21 posts tagged “review”
I took this photo while avoiding the extreme heat outside... it's taken inside of UO's Lillis Business Complex, and features plenty of lines to inspect for lens distortion. Quite unusually, my Kodak Z812 IS actually will bend these lines but the E75... doesn't? The E75 does have a decent amount of noise, however.
I came across some interesting news recently... as of yesterday, Peek was lowering the price of it's two devices! The flagship device, "Pronto", was lowered to $59.99 (down from $79.99) while the original "Classic" was made $19.99 (down from $49.99). This is quite a long way for the device to have gone, especially considering the "Classic" was the launch device for the company and sold at a hefty $100 each! Needless to say, I thought I might as well pick up one of these devices, if nothing else than just to have it sit around for some future date when I decided I'd use it.
So I opened up Target's website (they carry them), since I didn't exactly want to order one online. Then I noticed that Target was selling off the "Classic" for $11.99!!! I did the store search to see if the local Target was carrying any, and sure enough, they did! (And unlike most things, they weren't in limited supply, either.) So I hopped in my car, drove off to Target, walked straight to the prepaid cell phone aisle, and found the Peek on the bottom shelf. They had four of them... all of them had a light coating of dust on their matte-black boxes. (Clearly these had been sitting for quite a while, which explains their bargain pricing.)
Picked one up, and bought it from the man working the electronics department. He seemed thoroughly confused as to why I was purchasing a prepaid handset when I clearly already had a phone (I was shooting off SMS messages with the E75 the entire time). Then he took a look at it, and read the box, and was his facial expression changed to a bit of surprise once he put together the device's functions with it's super low price.
Came home, and immediately got to work on opening it. The (rather slow) bloke who I bought the device from in the electronics department had forgotten to take off the plastic reinforcement on the hanging tag, which needed to be removed so that the innards could slide out of the bottom of the box. No problem, I just cut off the whole tag. Inside, I was confronted with some rather annoying blister-packaging. Some careful work with scissors had the sealed container open, and pulled everything I found out and put it on the counter:
- Peek ("Classic")
- Case (Timbuk2 made it!)
- Battery (Lithium-Ion 3.7v 700mAh)
- Charger (microUSB type of plug)
- Quick-Start Guide
- Terms of Service Manual
I immediately set everything aside except for the Peek itself, and started taking pictures.
The Peek device itself is rather simplistic. On the front side, the device is given a rubber layer on most of the surface, the only exclusions being the display window and chiclet-style keys (which themselves are also rubber). The keys are all identical in shape and size, with the exception being the space key who's total width equals two buttons plus the space normally between them.
On the top-left of the display window is an envelope icon... this flashes blue as an email notification light, similar to Nokia's E-Series Naviwheel notifications or Blackberry's notification LED. Considering the Peek's target audience, and it's entire purpose revolving around simplicity, this is actually a rather fitting solution. The Naviwheel will flash for anything from a missed call, SMS, or email (sometimes even other things), and it can be confusing to tell exactly what's been missed. The Blackberry LED indicator is often too small and, on many of the devices, flashes periodically to signify that the device is still turned on, making matters yet more confusing.
The back of the device gains a bit more design to earn the Peek some extra style points. A steel (aluminum?) battery cover is made much more visually appealing with the addition of a grid of small circular perforations... perhaps a design trick taken directly out of Nokia's book. (It's covered by the original sticker which handily gives information on how to install the battery.)
A slightly raised section of the back is all that keeps the device from being perfectly flat... which I'm unable to tell occurs merely for aesthetic reasons or because of hardware hidden underneath. There is a circular piece placed on this raised area, which mimics the location of the scroll wheel. It seems to be larger than the physical wheel itself, but it's a nice style even though it serves no real feature beyond bringing attention to the device's navigation controls.
The scroll wheel itself can also be clicked inwards, and is the equivalent of a select button. A smaller key found below the wheel serves as the back button. This is all very reminiscent of the older Blackberry devices, namely the 7210 I used to own. And indeed, the controls on the Peek function almost identical to that of the 7210 I used to own. More on that later.
The top of the device features the power button. This is most definitely a trick learned from Nokia, and assuredly a good move on the part of the Peek designers. While it only serves two functions (power-on and power-off), it's still the best place for a power button in my mind. (Are you listening Nokia?)
