
Friendly Smart Phone

I picked the E71x by Nokia due to their reputation for good sound quality and user friendliness. I wanted a Smart Phone that was easy to learn, fun to use, fully functional, and sanely priced. Was determined to keep my search under $200, and since my very first cellphone was a Nokia -- way back in the day -- I found a perfect test subject on eBay (very slightly used for $170). You might even do better on CraigsList.
On the plus side: (1) nice looking phone -- very Blackberry-like in appearance; (2) fully qwerty key board -- easy to maneuver and type; (3) keys, while seeming very tight and close together, actually are amazingly easy to work on; (3) better and more consistent call quality (AT&T signal) than any other phone I have used (I change phones frequently due to fickleness); (4) Nokia's PC Suite is simple and straightforward -- synching is fast and foolproof; (5) battery life is exceptional -- even with lots of calls and texts, my battery lasts 3-4 days without recharging; (6) it's really fun to use -- tempting to just play with -- you can put your whole life on it (it will take up to an 8gb mini SD -- rumors are rampant that it can take more, but 8gb is all I have now; (7) the SD card is easy to access from the side, so you don't have that annoying task of dismantling the entire phone to get to the memory card; (8) the screen is small but images are crisp and sharp -- and refreshingly readable in sunlight -- a genuine bonus, for sure; (9) pictures look great and videos transfer easily and are easy on the eyes; (10) songs sound good -- listening to music on my phone is not really my thing -- I have a Nano for that -- but in a pinch, the sound quality is fully acceptable.
On the minus side: (1) a really heavy phone: I moved from a Blackberry 8100 Pearl, which I loved and is lighter, to a small brick, but it doesn't really feel all that heavy in the pocket -- barely noticeable, actually; (2) the Symbian curve is a little weird when you begin -- not quite as intuitive as the Blackberry or even the simplistic Motorola Razor, but it takes a few days to adjust; (3) a few too many layers/levels to perform simple tasks -- shortcuts eliminate this, but it takes some studied practice to learn them -- definitely worth the effort, but the phone seems unnecessarily cluttered; (4) most definitely screams for a protective skin -- the weight alone makes you paranoid about dropping the thing on the nearest sidewalk -- I got a cheap but effective black silicone wrap. It's now easy to grip and difficult to let slip. Highly recommended, though -- Nokia should really ship the phone with one of these.
Overall, a great tool/toy for calling, texting, and e-mail. Not so much for internet use -- okay but it's certainly not an iPhone -- but if all you need is the basic 3, you'll be delighted. Might stay with this phone for a while.
Review ID: 10000000014941699

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