Thread: Nokia E61i Mobile Phone

LAST YEAR'S NOKIA E62 WAS A SOLID HANDSET, LET down only by a slow EDGE data connection and some music-syncing issues. But it paled in comparison with its foreign E61 counterpart, which included built-in Wi-Fi. Nokia's new E6liis a shrewd, solid update to the E62. It's still not perfect. But with the added Wi-Fi support and slick redesign, it's a great choice for corporate mavens looking for lower-cost alternatives to the BlackBerry.

In addition to Wi-Fi, the new model includes a number of other significant updates, such as a 2-megapixel camera, a thinner shape, and a revamped D-pad, along with built-in Quickoffice 3.8 for document editing. This is an older version of Quickoffice. The more recent Quickoffice Premier 4 retains a document's complex formatting even after you save changes on the phone, a key feature to have.

Oddly, the E61i also works over 3G data networks, just not ours. It supports only UMTS, not HSDPA, and only on the overseas 2,100-MHz band. That means the otherwise high-flying E61i still kicks it down to EDGE speeds when used Stateside. The E6li impresses with its sleek, thin, aluminum and black plastic enclosure. At 4.6 by 2.8 by 0.5 inches, the phone's thinness is partially offset by its width. Sure, it's a bit ungainly to hold to your ear, though not nearly as bad as the brick-like i-mate JAQ It weighs 5.3 ounces, putting it in the middle zone between svelte 3.5-ounce BlackJacks and fat 6.4-ounce Treos.

The 2.8-inch, 320by 240-pixel widescreen doesn't come close to the T-Mobile Wing's or Motorola Q:s in brightness, but it's sharp and easy to read. The menu backdrops are done up in a drab gray just like the E62's; a little extra pizzazz would go a long way here. No smartphone is truly easy to type on. But the E6li's keyboard is the best one I've tested to date, with dedicated symbol keys, good resistance and no noise, leading to few mistakes while typing. The new D-pad that controls the cursor and redesigned soft keys are also nice improvements over the E62's miniature joystick. The microSD card slot is a little inconvenient, since you have to slide off the battery cover to access it. At least you don't have to remove the battery itself.



Calls through the E6li sounded good, with clear reception, though voices took on a somewhat brittle timbre at higher volumes. I paired my Plantronics 510 headset with the E61i on the first try; it took much less time to do so than with my benchmark Motorola Q The E61i sounded great through the 510, with instantaneous voice response and a warm sound. Like its predeces¬sor, the E61i runs Symbian S60 3rd edition, missing out on the latest Feature Pack 1 enhancements. Symbian S60 phones are not known for their blazing speed, but the E61i was responsive enough to my commands, feeling almost as fast as a Palm as Treo or a new BlackBerry. Nokia smartphones have always made great business handsets, and the E6li is no exception.