[kictanet] NOKIA E61i for Sale - Ksh 25, 000 with all accessories and Boxes intact

Robert Alai alai.robert at gmail.com
Sun Feb 3 10:35:06 EAT 2008


You all know Nokia E61 – it's been among the most popular Nokia smartphones
ever since it was presented. Its fans have always been divided over it not
having a camera. Taking that into account Nokia decided to release an
updated version of the handset marked with "i". Besides a camera, the new
model features a number of small modifications, or otherwise upgrades, which
would again reinstate it as a top-notch smartphone messenger. Now join us on
our GSMArena journey which would try to answer a good deal of questions for
you… and for us, for that matter.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i official pictures*
Key features:

   - Rich connectivity options - UMTS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, Infrared
   - Outstanding battery life
   - 2 megapixel camera
   - Messenger form factor with a full QWERTY keyboard
   - Really large 2.8" TFT display
   - Solid, metallic body
   - Symbian OS 9.1 S60 3rd Edition UI
   - microSD memory card slot

Main disadvantages:

   - Hefty weight
   - No HSDPA support
   - No secondary camera for video calls
   - S60 UI doesn't come with Feature Pack 1

Right from the start the Nokia E61 was a successful model that made itself a
nice group of dedicated fans. Not having a camera was obviously not a big
deal for those guys. Even now in workplaces where information
confidentiality is strictly guarded, cameraphones are simply not allowed.

The business messenger market though realized that office workers and
businessmen need an all-in-one tool that would allow them to work
efficiently during the day and to have fun or just relax in the evenings and
weekend. So essentially it has come to this that purely business handsets
are gradually being equipped with more and more extra features such as a
music player, a video player, a camera, etc. The market niche for such
devices is fiercely competitive and it seems that our new Nokia has plunged
into the deep with some other serious swimmers such as Palm Treo, Blackberry
Pearl, Motorola Q, HTC S620, Sony Ericsson M600, Samsung i320, iMate JAQ
plus several HP IPAQ products. And if you look at the details, the Nokia
E61i is even functionally identical to Nokia E70.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i and Nokia E70: functionally identical but so much different*

When we started to review the new Nokia E61i we came up with a couple of key
questions that had to be answered in order for this review to be complete
and those are:

   - Is the camera positioning the E61i into another device category?
   - Is it worth exchanging your vanilla Nokia E61 for it?

In the same time the review had to cover all the aspects that we cover in
all other reviews – meaning that we should go over all the features of the
smartphone in detail. So for those of you that are into smartphones for a
long time now and wouldn't want to go through all of this, here is our low
down on exactly how the Nokia E61i differs from the vanilla E61.

The E61i is thinner than the E61 by a small margin but is 11 cc smaller. The
E61i has a better build quality over the E61 and possesses a rather stable
and solid body. The keyboard has definitely got a few updates – first, the
navigation joystick is replaced with a D-pad, which is a great choice by the
way. Then there are two new shortcut keys – the Phonebook and My Own key.
The My Own key is a customizable shortcut key that you can use for starting
an application of your choice. The keys of the QWERTY keyboard have gotten
just a notch smaller, but the space between them has increased. Furthermore
their tactile feedback is far better on E61i than on the E61. As a result
the ergonomics of the QWERTY keyboard have greatly increased.

Software-wise the E61i didn't stay long enough in development so that it can
get the Feature Pack 1, that's now available for the S60 user interface. So
obviously we would be waiting for other devices to try it on. Nevertheless,
the E61i comes with several preinstalled applications that were not
available in E61 – the WLAN Wizard, the Search application and the Team
Suite. The WLAN wizard is a Wi-Fi network scanner, Search is a global search
engine for your handset contents and finally, the Team suite is a more
specific application that allows for creating so-called "teams" in order to
make mass communication with your colleagues easier. Having those
applications is not a big deal, though, as they can be downloaded to your
E61, too. The E61i also has newer and more user-friendly Internet calling
settings and finally, let's not forget – the new messenger comes with a 2
megapixel camera that can always come in handy for making snapshots of
people and places.

So what are the answers to the two questions we had, you might ask. Well,
for that, our friends, you'll have to bear with us to this review's very
end.

As far as retail package is concerned, the box contents you should expect
are the Nokia HS-5 headset and a data cable. Nothing more to please the eye
– but hey, the E-series handsets are all about business.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i retail box contents*
Enter the Dragon

Being an updated version of the Nokia E61, the Nokia E61i has pretty much
the same design as its predecessor. The dimensions are identical too - the
Nokia E61i measures 117 x 70 x 13.9 mm and weighs 150 g.
  You all know Nokia E61 – it's been among the most popular Nokia
smartphones ever since it was presented. Its fans have always been divided
over it not having a camera. Taking that into account Nokia decided to
release an updated version of the handset marked with "i".

