Nokia E7

E7 is not a new kid on the block. Firstly, it’s not the kind of phone market for almost a year now. Although Nokia E7 failed to impress us when we first used it long before Anna or any other updates were rolled out for the E7. But now, it deserves a fresh glance today, in the light of the new Symbian Anna update that hit the phone recently.
So how does the new-generation communicator from Nokia stand out in the crowd? Let’s find out.
Features
that you’d call a ‘kid’. Secondly, the device has been in the
If someone would buy the Nokia E7, it would most probably be for the arc-sliding keyboard, which is the phone’s USP. It’s one of the most comfortable keyboard on a phone we’ve ever used. The buttons are perfect in size and well spaced for that matter. We could see ourselves typing long emails for which we usualy rely on our computers. As an added bonus, there is the 4.0 inch nHD AMOLED display with ClearBlack technology – although nHD (640×360) is on

the lower side of what’s available on the market today, the ClearBlack technology makes up for it, with better contrast and deeper blacks than most competing devices.
The 8MP EDoF camera, on the other hand, is a hit-or-miss affair – while EDoF (which Nokia calls ‘Full-Focus’) is a rather interesting technology and works with most quick shots, there’s no denying the fact that you’ll miss Autofocus more than once with this phone. The EDoF camera does a fine job for most shots where the subject is away from the camera by a meter or over; but just can’t cut it when it comes to macro shots.
With video recording, though, EDoF is a pleasure – the 720p videos recorded with the E7 look surprisingly well-detailed; and the dual-LED flash is not a bad package either.

Just like any other Nokia phone, the E7 offers a plethora of connectivity options. In addition to the regular deal like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and micro-USB, the communicator gives you an HDMI port to view your videos on the big-screen; and the novel-and-extremely-useful USB On-the-Go feature – by which you can actually connect your USB mass-storage devices to your phone and directly browse its contents from the phone. Next time someone brings in a presentation in a pen drive, you can directly copy it to your phone without the help of a computer.
One thing we’ve noticed in our experience with this Symbian^3 device is that, more than the features that makes headlines, it’s the simple little things within the phone that makes this phone a lot more useful and worthy.
Design & Build
It’s not often that we see smartphones that look as good as they cost. With E7, one has no worries about the build quality and looks. Let’s face it, its no plastic device. The distinctly shaped metallic body exudes class. It feels very sturdy in hands. You are sure to turn some heads whenever you pop your E7 out of your pocket and slide it open. The slider mechanism is reassuringly 

firm, and the hardware keys are of ample size and good tactile feedback; you won’t have much to crib about the keyboard department. All in all, the Nokia E7 is a well-designed and well-built work of art.
Software
Let’s face it; Symbian is not going through its finest hour. But with the recent Anna update that hit the E7, N8 and C7 smartphones, Symbian has got better, yet it’s leagues behind the pioneers of the arena. However, to a business-oriented user, especially one with a Symbian background; the E7 will pose no usability problems.
Underneath the metallic skin of the E7 lies Symbian^3 (upgradable to Symbian Anna), which is nothing but a polished version of the tried-and-tested S60 platform. Other than visual polish, there are features like HDMI support, USB OTG and the like that sets E7 apart from older Symbian devices in terms of software. From the corporate side of things, though, all necessary pieces are in place – there is push-email and Microsoft Exchange support, support for VPN, rather functional organizer apps and more. What’s promising about the device is the upcoming Symbian Belle update. We’ve seen and heard enough about it. Its a whole new experience. It brings a great UI, more features, faster performance and much more. If you think Anna has made your device better, then let me tell you, the best is yet to come. As per Nokia’s announcement, the Symbian Belle update will be rolled out in Q4 this year to existing devices. We would really love to try this phone again when the Belle update is rolled out to this phone. It’s that update that can unleash the full potential of this phone.
The bottomline – long-time Symbian users wouldn’t find much of a problem coping with the E7. Others can certainly wait until Symbian Belle launches, which brings major usability overhauls all around the interface.

Verdict

It’s about priorities. To the corporate customer with a fondness to Nokia, the E7 would never be a bad choice, especially given the impending launch of Symbian Belle update. Also, if a solid build and a great physical keyboard are your priorities, E7 is a phone to consider. However, a shutterbug, or an app-a-holic, or the typical geek with a craving for the bleeding-edge might be better off with an iPhone or a high-end Android smartphone.