Hands-On With the E61 "NokiaBerry"

Nokia E61

Nokia E61

Nokia E61

Nokia's E61 is definitely the hottest member of the new Eseries lineup of handsets - mostly due to its new (for Nokia) form factor. The E61 assumes the popular "Blackberry" form factor that has dominated the business scene in the US for years. It is a slim device with a 320x240 landscape mode display above a full QWERTY keyboard.

While still a couple of millimeters thicker and 30g heavier than the upcoming Motorola Q, the E61 feels really good in your hands. The keyboard's keys are probably not the best on the scene, but since the unit we were toying with was still an early prototype, nothing is probably set in stone yet. I also have some concerns about the lack of a proper scroll device on the side of the E61, since the prototype only had a rocker-switch style control on the side, the kind you see used commonly for volume controls. But as I said, it is still early in the game for this device.

The prototype did not have working versions of much of the new software features that will make the E61 so compelling, such as the myriad of push email solutions it supports, and the VOIP over WIFI support. But all in all, we look forward to testing a production-ready model in Q1 of next year.

It is too early to say if this is a Blackberry (or Treo or Q or Wizard....) killer, but it does seem safe to say that Nokia has set its sights firmly on the business market.

Nokia E61 and 9300

Nokia E61 and SE K750i

Nokia E61 and SE K750i

Nokia E61

Nokia E61

 

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