Nokia E71 review: Messenger of steel

Following some time off since the E51, the Nokia E-series is back to the shop with a new pet for business-minded users. Nokia E71 seems to have it all to take over and build on the E61 QWERTY messengers' expertise. The suave upgrade is much slimmer now (and thus much more pocket-friendly), more powerful and a whole lot more skilled. The smaller display is actually the only step down. Well, we're back in business too, and we're about to see if that's the step back before a major leap forward. 

    
Key features:
Quad-band GSM support 
3G with HSDPA 3.6Mbps support 
Landscape 2.36" 16M color display of QVGA resolution 
Comfortable full QWERTY keypad 
Convenient business-minded shortcut keys 
Symbian 9.2 OS, S60 UI with FP1 (topped with some FP2 goodies) 
369 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB of SDRAM 
Wi-Fi 
Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS 
3.15 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash 
110 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, ships with a 2GB card 
Slimmest smartphone to-date, slimmest Wi-Fi and/or GPS handset to-date 
Stainless steel casing 
Standard 2.5mm audio jack 
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support 
microUSB v2.0 
FM radio 
Remote Wipe 
Provider-independent VoIP support 
Infrared port 
Great battery life 
Office document editor 
User-friendly Mode Switch for swapping two homescreen setups 
Rich retail package 
Main disadvantages:
Below average camera performance 
Video recording maxes out at QVGA@15fps 
No dedicated camera key 
Smaller display than its predecessor 
Cheap-looking power key 
No RDS for the FM radio 

The Nokia E71 is among the best-equipped Nokia smartphones to-date. It's quick and responsive and carries a remarkable feature load for its compact size. Connectivity is at its highest with the Nokia E71 boasting every single connectivity option, which is currently available. Add the GPS receiver and the slim metallic design and you've got yourself a smartphone that walks and talks high-end.

Nokia E71 however is in for some tough BlackBerry competition. The Bold 9000 seems like a nice alternative having almost the same feature pack as the Nokia. BlackBerry's proprietary OS is not as widespread as the Symbian S60 but the business applications are all there, so the target audience won't feel deprived. The Bold also has a screen of much higher-resolution than the E71, but then, size is worth a thought.