Sitting before the dock with its full keyboard and mouse really reminded me of how accustomed I had become with such a setup for my typical writing. Instead of sitting at a coffeeshop or Panera Bread targeting chiclet keys with thumbs, I could relax as if I was on my MacBook at home! Suddenly, the Nokia E7 began to lose some of its appeal as a writing machine for me although maintaining its overall credibility. While I could certainly capitalize on its portability, pressing phone buttons instead of keys on a laptop dock variant was not the same. I almost began to wonder if I was being ungrateful, for it was always better to have an onboard keyboard than none at all. After further thought upon using both devices, I realized that was not the case at all. There was an evolution in my mobile tech usage that occurred at the exact moment I docked my Atrix into the laptop accessory. Years of relying on portrait layouts and landscape sliders with function keys seemed to pass away as another concluded chapter in my tech life. I had graduated.
My preference finally expanded to consider another method in performing my writing tasks on-the-go. In lieu of this realization, I hoped this did not mean I would shun the likes of the E7 or any decent phone qwerty, for I still yearned for an Android version. But then a key word emerged to the forefront of my brain as the plausible factor in all this: Android. At the end of the day, it was my familiarity with the OS combined with WebTop UI functionality that made the laptop dock such a joy to use over the E7's qwerty. Even though I did like the appeal of sliding open landscape buttons to immediately write thoughts at a moment's notice, the dock helped me to cope with the Atrix's inability to grant this feature. Hours of getting used to Swype could then be blessed with occasional stints of mobile gadgetry with the laptop dock. In effect, that essentially made the Atrix much more appealing to me than a typical smartphone like the E7. While the touch OS experience also played a factor to a certain extent, Motorola's docking execution really struck a chord with me. It was more than just tethering a phone's data to a dedicated laptop or netbook (which is admittedly better in a number of ways), it was all about the transformation of a mobile device that allowed continued monitoring of onboard functions onscreen. I always thought that I would never turn down an opportunity to have an Android slider, but I had to admit that my Atrix laptop dock got me thinking otherwise.
The unfortunate part of this whole learning process was that the Nokia E7 gradually became a mobile Quickoffice word processor instead of a phone. While I loved having qwerty access on a sturdy slider supported by such pristine hardware, I did not feel much motivation to install my SIM card. As long as I could enable wifi on the device to link with my home network or my Atrix hotspot, I was more than content with the offline status of the E7. Such an arrangement did appear to be an insult to the Symbian device, but I did not think so. In the chance of anything happening to my Atrix 4G, I remained confident that no other available device/OS on the market could fill in as a backup replacement like the E7.
In the unfolding of all this recent mobile tech drama, the same old ending manifested itself in Android and Symbian remaining as favored OS platforms. True, that saying "we're all winners" did have a corny and lackluster appeal in certain situations, but in this case it felt most appropriate. In the midst of my being converted to Android, I never lost sight of how much Symbian had enriched my life since I adopted the E62 from Cingular Wireless years ago. Even through the debacle of the N97, there was still a place in my heart for the OS...and even the Nokia brand itself! Actually, I could even rephrase the ending as my continued fondness for Android and Nokia's Symbian! Through the years, no other brand like Nokia captured my interest in how it managed to consistently execute a harmonious marriage of hardware and software in each mobile device. Although I relied on Android and tolerated fragmentation on a number of fronts, there was (and still is) a steadfast respect for Nokia remaining true to itself with Symbian via set standards. Experiences gained throughout time passing had certainly changed my views, but there was no doubt that Nokia and Symbian would continue to be my first love. In all due respect, I thought it was amazing to still consider Nokia's Symbian as a backup to Android after its evolution over time to a touch interface.
Trent Smith, blogger
Sent from my Nokia E7
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
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