E63 : Messenger Looses Its Armour

There are gadgets all over. But there's still time we find one gadget that would make our life better if not perfect. Because perfect is still a far fetched word. Thus we end up with many devices which help us in different jobs.
One such invention, by some people not known to me, is the Mobile Phone. It has slowly become a very important part of our lives. It has become more than a gadget. Its the extension of one's personality. And as everyone of us is unique, our gadgets also differ from each other. I hate when people ask me which is the best cell phone or which is the best car!! No such best thing exists! Its all relativity.Different gadgets are best for different people. But lets not go deep into that and stay on to read about the device that i have found to be perfect for me.
Although its too early to decide as the Nokia E63 has not yet been launched. But I feel this might be the perfect phone for me, after trying out E71, which is quite similar to this newbie.

The front face is similar to the E71. And the dimensions (113mm x 59mm x 13 mm) are also quite similar, with the new E-series gaining a few millimetres, perhaps due to the plastic cladding instead of the metal clothing that the elder brother E71 had. So this messenger gets a new plastic wardrobe in Ruby Red and Aquamarine Blue, which although look good, are no match for the messenger of steel, the E71. But this was a step to be taken for price reduction of the new budget messenger. The back has also been made of a soft material similar to the original N95 for better grip. The weight (126gm) has also dropped by just 1gm. Which is negligible.Other cost reduction measures have led to removal of the GPS receiver from the E63. And also the camera spec has come down to 2 mp. E63 also lost HSDPA connectivity which the older Nokia had.
So then what makes this phone special for me? Well for starters the E63 now sports a 3.5mm jack as opposed to the 2.5mm on E71. This is a great inclusion for reducing the gap between the E-series and its multimedia brothers better known as N-series.
Even the keyboard has some changes. The space bar is smaller now, giving space for two more keys. Important one being the Ctrl key, so now the Ctrl and Chr are on different keys.
A simple yet helpful innovation is the ability of using the Flash as a torch. By simply pressing the Fn key and the Space bar.
Rest of the features remain the same as on the E71. The OS is the same S60 3rd edition FP1 (with some tweaks as seen earlier in the E71). That includes the new and improved contacts and calender applications. It also has the same mammoth battery (1500mAh) of the E71, which gives you enough power to work for two days before running out of juice. The screen is the same (2.36 inch) displaying 16 million colors. A nice touch which was also found on the E71 is the LED in the D-pad which blinks like its breathing when there is any missed call or new message.
For detailed specifications head to the official Nokia E63 page.
Final verdict can only be drawn after the device hits the stores. But if Nokia gets the pricing right on this one, this might outdo the success of the E71. It is being said that E63 will be launched at the lowest price for a S60 phone till now. Nokia has stated USD250 before taxes and subsidies. So we will have to wait and watch how does the new messenger fair without the metal armour of the E71.

[update][January 2009] Nokia E63 is available in India for Rs.14300.

NOKIA 6800 : Old Age Messenger

Yes that’s right. Review of a four year old Nokia 6800. Nothing to write home about but I’ve just discovered it’s a fun phone, so decided to write about it.
After a long wait (of 4 years) I’ve finally got my hands on my brother’s 6800. I had been waiting for this day since the past 4 years. So when finally my brother decided to sell off the phone, I knew I had to grab the opportunity of using the phone. I decided to keep for some months and after using it for just a week I’m sold on the phone and I’m keeping this phone forever {or till it lasted ;)}
The 6800 is not power packed as today’s N-series or E-series but for a phone costing just Rs.5000/- four years back and having not only color screen and polyphonic ringtones but also a QWERTY keypad and an E-mail application, I feel it’s a pretty cool device. GPRS and infrared are the connectivity options. The unique fold away keyboard (like the E70) is something I like the most about it. I have also used some newer QWERTY keypads (like the E90, E61i, E71i, HTC S710, Moto Q, i-mate Kjam, etc.) and I feel this 4 year old keyboard is on par with the performance of even today’s competition. The keys both inside and outside are well spaced and work well with my large fingers also. Although the split QWERTY needs some getting used to, so there is a learning curve to it. Tactile and feedback of the keys is good with just the right amount of travel.
Although after heavy usage, my phone is showing signs of aging, as sometimes the numeric keypad doesn’t respond as required. But otherwise the phone is still working well, considering its age.

Hats off to Nokia for their superior quality products. (Although recently Nokia has lost the robust build quality that the earlier Nokia phones had, but that’s again for just making the phones looking good, sleek and making them lighter in pocket and on pocket.)
The looks of the phone arouse somewhat mixed emotions. Those who like tiny, petite phones won’t like this phone, particularly for its huge dimensions. (119mm x 55mm x 23mm) But I’ve always loved big phones. They give me a sense of sturdiness. So I’m in love with this beauty..err..beast...err…whatever you feel it is. ;D Talking about looks, it looks the best when it’s open with the keypad lights on.

This is an e-mailing device of the era of 3315, 3310 and such lik

e phones, the time when even a color screen was a novelty; forget alone GPRS and polyphonic ringtones. Although the scenario has changed today, with budget cell phones packing in more punch than before, as the technology has become cheaper now. But the price depreciation of the technology will go on as better and effective technology will precede.
After using S60 operated phones for years, it was a fresh change using this S40 operated phone. The menu is classic and simple. User interface is intuitive and well drafted. This is a feature I love about Nokia phones.
The screen shifts from portrait to landscape mode as soon as the QWERTY keypad is opened, and shifts back to portrait on closing of the QWERTY keypad. If the phone is opened during a call, the audio is automatically routed to the loudspeaker, which is loud and clear.
List of multimedia features is short and restricted to only MIDI playback, FM Radio and a photo gallery. Other features include the calculator, stopwatch, countdown timer and Wallet. Additional apps include Converter II and Portfolio II. Notes can also be saved. Internal memory is a meager 4mb and there are no expansion slots. But as there are no multimedia features supported like music or video playback, 4mb of memory is sufficient for PIM functions. Another feature that I like about the phone is, that the profiles can be timed, a feature that can be rarely found in phones today.
Battery life is another point where this phone wins my vote. This has been Nokia’s forte. The battery hasn’t been changed since the time of purchase, and yet a full charge lasts for 2-3 days with normal usage.
I have always been S60 fan for the sheer power it packs in. But this phone is fun and now I’ll be looking forward to try out some more S40 phones for their sheer simplicity in use. This phone is a great messaging device. Sometimes I do miss the menu key of the S60 phones for multitasking but the QWERTY keypad makes up for it. Every time I switch on the backlight of the QWERTY keypad, at night, while lying on my bed and messaging my friends, it brings a big smile to my face. :)