Nokia E61 review from F.Y.R.O. Macedonia

Almost nothing. Software started to block itself when sending SMS, it turned out to be a common Early-Model E61 problem. Cured by making a software-update procedure from the Nokia website. Now the phone is a peach again. Pity that after installing the new version the Golf-Pro game was lost.

The overall quality is amazing. Except for a few scratches (rear part of phone is somewhat less resistant to scratching), it is made of magnesium-alloy and is VERY sturdy. Has fallen on the ground several times, without ANY consequences.

Battery life is slightly shorter than I expected, but still a hell of a lot for such a "pocket-PC" device.

For 12 months of ownership, nothing went wrong with this phone.

It is most probably the best compromise there is on the market, between a full-blown pocket-PC device (with all of their complications, battery-life compromises, complexity and bulk..), and an old-school professional mobile-phone.

It is not intimidating to carry in a pocket, as it is slim and it is not too wide. It is very heavy, though. (which probably confirms the 12-month-use feeling that it will easily last at least another 18-20 months..)

What is simply AMAZING about the E61, however, are 2 things:

1) Its glorious, 6-mio. colour display (it is unbelievably high quality of a display, VERY big and protected with a sturdy and really scratch-resistant glass!). It is amazing to have such a display-quality level for this amount of money (paid 290 EUR for the brand-new phone here in Macedonia, in Nov.2006, when in Germany it cost 455 EUR!).

2) Its WLAN-qualities are second to none. The movable screen-guide, combined with the proper, as-on-PC website displaying, makes web-surfing a totally mindblowing experience. It is also often faster (!) in web-surfing than my laptop PC.

It "catches" networks brilliantly, I connect almost everywhere where there is a hot-spot. Quickly & smoothly.

The only downside is when replying to an e-mail in Yahoo or Hotmail, the text window (only in Reply) sometimes doesn't show full, and then you have to type your reply "blindly". NOKIA, please please please improve this.

The full-size keyboard is brilliant to use, although, with its double overrun functions on some buttons, it is definitely not for an inexperienced/clumsy users.

If you are not good at working with your fingers, do not buy this phone.

But for me it is the best solution, as it has all of the sweet features that an old-school NOKIA has, and it feels like a normal phone, yet you can surf, create & edit & open Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. With the software addition, it can now read Adobe PDF files too.

What with the copy & paste, AND Bold/Italic/Underline modes (both in SMS and in Notes...) SMS writing is a breeze, a really enjoyable experience.

Connectivity is a masterpiece. WLAN, Bluetooth and Infrared work faultlessly.

The biggest downside for me personally: the lack of the "timed profile" function that the previous generations of NOKIA had (and some other models still have it). This is BY FAR the sweetest mobile phone feature I have had, and I miss it a lot on the otherwise splendid E-61. Please NOKIA include "timed profile" on the next evolutions (as I don't plan on switching to ANY other concept of a portable communication device).

Multimedia is really pleasant surprise: there is a Real-video player, and image managing and browsing is a delight with that exceptional screen. There is a full-screen mode (mmm...) and a 4 x zoom (on a 6-mio. colour display). It is sometimes downright perverse, it is so sophisticated :)

Even when talking out of price/value context, this model is HIGHLY recommended to anyone that wants a lot from their devices (but not for beginners or clumsy-fingered persons).

Being made of exotic metals, it feels so solid that it can last for years literally. Believe me or not, I have often worn it in the same pocket with my keys (!), and the screen itself does not have even a SINGLE smallest scratch (!). How high quality is that?

Having had it for a year already, I would buy another one even if it was more expensive - the price/value experience was totally unexpectedly good for me.

Nokia, please develop this model irrespectively of sales - it will soon become a topper, or the people have definitely lost their plot.

Well done NOKIA. Truly the best.