The opposite side of the device carries a small slot for dispersing audio alerts, and a pseudo-microUSB port. (It's technically a serial port from what I've read, but it has the same plug as a microUSB and accepts chargers with the same plug.) The cover for the port fits just a bit deeper than flush, meaning it won't ever catch on something or pop open when being removed from it's case or a pocket. It's made of a rather stiff rubber which should hold up well over time.
Last but not least, the bottom has the release button for the back case. Pushing it will spring the cover up about half a centimeter, meaning no awkward attempts at pushing the button and simultaneously lifting the cover. Simply press the button, and remove the cover.
Hardware:
Essentially, the Peek serves one purpose: messaging. As such, there is no microphone, no headphone, no audio port, no dialpad, no send/end keys, and certainly no volume controls. It is, in fact, a lot like the original RIM Blackberry devices... they were simply two-way pagers. (Later Blackberry devices had phones built-in, but required you to use a headset to use this feature.) The Peek is at least one-up on those original Blackberry devices in almost every single way.
First of all, we need to dive into the device just a bit deeper than a mere aesthetic point of view, and this requires removing the battery cover. Doing so reveals a shockingly small battery cavity... this is apparently a rather efficient device, however, as Peek themselves state that the device will function for 4-5 days with "normal usage". However, the surprises do not end here, as I was instantly drawn to the label which stated, "Warranty void if label removed or tampered." Why's that I wonder? I mean, look at mine... it's already peeling off on it's own! I already located the rather large humidity strip (presumably Peek envisions many of these devices being owned by careless owners), so what could possibly be hidden under the label?
I decided to lift the label just a bit, and found myself a SIM card hidden underneath! Not only that, but it's a T-Mobile SIM card. After a bit of research, I found out that Peek does use T-Mobile's network for their services. Transferring this SIM card to another phone will register with the network and acquire a signal, but phone calls, SMS messages, and data will not function. Placing a different SIM card in the Peek's SIM slot will result in a similar outcome; the device will acquire a signal but nothing will actually take place.
This information is quite important, as the Peek is equipped with a tri-band GSM radio. It also uses GPRS for it's functions, meaning that it should function at the same rate of speed anywhere in the world it can acquire a signal. Potentially, this means the Peek could become an internationally-distributed device, assuming the concept takes off enough here in the States to encourage Peek to do so.
Having finished my brief exploration, I properly sealed down the warranty sticker and installed the battery.
Usage:
What Peek forgets to tell you in the Quick Start guide is that you have to Activate the device before it will do anything. This is a bit confusing as I can envision the following situation: a man walks into a Target, buys the peek, goes home, puts in the battery, then sits for hours waiting for the device to get a signal. Eventually they'll have to call Peek service to find out that they need to first activate the device. I figured this out on one of Peek's discussion forums and simply activated my device online. It was a painless process.
Overall, though, the Peek setup process is as painless as they come. Turn on, enter your email address and password, and away you go. It automatically looks up retrieval settings from Peek's own servers, and sets everything up for you. It's rather similar to Nokia's email setup wizard, which is why I'm even mentioning this now versus waiting for the E75 trial to be over. I'll create a video / slideshow later to show just how simple the Peek is in regards to email in comparison to the E75.
Anyways, this review now reaches a bit of a difficult point. Where the Peek "Classic" is already limited in regards to functionality of the "Pronto" model, mine is a few software revisions old. (My device has firmware v1.04 loaded on it.) Peek offers a free upgrade offer, which requires either sending in your device to them or purchasing a cable. I have found someone in Portland who has the cable, so I'm hoping I can meet them and upgrade my device on my own. I should note, that Peek offers a free upgrade to "Pronto" for anyone who's running a firmware v1.08 or earlier, meaning this review will be technically about the faster model as soon as this upgrade it complete. (The "Pronto" and "Classic" models are actually identical hardware... the only difference is the software set.)
Until I receive this update, I don't feel comfortable finishing this review, as my firmware is much slower than all the newer revisions. So until that point, I'll leave this interview here in regards to usage of software.
Hardware however, is another deal entirely. The keys are well spaced and quite nice to push, however they are also quite stiff which makes my fingers (occasionally) slip off of them. The space key is also two physical buttons placed on either side of the key, which poses a problem as pressing the middle of the key results in no keypress at all. I feel these are just little niggles and will work their way out with more use.
The scroll-wheel functions well, but I wish it was a bit larger and a bit more responsive (firmware?).
