useful device and great for texting, I have one myself and I love it. The problem is the form factor: most people want something sleek and smooth with a nice colour and a compact size.
There have been quite a number of qwerty phones over the years, from Nokia and others, but they've never managed to become mainstream hits that ordinary people use.
This phone is not intended to be wanted by average people. Between E61i and E70 (which looks alot more like a phone), I would choose the E61i without thinking twice, even if the SW is pretty the same. And the same as Raven, I would rather a physically bigger display than increased resolution.
If people buys phones only for their look and not for what's beneath the "hood", then phones like 8800 should be the only ones which were buyed. Luckily this don't happen 😊
"most people want something sleek and smooth with a nice colour and a compact size." - Well, that's the E61i. 😉 But yeah, I know, the wideness of the device will be a 'turnoff' for many.
Like I said, one of the E61i's strong points is its price. JimH would like to see a comparative review between the P1 and E61i because "they're very similar from initial spec reading". Yes, they are quite similar spec-wise, but what is not similar is cost. The price difference isn't minor either, you know the P1 will be twice as expensive.
krisse wrote:nj7, I agree, it would have been nice to have a higher resolution as the E61 / E61i screen is physically so large. Perhaps the true sequel phone (E63?) will have more pixels.
Do you have any news about E63, or is only a guess about the next "number" to come?
"Well, that's the E61i. 😉"
It's sleek for what it is, but like you say the width is just too much, and you couldn't make it narrower without ruining the keyboard.
There's no perfect solution to the QWERTY problem, if you use the gullwing design the screen becomes too small and if you use the communicator or sidekick design the phone becomes too thick.
But I totally agree that it's an incredibly good value package for its price, which is why I bought one. It's still arguably the best value S60 available at the moment.
"Do you have any news about E63, or is only a guess about the next "number" to come?"
No, no news at all. It's just a guess. I think it's safe to assume they will be making another blackberry-style model though, considering the success of the E61.
E61 is the main version, E62 is the US version, so E63 seemed logical but I have no information on whether it will be called that.
"If people buys phones only for their look and not for what's beneath the "hood", then phones like 8800 should be the only ones which were buyed."
At 800 to 1200 euros a phone, I don't think the 8800 will be entering the mass market any time soon... 😉
gdroth wrote:Ewan says that this would not be his choice of smartphone. What would be?
A question I am often asked, and one I really don;t have a single answer for. I;ve a number of phones here I could use, but when I chose a single phone to take on my 4 weeks of travel around the USA last March, I chose to take an N91.
N91...hum... music lover😎
nj7 wrote:N91...hum... music lover😎
+ battery life + WLAN + memory + stylish