My Nokia E61i Review

I picked up a Nokia E61i several weeks ago, mainly for the qwerty keyboard. It augments (but doesn't completely replace) my N95, which I'll continue to use as my primary camera.

This might be a good time to confess that I'd never really been interested in the E61i -- its wide form factor made me think it would be like holding a board up to my head when making calls. Indeed, it is probably the widest phone I've ever owned (even after having a Treo 600 and 650).

But something changed once I actually started using the E61i... I realized the wide screen (afforded by its wide form factor) was great for reading email, texting, and web surfing. The qwerty keyboard let me type out messages so much faster than possible using a regular phone keypad (even with T9). And as an e-series device, the standby display is very customizable. And voice/audio quality? It's a Nokia... enough said!

Within a few weeks, the phone I'd previously derided as "too big" became my favorite Nokia yet (and I've owned several Nokia devices: 6056, 6236i, 6256i, N73, N75, N93, N95, E65). The E61i recently enabled me to easily stay in touch during business travel by providing functionality I'd normally obtain from a laptop. It's a great phone and definitely recommended.

I'm always curious what others install on their mobile devices, so here's a list of what I've installed onto the E61i:
Jaiku mobile
Fring
Opera Mini
Opera Mobile
WorldMate
GemMagic
Y Tasks
Y Browser
Nokia Beta Labs Conversation
TumbleWeed
Frozen Bubble
OfficeSuite
Spodtronic
Handy Calendar (great calendar app by Epocware, currently in beta)