QWERTY Keyboard Phones

The Nokia E71 has won many awards and is a very popular smartphone. Some might say that the E63 is an inferior, stripped down version of the E71, but when you consider the price difference, it’s a great phone! Actually it’s even a better phone in some ways.

The E63 is only slightly thicker than the E71, but it’s not really that noticeable. The keyboard is mostly the same, but the Nokia E63 lacks the volume buttons on the side, as well as the recorder button. This is a shame, but most of the time you won’t really miss those.

Now for the interesting part: The QWERTY keyboard. The E63′s keyboard is mostly the same as the E71′s, but there are a few differences. The spacebar on the E63 is a bit shorter, to make room for some extra buttons. These extra buttons are really good to have, expecially if you browse the internet on your phone a lot. The spacebar can also be held down to switch on the flashlight, which is pretty handy. The two phones’ keyboards are the same width, and the rest of the keys are basically identical.

Both keyboards have the buttons raised slightly, with a little bump in the middle. This makes it easier to type without worrying about hitting the keys next to the ones you’re aiming for. It also has predictive text. The E63′s keyboard seems a bit quieter than the E71′s, though… at least after regular use.

Another noticeable difference between the two phones is the camera. The Nokia E71′s camera is 3.2 megapixels, which is nice and all, but it’s a pain in the butt to actually use, and even after updating the firmware multiple times, there’s still a slight purple effect over the photos it takes. So even though the Nokia E63′s camera is only 2 megapixels, it’s actually better. Basically, neither of these phones have particularly great cameras, so that isn’t really a selling point of either of them. If you want a great camera, look elsewhere.

List of differences between the Nokia E63 and the E71:

• The E63 doesn’t have side buttons for volume or recording.
• The E63 doesn’t have the IR window.
• The E63′s keyb spacebar is shorter, but it adds a ‘/’ button.
• The E63′s screen is slightly smaller, but the screen resolution is still the same.
• The E63 doesn’t have built in GPS, and doesn’t support HSDPA.
• The E63 doesn’t come with an extra SD card (but you can still add your own).
• The E63 has a 2 megapixel camera, with fixed focus, but it has better picture quality.
• The E63 has a flashlight function, which the E71 doesn’t have.
• The E63 comes with a standard 3.5mm audio port, instead of the E71′s 2.5mm one.

The Nokia E63 doesn’t have GPS like the E71, but it does have a standard 3.5mm audio port, so you can more easily use your favourite headphones. It still has a QWERTY keyboard, possibly even slightly better than the E71′s, and it’s cheaper. So, in short, it’s a cheaper version of the E71. Considering all of the above, I’d say it provides better value for money than the E71, and would recommend it over the E71. Unless you really want all those other features the E63 lacks, in which case, you might be interested in the Nokia E72…

Have you tried both? What do you think?

The Nokia E71 is a business smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard. It uses the Symbian OS (version 9.2), with Feature Pack 1. It succeeded the Nokia E61/61i models before it by building on their base design and enhancing their features. The Nokia E71 is to be succeeded by the Nokia E72.

The E71 recieved many positive reviews and awards, such as:

Editor’s choice and a 8.9/10 rating on CNET.co.uk
Phone of the Year and Best Smartphone at the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards of 2008
WIRED Magazine’s Best of Test in 2008
Highly Commended at the GSMA Awards in 2009

Features

* Pocket-sized for one handed typing, full QWERTY keyboard.
* Two customizable Home Screen views which each have their own active plugins and shortcuts – basically for switching between business and personal modes.
* One-Touch keys for quick acecess to applications
* Auto-completion, autocorrection and learning capability while typing
* Calendar and Contacts
* Built in GPS and Nokia Maps
* VOIP Calling
* HSDPA data up to 3.6 Mbps
* 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, also a front camera for video calling
* Music player, media player and radio
* Built in VPN
* Data encryption for phone memory and the microSD card
* Internet access if you want to use your phone as a modem for your computer

Technical details

* System: WCDMA 850/2100, WCDMA 900/2100and WCDMA 850/1900, HSDPA, GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900
* User Interface: Symbian S60 platform
* Dimensions: 114 mm x 57 mm x 10 mm (L x W x H)
* Standby time: Up to 17 days (GSM), 20 days (WCDMA)
* Talk time: Up to 10.5 hours (GSM), 4.5 hours(WCDMA)
* Main display: 2.36” QVGA (320×240), 16 million colours
* Battery: BP-4L, 1500 mAh, Li-Po
* Memory: 110 MB internal memory, support for up to 32 GB microSD-HC memory card
* Camera: 3.2 megapixels (2048×1536 pixels), video recording in QVGA quality at 15fps
* WCDMA max download 384 kbps; upload 384 kbps
* HSDPA up to 3.6 Mbps
* WLAN (IEEE 802.11b/g)
* EGPRS multislot class 32, max download 296 kbps; upload 177.6 kbps
* GPS and support for assisted GPS (A-GPS)
* FS-USB, Infrared
* Bluetooth wireless technology 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio, enhanced data rates (EDR)
* 2.5 mm AV connector

What do you think of the Nokia E71? Post your reviews and opinions in the comments.