Thinking Of Buying A Nokia E71 Mobile Phone

[PattayaDavid]

I've been doing some research on the internet for the Nokia E71 mobile phone, but I prefer to hear from actual users or those who either have some hands on experience with this phone or know someone who has.  Anyway, I welcome any reviews, comments or opinions of this phone, particularly as to how it performs here in Thailand, ie phone, wi-fi, email, push mail, camera etc.

Thanks,

Pattayadavid

[offset]

I've been doing some research on the internet for the Nokia E71 mobile phone, but I prefer to hear from actual users or those who either have some hands on experience with this phone or know someone who has. Anyway, I welcome any reviews, comments or opinions of this phone, particularly as to how it performs here in Thailand, ie phone, wi-fi, email, push mail, camera etc.

Thanks,

Pattayadavid

If you go onto the Nokia web site there is a forum for the E Series but be careful there are always more people ready to moan about things than bother to praise, one word of warning the camera is not that good they also do a scaled down version E66 I think

[K-Bkk]

Or try this site www.gsmarena.com , the site contains both reviews from editor and users. It's been working very for me.

Kris of BKK

//e-mail removed as per forum rules//

[whooliggen]

Sending this reply from my E71 & I can safely say that its the best phone I've ever owned. Phone capabilities are flawless, easy & effective connectivity to the i-net via Edge/Wifi. Only gripes are the non standard ear phone jack, but I got a pair of funky JBL Bluetooth cordless earphones to circumvent that little issue.Camera isn't great but perfectly ok for sending little pics as attachments.

You must get an application called Fring if you're at all interested in Skype,msn/yahoo messenger etc. You'll thank me.

Go ahead right now and splash your cash on it - you won't be sorry...

[Ciaphas]

I have owned an E71 for over 6 months now and have to say it's an amazing phone that does everything I need plus more. I have to travel a lot for work, and quickly receiving emails instead of turning on my laptop every time is a god send. The office software is more than capable for quickly creating docs for clients. With an 8gig micro SD card I have given up carrying an mp3 player and now just use the phone. The battery life is exceptional one charge usually lasts 3 days of heavy use. Google maps works very well in Thailand as a GPS. My only small gripe is the bug that means some phone numbers in your contact list don't show peoples names when they phone you. Overall an excellent phone you won't regret owning.

[Gary A]

I too use GSM Arena and trust their reviews. This phone has very good reviews. Here is the link;

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e71-reviews-2425.php

[dominique355]

I bought the E71 to replace the Windows based Omina from Samsung. (I don't like Windows).

So far the E71 has performed flawlessly and I am almost 100% happy. One thing, though, I would like criticize:

In the Contacts module, there is a possibility to include a filed named "Notes". Great, but when I open the contact, the display of this field is limited to one line. If you want to see the whole content of "Notes", you have to "edit" it.

Now, maybe I am just too stupid to use the phone correctly and if anyone knows how to see the whole "Note", i would be happy to know how to do that.

I was impressed by the built-in radio. E71 asked me if I want to download the frequencies of the Bangkok based radio stations, which I did and got about 40 local radio stations. Wonderful.

In conclusion, I like the E71 and can recommend it.

[spacebass]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devic...08/Nokia-E71/p1

[PattayaDavid]

I have owned an E71 for over 6 months now and have to say it's an amazing phone that does everything I need plus more. I have to travel a lot for work, and quickly receiving emails instead of turning on my laptop every time is a god send. The office software is more than capable for quickly creating docs for clients. With an 8gig micro SD card I have given up carrying an mp3 player and now just use the phone. The battery life is exceptional one charge usually lasts 3 days of heavy use. Google maps works very well in Thailand as a GPS. My only small gripe is the bug that means some phone numbers in your contact list don't show peoples names when they phone you. Overall an excellent phone you won't regret owning.

Thanks for the review.  Does your E71 have the English/Thai keyboard or is it English only?  I have seen both models over here, but I'm not sure if everything inside of the phone is identical on both models.  I assume that the English keyboard model is imported from Europe.  Do both models use the same phone, wi-fi/ gprs/edge, 3G frequencies?  Are both of these models fully useable here in Thailand?

Thanks,

Pattayadavid

[dominique355]

Indeed, you can buy both models. I found the English/Thai keyboard a bit confusing, which is why I bought the English only keyboard (at MBK 4th floor). I believe the model comes from Hong Kong (charger plug).

