I saw a report on The Boy Genius stating that the E71-2 has a “horrible signal problem”, and I wanted to reinforce my experience. I’ve been using my E71-1 for about a month and in that time I haven’t had any troubles with my signal strength. My previous phone was the N95 8GB, the best phone I have ever used when it comes to signal, and the E71 shows the same amount of bars as it did. The signal bars certainly aren’t a scientific measure, heck the Nokia battery meter is pretty much a joke, but I can safely say it holds it’s signal well, and coasts along when other phones drop out.

TBG’s device may be faulty, or maybe there is some other difference between the E71-1 and E71-2 other than available bands, but my E71-1 is working great on HSDPA. For those interested my E71-1 has the 100.07.76 firmware, dated June 8th, 2008.

EDIT: After reading petesonline’s comment, I ran a 1MB speed test of my own and this was the result:

That is one of the fastest speed tests I’ve had on one of my phones, if not the fastest. AT&T’s network mustn’t be as good as Three here in Australia.

[Note: Pictures pending, I need to retake them]

A few months ago I bought an unlocked Samsung BlackJack II on eBay, and shortly after receiving it I was ready to dump it. In a word, it was crap. It was awfully slow, had a painfully laggy keyboard, didn’t have very good battery life and it picked up fingerprints like nothing else. It was genuinely hopeless, and after a month it made it’s way back onto eBay and out of my life forever.

I went back to my trusty N95 8GB, which had served me faithfully for several months, perfect for me in every way except one: the keyboard. It had an excellent number pad, but I despise using T9, I’m not terribly good at it. I like to have a key for every letter, that’s how I roll. I wanted a smartphone with a thumboard again, but nothing on the market suited. Windows Mobile seems to have lost the plot somewhere, Sony Ericsson’s UIQ devices are old and outdated, and the only Nokia available in a similar form-factor to the BJII was the E61i, which is too wide, ugly and old. Was is the operative word in that sentence, because the phone that I have wanted since I first read about it has been released, and I have since passed the N95 8GB onto my sister as I won’t be needing it anymore.

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Several people are reporting that they’ve received advance notice of an upcoming Buy.com sale on the unlocked Nokia E71 starting 8/4/08 at 12am PST. The sale price is slated to be $400 which is $49 off the regular price (and cheaper than Amazon by $32). Free shipping is also promised. The Buy web site has a seemingly perpetual promotion running for those who sign up for their Visa credit card which would score another $30 instant savings bringing your potential net out the door cost to $370.

Nokia E71 Unlocked Cell Phone (Including detailed specs)

I’ve noticed quite a common theme between Nokia’s cameraphones: they all undersaturate. Take this image I took with my Nokia E71, which has a 3.2MP autofocus camera (alas no 5MP Carl Zeiss, oh well). It’s quite sharp but is decidedly undersaturated and washy.

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The recently announced Nokia E71 is available for pre-order at both Buy.com ($419) and TigerDirect ($429). There’s no word on when they may come into stock - however it appears that July is the most hoped for timeframe and it falls within the announced Q3 2008 release date. Curious Nokia fans who have wandered into the flagship NY Nokia store have gotten a glimpse at the E71 (or a prototype). It’s not out on display but those who know the manager and the secret Nokia handshake have apparently been able to gain a peek. The E71 has shown up on other web sites, however at this time Buy and TigerDirect seem to be the two most reputable that will also allow returns.

Link: Nokia E71 at TigerDirect
Link: Nokia E71 at Buy.com

Go ahead and add me to the list of people drooling over the new Nokia E71; it’s more than powerful, it’s good looking, and darn it - I want one!

With a stainless steel case, etched graphics and available in two colors - grey steel or white steel - the Nokia E71 bears the hallmarks of Nokia quality and craftsmanship. The cool metallic finish is complemented by the bright colour display, which showcases the Nokia E71 device’s brilliantly simple user interface. Designed for both one-handed and two-handed use, the Nokia E71 pays special attention to ergonomics, as evidenced by its narrow shape and specially designed keypad.

The Nokia E66 offers a premium look and feel with its stainless steel accents and smooth sliding design. Sharing the same key features as the Nokia E71, including an enhanced calendar, contacts and customizable home screen modes, the Nokia E66 offers unique additions, like an orientation sensor that automatically optimizes itself for full screen viewing or silences the ringer when the device is turned over. Available in grey steel or white steel version, the Nokia E66 leaves a lasting impression as a sophisticated business tool in a distinct design.

See more pictures and read about the two devices after the jump…

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Last night I put my BlackJack II up for sale on eBay in anticipation of the 3G iPhone release. It sold just a few hours later, so I am all set for when it arrives in June (hopefully :P).

But this morning while perusing my usual tech news websites I saw a link to The Boy Genius to a review of Nokia’s revision of the E61, the E71. In 2006 I actually considered an E61 because of it’s large, gorgeous screen and spacious thumboard, but ultimately decided against it because it was so wide. This new model though looks absolutely fantastic!

I’ve been switching between the BlackJack II and the N95 8GB for the past two months, simply because the Nokia was faster, had better signal strength everywhere, and has an excellent 5 megapixel camera, a feature I have noticed myself using a lot more often these days. Oddly, my Exchange email seemed to work better and emails come through on the Nokia too.

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