So.... until later updates, this is where the Peek review is going to end.
(All photos taken with the Nokia E75.)
Keyboard:
The keyboard on the E75 really is a bit of a mixed bag, in my view. On one hand, it's great to look at, and on the other it's rather un-tactile and flat (literally and metaphorically) in use. However, it's the usage that I've begun to tackle. As many other reviews (and I myself) have stated, it takes about a day or two to become accustomed to the thing. Coming from a device such as the E71 (as I did, although I assume users of the Blackberry Bold/Curve/Pearl, Samsung Blackjack, or other similarly designed handsets) I still find the right-side shift key to get used... well... never. That said, I'm beginning to feel (and this may be a false feeling) like I'm inputting text faster. On the E75, I'm much more apt to say things in SMS messages the more wordy way, or throw in an extra smiley even when it's not necessary. I often send messages that span 3-4 texts on the E75 versus 2-3 I used to average on the E71 as well, meaning text input is a lot... less fatiguing.
But the newest breakthrough is actually something I had found on the N82 and E71: short nails helps improve the input process. Typing with my fingernails, I found myself entering more accidental characters and overall typing much slower and not feeling very good about using the QWERTY keypad. With short nails, I can just slide my fingertips from key to key, improving my accuracy. In fact, most times I can even just stare at the screen and watch my fingers move with peripheral vision without making errors (usually).
Unusually, on the N85 I found messaging to be a much more enjoyable affair with longer fingernails. It's flush keypad would work just fine, but I found pushing the keys with my nails to be a "better" option. Almost ironic though, the Naviwheel and Quick-Launch keys were better used with shorter nails.
What, then, is Nokia's idea of a consumer's nail care? Do they design their products to be used with fingertips or fingernails? Is this even part of the design equation? I would hope it is, afterall many with longer nails have complained of their experiences with touchscreen devices.
Anyway, all of that was just a thought I've been revisiting ever since cutting my nails last night.
Email:
What can be said of the new Nokia Email application? On one hand, it's a big step in the right direction for Nokia. It's much more graphical and intuitive, with features the old Messaging equivalent could only dream of. On the other hand however, I can't really say I believe it's ready for widespread adoption by the rest of the S60 line. For a user like me, 4 separate mailboxes (OVI, Gmail, ASU, UO) seems more than the program can handle. For one, opening the application and telling it to connect (or synchronize) all mailboxes results in the synchronization of only my default mailbox (OVI). Add to that the fact that every mailbox asks which internet connection to use and I'm a bit irked out. If Email is now going to be it's own program, then I believe that the program should ask once which connection to use and route all further traffic through that method.
Memory:
I'm no longer so sure that the E75 deserves it's E-Series badge. All other E's have a bulletproof messaging memory... throw a few thousand SMS's into it's inbox and only then will the phone start to show signs of sluggishness. The E75, on the other hand, begins to wheeze and gasp after a mere 300 or so text messages. As a heavy texter, I reach this limit within a couple of days, then become frustrated and empty out my inbox.
I remember my N82 used to react similarly (but a little closer to 600 if my memory serves me right). I now look over the E75 and re-evaluate all that I see: stunningly clear camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, n-gage, cool-yet-hindersome design. All of those lead me to believe N-Series, yet Nokia has branded this device with an E. I'm not saying the E doesn't make sense though, so don't get me wrong. The E75 has inherited much from it's E-Series cousins as well: QWERTY keypad, stainless-steel back, and a business-oriented software package. All but the last are true E-Series traits. So where then does the E75 fit?
Point is, the E75 has a disappointingly small memory capacity. It's thrown me off just a bit because it takes a sizable chunk out of it's messaging capabilities.
(Post composed on the Nokia E75.)
The Nokia E75 device is considered by many to be the final evolution of the Communicator Series by Nokia. It features a fairly spacious keyboard, a wealth of connectivity options, an impressive software set, and an exterior that gives away nothing of the potential that lies within. The original recipe called for rather large unit, with a side-hinged clamshell design that opened much like a miniature laptop. This layout would result in a spacious keyboard on the inside and a spacious keypad on the outside, making it an absolute joy to use for extended text input. These were all things to be found on the last definite descendant of the Communicator line, the Nokia E90.
