Nokia e70 Function over Form - The Perfect Mobile Web Gadget

Now that I've unloaded my Nokia 7710 on ebay. I can now comment freely about my newest phone, Nokia's e70 (tip: if you ever need to compare GSM phones against each other, I've found GSMArena invaluable).

The Nokia 7710 was arguably one of the better phones for people whose main preoccupation is to web browse. It has widescreen form factor and its high resolution (640 x 320 pixels) made it finally comfortable for me to read full length web discourses. However, it has two serious drawbacks. The first is that it just felt too bulky to carry around and the second is that its operating system (i.e. symbian s90) wasn't as well supported as I would have liked. In the end, I had found myself taking with me a Nokia 6681 for most occasions.

In the case that I felt I needed convenient web access on the road, I would take with me the Nokia 770 internet tablet (also pictured in the photo). I agree, it's much bigger than the Nokia 7710. However its browsing capabilities and its 800x600 pixel screen makes the experience more pleasurable. You must however ensure that you wear a jacket so you have somewhere to place this hulk of a gadget.

Now that I've got the Nokia e70, I can fearlessly proclaim that this possibly is the best mobile phone for a mobile web aficionado. One would have thought that its sibling, the Nokia e61 would fit the billing better. However, if you compared the two phones, you'll realize that despite the bigger screen of the e61, it actually has less pixels, thus a lower effective resolution. The Nokia e70 has a whopping 352 x 416 pixels in area typically used to accommodate a QVGA (typically 176 x 208 pixels) screen. The other unique feature of the e70 is that it can flip to landscape mode just like the Tungsten T3.

The effect of this higher resolution (assuming you still have good eyesight) is that you can actually browse and read web pages. That is, the key to readability is the ability of a device to can cram as much text on a single horizontal line. Being able to scroll horizontally is a workaround that doesn't simply doesn't cut it in my experience.

The Nokia e70 is about the bit longer than the 6681 but it is a bit narrower and lighter. So it really doesn't feel bulky for me to carry around. But for small mobile devices, I've never been completely comfortable with typing with a phone pad. The Nokia 7710 made it comfortably easy with a touch screen stylus screen. However, what you quickly realize with touch screens and styluses is that it still takes at least two hands to manage. The beauty of Nokia phones is that you could easily navigate with a single hand, this capability was almost absent with the Nokia 7710.

Typing with one hand on a phone pad remains a pain for me. Fortunately, the Nokia e70 folds open to reveal a qwerty keyboard. Phones like the e61 and treo have keyboards that I've found to bee too tiny, this one finally is of a decent size. One quickly then realizes that one can type faster with two hands, than with one hand with a stylus.

Now that you can read and type with this device there's one last feature that is worthy of mention. The Nokia e70 has WiFi capability. This is what puts Nokia's e series phones apart from other phones in the marketplace (aside from bulky PDAs). EDGE is nice, but once you've been spoiled by broadband at your home, there's simply no turning back.

The consequences of WiFi is not only less tedious web browsing but also it has the benefit that you can finally do VoIP over your phone! So in areas like San Francisco where there are plans for WiFi everywhere, one can take advantage of making almost free phone calls. This isn't just theory, I've actually been successful using Free World Dialup (i.e. FWD) to place a phone call (unfortunately it's only toll free numbers now). If only I could find a SIP proxy that can hook me up to the PSTN then I'll be home free!

So if you're still wondering what VoIP phone you should get for your home, the answer is, any of the e series phones from Nokia. Why should you use a different phone when you're outside or inside your home? Let your mobile phone piggy back on to your already paid for broadband connection.

So there you have it, a phone with a high resolution screen (you'll be amazed as to how crisp and sharp this screen actually is, you get an analogue clock for display and the hands absolutely have no 'jaggies'), a decent sized keyboard, small enough to comfortable fit in your trousers and WiFi makes this phone arguable the best phone I know of for a 'perfectly connected web gadget'.

The phone isn't as gorgeous as Nokia n80 or n90 lines or Sony Ericsson's phones. It isn't as novel looking as the Nokia 7710. But it definitely has a lot of function that it compensates for its lack of form. The high resolution screen compensates for a lot, there are but a few phones that sport this kind of resolution, only the n80 and n90 does the other 'multimedia' phones (i.e. n91, n92, n93) do not. So, if you ever happen to live in Manahattan, you'll fall in love with this Flash Lite traffic app. The combination of Flash and 352 x 416 pixels is surely a sight to behold!

[update] - Sony has just released Mylo a Wifi based communicator. On quick look of the specs, in my opinion the 320x240 pixel resolution really doesn't cut it for the web. My Fearless prediction unless it can conjure up a compelling social angle then it'll be a bust.