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Nokia E75 Mobile Phone
Nokia’s E-Series of business class handsets has always been a fore-runner when it comes to this particular segment. The company has made sure that their handsets are more than adequately loaded with goodies for both work and play. I won’t mind admitting that the E71 impressed me quite a lot with regard to functionality and I was quite eager to get my hands on the latest in the range of the E75 and see what the improvements in the system were, from OS and UI to the design. After working with it for a week, here’s the story.
Form Factor
Nokia has gone with a slide out QWERTY for the first time with this the last in their popular business class E-Series range. Sadly, their folly lies in the design of this particular feature. The E75 is essentially a variant of the E51. This model is however, equipped with a much larger 2.4-inch screen (240 x 320 pixel, 16 million color resolution). A secondary VGA camera and light senor are located on either side of the speaker. The keypad has been modified and reduced in size, but that’s not the problem. The home and delete keys are joined with the function keys beside them and that is not a good thing at all. This placement (on either side of the five way nav-pad) will have you constantly returning to the main menu screen when you simply wish to select the options. So you’ll have to go all the way back to what you were doing. Thank goodness for multi-tasking, otherwise you’d have to restart the application as well. The same issue was with the other end as well. When simply wanting to Exit a screen or app, you’d end up trying to Delete it.
On one side of the handset is a micro USB port and a slot for a microSD card. On the other side of this slim handset are a set of volume keys that double up for zooming in and out for the camera, and a key in between them that activates the voice command feature for the handset. Below those three is the camera button to both activate the function and release the shutter. A 3.5mm handsfree socket is located at the top with the charging port on the bottom.__STARTQUOTE__When it comes to being user friendly I’d have to put my foot down and say, it’s not.__ENDQUOTE__
The slider for the keypad is very smooth and worked without a hitch every single time and I tried it a lot just to check. The keypad itself was another issue altogether. Sure it’s well laid out and the divider in the middle makes it easier. The entire darn thing is just too flat. This makes it extremely hard to type with your thumbs if they’re as plump as mine. In fact I went around asking people to have a go and give me their feedback and not a single person I spoke to was comfortable using this system. Most of the time I stuck to the alphanumeric, even though I kept hitting the Exit key every time I wanted to delete something. It will take some real getting used to. It’s been about a week and I still haven’t been able to adjust to the level I’d find comfortable. While I love the fact that Nokia was able to incorporate the keypad and still keep the device so slim and sleek, I really wouldn’t have minded if the handset was a little thicker with keys that were slightly raised like those on the E71 or E90.
I really can’t argue with anyone who says that the E75 is a great looking handset, because do believe it is, but when it comes to being user friendly I’d have to put my foot down and say, it’s not. If the keypads were better thought out the whole thing would obviously be moot.
Features and performance
Interface
Running on a Symbian Series 60 (rel. 3.2), the interface is vibrant and clear. I like this version of the S60 UI. The E75’s ARM 11 369 MHz processor keeps the handset running smoothly and in all the time I used it no matter how I filled the card or the system memory, I had no issues with speed and performance of the OS. Everything was copasetic.
The little tweaks in the system like the Sensor control for incoming calls and alarms – simply flip the handset over or tap the front for it go silent - the smooth accelerometer for screen rotation or the quick access option in the contacts menu and features like Text to speech and Voice Commands all make the UI come alive.
Audio, Video and Misc. Media
Since the E75 is compatible with any headphones with a 3.5mm jack, you won’t need to use the handsfree kit bundled with the package if you don’t want to. The microphone has good enough range to use a normal set of earphones and the handset’s built-in mic. Through the same socket you can connect the player via Line out or to a Nokia Music stand. Like all other S60 music players this one also has EQ presets and an 8 band customizable graphic setting, Stereo Widening and a Bass Boost option.
The player is loud and clear and in most places it never required me to ever go up to max volume.
The Nokia Music Store is still not available for us, so that sucks, but at least now you can actually go into the online store and browse by selecting another country. You won’t be able to sign up though as you’ll be required to enter your mobile number with its country code. The FM radio also worked like a charm with pretty clear reception even while commuting. Stations can be retrieved by connecting to the net and download the stations according to your location. This may take a little while but so does manual tuning.
Internet radio and a Podcasting app are also available for those who would prefer a larger variety of music and streaming media. Make sure you have a flat internet plan though. There’s no FM recording feature, but there is an independent voice recorder. The N-Gage application is also present so you can download and play games via the N-Gage Arena and upload scores and stats etc.