Paired with more connectivity options than ever before, the E90 was undeniably the most awe-inspiring device of it's time. Any type of connection you wanted, the device had. It had new tricks up it's sleeves that the old Communicators weren't even capable of if they had wanted to: the same OS that the user interacted with on the inside display was to be found on the external display as well. (The Communicators had a S60 system internally, S40 system externally.) This meant that the phone could adapt to any environment it found itself in. If you needed to read an email but wanted to be discreet about it, the external display would perform this task just as easily as the internal one. Want to send a text message but realize halfway though that a more lengthy reply is needed? Just open up the device and continue using the keyboard.
It is therefore understandable how the E75 is seen as an evolution of the E90. It's "more than meets the eye" approach in design elegantly hides the features packed within. The QWERTY keypad is among the most spacious ever found on a Nokia handset. And, seeing how the E90 is no longer offered, the E75 currently possesses the largest QWERTY keypad found in the E-Series line. The E75 is also offered in the same three color shades as the device it "replaces". (Black, Brown, and Red.)
Where the E75 holds on to it's roots, it also blazes ahead into new, uncharted territory. It's Nokia's first side-slider handset. It's the first E-Series to feature N-Gage capabilities. It features a 3.5mm headset jack, a first for an E-Series device. And it's also the first E-Series handset I've ever encountered with User Data Protection. (UDP: When performing software/firmware updates, user data and programs are unaffected. Without UDP, this information is typically wiped clean.)
So what, then is the E75? Is it a member of the Communicator line, or is it an evolution of those devices into something new? Something... unique? Let's find out.
- Quad-Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900)
- Tri-Band WCDMA (850-or-900/1900/2100) (Depends on user's market.)
- 2.4" QVGA TFT Display (240x320) (16 Million Colors)
- S60 v3 w/Feature-Pack 2
- 3.2mp CMOS Camera w/Autofocus
- VGA Front-Facing Camera
- BL-4U Li-Ion Battery (1000mAh)
- 5h 20min GSM Talk-Time
- 4h 20min WCDMA Talk-Time
- 9h VOIP via WLAN Talk-Time
- 25h Continuous Music Playback
- Bluetooth 2.0
- WLAN 802.11b/g
- 100/60kbps GPRS
- 296/177.6kbps EDGE
- 384/384kbps WCDMA (3G)
- 3.6mbps/384kbps Class 6 HSDPA (3.5G)
- MicroSD Slot (hot-swappable)(4GB Card Included)(Support for 16GB)
- 50MB Internal Dynamic Memory
- MicroUSB Connector (Supports Charging)
- 3.5mm AV-Out/Headset/Headphones/Line-Out Jack
- 111.8 x 50 (closed) / 80 (open) x 14.4mm Dimensions
- 139g Weight
As you can tell, very little is left out from the E75. About the only things you might find on a competitor's phone for this same type of consumer would be a touchscreen and/or a larger display. While these things might make or break certain customers, they are not to be found here. In fact, they're not to be found on any E-Series device, at all. Why? Well, it would seem that Nokia has realized these features don't matter much to it's customers. Between stylus and keyboard input for text, most would choose to have the keyboard, especially when lengthy emails are involved. If you're writing an email while walking in an airport terminal or attempting to dial while driving a car, the lack of a touchscreen really begins to make sense here. And where large, high-resolution displays look brilliant for photos and videos, we are talking about a business device here. A sharp, easy-to-read display is more desirable for these consumers, and that's exactly what Nokia delivers.
Compared to most phones that are easily available here in the US (which is the same thing as saying handsets offered directly from carriers), the E75 shines with it's wealth of connectivity options. It's 3.5G connection is lightning fast, even here in the USA where AT&T supposedly limits HSDPA to 1.4mbps. (At least that's what the iPhone 3G supposedly has, leading me to believe that the E75 is able to use it's full bandwith capabilities on AT&T's network.)
Infrared is the first thing that I noticed wasn't on the list. It was a feature built into the E90 and devices as recent as the E71 and E66 that I know of. It's something of a legacy feature, a fall-back in case you encounter a device you need to communicate with that doesn't support any of the newer communication protocols. I found it useful for last-minute essay printing and for messing around with sending documents to an older Handspring Visor.
