Nokia E61 experiences?

November 12, 2006 10:28 AM

Does anyone have a Nokia E61? Pleased with it? Hate it? Anyone have a device which does the same things as this that I should consider?

So I've decided it's time I got a mobile email device so I can keep in touch with my clients more easily when on the move. I have only had Nokia phones in the past and have been very pleased with them, so was attracted by the E61 - anything I should know about the device which might put me off/make me more likely to go for it?

I will very likely be changing my mobile provider in any case - I'm currently with Orange and the prices for data transfer are outrageous, whereas T-Mobile seem to offer a much better deal. I'd be grateful for any insights anyone might have.

posted by altolinguistic to technology (5 comments total)

I've had an E61 for a couple of months and am happy with it. The email client works great - and allows me access my POP3 email accounts and send SMTP (all encrypted). I only do this occasionally, but if i had an unlimited data plan i might just leave it to always check for mail. It's also nice that people don't know you're sending mail from a mobile. (I don't know why isn't more backlash against those automatic signatures like, "Sent with my mobile xxx phone through the yyy network.")

As for other software, Google earth is of course, amazing and useful for finding addresses. The included web browser is also surprisingly good. You don't get a stripped down thing, but a full modern browser with Javascript, CSS, etc. (i.e. you don't need to buy Opera mobile.) I also got some ssh clients to work (putty and midpssh).

It comes with a stripped down mobile version of the Flash player (FlashLite) which works if you encode flash movies in the special flashlite 1.0 format. (but can't play flash embedded in web pages) And encoding movies that can be played by the included RealPlayer (are they still in business?) is something i was never able to figure out.

There is software to turn the phone into a SIP VOIP phone, but i only managed to get it to register with a service provider once. (it apparently doesn't go through firewalls, or is buggy. certainly seems experimental.)

The biggest hassle is that the WIFI connection with the web browser is sometimes flakey. It doesn't work with all hotspots - or works inconsistently. (i.e. you have to try 5 times to get to google before it works.) So that is annoying.

Also, make sure you get an E61 and not an E62 which is identical, except there is no WIFI, which means you are forced to using the cellphone network to pay an outrageous amount of money to surf the web and check email. (of course, the cellphone network is virtually always there. it's just nice to have the choice.)

In short, it works great as a phone and email device. Web browsing is actually quite possible once you get the WIFI connection working, but most of the other software seems experimental. (I can give you more specifics if you want.)

oh, and the contact book ignores preferences and only sorts names by last name, which makes me crazy. apparently this is only with ones with the chinese firmware.
posted by kamelhoecker at 11:51 AM on November 12, 2006

I've been using one on-and-off for the past month or so: initial impressions are that it's a good device (indeed, a very good email device) but not good enough to make me give up my primary workhorse phone (Nokia 9500/9300i)

Good points:
- The keyboard is excellent - one of the best thumbboard qwertys I've used. Not as fast to type on as a BB, but much better than, say, a Treo. No match for the huge 9500 qwerty, though :)
- Email facilities are also good - fast and easy-to-use software. Some obvious options - spellcheck! - are missing, though.
- Web browser also very good
- Screen - bright and big. Easy to read in most conditions.
- Fantastic operating system. I've said it before here many times, but Series 60/80 are my favourite phone operating systems. Well thought-out, fast and intuitive to use, everything a couple of clicks away.


Bad points:
- Some dodgy aspects of the Java implementation. This may not bother you but not all java apps will run on it.
- Equally, since it uses a new version of the O/S (Series 60 3rd Ed.) older S60 apps aren't compatible. If there's a particular app you need, check if there's a new version available. Again, if you're not interested in 3rd party apps then ignore this.
- As kamelhoecker said, the WiFi is is also hit-and-miss. Sometimes it will hang after a few minutes of use and, even though the little icon says "connected", it won't send or receive any data. Cycling the wifi off and on seems to fix it.
- Form factor. I know this is rich coming from someone who carries a brick around daily, but it found the whole thing was just a bit too wide to be comfortable in my (pretty small) hands. Also feels a bit top-heavy. If this bothers you, look at the BB Pearl.
- No camera
- Nokia PC sync - the single worst aspect of using a Nokia. Dreadful software. Getting better but still yuk.
- Firmware bugs - still quite a few bugs in the firmware I'm using (stock UK Vodaphone). Also some annoying aspects like the fact that it will only let you use Voda's SMTP server. This will improve, though - Nokia are pretty good with firmware upgrades.

Conclusion: If you're just after a phone and email device then it's a great option. However, you should also look at the Blackberry Pearl before you make your choice.

If you're going to be doing a lot of office work (Word, email etc.) then think about the Communicators (9500/9300i) - the extra large keyboard and screen are worth the size trade-off, in my opinion.
posted by blag at 5:14 PM on November 12, 2006

They're reporting an SMS issue here, but as with many things on howardforums, it's as likely to be an ID10T error as a real issue.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 8:12 AM on November 13, 2006

thanks guys - I now have one of these, on contract with T-mobile for £22.50 a month including unlimited email and web. Not bad considering this is less than I was paying for a basic phone with fewer minutes & texts with Orange. No I am not trying to advertise T-mobile particularly, and until a couple of weeks ago I would have recommended Orange wholeheartedly, but their data charges are outrageous.
posted by altolinguistic at 4:35 AM on November 14, 2006

I keep a kind of notebook about my experiences with the E61, at http://johnsu01.backpackit.com/pub/613005.

I'm quite happy with it overall. I haven't experienced many problems with the wifi actually, and the SIP software works fine with my home asterisk server.
posted by johnsu01 at 9:56 PM on November 20, 2006