Nokia E73 Mode Review
Even though Nokia has had a hard time cracking the North American market, the products it does manage to release are very competitive in the market, and can sometimes even be surprisingly so.
The Nokia E73 Mode is one of the latest devices to come from the Finnish mobile maker, and this T-Mobile-specific iteration packs a good deal of power and substance for all types of users.
DESIGN & BUILD
One of the thinnest mobile devices today (0,4 in or 10 mm), the Nokia E73 packs a QVGA (320×240) screen and a useful keyboard into a well designed package.
Nokia E73 Mode from T-MobileIt’s been a while since getting my hands on a smartphone with this form factor, and the E73 Mode reminded me instantly what I liked about what Nokia’s done here.
The hard plastic and metal casing feels very solid and high quality.
Screen
Given its enterprise-friendly leanings, the 320x240px screen isn’t going to win many beauty contests. But, it is more than sufficient for most tasks. This screen is transreflective — meaning that it fares quite well with indoor and outdoor lighting environments.
One of the pleasures during my time with this device was pulling it out to change the music track while bike riding and a sun beaming pretty heavily overhead. Not only was the screen readable, but all tasks were done easily with one hand.
Keyboard
If not careful, the E73 Mode can be mistaken for a BlackBerry. The front face being dominated by the QWERTY keyboard just tends to do that to people. But putting your fingers on the keys shows there’s a different personality to the device.
The E73 Mode uses a similar layout to the E72 (mechanically, these are very similar mobiles) and e63 models. Compared to the previous generation (the E71), the E73 Mode offers slightly more domed keys — these are easier to press — and a few additional buttons. The spacebar is made smaller to accommodate these buttons, and aside from going from one device to another, the learning curve for this keyboard is relatively painless.
PERFORMANCE
Given the pace smartphones are developing these days, the Nokia E73 Mode’s software platform is the only negative in an otherwise well-equipped device. The Symbian S60 3,2 (Feature Pack 2) platform is indeed old, but Nokia and T-Mobile seem to have pulled out more more than usual from it. Depending on where you are coming from, it can seem antiquated or about right for the times we live in.
Nokia E73 Mode from T-MobileWireless
I wanted to see just how well the T-Mobile network has been updated, and so the E73 Mode spent a lot of time streaming music via the third-party application Mobbler. Whether using the single device speaker, or the included headphones, things were fine until hitting the edge of the Charlotte metro area (that 3G to EDGE drop is a doozie). Yet, it’s only Web access that seemed to suffer on that changeover, voice calls seemed quite unaffected.
The E73 Mode also spent time in my pocket and hand during the time I was at the Uplinq conference, and performed very well.
PIM and Messaging
Symbian has a pretty robust PIM (personal information management) suite, and the E73 Mode does very well here. There’s a calendar with integrated tasks and memos; an address book with support for numerous detail fields, contact groups, and tones; and an enhanced notes app called Active Notes.
On the messaging side, there’s been little need for updated software, as the standard apps are still enough for most users. The Messaging application supports SMS, MMS, and up to 10 email accounts (POP or IMAP). Mail for Exchange is available for connecting to Exchange accounts, with support for meeting messages, searching the global address book, and mobile device administration.
Again, its all there, just not as clean as many people might be used to with some other devices. That being said, if an IT department supports multiple devices, what comes out of the box with the E73 is about as close to the BlackBerry experience as it gets.
Web and Multimedia
Where Nokia’s E-Series devices have consistently gotten better over the years has been in the web and multimedia areas. Not that they used to be unable to perform, just that these areas were not focused on. This changed a good bit with the Nokia E72, and is refined a good bit more with the E73 Mode.
Nokia E73 Mode from T-Mobile USAOn the web side, there the versatile Webkit-based Nokia Browser. Running at version 7,2, it features significant improvements to the rendering engine when compared to a recently updated Nokia № 97 and X6, and an update to the Flash Lite plugin (version 4).
I must say that I was impressed every time I opened up the browser — no Symbian device had ever responded that well, especially on pages with several JavaScript pop-ups or non-mobile-optimized AJAX. Nokia even tweaked the default font-size to make it readable without adjustments.
Using the various number shortcuts for things such as typing in a link, making a bookmark, or zooming out for a page overview to navigate longer/wider pages made for a pleasing browsing experience. I was genuinely surprised. And T-Mobile’s 3G network didn’t give me any reason to frown.
Besides the browser, there’s the Google Mobile Apps and YouTube apps, and link stubs for Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. As with other E-Series devices, the multi-protocol IM application is also included (Windows Live, AIM, GTalk, MySpace IM, and Yahoo compatibility).
Other Apps and Impressions
Other apps on the E73 Mode include a currency/measures converter and support for encrypting both the phone memory and memory cards.
In terms of location-based apps, there’s Ovi Maps, Where (a location-based search engine), and TeleNav. I preferred Ovi Maps for most searches, though I could see the appeal of Where for some inquiries such as «what’s going on this holiday weekend.”
When I was at the Uplinq conference, I enjoyed demonstrating the included Multiscanner application, which is able to read business cards (mostly) well. The E73 Mode’s 5 megapixel camera was a big help here, though cards which are a more artistic than informational fare are hard for this application to use.
The E73 Mode isn’t free of the odd or welcomed carrier addition. Visual Voicemail makes a welcomed appearance here. The Ovi Store application supports carrier billing — so one should be mindful of the .99 cents here and there apps, themes, and media which can be downloaded.
Nokia E73 Mode from T-Mobile USALastly, the Switch mode came in handy, but only when I remembered that it was there. It would make so much more sense if Switch — an application which changes the homescreen, theme, and sounds — could act on a more contextual or automated fashion. I fear that its usefulness will be appreciated, but lost when someone forgets that its there.
Camera
An important part of the Nokia E73 Mode’s multimedia abilities is a 5 megapixel camera. Besides some noise in pictures with heavier greens and reds, I saw nothing but quality shots throughout.
The Share Online application is included, making for a quick upload to Flickr, Ovi Share, or Vox photoblogs, while a third party application Shozu is able to export to even more services.
With the E73 Mode’s relatively low resolution screen, it’s advisable to make sure to check your pictures on a larger screen before posting them, as some shots look much better on the smaller screen than in near-actual size.
Battery
With normal use, I was charging the E73 Mode’s 1500 mAh battery every other night. Nokia has done very well to wring out all kinds of efficiency from the hardware, without increasing the weight, while increasing the software performance.