New this time around, though, is the 3.5mm jack. The E75 is now capable of performing like an N-Series and standing in as an MP3 player. However, that's not the end of the capabilities of this jack. It also features AV-Out, something N-Series devices could always due but E-Series could not. The potential this feature unlocks is nearly endless... if you should be at a meeting and have a computer failure, a powerpoint presentation is still manageable using the E75. Oddly enough, however, the cables necessary to do this are not included with the device. This could be because Nokia wanted to stick with the "standard kit" that an E-Series device comes with, or they didn't feel that the device warranted a real need to come packaged with this cable. (This could also have to do with N-Gage not being pre-installed, something I'll get to later.)
Design:
Being Nokia's first side-slider design, they deserve a significant amount of congratulations right off the bat. Why? Because of how well executed their attempt was. I have seen a fair amount of side-sliders, all of which have been thick and heavy yet feel cheap and flimsy. The E75 is none of these things. The device is thin with a good share of heft to it, and the slide is smooth and sturdy. Granted, when Nokia released THE definition of what a slider phone should be, aka the E66, it's hard to call the E75 perfect. The silver slide-bar that splits the keyboard in half makes closing the phone a not-so-perfectly-smooth operation if there is any amount of pressure pressed down on the screen. Yet, if this silver piece did not exist, the phone's QWERTY keypad would be the victim of wear-and-tear from the abrasion of the two surfaces rubbing together. It's actually a rather clever idea of Nokia to put that little silver slide piece in there, and I have to commend them on such a simple solution to a problem I've seen affect other side-sliders. (And note that while some other reviews of the E75 call the silver piece "pointless" and request Nokia to remove it, I actually think it's perfectly acceptable in this implementation.)
Externally, the E75 is similar to many other candybar E-Series S60 handsets. It features the Naviwheel, left and right softkeys, send and end keys, home, backspace, calendar, and email buttons, in addition to a full keypad. Where it differs from other E-Series is it's 4-piece keypad. That is, there is one piece of plastic that flexes to serve as three buttons. (Ie. The 1, 2, and 3 keys are all accessed by pressing on different parts of the same piece of plastic.) This is something previously seen on the Nokia N79 and N78, and the appearance here seems to mimmic that of the N79. Honestly, I feel that the implementation of this was a mistake. While adding a more visually appearing keypad is always a good thing, the fact that this device loses some of it's usability as a result is never a good thing. To reiterate, this is an E-Series business-class device. This device will be in the same type of environment where ThinkPads and steel filing cabinets are used.
Same thing goes for every other key on the front of the device, actually. The Naviwheel is too stiff and doesn't offer enough of a click to confirm a press. The center select button, however, does. But then we get to the other keys such as the backspace/right-soft-key. Once again, Nokia followed through with the one-piece of plastic to span both keys. While this completes the visual theme and any other way of constructing the keys simply would be design suicide, I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to press the left soft-key and instead pressed the home button, or dial a number but instead open the calendar. It's simply frustrating and I highly dislike it. My solution? Give the phone the same type of keys found on the Nokia N82 and I'd be much happier.
In fact, all of the keys have turned out to be rather... unusual. The QWERTY keypad has flat keys with very little tactile feedback. This makes typing with fingernails an undesirable situation, but typing with fingertips rather awkward. The sensation is similar to that of pressing on a table... the buttons have very little travel, and while there actually is a click, it could be a lot more than it is here. Same with the alphanumeric keypad... texting using those keys often requires editing as not all key presses are registered due to the stiffness of the keys. Sadly, the Naviwheel and volume buttons also are afflicted. Curiously enough though, the camera shutter button is not affected by the same curse!
Entirely from an aesthetic point of view, the keys on the E75 are beautiful. The alphanumeric keypad looks almost as if it had no moving parts at all (ahem), and the illumination is flawless. In low-light conditions, the key illumination does bleed a bit into the cracks a bit, but it's not a spoiler of the look the phone is trying to pull off by any means.
The QWERTY keypad features matte keys that set them apart from the rest of the keys on the phone. It's almost as if they appear different from everything else on the phone because they serve a unique purpose. They have a very business-oriented appearance to them, especially with their flat, square keys. They remind me of the keys found on the HP netbooks (and newer laptops) which is definitely not a bad thing. On my model, they shift colors depending on the angle of the light from a deep red to almost a burgundy-brown. I frequently have picked the E75 up off a table merely to inspect this phenomenon as it intrigues me.
