In Part 1 of my Nokia E63 review, I covered the hardware, the UI and Email. In this, part 2, I look at the E63's multimedia capabilities, I look in detail at how the bundled Files on Ovi subscription works in practice and I sum up the device - never has the term 'workhorse' been so accurately applied to a smartphone. The E63 is terrific value though, at the end of the day, with the cost considerations dominating our opinion of it.
Read on in the full article.
Thanks for this great review.
Worst review ever! Why even bother?
"Worst review ever! Why even bother?"
Well, what a superbly thought out and explained critique of my review. I stand corrected and humbled.
Rafe, remind us again why we let 'unregistered' trolls post in our forums?
Not trolling, I was truly disappointed with your review. Half of the frigging article about Files on Ovi?? Don't care about that! I am about to buy this phone when the NAM version hits over here, and want to gather as much 411 as I can on how it performs. Music, video playback etc.. and there you are plugging away Nokia services. Give me a break!
Well I like being able to post unregistered, but would never think of being offensive without putting my name to it!
Anyway moving on, despite the E63 being classed as a lowish spec, I think everyone is spoilt these days an forget about the slow S60 interface 😉 on old phones like the N73 which I still have!
Using it over the last couple of days it is by far an large a hell of alot snapier than what I had got used to. I think this would be a good phone for the messaging crowd, hey if I want to use email I will use my ipod touch which goes with me everywhere. I changed the email button to the messaging client/new message respectivly.
Keep up the good work guys!
@josexi: Yes, but you're missing the point. The E63 is utterly unremarkable APART from the bundled in-ROM Nokia Messaging Service and Files on Ovi (which you'd normally have to pay for). They're the ONLY two real unique selling points, apart from the price. And this was the first time I'd played with either in a production device, too.
Sorry if you didn't like the review. Maybe you missed part 1, which talked a lot more about the hardware?
i bought an E63 2 weeks ago for around $259 (12500 Phil. pesos) here in the Philippines. i am absolutely stoked by what this phone can do for the price... the QWERTY feel is great (not inferior at all to the E71), the specs are superb, and the unit seems durable! i do however have a niggle with the wifi, which is very dodgy and refuses to work more than half the time in my house. i'm pretty sure it's not our router because laptops work just fine. i wonder if you encountered wifi problems Steve. files on Ovi is something i'd like to try on as it will solve my constant problem of forgetting files at my home PC.
100% agree on the comment about the phone being for the messaging crowd! it's such a joy to text on it even if it seems small.
thank you for a great review Steve (and AAS), i always look forward to the reviews posted on this site.
Josesxi, do try reading part 1 of the review, that doesn't talk about services at all:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/Nokia_E63.php
As for "plugging" services, if a device includes a free subscription to a service, it's worth including that service in the review.
Devices and services are starting to get very intertwined nowadays, not just on phones but music players, games consoles and even TVs and radios. You can't just look at the hardware any more, the extra stuff counts as part of the package you're paying for.
Criticism from 'unregistered' is a complete waste of time. Why even allow any comments from 'unregistered'? Make everyone register and a large proportion of this pointless criticism will go away.
I'm basically the reason the unregistered people are allowed to comment. It means people don't have to go through the long-ish registration system to post and thereby encourage extra contributions. I am considering different options including compulsory moderation of unregistered comments, replacing the comment system (though not keen to lose forum integration) and of course switching off unregistered commenting.
Incidentally I think Files on Ovi is a great bundle for the Eseries - makes a lot of sense.
Is the soft reset during video playback deal breaking? I like it for its big screen. I know its not multimedia phone, but I'm intending to watch videos on it on long trips. But you mentioned it is not stable during video playback, so it kind of break the deal for me. It will be good if you can elaborate on how bad it is or whether if it is acceptable or it consistently soft reset in the middle of a video playback. Does 3rd party application resolve this issue?
Thanks!
the E63 is rather limited and downright boring
Thanks for the review Steve, I'm now a proud owner and very pleased.
Does anyone know how to get those free games mentioned in the review? I checked Download! and can't find them. :cry:
Nokia E63 is a great phone "in my opinion"
Those games aren't available you should change the review
Nice review. Got my E63. Works great. 3G here in the Philippines is superb.
Hey Steve,
Great review...I've ordered mine today (under �180 from Play.com)! I just can't wait. I'm really excited about this phone, as one, it is just fantastic value and I have been looking at the E71 before...but really cannot justify the spend on it, let alone the extra features.
Not only that, I think the omitted specs Nokia have chosen for this was perfect. I already own a GPS device and always take that with me in the car when needed. Google maps uses "My Location" to the closest cell-tower so that is more than enough for me. So GPS in a phone...no big deal. As with the camera, it's at the minimum spec that I would cope with. But shooting video is more important, and at QVGA at 15 FPS is also my desired minimum so that checks those boxes. HSDPA is not important yet to me, but basic 3G is more than enough for now.
I am an avid Palm user, and have used Palm since the old 3Com Palm III, up to more recently the Palm 680 and now the Centro. There are alot of features that I would of liked in the Centro that many other phones have, but I've gotten by. But I can see the E63 has a very swift OS, and great software support too. And I have matched everything that I love on my Centro with the E63 so I can safely jump aboard without much hassle. Main things I wanted was Threaded SMS like the Centro, and I know the E63 doesn't have it natively, but there's a great app called ThreadSMS by EHandySoft that fits the bill. Also I loved my CallRec to record calls with, and I've also found an equivalent app for the S60. Along with stuff like CallBlocking software. So it checks the software side.