I would believe that the official version here has English/Thai keyboard and obviously also Thai fonts. Perhaps different additional software included. Mine had a Chinese-English dictionary installed.

Also, the shop in MBK told me, for guarantee issues I should revert to them only, while the official Thai/English version can be brought to any Nokia shop.

[PattayaDavid]

I've read a lot of reviews from the various sights, but wanted to hear more from users here in Thailand in case there were some compatibility issues over here or phone features that were unusable. Most of the comments that I have read are on the E71 were favorable with the users from Europe, particularly the UK, having the most problems with their phones. Before I buy this phone, has anyone heard any rumors of an upgrade or replacement model for this phone in the near future? I saw that, I believe it is the E97 will be out soon, but it will be similar to the E90 although smaller and lighter.

Pattayadavid

PS. Does anyone know whether the E71 3G capability will be compatible with Thailand's upcoming 3G service?

Edited February 27, 2009 by PattayaDavid

[MJo]

I've read a lot of reviews from the various sights, but wanted to hear more from users here in Thailand in case there were some compatibility issues over here or phone features that were unusable. Most of the comments that I have read are on the E71 were favorable with the users from Europe, particularly the UK, having the most problems with their phones. Before I buy this phone, has anyone heard any rumors of an upgrade or replacement model for this phone in the near future? I saw that, I believe it is the E97 will be out soon, but it will be similar to the E90 although smaller and lighter.

Pattayadavid

PS. Does anyone know whether the E71 3G capability will be compatible with Thailand's upcoming 3G service?

First of all i have been using E71 in Thailand for the past 6 months or so. Also wife has one and we both agree it's the best phone we have used so far. Get roadsync for email (works with your company MS Exchange server directly) and Fring for Skype calls and messengers etc. Nokia's build in email settings will connect you with Gmail etc automatickly, just enter username and password. GPS is fast to connect and free maps are in the phone. Only if you need the voice "commands" then you need to pay extra. Battery life is really good. As someone said it will last usually 3 days of normal use with occasional wifi connection and usual calls during the day.

I use it with AIS EDGE data in Bangkok and emails come down without any problem or delays so for emails and occasional internet browsing even present EDGE is ok. For more heavy use you would need the 3G HSPA network in which the phone works wonders as modem connecting your laptop to internet without the need of separate modem. It also knows how to handle incoming calls during your connection so that you can be reached also while online with your laptop.

E71 is manufactured with 3 different configuration (frequencies) as below:

Operating frequency

• E71-1 Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100 HSDPA
  
• E71-2 Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900 HSDPA
  
• E71-3 Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/2100 HSDPA
  

See nokia dot com

As you see 2G frequencies are the same quadband meaning it will work everywhere in 2G network

I bought mine from Singapore and it is E71-1 model. So it does work in AIS trial 3G which is done over 900MHz. But the most common frequency for 3G is 2100MHz and for Thailand it will be also 2100MHz when they get licences out and build larger scale proper networks. Hopefully from one year from now we have proper coverage. Just hope this government stays alive long enough to award the licences finally.

Anyways E71 sold in Thailand is also E71-1 model. Only difference to singapore one is charger plug and it has thai keyboard and support for thai fonts.

[Ciaphas]

I have owned an E71 for over 6 months now and have to say it's an amazing phone that does everything I need plus more. I have to travel a lot for work, and quickly receiving emails instead of turning on my laptop every time is a god send. The office software is more than capable for quickly creating docs for clients. With an 8gig micro SD card I have given up carrying an mp3 player and now just use the phone. The battery life is exceptional one charge usually lasts 3 days of heavy use. Google maps works very well in Thailand as a GPS. My only small gripe is the bug that means some phone numbers in your contact list don't show peoples names when they phone you. Overall an excellent phone you won't regret owning.

Thanks for the review. Does your E71 have the English/Thai keyboard or is it English only? I have seen both models over here, but I'm not sure if everything inside of the phone is identical on both models. I assume that the English keyboard model is imported from Europe. Do both models use the same phone, wi-fi/ gprs/edge, 3G frequencies? Are both of these models fully useable here in Thailand?