Nokia’s Video Center application still takes a while to load if there are a lot of videos stored on the drive. Only if videos are played from here was I able to continue from where I left off. If you played a file from the Gallery section, the interface is slightly different and you won’t be able to resume playback from here. You can also add video feeds like YouTube and ZooVision to watch streaming videos. Normal videos look really good on the 2.4-inch display. It reads MPEG4 or 3GP video files.
Connectivity
With regard to the connectivity options, the E75 is well prepared. Wi-Fi is present for when there’s an available hot spot. The handset can also be used as a VOIP phone for calls via SKYPE or other services through a Wi-Fi network. Since it’s 3G ready (with HSDPA), surfing the net will be at a whole other level considering the browser has full HTML and flash support. Other connectivity options also include Bluetooth with an A2DP profile for Stereo Bluetooth headsets and of course USB 2.0 for PC connectivity. The features available for connectivity include Nokia’s Switch option for data transfer between handset and users that can also download trial and free apps from Nokia’s Download section. Apps like the wireless presenter and Bluetooth keyboard are very handy.
When it comes to Email, the Nokia Email application is already preinstalled on the handset. I was little confused with Nokia Email and Nokia Messaging and presuming both were the same I went ahead and set up my various accounts with Google, Yahoo and Hotmail. The problem is that even though I double and triple checked all the settings, the app simply refused to sync with my mail server and download emails. After facing this frustration, I logged into the online service where I already had an account and downloaded Nokia Messaging which refused to install on the handset. It provided me with no reason whatsoever either, further adding to my irate tone. In fact I requested another handset just to be absolutely sure and it didn't seem to work on that one either. I've never had this issue on other handsets, even the lower end models. Even though setting up accounts is as simple as typing your email address and password (in most cases), it did that quickly and just that. No emails were ever downloaded.
So emailing for me was a complete bust, hopefully, if you do go ahead and buy the handset, you won’t face the same frustration. It couldn’t be a problem with connectivity as the settings were all accurate and net surfing or uploading images to Vox, or connect to social networking sites like, Facebook or Twitter or even Windows Live to chat was no hassle at all. In fact the Gmail for mobile application ran without a hitch. On the plus side, the handset does support Mail for Exchange which worked fine. I could attribute the failure to download IMAP and POP3 email to some issue with my service, but I doubt it.
Since the E75 has an integrated GPS antenna, Nokia Maps 2.0 is the resident software for the handset. It also supports A-GPS for quicker connectivity. Unfortunately I didn’t seem to get a GPS signal in most places, so I hardly got too much of use out of the handset's GPS module. Google Maps with Google Latitude and other applications like Locatik and geotagging images do enhance the GPS functionality of the handset.
Misc. Features
Features like Text to voice for reading out messages and emails and even a new Talking theme which is quite similar to Motorola’s Talking Phone are available. Regular features like 3D tones, Printer connectivity for wireless printing, syncing the handset for back ups etc. and other features like a Calendar, Calculator and Converters are also present.
For the business crowd Quick Office is preloaded, so you can view and create and edit existing MS document files on the go. Nokia’s PDF reader and ZIP file viewer/creator are also on hand. Once again we see the lack of a useful business card reader and find a rather redundant Bar Code reader instead. Seriously, how many people are going to use that? One of the handiest features to have though is Active notes. It allows users to include media into a simple note format. The Advanced Communication Manager application (free from the download section) enables you to create filters for incoming calls and messages. You can only have one personalized filter active at a time though. I recommend going through the Help menu before activating anything.
Camera
I have to say, the 3.2MP AF camera on the E75 is way better than the one on the E71. The images look a lot better. Feature-wise there’s absolutely no difference. The standard S60 UI is present with features that include scene modes, Exposure, White Balance, A self Timer, Sequence mode, Color Tones, Contrast and others.
In normal conditions images look pretty good with a decent amount of lighting available. However, even on cloudy days, image reproduction was not too bad either.
Close ups look pretty good too.
Battery
I can’t say that the handset excelled when it came to battery life. It’s not average but just a few steps shy of being really great. With a full charge, I used the handset for just about 2 days, with an average amount of calls, messages, music and net connectivity. The more I used Wi-Fi and Bluetooth though, the faster my battery ran down. With the battery saver mode active, the handset ran for just a little over 2 days. The average talk time alone was about 3 hours and 45 minutes. That may not be great but I think it’s pretty good.
The Bottom Line
The E75 comes with a price tag of Rs. 26,299 (MRP) and that includes an 8GB memory card. I was quite conflicted with this review as the handset embodies some very helpful and useful features for business and otherwise, but no one, myself included, seemed to like using the QWERTY keypad and the placement of the Menu and Delete keys were also just wrong. If the handset sells it’ll be purely based on functionality, that's if you can get your emails to download.
