Return to the Nokia E71-2

After a couple days of using the E90 as a full time device I am now officially done with it and prepared to let go of it permanently to a potential buyer. Even though I am still waiting for word as to what a specific person is deciding to do, I have currently gone back to using my E71-2 as my everyday device. While there was a lot nostalgic feeling from operating the bulky model, I eventually grew tired of not having the 3G data connection and strong reception. Being tied to EDGE only has been a bit of a nuisance in downloading content outside of a wifi network. As much as I hate to admit it, the size of this clamshell phone also caused me to miss the compact E71-2 even more as I had to lug it around in my pocket.

It was a memorable time when I first purchased this E90, but it is time to move on to what's more efficient for my smartphone use and the E71-2 is most appropriate. Despite the lack of stereo sound in music playback and widescreen, I much prefer the benefits of word completion, the lighted selector key, an easy access qwerty, US 3G and the ability to type in a contact name from the home screen.

As the Communicator reign of my smartphone usage comes to an end, I grip my qwerty bar E-Series device with a new found appreciation. The pictures included on this blogpost are of the board in my classroom on which my Electric Circuitry instructor wrote information for a test review. In order to record all of this data accurately for studying, I decided to take a picture with the E71-2's 3.2 megapixel camera and was impressed with the quality. The resolution allowed me to zoom into individual components of the RC and RL circuitry writings on my MacBook Pro with great clarity. This in itself just proves how useful this Treo competitor can be for me.

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71-2.

Nokia E90 buyer status

Well, well, well. I guess that my subconscious yearning to keep the E90 must have been sensed by some kind of twist in the cosmic thread of the universe. It turns out that the potential buyer for my E90 Communicator has become intrigued by a new E71 instead, and I certainly do not blame him one bit. The pricing figure is definitely much cheaper for a brand new E71 and more expensive for a pre-owned E90, and there is no doubt that both are very capable devices in their own right.

I have spent time comparing both of them, weighing pros against cons and even in some ways scoffed at the E90 for its bulkiness. But in all honesty I am eating my words right about now as I write this blogpost via the wide expanse of buttons on this "Nokia Brick." Spending the day with this phone has been certainly a pleasure I was happy to have, so I am a bit regretful of the time I had spent neglecting this phone.

My Communicator has been the only item so far that has gained any interest in the buyer's market, but I don't believe that any of the other devices will fare as well. Unless there are some devout Windows Mobile fans out there in desperate need of a Treo 750 or Samsung i780, I may end up being stuck with all of these tech toys. At this time I still await the decision of the buyer. While I think there is a great chance for the E71 to win out, I can never be too sure.

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E90 Communicator

One last time from the Communicator

It is very early in the morning and I couldn't resist typing on this E90 for one last time before I package it up for sale to a potential buyer!

Typing on this wide qwerty brings back memories as well as some longing for the 3G, word completion feature and compact sizing of the E71 model. The word completion alone is a vital help for efficient typing since I am not exactly a living dictionary, and it is actually a nuisance to not have apostrophes and capitalized "I"s automatically inserted. One aspect of this E70 that I welcome wholeheartedly is the stereo sound currently blasting from the two powerful speakers as I write this blog post.

I couldn't help myself and just had to get the E90 out of the box for one last run on the town. I may consider using this Communicator until I must ship it to a buyer once a deal is made. No matter how nostalgic I get over using this device, I know that there will be moments when I will have no choice but to switch my SIM back to the E71-2. I will be damned if I will ever try to run with this E90 for use of the Nokia Sports Tracker!

Wow! This music sounds sooo good coming from these E90 speakers!!

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E90 Communicator

Nokia E71-2: My first permanent device?

In the midst of all this talk about selling my personal goods for debt payoffs I suddenly had another thought. This Nokia E71-2 may end up continuing to be an instrumental part of my daily routine for a good while. After my recent testing of the HTC Touch Pro and HP 910, I have come to the conclusion that Windows Mobile is a great OS for me...but only as a second alternative to Symbian.

I cannot say enough times just how impressed I have been with the portability, build quality, sound clarity and application functionality of this Nokia model. As I am now accustomed to using Nokia Sport Tracker, playing AAC files, writing with this compact qwerty, taking amazing pictures to send to friends and managing all incoming messages and PIM data, this is currently a homerun in smartphone usability in every way. Compatibility with AT&T 3G and Missing Sync for Symbian is only the icing on this most delectable and sweet offering from Nokia. The more I use this everyday it becomes more apparent that this E71-2 surpasses EVERY mobile competitor that is qwerty-equipped.