Thanks,

Pattayadavid

I have an English phone, had a look at converting it to Thai/English keyboard at MBK but decided I wouldn't use Thai that often and not worth it. Speaking to the man on the stall they had english only keyboards as well so you can convert from thai/english to english. A far as I'm aware the English and Thai phones are the same in terms of software and function. In Thailand a have a dtac sim which works very well in terms of email and internet. When I use the phone as a moden I get 450kb/s even in the remotest areas.

[srs]

I do not have much to add.

But for me the E71 is the best phone I ever had.

I love it.

I bought it at MBK a couple of weeks ago.

English keyboard (by the way .. the keyboard is great. the keys look small but they are fast to use)

But I had the guys at MBK change the firmware.

Now I have the "western" language pack with English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.

Thai and a language like German cannot be used at the same time.

Maybe two downsides:

- the camera is not really usable at night

- i mysteriously lost two pre-installed applications: multiscanner and code-reader and i have no idea how to get them back.

But, as I said: best phone ever.

Go, buy it.

[PattayaDavid]

Looking at the gsmarena.com website that was provided by one of the posters, I saw that the new Nokia E55 will be out next month with the E75 following a month or so later. The N97's release has been delayed until June. The E55 has a lot of the missing features that many owners of the E71 complain about. It has a 600MHz ARM processor, 3.5 audio jack, photo viewer as in the N models, multiple email account function, recharging through the USB connection etc. It is smaller than the E71, aluminum casing versus steel, same 2.4" display, but utilizes a half QWERTY keyboard whereby each each key is shared by two keyboard letters such as QW ER TY etc. I'm not sure smoothly this function will work, certainly not as well as a single key dedicated to a single letter, however I think that many people will like this phone due to it's smaller size. It is a big improvement over the E51 which it replaces and also uses the same 1500MaH battery of the E71. I would have been happier had they just made an updated, call it version 2 of the E71 with the upgraded features.

The E75 doesn't seem to be as appealing. It is almost 50% thicker than the E71 due to the slide out QWERTY keyboard, but only uses the older 339MHz processor, 50% less internal memory than that of the E71 and a reduced 1000MaH battery.

It seems that the two best choices are still the old E71 model or the new E55 model being released next month unless we want to wait until the release of the N97 model in June. I'm going to wait to make my purchase until I can put my hands on an E55 for comparison with the E71, but for now, I am leaning towards the E71. Hopefully, the E71 will come down in price after the release of the new models. I also read that the E71 can be purchased in the color black, sounds interesting.

Pattayadavid

[RobbM]

I've been doing some research on the internet for the Nokia E71 mobile phone, but I prefer to hear from actual users or those who either have some hands on experience with this phone or know someone who has.  Anyway, I welcome any reviews, comments or opinions of this phone, particularly as to how it performs here in Thailand, ie phone, wi-fi, email, push mail, camera etc.

Thanks,

Pattayadavid

My only complaint about the E71 is the size of the keys. Very small and easy to press the wrong key. Apart from that a great phone, but because of the key size would not buy another.

Good luck with your choice

[Scubadude770]

For more heavy use you would need the 3G HSPA network in which the phone works wonders as modem connecting your laptop to internet without the need of separate modem. It also knows how to handle incoming calls during your connection so that you can be reached also while online with your laptop.

How do you configure the connection to your laptop as a modem ?

I love my E71 as well. Go buy it ! ! ! ! !

[puuchai299]

Ive had this phone for 6 months or so,the thai/english keyboard is hard work as the numbers and letters are so small,unless you need to use thai i would recommend the english keyboard,the battery life on mine isnt that good,but maybe a faulty battery,you can connect the phones modem to the laptop by connecting by usb to nokia pc suite then just klick the connect to internet button on the pc suite screen,i get 460.8kbps which is quite ok.For the price of this phone it really has a lot of features,mine was 16.000 but i think there even cheaper now.All in all its a good value for money phone in my opinion.

[bill1960]

I recently bought the E66 in preference to the E71 because the E66 looked better.

The E71 full qwerty is better for typing emails but still not good enough for my needs so I mainly the use the E series phone as a modem for my netbook when going online.

Does anyone use Opera Mini web browser on their E series.

I found it easier to use than the Nokia browser. Webpage text is displayed without the need to scroll sideways.

[moo9]

I've been doing some research on the internet for the Nokia E71 mobile phone, but I prefer to hear from actual users or those who either have some hands on experience with this phone or know someone who has.  Anyway, I welcome any reviews, comments or opinions of this phone, particularly as to how it performs here in Thailand, ie phone, wi-fi, email, push mail, camera etc.