The rest of the handset worked beautifully, the design looks snazzy, I’ll agree with that, but in reality, its functionality is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. So at then end of it, I wouldn’t advice going in for the E75. If you’re looking at a QWERTY, the E71 is much cheaper, comes with the same features and the keypad is SO much easier to use.
Form Factor
Nokia has gone with a slide out QWERTY for the first time with this the last in their popular business class E-Series range. Sadly, their folly lies in the design of this particular feature. The E75 is essentially a variant of the E51. This model is however, equipped with a much larger 2.4-inch screen (240 x 320 pixel, 16 million color resolution). A secondary VGA camera and light senor are located on either side of the speaker. The keypad has been modified and reduced in size, but that’s not the problem. The home and delete keys are joined with the function keys beside them and that is not a good thing at all. This placement (on either side of the five way nav-pad) will have you constantly returning to the main menu screen when you simply wish to select the options. So you’ll have to go all the way back to what you were doing. Thank goodness for multi-tasking, otherwise you’d have to restart the application as well. The same issue was with the other end as well. When simply wanting to Exit a screen or app, you’d end up trying to Delete it.
On one side of the handset is a micro USB port and a slot for a microSD card. On the other side of this slim handset are a set of volume keys that double up for zooming in and out for the camera, and a key in between them that activates the voice command feature for the handset. Below those three is the camera button to both activate the function and release the shutter. A 3.5mm handsfree socket is located at the top with the charging port on the bottom.__STARTQUOTE__When it comes to being user friendly I’d have to put my foot down and say, it’s not.__ENDQUOTE__
The slider for the keypad is very smooth and worked without a hitch every single time and I tried it a lot just to check. The keypad itself was another issue altogether. Sure it’s well laid out and the divider in the middle makes it easier. The entire darn thing is just too flat. This makes it extremely hard to type with your thumbs if they’re as plump as mine. In fact I went around asking people to have a go and give me their feedback and not a single person I spoke to was comfortable using this system. Most of the time I stuck to the alphanumeric, even though I kept hitting the Exit key every time I wanted to delete something. It will take some real getting used to. It’s been about a week and I still haven’t been able to adjust to the level I’d find comfortable. While I love the fact that Nokia was able to incorporate the keypad and still keep the device so slim and sleek, I really wouldn’t have minded if the handset was a little thicker with keys that were slightly raised like those on the E71 or E90.
I really can’t argue with anyone who says that the E75 is a great looking handset, because do believe it is, but when it comes to being user friendly I’d have to put my foot down and say, it’s not. If the keypads were better thought out the whole thing would obviously be moot.
Features and performance
Interface
Running on a Symbian Series 60 (rel. 3.2), the interface is vibrant and clear. I like this version of the S60 UI. The E75’s ARM 11 369 MHz processor keeps the handset running smoothly and in all the time I used it no matter how I filled the card or the system memory, I had no issues with speed and performance of the OS. Everything was copasetic.
The little tweaks in the system like the Sensor control for incoming calls and alarms – simply flip the handset over or tap the front for it go silent - the smooth accelerometer for screen rotation or the quick access option in the contacts menu and features like Text to speech and Voice Commands all make the UI come alive.
Audio, Video and Misc. Media
Since the E75 is compatible with any headphones with a 3.5mm jack, you won’t need to use the handsfree kit bundled with the package if you don’t want to. The microphone has good enough range to use a normal set of earphones and the handset’s built-in mic. Through the same socket you can connect the player via Line out or to a Nokia Music stand. Like all other S60 music players this one also has EQ presets and an 8 band customizable graphic setting, Stereo Widening and a Bass Boost option.
The player is loud and clear and in most places it never required me to ever go up to max volume.
The Nokia Music Store is still not available for us, so that sucks, but at least now you can actually go into the online store and browse by selecting another country. You won’t be able to sign up though as you’ll be required to enter your mobile number with its country code. The FM radio also worked like a charm with pretty clear reception even while commuting. Stations can be retrieved by connecting to the net and download the stations according to your location. This may take a little while but so does manual tuning.
Internet radio and a Podcasting app are also available for those who would prefer a larger variety of music and streaming media. Make sure you have a flat internet plan though. There’s no FM recording feature, but there is an independent voice recorder. The N-Gage application is also present so you can download and play games via the N-Gage Arena and upload scores and stats etc.
Nokia’s Video Center application still takes a while to load if there are a lot of videos stored on the drive. Only if videos are played from here was I able to continue from where I left off. If you played a file from the Gallery section, the interface is slightly different and you won’t be able to resume playback from here. You can also add video feeds like YouTube and ZooVision to watch streaming videos. Normal videos look really good on the 2.4-inch display. It reads MPEG4 or 3GP video files.