The ergonomics on the E63 seem perfect along with the keypad and build quality, much better that the Centro. The only thing I might miss (but I'm sure it will be very short lived) is maybe the Touchscreen on it. But I got to a point where I never use the stylus anymore and practically just use the D-Pad and shortcut keys for everything. The other features that I wished for in the Centro were 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Bluetooth, sometimes Wifi and a LED light as a torch. Which the E63 has! So I'm pretty over the moon with this device and think Nokia read my mind on it.
It should keep me happy until I see what the Palm Pre might be like whenever that gets released. But until then, who knows. Sorry for the real long post. But I have been checking the net for the past week on the E63, and your review and videos (on you tube) have finally hit the nail on the head so I can make the right choice. One thing that I couldn't see mentioned was stuff like call quality, loudspeaker quality, etc., but I figured with other reviews and Nokia being Nokia, that it shouldn't be much worse than my Centro.
And one question that just came to mind which would be the icing on the cake:
Do you know if I can directly connect the phone to the computer via Wifi router or ad-hoc for direct data transfer?
All the best!
Gee.
"And one question that just came to mind which would be the icing on the cake:
Do you know if I can directly connect the phone to the computer via Wifi router or ad-hoc for direct data transfer?"
Yes you can, download some software called Joikuspot
Hi Rafe,
Don't block unregistered users! I love contributing online but can't be bothered with the hassle of full registration.
They have been adopting a method on the Yahoo blogs/article which I have loved. It allows users to rate a comment i.e. the same as youtube thumbs up/thumbs down approach. Once it receives a poor enough rating it isn't displayed in the thread unless you click on the link 'comment hidden due.....'
While it's primarily meant for spam it should also help with negative posts that add absolutely no value to a thread.
BTW. Great review. That and the other comments meant I took the plunge and got the E63 today!
just got mine yesterday,
looks ok, thanks for this review...
The bases are fairly well covered with this one. I would've liked to see a little more depth in the audio review (call quality, sound quality from the headphone port, etc), and perhaps a word or two on signal strength, everyone is saying it's excellent though so that doesn't concern me.
It's a bit unfair to say that it's "downright boring," after all, it's a very inexpensive QWERTY-equipped device that can do a hell of a lot for the money (About $200 in the states). Symbian is great, very flexible, the phone is provisioned so that regular headphones may be used which is a great relief for those who are not a fan of proprietary equipment, relatively spacious QVGA 16-Million color screen is a welcome feature, and, well, it's a Nokia phone. One of their better phones at that. Perhaps HSDPA could have been implemented for a minor cost, the lack of GPS doesn't seem too outlandish, stand-alone GPS devices with larger screens are much more suitable for this task in my opinion, especially for in-vehicle use. The device does have a 370 MHz ARM-11 processor which certainly isn't slow, the choppiness of the video playback and the possible quirks with the web browser are concerns that are alleviated with better apps for the job (but I do believe you mentioned this). For a relatively tech savvy person this is an excellent value for the money, plenty to work with and not expensive at all for what you're getting.
I'm glad I found your review, it sealed the deal for me in my search for a new QWERTY phone, ordered mine just today. Thanks for the review.
I found your 2 part review to be very helpful, thanks, and I will be ordering mine (in UK) probably on "three" network soon. However, can you or anyone else advise how easy it is going to be to move my diary, contacts, etc. from Palm desktop (v 4.1.4) on WinXP to the Nokia E63, please?
And does the email IMAP sys work in the same way on three as you describe it on Vodafone?
Many thanks
my contact is davidm fastmail fm (I trust that is this allowed on the forum?)
I absolutely love my new nokia e63. It's by far the best cell phone I've ever had. It does everything it should do. It's really a really compact computer that can take pictures and record videos. I have lots of apps on it and I am loving it. Thanks for the review....
yesterday i buy Nokia e63 from my friend.. if i ON my phone .. display enter code..
i try insert 12345... code error
when ask my friend ...what code is ur phone.. he tell me ..i don't know
help me
😞 😞
I must say that this device has exceeded my expectations. Of course the E71 is a very strong alternative with a superb build quality like the E51, E66, E75, and the new E52, E55 and E72.
But this device is significantly less than all bar the E51 which is being phased out, it has the same processor and screen as the E71, runs the same software and includes a 3.5mm jack and the internet radio application built in.
Arguably along with the E51 the best value smartphone on the world market. Strongly recommended unless you require a qwerty device that also has GPS and a higher resolution camera module in which case the E71, E72, and E75 are the only options.
4/13/2010 - Thanks for this two part review! I ordered an unlocked E63 (red) for $150/USD and am looking forward to replacing an aging Motorola L7. I don't do alot of the smartphone features included with this phone but I like the battery capacity and WiFi capability.
I got an E63, not an S60 noob here, but I do have one question... Has Nokia or someone else released an app or software that can rotate AND save a picture after rotating it? I found it surprising coming from an old 3650 (from a while back) and into this one, and realizing that Nokia hasn't addressed that. If there's software out there, please let me know where I can get it (preferrably for free) THANKS!
Surely this is built into Gallery? i.e. you rotate it and save it from there, rather than in the Camera app?
3 Mobile Have some really good offers! I Love the phone.
Use it for business. Or use it for pleasure. Either way, the Nokia E63 gives you the best of the mobile internet wherever you go. Get Facebook and Skype, plus all your web favourites. And this mobile has loads of great messaging options too.
If you like emailing, texting and web browsing when you're out and about, the E63 has just what you need. The large 2.4" display makes everything easy on the eye, and the Qwerty keyboard means you won't be wasting time with a fiddly keypad. Check out the 2.0 megapixel camera too.
Check out :icon14 for the latest information and see for yourself!:icon14::redface: