Nokia E7. Over the years we have seen the business flow and message-centric smartphone landscape QWERTY come and go with HTC arguably the leading pack through the collection of Windows Mobile, Android and WP7 device with sliding keyboard and tilt-out show. Some offer HTC is as iconic or memorable as the Nokia Communicator line of clamshell phones - starting with the Nokia 9000 to 1996, continuing with Symbian S80 model, and reached its peak on s60v3 Nokia E90. E7 The Nokia Communicator is the latest in this series and differs from the leading handset manufacturer is running, the Nokia N8 dethronement still king at the time of the media business. Much has changed in the six months since N8 introduced, including a recent partnership with Microsoft and Nokia stunning announcement that it will adopt the Windows phones to high-end smartphones future. Yes, E7 - which finally shipping in the U.S. - the largest to date Communicator? You can even up the torch for Symbian in the near future? And more importantly, how they fare today in shark-filled waters and IOS Android? Go past a break for our full review.
HardwareLet's get one thing clear: black or silver, Nokia E7 is a beautiful part of the hardware. This may not be the proportion of Dieter Rams inspired by the iPhone-4, but it is a handsome and sophisticated mobile phone that can definitely compete in the materials and build quality. Language design mimics E7 N8 brothers, and consists of flat aluminum cylinder with 4-inch capacitive function of the touch screen glass on one side, glass window to protect the 8-megapixel camera and dual LED flash on the other side and a plastic cone covers hide the antenna and the connector on each end. From the front of the E7 E8 looks like a larger, but to meet the physical keyboard, the body is sliced lengthwise into two parts. The thin "half" houses tilt-out screen and the menu button (middle bottom of the touch screen), the "half" the other contains a keyboard, camera, and most electronics. Without a camera pod back stabbing, ended up as thin as compared N8 E7 general and one of the thinnest QWERTY device landscape we've encountered.
The E7 was quite entertaining in a way that trust - as a reference point, it's almost the same weight and size with Thunderbolt HTC, but about 6 mm (1/4-inch) smaller. Fit and finish are perfect, and so was the attention to detail: there are aspects edited and polished around the camera window on the back of the E7 and along the edges of each control on the aluminum casing. hat contains a 3.5 mm headphone jack, power / profile button, a mini-HDMI port (behind a plastic door) and micro-USB connector with load indicator. On the other hand, lower lid host microphone and speaker. We found a few niggles here. While the headphone jack supports stereo accessories (3-pin) without any problems, it is electrically compatible with most non-Nokia headsets (4-pin). The speaker is very loud and clear, but arranged so that it is something when the phone is placed face-up on any flat surface muted. To the right of E7 is the SIM tray (which is easily removed with a fingernail), volume control (which actually felt awkward), and the camera shutter. Benefit-lock slider screen from the same spring action is very good and the N8, but life itself on the left, where it easier to access when using the keyboard.
CameraThe E7 is equipped with 8 megapixel EDoF (Extended Depth of Field) and dual camera flash LED. By way of a typical optical sensor Nokia and top notch. This, along with superior image processing results in a beautiful picture. As you can see in our sample images, color balance and exposure are very good, and noise is kept under control without eliminating detail. Although not suitable for N8 phenomenal, E7 camera distinguishes itself from smartphones today. However, there is a problem, a big flashy - the elephant in the room, if you want - and it is EDoF lens. with this camera useless Depth. Sure, everything about 60cm (two feet) to infinity are focused perfectly, but as with fixed focus lens, it's impossible to shoot close-ups. Nokia is a poem about how EDoF means no moving parts, providing a thin device, increase the speed record, and make it easier for most people to the camera. We are reminded how the 8-megapixel sensor is adequate information that images can be enlarged and cropped without a major impact on the quality of catch. This is all true, but we feel EDoF too many compromises, especially when combined with appropriate sensors and optics. It just takes removes a layer of all creativity photos to experience, compared with autofocus lens.
SoftwareWe'll be honest here: Symbian hardware big break something else. Most of what we already have the software in our N8 review applies to E7 - this is the same tired routine, a frustrating user experience that is fast becoming a burden from day to day. Now, before getting up in arms, you must not forget that the users of Symbian for a very long time, so we are very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the OS is very precious. The sad fact is that when measured against other major platforms Symbian is no longer competitive, especially in high-end market, which is even greater today than six months ago after the launch of the N8. With the disclaimer out of the way, let's look at some specific features. Our review unit ran Europe formerly known as) ^ 3 Symbian PR1.1 whereas our model is PR1.0 American release at the back, and both devices have been using version 7.2 browser. In addition to the firmware, the most obvious difference between the two seems to be bundled applications. Beyond the standard set of Nokia, Ovi features Store, call United we come preloaded with Quickoffice, F-Secure, National Geographic, Paramount Movie teaser, OviMapsChallenge, Climate Mission, Psiloc World Traveller, and topApps Vlingo. Varian Europe and E! CNN Video, but topApps missing.
SummaryAfter spending several weeks with the Nokia E7, absolutely no doubt that one of the most sexy part of the hardware that we've played in recent months. Maybe not the greatest communicator ever given to us Espoo, but he comes around and offers the most balanced set of features from a Symbian handset to date. This makes the flagship smartphone Symbian Nokia and de facto ambassador in the future. Symbian loyal fans may be affected by the official asking price $ 679 for E7 (open and subsidized) and would seriously consider picking one up (or N8 brother / sister), but for the rest of us missed the target E7. While battery life is excellent, good multitasking and a number of unique features that will please power users, Symbian is still a true disaster, with the user experience a slow, frustrating, and cosmetically outdated. We just can not recommend E7, especially in light of Google and Apple are offering ecosystem. Dear Nokia, give us the appearance of E7 with a higher pixel density, autofocus camera, the current generation processors, and a good part of the Windows phone. Oh, and do it quickly - the shark began to smell blood.