Despite its flaws such as no native support for HTML email, lower video quality than E90 and N95 and a mono speaker instead of stereo, the are so many good benefits that simply override them. In my opinion there are two major aspects of smartphones, multimedia and PDA, and both Symbian and Windows Mobile excel on different ones. Symbian handles multimedia flawlessly with advanced cameras and great resolution screens while Windows Mobile tackles PDA functions with capable software and dependable features. Although they both make worthy attempts at providing a satisfactory user experience in the other aspect, they manage to fall a bit short of perfection. While I certainly think it's important to have reliable PDA features, there is something to be said about having great multimedia support converged with that as well. This is ultimately why I prefer Nokias.

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71-2

New iPods, New Perspectives

New iPods are scheduled to be unveiled on September 9th and I am extremely cautious.

As I do my best to pay down all personal debts I am finding that I have to evaluate each expense and determine its necessity. This not only includes new purchases but old ones in regards to my tech toy collection, especially my smartphones. While I have become fully dependent on my E71-2 all other models have basically fallen by the wayside and are being neglected. As I try to learn the importance of a dollar there is still a lingering presence of the temptation to buy something, but since I no longer have access to any credit cards I can only window shop at this point. Since looking at new toys online or in stores tends to encourage me to want new things even more, it is probably best that I don't browse at all.

These new Apple products due for a debut next week are prime targets that could really test my restraint. There is a chance that I could be instantly drawn by another Steve Jobs speech and then swept away by the new gadgets once they appear from backstage, but strangely I do hope for the total opposite. I have created a mess of debt that must be cleaned up and I should do all I can to resist the need to have the latest and greatest toys. This may be hard to believe, but there was one Apple unveiling that left me underwhelmed: the introduction of the iPod Hifi boombox. I wonder how many folks remember when that came out! As soon as I saw that thing I instantly knew I would want no part of it and simply went on with my life. Even if I am totally enamored with these new iPods that are due to arrive, my lack of leisure funds and credit cards will work to my benefit in keeping me grounded.

Besides the expected facelift and usual capacity increases I really don't know what more Apple can do to update their iPod line up. Pictures seen online only appear to be the rumored nano with its vertical screen orientation and curved sides inspired by the MacBook Air. No matter what updates happen to arrive I am sceptical as to whether they will be worthy of an upgrade for the average iPod user. At one point I did believe that owning the video nano would be interesting, but I NEVER used it to watch any video content and found it to be too wide to hold for running. I eventually ended up trading with a good friend for his previous generation nano and then realized that I don't even need it for music anymore. While the nano now is solely for use with the Nike Sport Kit, I use my 32GB Touch model to play music on my runs and everywhere else. The 80GB Classic is currently in my backpack for safe keeping in its inactive status.

I guess that this new perspective of being happy with what I've got is what I am ultimately trying to achieve in every aspect of my life. I am even going as far as to consider giving up my beloved Volkswagen Jetta for a MUCH cheaper used vehicle! The less money I have to put towards a car payment results in more money to paying off my debt.

This new found inspiration to cast off all unnecessary belongings for the sake of healing my financial status is initially exciting, but there is some apprehension. Much like a pack rat I am honestly scared to let go of these material things. To make matters worse, I still have an occasional urge to add more to all of this stuff I have accumulated. I believe that this experience in itself proves that I have been addicted to spending on credit for instant gratification, and now is the perfect time to stop it. My first step in doing this involves putting up my Nokia E90 for sale.

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71-2

Nokia E90 Farewell

These recent times are really starting to bring out the most interesting developments in my dealings with smartphones. After deciding to return the HTC Touch Pro in my need to return to the qwerty bar form factor, there seems to be a bona-fide conclusion that all other designs are no longer useful to me, especially without US 3G. This of course proves to be detrimental to my units that fall into this category including the Nokia E90 Communicator. Yes, this ultimate clamshell device has basically fallen short of my interest ever since the E71-2 arrived on the scene with its US 3G support and compact body design. After almost a solid month and a half of inactivity from my neglecting it, it is certainly obvious that this mighty gladiator of a phone has been cast out into the shadows. Upon offering the E90 up for sale I am happy to announce that there has been a prompt response from a good friend of mine looking to make a deal.

