3G Smartphones: Nokia E71
The Nokia E71 has been out for a while now, but it is still one of the best 3G smartphones, offering extraordinary value for money. The phone comes packed with all standard features you would expect from a smartphone now days, but what really makes it a stand-out is the quality and usability of the design.
The phone features a qwerty keyboard that is compact, yet incredibly easy to use. The casing of the phone is strong and sturdy. If you are the kind of user who has a tendency to be a bit rough with your phone, you can be sure the Nokia E71 can handle plenty of drops and falls. The operating system is Symbian, which is very easy to use, especially for those that just want a phone that can do what it promises, without lots of tweaking and problem solving. With Mail for Exchange, you can setup the phone to work with your business’ exchange server quite easily.
Add skype to the mix and you’ve got a fantastic communication device. A GPS receiver is built in, and through Nokia’s online Ovi store, you can download the excellent OviMaps program for free. Conversely, you can opt for Google Maps, but either way you’ve got a solid GPS in your pocket. The size of the phone is one of its greatest strengths. It’s dimensions are 114 x 57 x 10 mm, which means it can slip into your front pocket or handbag without any inconvenience. This phone scores major points with those who don’t want to carry a big paperweight around with them all the time.
The Nokia E71 doesn’t have a touchscreen, but for many people this isn’t a problem. The fact is that touchscreens break easily, and that will not be a problem with an E71. The smartphone has plenty of memory, and a slot of a mini SD card. For some reason, Nokia included a 2.5 mm headphone jack, meaning normal headphones are not compatible. This certain can be an annoyance over time, though most likely not a deal breaker. The camera on the phone leaves a lot to be desired as well, even though it seems to work a lot better for filming short videos.
The Nokia E71 is a fantastic phone, especially for those who just want a phone that can do it all without the fuss. It is geared at business users and consistently performs well. While an iPhone may be a more trendy option, the Nokia E71 may be the more practical one.
Three G Phone: Droid Eric by HTC
There are many 3G phones out there, and the list keeps increasing. They have proven to be very useful and highly reliable. I am currently using the Droid Eris, which runs on the Andriod platform. I love this phone! It is sleek, compact and easy to use.
The sound quality is great for both me and the person I am speaking to. It fits very well in a pocket or purse and doesn’t take up a lot of room. And The battery life on it is spectacular compared to past phones that I have used! I had the G1 from T-Mobile for about a year before I got this phone and I like the Eris a lot more. I was skeptical at first about using the touch-screen keyboard, but have found it very easy to use and accurate. I love the predicted text in the keyboard function which tries to guess which word you are trying to type. From my past experience with T9 and other predicted text programs, I didn’t think it would be very accurate, but I was proven wrong. It has helped me out on many occasions when I accidentally type one letter wrong.
The camera and video recorder on the Eris are very good quality. The SD card holds quite a bit of information, although I would like to see a larger gig capacity on them in future versions. I also like that it has a standard headphone jack and is compatible with most headphones and auxiliary connections.
Also, with the separate headphone jack, you can charge the phone and listen to music at the same time. The Android system on the Eris is hands down the best. Anyone can make an application and there are plenty that are free to download. There are only a handful of apps that I have actually purchased: the majority of them are free. This system also makes for a wide variety of apps, even on the same subject, so you can find exactly the features that you are looking for specifically.
I also like the compatibility with Google. I can receive my e-mails from Gmail straight to my phone. If you don’t use Gmail, however, you can also stream e-mails from other sites (i.e. hotmail, yahoo, etc) straight to you phone as well. I like using Gmail and I find it simple and easy to manage my contacts that way. If you end up needing to get a new phone, your contacts are synced through Gmail; no more having to obtain contacts from scratch or waiting in the store while they transfer them via their machine.
All things considered, I have very few complaints about the Droid Eris. I chose it over the Droid from Motorola simply because I liked the design better and was familiar with the HTC line of products. I would highly recommend the Eris to anyone looking for a good, easy to use, reliable three G phone that also looks great!