Introduction & Design
4.7
Simply put, Nokia's E70 is one of the most advanced, innovative mobile phones on the market today. The E70's fold-out QWERTY keyboard harkens back to the design of Nokia's 6800 messaging phone released in 2003, but its feature set is pure cutting-edge 2006. From the Symbian 9.1 (Series 60) Operating System to built-in WiFi, Blackberry/VoIP support, MS Office document compatibility, and perhaps the best mobile Web browser currently available, the E70 is a businessperson's delight. But it's not all work and no play: a two megapixel camera and digital audio player add some entertainment options to the mix. Could the E70 be the ultimate pocket communicator? That all depends on how you take to its form factor.
Note: This review is of the E70-2 handset, which is the US version of the E70 that was originally introduced in Europe. The only difference between the versions is the GSM Bands they support - the E70-2 includes the 850 band widely used in the US, while the E70 supports GSM 900/1800/1900.
At first glance the E70 looks like an overgrown flip phone with its 2" screen and noticeably thick body. The design is business chic, with a black front panel and buttons accented by silver on the body and trim. But the inclusion of a dialing keypad on the front of the flip panel is a tip off that there's more to this handset than first meets the eye. True enough, raising the front panel reveals a full QWERTY thumbboard underneath, oriented horizontally and split into two sections on either side of the screen.
The E70 is actually a candybar style phone meant to be used for voice calls with the "flip" closed. Open the flip and the screen rotates to landscape mode so the handset can be held with one hand on either "wing," putting the user's thumbs in ideal position to type on the QWERTY keys. Again, those familiar with the old Nokia 6800 will remember the design principle. However, the E70 is much more comfortable to type on than the 6800, as both the QWERTY keys and the LCD display are larger and easier to work with.
Large buttons and a large screen adds up to a hefty phone, however. The E70 measures 117 x 53 x 22mm and weighs in at 127g, which is nearly twice as thick and 50% heavier than a featherweight at the other end of the size spectrum, the Samsung D900. To be fair, though, the E70s feature set demands comparisons with the Treos and Motorola Qs of the world, not ultra-slim slider phones. The E70 feels lighter in hand than it really is, due to its all-plastic construction, and while it's no fashion phone, it does convey a sense of modern power that gives it a business chic style.
From a design perspective, the phone can be looked at in two ways. With the flip shut, the screen is oriented vertically with a small power button along its top edge and a joystick flanked by two softkeys below the display. Beneath these controls is a dialing keypad with five extra keys: call, hang up, text input mode, menu, and clear.
Opening the flip and turning the phone horizontally leaves the power button and joystick/softkeys accessible along side the right side of the screen, but relegates the dialing keypad to what's now the back of the phone, putting the QWERTY board forward instead. Nokia did an excellent job of making the two halves of the QWERTY board thick enough to be easily held and large enough to accommodate a comfortable key layout without making the device too unwieldy overall. The split keyboard's large, clearly marked buttons are easy to thumb-type on, and the dual-spacebar layout makes the device feel less odd and more ingenious with every use. Additionally, the "flip" mechanism is much heavier than those found on traditional flip phones, so it never felt as though the phone was going to accidentally close or some how give out on me while I typed. The keys are also backlit, with a dedicated on/off key for the light located in the upper left corner of the keyboard.
The sides and back of the E70 are finished in silver and button-free save for the voice record button on the left panel. The bottom panel houses an AC jack and Pop-Port connector, and the back of the phone features the 2 MP camera sensor housing alongside a simple Nokia logo. The back panel slides off to reveal the battery, miniSD memory card and SIM card slots.
My one major complaint about the E70's design is with the joystick. The stick is a little nub that's easy enough to "grip" with the tip of a thumb or finger, but rather difficult to move with any precision, and particularly hard to depress without accidentally moving in one direction or another. Seeing as the joystick is used to navigate the many menus and features of the icon-based user interface, this created some problems for me - I often found myself attempting to select one icon by pushing down on the stick only to accidentally select an adjacent one by accidentally pushing first to the side and then down in the same motion. A little practice and extra care went a long way towards correcting this, but joysticks I've used on other phones have been much easier to manage on the first try.
This phone isn't going to win followers based solely on its looks, but I did find it attractive in the way that a Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7-Series car is attractive; the E70's size speaks not to clunky design but rather to the power beneath its hood. The display is absolutely spectacular and the layout of the many buttons is clean and ergonomic, which is some feat considering just how many buttons there are. This is Nokia's flagship business phone, and it shows in the design; the E70 is Executive Class all the way.