While going through the motions of rebooting this Nokia back to factory settings, there is a sense of contentment in knowing that someone else may enjoy it just as much as I did. As much as I would like to hold on to it for nostalgic reasons, it is best that I earn money from its sale to continue work on lowering my debt. The Communicator has been a most gratifying and impressive unit to work with, but it just doesn't fit into my life as flawlessly as the E71-2. Another issue is that the lack of US 3G also added on top of the nuisance of a bulky form factor that sometimes turned me off at times when I was on the go.

In lieu of these facts it is time for me to let go of the Nokia E90 and give it to someone who can make use out of it. Besides, anything that can help payoff my personal debts is a huge benefit in my book.

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71-2

Windows Mobile: Is it lost?

I am currently sitting in my living room after making a decision in regards to my testing of the HTC Touch Pro. The device is now packed away and ready for shipment back to ExpansysUSA after a most wonderful few days of usage that really opened me up to the benefits of the Windows Mobile operating system. The highlight of this phone has been the Touchflo 3D interface, and I give many kudos to HTC for pioneering this new method of refreshing such a complex OS. While there is a lot of magic to be had in all of the finger swiping and tapping, I believe that this could have been the downfall of the overall user experience as well as the success. To put in simple terms, the TouchFlo interface is at times the victim of sluggishness on behalf of the OS even when there are only one or two applications operating simultaneously! This is somewhat a shocker for me when considering the new and improved specs of a 528 MHz processor, 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM...well, in a way it's really much of a shocker at all. I really expect to see a lot from a device when it is marketed as the next best thing, and I have honestly been let down by HTC's latest offering in the Touch Pro. As much as I would like to be open to remain with the TouchFlo aspect of this slider qwerty, there are also too many cumbersome qualities in using it on a daily basis. After getting used to the form factor of the qwerty bar via personal experience with my Nokia E71-2, Treo 750 and Samsung i780, I am hardly intrigued by what any other design brings to the table. Since I don't have to fiddle with any moving mechanical parts, qwerty bars provide ultimate portability and quick access to phone features when on the go. It wasn't until I had to deal with sliding open the Touch Pro's qwerty that I realized this without a shadow of a doubt. Running around in town to run errands today showed me just how much I prefer the tactile keyboard to any onscreen or slider alternative, for I couldn't just instantly pull the HTC from my pocket and begin using the features efficiently. With the TouchFlo I didn't take to the onscreen qwerty layout and its intermittent feedback, and I found that the slider took too much time to operate. The full-fledged feature pack of the Touch Pro are great for me when I am at home and relaxed, but it is a different story when in the midst of a hectic day. Inspired by my missing the qwerty bar I have at this point gone back to using the Samsung i780 for a limited time before eventually returning to the E71-2 model.

Going through yet another underwhelming device is causing me to question whether there is any worthy challenger to the compact portability and simple usability combo offered by the Nokia E71-2 and its Symbian operating system. Windows Mobile surely has some benefits its arsenal of smartphone benefits, but not enough to override the incompetence of lackluster audio and media support...not to mention touchscreens that are essentially double-edged swords. Touchscreens can easily be a user's best friend or most hated enemy in regards to operating system navigation. If it's a great day when the OS is working properly and feedback speeds are quick, you've got a potential winner. But cross that threshold of too many open applications and you are in for a multitude of sluggishness and irritation. Without the touch sensitive screen the E71-2 easily surpasses my Treo 750 and Samsung i780 when it comes to overall stability. Another scary thought about this situation is that my Nokia E90 Communicator is also brought into question due to its bulk, but on the other hand it is such a unique device that's worth holding on to. With the recent returns of the HP 910 and now the HTC Touch Pro it really doesn't look like I have a good track record with these WM units. Maybe Windows Mobile is stuck in a time warp that is doomed to be devoid of innovation and marketability. I even doubt that that either the Treo Pro or the Sony Ericsson Xperia will have any effect on the phone competition...well, the Treo at least has some potential with its new features and revamped design.

Maybe I should focus my interest on something else since Windows Mobile smartphones don't appear to be going anywhere at this time. It looks like it's just me and my Nokia E71-2 from here on out...with the Palm and Samsung as sidekick backups.

TRENT
Sent from my Samsung i780