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Features

The E71 runs on the S60 platform with Feature Pack (FP) 1 installed, so you won't see the fancy transitions of the FP2 on this handset. That said, it wouldn't have really mattered on an Eseries device targeting business users. Like the previous models, the E71 comes with a full range of wireless radios. These include Wi-Fi, HSDPA, infrared, Bluetooth A2DP and also GPS (with A-GPS support) for satellite navigation. Nokia also included a front-facing camera this time round for video calls which wasn't available on the earlier E61i.

Although it's the familiar S60 3.1 edition for the Eseries, Nokia did introduce a number of enhancements to the OS, and these are mostly for the better.

The standby screen is the first of the few enhancements you'll come across. The number of standby plug-ins has been increased so you get more quick-access options on the home screen. Also new to the E71 is the Switch mode. This allows you to switch between two customized screen profiles with different wallpapers, themes and program shortcuts for different times of the day. Just think of it as a virtual desktop that allows you to customize different phone profiles. It may be useful for users who want to keep a clear distinction between work and after-office hours, but in reality we think that's just not possible. So we'd say the Switch mode is only a good-to-have option.

Tweaks were also made to the Calendar and Contacts applications. There's now the additional split-screen agenda view for the calendar which shows the appointments alongside the month view. Previously, pressing right on the D-pad in Contacts brought the user to Groups settings. Now the same action calls up six actions which you would most likely use in the app, such as sending an email, text message or making a video call.

Some online reviews mentioned about the Easy Dial function which calls up the relevant contacts when you type the name of the person you want to call. Unfortunately, this wasn't available on our review unit. Nokia said this feature is currently available only in specific markets and didn't want to offer more details. In all honesty, this would have been a great addition to the S60 user interface, especially since this feature is already standard on Windows Mobile devices.

There are a handful of applications preinstalled on the E71 and that should get most users up and running in no time. Maps 2.0 now resides on the phone's ROM (so you don't have to reinstall it if you do a hard reset), and you can create/view/edit new Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents using QuickOffice. We were a little disappointed that Mail for Exchange (Nokia's free software that's the equivalent to Microsoft ActiveSync) wasn't preinstalled, but that's not a big deal since you can always download it separately online.

Encryption is another new feature that will be useful for enterprise users. This requires the phone's lock code and you can encrypt contents on both the phone's memory and the microSD card. In addition, there's also a remote lock option. The initial encryption takes a while, but once completed, it was back to normal and we didn't notice any lag in the performance of the phone.

From the E61 to the E61i, and now the E71, Nokia has been adding more multimedia features into its Eseries lineup. The upgraded 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera module with built-in flash is one such example. Then there's the Music Store and online sharing (Ovi, Flickr, Vox) applications. Would it then compete with the multimedia-rich Nseries devices? Yes and no. Yes, because there are similarities in terms of the features. No, because the Eseries handsets almost certainly offer more in terms of enterprise applications and solutions. So we believe there will still be separate demands for the two phone series.

Unlike the E66 which was launched at the same time, the E71 doesn't come with a built-in accelerometer. Although it can be argued that it doesn't really make sense for automatic screen rotation with the 320 x 240 screen on the E71, there are other uses for the motion sensor, such as turning the phone over to mute a call. This is a feature which has already been introduced on the earlier 8800 Artes as well the recent Samsung Omnia and HTC Touch Diamond, so it's a pity that Nokia has decided not to include it on the E71.

The E71 may be great, but it's not perfect. We like the minor interface enhancements such as holding down certain keys to access a shortcut function (similar to the E51) and pressing the center button on the directional pad to call up the clock, date and other vital information. But having to hit three buttons at the same time (which is a mini feat itself) to copy and paste text, and using the T button to autofocus then the center D-pad key to take a picture works counter to basic intuitiveness.

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