Unfortunately, the illumination on this keypad is rather poor. The backlighting actually does close to nothing unless it's being used in a truly dark environment... and by that I mean a closed room with all the lights off. Until that point is reached the lighting can be seen to be uneven at best, with LED's locatable under the "T" and "U" keys. However, in the true dark it's as if the lighting somehow becomes more even, and these two bright-sports aren't a nuisance anymore.
Straying away from the buttons on the E75, the rest of the device is actually quite appealing. The choice of colors (red, sand, and black) are all quite appropriate for the environments they will be serving. The silver-gray body on all of them is a nice compliment to the color trims, as is the stainless steel textured back. As a unit, the entire phone is properly sized, easy to hold to the ear, and comfortable. I did find the earpiece to be located a bit too high on the phone for my liking, requiring an unusual placement on my ear. Also, the heft of the device, while great for messaging, seemed a bit much for long phone calls. I often found myself trying to prop the elbow of my phone-holding arm while on lengthy phone calls, something I cannot remember doing with the featherweight N82.
The light sensor and front-facing camera are integrated neatly, but I still wish that they could have been built in to the rest of the phone face just a bit better. Wishful thinking, I suppose. On the rear, the only two things to be found are the loudspeaker and 3.2mp camera. The loudspeaker is something I have yet to wrap my mind around. On one hand, it can be quite loud without becoming distorted, and all the audio it can pump out is always crystal clear. On the other, if the phone is placed face-up on a table, the speaker is partially muted. Pick it up and hold it in your hand, and the way I hold the handset just so happens to place a finger right over the speaker. That's actually convenient a lot of the time, because then the audio alerts for various items are physically muted while I can feel the phone vibrating or visually notice the flashing Naviwheel.
Sides of the phone house the 3.5mm jack, charging jack, microUSB port, MicroSD slot, volume rocker, shutter key, and lanyard loop. I wish that the volume rocker had a bit more tactile feel to it, but it's something I've gotten used to with time. The shutter button I am a very big fan of, in part because of the excellent camera which I won't get into here. The camera placement, however, I gladly applaud. All of the writing aligns such that the phone is held exactly like a digital camera and operated nearly identical to one. (This took my partner in the Teach the Technophobe challenge by surprise, actually.) While not exactly sculpted to look like a digital camera, the E71 at least gives the appearance of a phone who's camera means serious business.
The lanyard loop is self explanatory, as are the microUSB and MicroSD on the other side. (I will note, however, that they are covered by some rather stiff rubber which actually keeps them closed quite well, even though I'd have preferred to see a plastic door like the N82 or E90.) Moving to the top of the device, it has the 3.5mm jack, which cannot be described any more than being perfect.
I decided to write this section a bit differently than normal, with bullets of thoughts as opposed to paragraphs, thinking it might better represent the time I've spent with the E75. It'd also give me the chance to come back at a future point, and update with any new findings or conclusions I might have made.
- Nokia changed the icons! They're now the OVI icons... which basically means that they're similar to the standard S60 icons, but with more vibrant colors. It's a nice touch... and addresses one of my main complaints about the E-Series devices: their UI's are usually so boring!
- I want to meet the person who decided to hide the Media folder (which itself contains the Radio, Music Player, Music Store, Video Centre, Camera, Podcasting, Share Online, Recorder, and Realplayer applications) inside of the Applications folder. And then I want to punch them in the face! It took me quite some time to find the Music Player, and I was impatient to start using the 3.5mm jack with standard headphones!
- The phone lost two accelerometer features with the firmware update... one was "ignore call on tap" and the other was "silence phone on flip" or something like that. They were hidden in the settings for the "Sensors". I'm not saying I was ever going to use these features (probably not), but it would have been nice to see them stay.
- The LCD is really nice. And I mean really nice. The viewing angle is super wide, and the colors and white balance are amazing. Do I miss the E90's wide high-resolution screen? ...not really.
- I'm not sure why but the keys surrounding the Naviwheel seem to be slanted towards one another. This is something you only notice when the light is reflecting off of them just right, and it's enough to drive me slightly mad. If the goal was to continue the one-piece horizontal theme of the dialpad, why did they decide to slant only a few keys?
- The Naviwheel's breathing light goes off when on a phone call. This means in the dark, your face pulsates white. Not exactly a useful thing to point out, but it is amusing.
- I cannot tell you how annoying it is to use the left-soft-key. Half the time I accidentally press the home button and end up where I have to open up the task manager to get back to where I was. That's just a bother to no end. Nokia seems to have noticed this, because from the home screen, the left-soft-key and home key do the same thing oddly enough.
