Advice for a potential Windows Mobile to E71 switcher please

i'll just comment and say that the e71 is ROCK SOLID in terms of the OS. its super stable, never ever needs a reset, literally. the latest s60 devices have really gotten quite good with the OS.

I'm sure you will be convinced after reading this.. I'v been using Windows Mobiles for quite some time now so please don't think that its a biased answer. Finally E71 is the answer to switch over from years of Windows Mobile frustrations. Now I need a very very strong reason to go back to Windows Mobile. Answers to your questions below..

1. Microsoft Exchange mail works flawlessly. As a matter of fact my phone beeps first when an e-mail arrives and after few seconds, my outlook on the PC connected to LAN pops up the mail. I feel its cool. I just tried sending a calendar invite but there is no "To.." option. Maybe I'm missing something. It doesn't bother me.. If I have to setup a meeting, I can log onto outlook web access and do it from there if need be but its not a showstopper. I can get meeting invitations thats for sure..

2. Internal GPS is very good. You can use Google Maps or Nokia's built in maps. Tomtom needs an external GPS as for some reason it doesn't pick up the internal GPS. Heard that there are other GPS navigation softwares that work with the internal GPS. Tomtom on E71 is million times better than Windows version. It doesn't hang! It works when you need it the most.

3. I've been using Windows molbiles since the beginning of XDA II days (is it 5 or 6 years now?). With every upgrade I seach for alternate phones every year and end up buying a windows mobile again which lasts for few months before having some problem or the other. Finally E71 is the answer to that. I need a strong reason to go back to Windows mobile now. This is one of the best phones I ever used despite its minor issues. It has so many positives that the negatives can be easily forgotten when you have this baby in your hands. Just go for it!

4. Not sure about the automatic time zone switching as I take 10 mins to travel to work! 😎 I did see an option to change the time based on the network. Worth checking the manual on Nokia site to get confirmation. Nokia can't be that stupid!

5. I think you shouldn't be asking that question. There is a world of difference between Windows mobile and Symbian. I forgot what reset means! E71's build quality is probably on par or better than iPhone.

6. Recharging over Mini USB is a problem if you compare it WM phones. No doubt. But if you compare its battery life with WM phone, I gues you don't even need to recharge at work. My WM used to die by afternoon with mail continously synching and constant phone calls. This one lasts with the same usage till the next morning's recharge. It costs �10 to buy a tiny USB recharge cable.

7. It didn't work on my vista laptop. I guess its a matter of waiting for few more months for a better s/w upgrade for vista. So its a no. But USB works..

8. You can specify the intervals of mail retreival and the connection it needs to connect to.

9. Adjust the profiles accordingly. I guess you should be able do. Good thought actually. I'll give it a try!

10. I think you can't sync with a desktop if its sync with OTA exchange server. But why do you want to do that? Fire up your WLAN and sync. Job Done.

I spent �330 on a sim-free phone. After that 3 launched at a cheaper rate. I don't regret spending extra 100 quid after 2 weeks of use! It took few days (like looking for similar apps/features I was used to etc..) to get used to it but now I just love it...

Hope this helps!

I switched and I never looked back (except I keep my Tilt around to feed my Bubble-Breaker addiction).

The main reason I switched is because whatever device I use is primarily a phone, and the WM devices are not great phones.

Regarding your question #4, the E71 does not have tri-band 3G, so the European/Asian versions won't access the US 3G networks, and visa-versa.

The E 71 has a setting so you can choose whether to have the local time synced to the cell operator. When the phone re-sets to a new time-zone, all of the calendar events change, so if you enter an event in one locale, knowing you're going to be in a diffent time-zone, set the event for the time it will occur after the device re-sets.

The Nokia E-Series phones are great business tools, and Mail-For-Exchange syncs flawlessly. Except for the 3G issue, you'll have no regrets.

nuttyphilt wrote:
7. Does it have bluetooth networking to hook up to my laptop?

what do you mean? yes it can tether to a laptop to connect to the internet using the bluetooth connection or the USB connection, whichever you want.

Thanks for the replies, I think you guys have convinced me! I'm working out in Australia at the moment and I've seen a place where I can get an unlocked SIM free one for about AUD$500 (after GST refund), about �250, so I think I'll go for that.

ronr9286t - I don't really care about North America 3G because roaming data is so expensive and I don't use a North American SIM. My question #4 was more about appointments shifting correctly when changing time zones which you've answered.

I've just gone from tytnII wm6.1 to the e71 and it's excellent. No regrets at all and the battery lasts 3 times as long.

the one thing for me I wasn't sure about was using it as a modem on a specific accesspoint but I have no problem doing this and it's excellent using it with my eeepc (winxp) when out in the car.

(I need to use the orangewap apn not orangeinternet as I have unltd data on the wap profile for �5 a month).