We are more than pleased with the construction quality of the E61i. The
handset didn't produce any creaks during our test, and furthermore it didn't
look like those are likely to show up even after months of use. As we
already said the body construction and the way parts fit together is
something that has improved over E61.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i all over*

Well going over the phone you couldn't help but notice the LED in the upper
left corner of the front panel. It is in fact an ambient light detector
which is used for power optimization. It detects the available ambient light
and thus controls whether backlighting or display brightness should be
adjusted. It also serves the double purpose of an event light alerting you
of different event – a feature that is totally customizable. Next to the
LED/sensor, right in the dead center, is the in-call speaker grill. Due to
the really wide form factor, it takes some time to get used to position your
ear right on the speaker. Unaccustomed to it, during our tests we often
tended to go left or right. Next to it is the On/Off key – it's made of
white rubber that somehow doesn't follow the metallic design of the handset.

[image: Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i top part: LED/light sensor and On/Off key*

The QWERTY keypad is probably the most exciting thing about a handset with
that form factor. It is the single thing that can make or break the pleasure
of using the device to its full potential. As you would see later on in the
review, the Nokia E61i keyboard manages to impress with a great usability.
One can easily notice that there are several design updates over the E61 –
all for the better, we might add. You might have noticed that the keyboard
of our test unit is in fact not a QWERTY one, but instead a QWERTZ one. The
simple reason for that is that it is the German version of E61i – fully
localized with the added special characters.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i keyboard: design has changed*

The left side of the device features a dual volume key and the voice key. A
single press allows you to start an immediate recording of a voice note for
example. A longer press takes you to the voice dial/voice command interface.
The voice key is pretty well recessed so it isn't probable that you would
press it accidentally in your pocket – a flaw that Nokia E61 had. Beside
those keys is the loudspeaker grill – the sound it produces is nice – clear
and loud. The loudspeaker position is well-thought of, as the sound doesn't
get muffled when you put down the handset on its back, as is the case with
most current mobile phones.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Left side view: voice key, volume key, loudspeaker*

The bottom part of the device features the charger port, the Pop port for
connecting the data cable and the headset, as well as the Infrared port. The
charger port of the E61i can fit only the latest types of Nokia chargers –
the ones with a thinner jack. Unlike N-series handsets the E61i doesn't come
with a charger adaptor included which would allow for using the older types
of chargers with it. Strangely enough, although we had that type of adapter
we couldn't charge the E61i with an older charger. It seems that with this
model Nokia has left behind the backwards compatibility we were used to see.
The right and top sides of the handset don't accommodate any control
elements.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Bottom side view • Right side view • Top side view*

When you turn the phone over, you would see that its back is pretty bare.
The only element that really catches your eye is the 2 megapixel camera
lens. The lens is protected by a silver circular ring.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Nokia E61i back • camera lens*

The most of the back is taken by the fully metallic battery cover. Removing
it is done with a slide – much like inserting it back on. Note that we say
"inserting" – the cover has to be inserted into tracks which allow it to
slide all the way to the top. Now it isn't the most comfortable solution
we've seen but it surely is among the most secure ones. When you remove the
back cover the large Nokia BP-4L Li-Polymer battery is revealed. It has a
capacity of the impressive 1500 mAh and is manufacturer-rated to be able to
sustain the handset with power for up to 400 h in standby, and for up to 9 h
of talk time in GSM-only networks. Our test showed that when used moderately
in a UMTS network the E61i was able to offer the impressive six full days
with a single charging – and that being the first one for the battery. When
we say moderately we mean that the E61i almost never left our office and for
those six days we did a total of around 35 minutes of talking, 1 hour of
Bluetoothing, 30 minutes of WLAN web browsing, 2 hours of listening to
music, 40 minutes of playing video, taking several dozens of pictures, and a
lot of fiddling with the phone. So just to sum up for you – it is a nice
mark for Nokia's latest messenger smartphone.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
*Removing the back panel • memory card slot • 1500 mAh battery • SIM card
bed*

Although being rather wide, the Nokia E61i feels pretty much comfortable
when held in hand. If you try to work with it single-handedly and if you are
dexterous enough to hold it in your right hand and to navigate with your
thumb, you mind find that the left soft keys are a bit too far for you to
press accurately. If you have bigger hands, that surely wouldn't pose any
problem. The smartphone leaves an impression of a thin, stable and
user-friendly handset – although a side jog dial would have come in handy.

[image: Nokia E61i]
<http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#> [image:
Nokia E61i] <http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php#>
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