- The QWERTY keypad takes some time to get used to. So far I've never used the right shift key even once. It's probably a habit I've learned from my E71. Also, I constantly find myself reaching past the silver bar to the left with my right thumb (or the opposite with my left) to hit keys. I almost feel as if I'm doing something "wrong" by doing this, but once again it's just a habit from the E71's smaller keypad.
- Special characters such as ß are accessible by holding the "Chr" key and then the "S" key on the keyboard. I came across this by accident. The E71 way of doing this is to press the "Chr" key and then the "S" key. It didn't require holding the first key. Oh well.
- The fact that the "1" (also the "Q" key) and the "!" (also the "A" key) are so close, and blue, I often push the wrong one, delete it, then press it again, delete it, try one more time, before I realize that I'm pressing the wrong button. It's quite annoying but it's something that would be solved with time.
- I'm beginning to like the "*" key being the bluetooth toggle key. If only the "end" key worked to change profiles from any screen, I'd be happy. (What was wrong with the dedicated power button, Nokia?)
- The camera takes really nice pictures. Oh, and video too.
- Red is a very good color for this phone. It matches a lot of red things I have, actually! From the red writing on the shirt I'm wearing now to my flannel pajamas to cherries to just about anything. It also complements sand-colored things in addition to jeans, lots of foods, and notebooks.
- I somehow keep forgetting about the 3.5mm headset jack. I would love to have an AV-Out cable to test emails on a television. Unfortunately, I have neither that cable nor a television (yet), so I cannot test this out. I'd also want a bluetooth keyboard, now that I really think about it, and I don't have one of those.
- It's sometimes hard to wipe the grease off of the phone's screen. I hate letting people borrow my phone.
- Battery life is absent! Nokia, where have you gone with my hours of entertainment?! Seriously! E62 could survive for days before even losing one bar of battery. And that's with it's bluetooth turned on. E90 followed in the same path, but with bluetooth on there was a definite hit to battery life. E71 and E66 are somewhere between those other two. But now we have the E71. Even though it is packed with a fairly substantial battery, you'd be lucky to receive Nokia's battery statistics. After about 6 hours on standby, I received a phone call and after two hours (it was a long one), my phone began to beep at me to tell me it had switched to powersaver mode and was on the last bar of battery. Keep in mind that it reported battery status as being full prior to the phone call. Either 1.) The battery status is a little wonky or 2.) The E75 is quite weak when it comes to phone calls. I'm going to experiment with shutting off high-speed data access and see if I receive a better battery lifespan with the expense of slightly-poorer sound quality.
- I once put the phone on full-volume while listening to internet radio, wondering why it was so quiet. I then picked up the phone and realized it had been sitting on a pillow and the speaker grille had been blocked.
- Why are there texture points around the "5" key on the alphanumeric keypad? It's not like it'll help you text without looking at the keypad for crying out loud.
- The Naviwheel stiffness is annoying. I never know if it registered my clicks or not.
- N-Gage functionality! I can now play all of the games I had loved to play on the N85 and N82. It's a bit weird though, and the stiff Naviwheel is especially irksome here.
- OTA updates?! Since when did these come out?! Just press "*#0000#", then press "Options", "Check for Update" and then you're done. The E75 has UDP so you don't even need a computer to truly gain all of the potential from this phone anymore!
- Using the secondary camera is nice. I am once again back to sending video messages to friends while driving about... much safer than texting. (I hope.) It's at least more amusing I'm told.
- I really like the new icons. They help the screen "pop" like I remember the N85 doing. (Except this isn't an AMOLED screen... just a TFT one.)
- Periods of extended typing (see previous posts composed and submitted entirely on the E75) actually isn't all that bad! The typing sensation is certainly weird but it's certainly manageable and doesn't leave your hands feeling cramped like the E71 occasionally does.
- Cell phone reception seems a bit spottier than the E71... I can't prove this, but it's just a feeling.
Conclusion:
With so much packed within, yet so many new design features, I return to my original question at the start of this review. Is the E75 a descendant of the Communicator line? My answer is... no. It's more like an E52 with a side-slide built in. It doesn't feature the truly roomy keyboard of the E90, nor the gargantuan display. It's as if the E75 was designed with a different type of consumer in mind. It wasn't made to go on business trips or edit word documents any more than that cherry was designed to serve as dinner. It was designed to be used in a technology-laden environment, where a spare charger was never more than a few yards away. The name of the E75 game is to have all the features and all the hardware, but slip easily into one's pocket without so much of a fuss.
