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More…At first glance the Nokia E70 doesn't look like a PDA phone at all: It's an unassuming candy bar-style handset, with a smallish 2.1-inch screen and a tiny numeric keypad. But flip the keypad up, and the E70 reveals its charms-namely, a unique and very roomy QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is split in two, half of it on the right of the screen and half on the left. When the unit is open, the screen automatically changes orientation from vertical to horizontal.
Nokia E70 Cell Phone (GSM, Bluetooth, 2MP, 64MB,
- Lab Tested
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Pros
Includes a large QWERTY keyboard
Talk-time battery life is impressive
Cons
Symbian OS can be difficult to use
Phone is expensive
Bottom Line
The Nokia E70 offers a unique keyboard for easy typing and an excellent camera, but it comes at a steep price.
Nokia E70
E70 Cell Phone (GSM, Bluetooth, 2MP, 64MB, Review, by Christopher Null January 2, 2007
When closed, the E70 is about the size of an average cell phone-measuring 2.1 by 0.9 by 4.6 inches (width by depth by height)-but slightly heavier, at 4.6 ounces. Its shape is somewhat ungainly, though, because a large hinge included for opening and closing the keyboard makes holding the phone next to your ear somewhat uncomfortable. Overall, audio quality is about average, and dialing with the miniature buttons on the keypad can be tricky. Talk-time battery life in our tests was quite impressive, at 9 hours, 52 minutes.
The Symbian-based E70 is more than just a cell phone, though. Thanks to its spacious keyboard (one of the few that actually approaches the layout of a regular computer keyboard, complete with numbers and symbols that for the most part appear where you expect them), you'll be delving into its substantial data features within minutes. The handset offers standard e-mail support, a full collection of Symbian's office-document viewers and editors, and a full-fledged organizer. Web browsing (via GPRS/EDGE or Wi-Fi) also works well.
The phone has a full complement of entertainment features. The included MP3 player works perfectly well, but the built-in camera is the real standout. With 2 megapixels of resolution, it produced images that were easily the best in this roundup. You can store the ones you like on miniSD media (not included).
Unfortunately, the Symbian OS isn't up for all the things this phone wants to do. Screen refreshes took ages, and switching applications caused havoc; music stuttered badly when I tried to switch to the e-mail app, for example. I found Symbian nonintuitive and too labor-intensive-basic actions require a multitude of scrolls and button presses, often sending you to the manual for advanced tweaking. The E70 lacks a dedicated volume control, too, which will be especially problematic if you ever want to play music while doing something else. Even worse: The unit has no HSDPA 3G support, a failing common to all Nokia PDA phones.
The E70 doesn't come cheap: An unlocked handset costs $450. The phone is compatible with Cingular and T-Mobile networks, but neither carrier offers it yet. Consequently you won't get the benefit of a carrier-subsidized price, and to use the phone you'll have to purchase your own SIM (the card that permits transmission of voice and data).
Christopher Null
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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99
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85
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79
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Phones
99
57
100
68
Performance
| Battery Life Average (hh:mm) | 9:52 |
| Battery Life Word Score | Superior |
User Reviews
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Discussion: Smart Phones Get Smarter
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There's nothing "smart" about a QWERTY keyboard taking up half the face of a phone, especially a PDA/phone combination. They're too small to really type on; and a waste of space. Far better the "pop-up" on-screen keyboard that's there when you need it, and not wasting screen space when you don't.
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I have been using the European cousin of the E62 namely the E61 for some time. While it looks almost the same, this has several features that have been sadly crippled/removed in the E62 version. Differences can be found on websites that provide side by side comparisons. The main difference is the 3G and WLAN, which I find indispensable. That, plus the ability to use available utilities like Remote Desktop to connect to PC's and Servers and also to make VOIP calls over the WLAN. A pity that Nokia has been influenced to supply the E62 in the US rather than the more functional E61. Battery Life is excellent and I now find I need to spend less time in front of the real PC or laptop and can do more regular tasks on the hoof from wherever I happen to be. I also have an N80 which is also good, however for business productivity, functionality and ease of use, the E61 is hard to beat. I feel that the lack of WLAN in the E62 means that the main benefit that I have experienced has been removed.
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