Connectivity
With regard to the connectivity options, the E75 is well prepared. Wi-Fi is present for when there’s an available hot spot. The handset can also be used as a VOIP phone for calls via SKYPE or other services through a Wi-Fi network. Since it’s 3G ready (with HSDPA), surfing the net will be at a whole other level considering the browser has full HTML and flash support. Other connectivity options also include Bluetooth with an A2DP profile for Stereo Bluetooth headsets and of course USB 2.0 for PC connectivity. The features available for connectivity include Nokia’s Switch option for data transfer between handset and users that can also download trial and free apps from Nokia’s Download section. Apps like the wireless presenter and Bluetooth keyboard are very handy.
When it comes to Email, the Nokia Email application is already preinstalled on the handset. I was little confused with Nokia Email and Nokia Messaging and presuming both were the same I went ahead and set up my various accounts with Google, Yahoo and Hotmail. The problem is that even though I double and triple checked all the settings, the app simply refused to sync with my mail server and download emails. After facing this frustration, I logged into the online service where I already had an account and downloaded Nokia Messaging which refused to install on the handset. It provided me with no reason whatsoever either, further adding to my irate tone. In fact I requested another handset just to be absolutely sure and it didn't seem to work on that one either. I've never had this issue on other handsets, even the lower end models. Even though setting up accounts is as simple as typing your email address and password (in most cases), it did that quickly and just that. No emails were ever downloaded.
So emailing for me was a complete bust, hopefully, if you do go ahead and buy the handset, you won’t face the same frustration. It couldn’t be a problem with connectivity as the settings were all accurate and net surfing or uploading images to Vox, or connect to social networking sites like, Facebook or Twitter or even Windows Live to chat was no hassle at all. In fact the Gmail for mobile application ran without a hitch. On the plus side, the handset does support Mail for Exchange which worked fine. I could attribute the failure to download IMAP and POP3 email to some issue with my service, but I doubt it.
Since the E75 has an integrated GPS antenna, Nokia Maps 2.0 is the resident software for the handset. It also supports A-GPS for quicker connectivity. Unfortunately I didn’t seem to get a GPS signal in most places, so I hardly got too much of use out of the handset's GPS module. Google Maps with Google Latitude and other applications like Locatik and geotagging images do enhance the GPS functionality of the handset.
Misc. Features
Features like Text to voice for reading out messages and emails and even a new Talking theme which is quite similar to Motorola’s Talking Phone are available. Regular features like 3D tones, Printer connectivity for wireless printing, syncing the handset for back ups etc. and other features like a Calendar, Calculator and Converters are also present.
For the business crowd Quick Office is preloaded, so you can view and create and edit existing MS document files on the go. Nokia’s PDF reader and ZIP file viewer/creator are also on hand. Once again we see the lack of a useful business card reader and find a rather redundant Bar Code reader instead. Seriously, how many people are going to use that? One of the handiest features to have though is Active notes. It allows users to include media into a simple note format. The Advanced Communication Manager application (free from the download section) enables you to create filters for incoming calls and messages. You can only have one personalized filter active at a time though. I recommend going through the Help menu before activating anything.
Camera
I have to say, the 3.2MP AF camera on the E75 is way better than the one on the E71. The images look a lot better. Feature-wise there’s absolutely no difference. The standard S60 UI is present with features that include scene modes, Exposure, White Balance, A self Timer, Sequence mode, Color Tones, Contrast and others.
In normal conditions images look pretty good with a decent amount of lighting available. However, even on cloudy days, image reproduction was not too bad either.
Close ups look pretty good too.
Battery
I can’t say that the handset excelled when it came to battery life. It’s not average but just a few steps shy of being really great. With a full charge, I used the handset for just about 2 days, with an average amount of calls, messages, music and net connectivity. The more I used Wi-Fi and Bluetooth though, the faster my battery ran down. With the battery saver mode active, the handset ran for just a little over 2 days. The average talk time alone was about 3 hours and 45 minutes. That may not be great but I think it’s pretty good.
The Bottom Line
The E75 comes with a price tag of Rs. 26,299 (MRP) and that includes an 8GB memory card. I was quite conflicted with this review as the handset embodies some very helpful and useful features for business and otherwise, but no one, myself included, seemed to like using the QWERTY keypad and the placement of the Menu and Delete keys were also just wrong. If the handset sells it’ll be purely based on functionality, that's if you can get your emails to download.
The rest of the handset worked beautifully, the design looks snazzy, I’ll agree with that, but in reality, its functionality is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. So at then end of it, I wouldn’t advice going in for the E75. If you’re looking at a QWERTY, the E71 is much cheaper, comes with the same features and the keypad is SO much easier to use.