A student, then, perhaps? With it's 3.5mm plug, N-Gage support, and trendy design, I would agree that would be a suitable fit. I myself would fall into that category... owning an E-Series but wishing it had very specific N-Series features. The E75 is like a crossover, a vehicle made to serve two different environments but never making it clear which one it wishes to associate most with. The fact that it gets comments on it's looks says nothing, as Nokia has managed to tweak E-Series devices into being designer phones as was proven with the E71. But it's the features, usage-hindering-design, and a build quality that is just not quite up to par with full-flanked E-Series devices.
Perhaps it is the perfect device. Paired with more functional buttons I should very much pin it as being so. I already see it as a step up from my E71 merely in terms of the software it comes with. It really has all the features I would like to have in a form factor I don't actually mind, if not for the annoying buttons. The presentation of the whole thing, from suitcase to the phone itself, is phenomenal. Yet as I try and summarize this flawed-yet-perfect device I'm left with the same feeling that the N86 gave me: Everything I want is right here on this device sitting next to me, but the couple of flaws it has leads me to believe that I'm better off waiting with my E71 than replacing it with an E75.
As for you? It depends really. The E75 is part rock-solid camera, part bulletproof messaging device. Oddly enough it got the first thing right, but the latter has a few quirks to adjust to. If you're looking at the E-Series line right now and deciding which one is "the best"... the E75 wins hands-down. At least until the E72 is out. But I'm not so sure about the E72... as it doesn't seem to have any hand-me-downs from the Communicator Series. The E75 on the other hand, has a few reminders here and there of where it learned it's best tricks: the massive do-it-all E90.
Today arrived rather abruptly for me. I woke up at 8:53am, which is precisely seven minutes before class starts every day. I quickly scolded myself, then threw on some shorts (I never wear shorts), a shirt, grabbed my pre-packed backpack (a handy trick I've learned) and ran out the door. Why was I in such a rush? Because I had a midterm today, and had forgotten if it was in the beginning half or the second half of the two hour class.
Thankfully it was in the second half of class, even though it wouldn't have mattered since I was only a couple minutes late for class. As I walked out of class, chest proud high as I had breezed through the exam, I pulled the E75 out of my pocket. I had a remarkable 7 unread text messages to deal with!
As I walked home I began to truly inspect the E75. It's flared yet organic edges, the way light reflects off of it's qwerty keyboard, and the comfort with which the phone could be held to the ear. A quick shower and a change into some more respectable clothing and I went downstairs for some lunch. As my english muffin was tasting, I passed the device from hand to hand to get a feel for it's heft. I came to the conclusion that I very much enjoy it's weight, even though it did initially strike me as being quite heavy especially in comparison to my E71. It is made with the same quality and care as all E-Series devices. It's body does not flex, and it's slide is remarkeably smooth. (Unfortunately I feel as though the E66 has bested it in that comparison.) It's overall design is such that if one were to never know about the inside keyboard, they could go about using this handset without a bother in the world.
The software is much more slick as well. The icons are much more colorful, and the email client is phenomenally more pleasing to use. (It does tend fo have some conflicts of interest with the built-in messaging client, but this is somewhat to be expected as I shall explain at a later point.) I was rather perplexed that I could not find the music player, but once I did some digging I found the Media folder (containing Music Player among other programs) hidden away inside of the Applications folder. While this does actually make a decent amount of sense, the fact that my E71 has the Media folder in the root menu yet it lacks the 3.5mm jack found on the E75 makes me scratch my head a bit.
Then I found the camera, and oh boy did I smile! This must be the first E75 with the "use secondary camera" option available, and I sure am glad to have it there! Now I can easily compose video messages for peers and family, something which I do a remarkeable lot of since we do not have video calls accessible yet here in the States. GPS tagging is now a built-in feature of the camera application, as is an illumination-light for when recording video in dark environments. The fast performance of the camera coupled with VGA video recording (another first for E-Series devices) are also welcome additions. I now believe that the E75 has patched the biggest wholes between the E- and N-Series devices without losing sight of it's original intended user.
Anyways, pictures of the device are coming soon so hold tight.
(Post composed on the E75.)