Thanks,

Pattayadavid

My only complaint about the E71 is the size of the keys. Very small and easy to press the wrong key. Apart from that a great phone, but because of the key size would not buy another.

Good luck with your choice

Same here. I will consider to change the Thai English keyboard to English only. Any idea how much that will cost?

Cheers

[speedlead]

Hi, new around here looking for help.

I have just purchased an E71 in Singapore. Product code 0560654. It comes with English, Indonesia, Melayu, and Chinese.

I badly need to use Thai language on my E71. Does anyone know what languages does the E71(s) bought in Thailand comes with? I am looking at using English, Thai and Chinese (Simplified or Traditional, preferable both if possible) on my E71. Is it possible to load languages individually into the system or we can only do it through changing of firmware? Please help..

How much it cost to change the key pads to those with thai characters? will it void the warranty of the phone?

Ya, E71 is a real great phone to have and use. It's functionality is great. Even with a sucky camera, I will still choose this phone anyday.

Cheers

[srs]

My E71 came with Thai, English and a couple of other languages: I am pretty sure about Vietnamese and I think there also was Chinese on it.

I had the guys at MBK change my firmware to the "Western European package".

Usually they charge 100 Baht for that.

Don't know about warranty but I don't think that you lose it by changing the firmware.

[srs]

Here is a little update:

Yesterday I made the new firmware update of my E71.

Everything went fine.

But of course after the update I was back to the standard languages (English, Chinese, Malay, Indonesia) corresponding to the product code of my phone.

I went to MBK and had them change my product code for 300 Baht (I think you can do it on your own but these guys do it every day - so I let them do it).

So now I have the western European language pack with the newest firmware.

From what I read on the internet today it seems as if warranty is lost after changing the product code. But what can you do if you want to have your own language. The concept of these product codes and language packs is not really clear to me.

Regarding the new firmware (210.21.006):

It seems to be an update of minor issues.

It feels as if the phone's menus are faster and the camera is a little bit better.

But I am not quite sure about that.

[speedlead]

OK, so can i assume that thai firmwares allow one's E71 to be able to read Thai , English and Chinese (SImplified or Traditional)?

Does anyone knows how to change the product code and update tthe new firmware with it? Any feedbacks on this?

Thanks

[srs]

The product code can be changed with a software called "Nemesis Service Suite". Just google and you will find lots of infos.

But i prefer to have the guys at MBK do it for me since they do that every day.

Costs: 300 Baht

And the way I did it was

1. Update the Nokia Software Updater to version 1.4.98

2. Run the firmware update withe the NSU

3. Go to MBK and let them change your product code / language pack

Edited March 20, 2009 by srs

[cyrus]

The product code can be changed with a software called "Nemesis Service Suite". Just google and you will find lots of infos.

But i prefer to have the guys at MBK do it for me since they do that every day.

Costs: 300 Baht

And the way I did it was

1. Update the Nokia Software Updater to version 1.4.98

2. Run the firmware update withe the NSU

3. Go to MBK and let them change your product code / language pack

The other 2 methods are using Phoenix and JAF. There are many product codes for Nokia according to the model. Make sure you use the right product code. Lastly, do a backup before changing the product code, which will also update the language.

I learn from some IT guys in Bangkok that most Nokia models comes with Thai and English only.

[raro]

sorry for warming up this old thread, but there are apparently some E71 experts around...

I got me an E71 over the weekend and so far quite excited. One major problem though..syncing with Outlook!

The initial syncing went well (OVI Suite), but subsequent changes in my Outlook database are not synced with OVI suite and the phone. How to force OVI to check with Outlook regularly?

[khunjake]

sorry for warming up this old thread, but there are apparently some E71 experts around...

I got me an E71 over the weekend and so far quite excited. One major problem though..syncing with Outlook!

The initial syncing went well (OVI Suite), but subsequent changes in my Outlook database are not synced with OVI suite and the phone. How to force OVI to check with Outlook regularly?

I didn't use OVI at all to sync Outlook with my E71. On your E71, there is a default application installed called "Mail for Exchange (MfE)" You can configure your Outlook account there using your Outlook WebMail Settings. Then, once your account is setup, you can choose how often to sync your mailbox or you can say "always" which would then push your email to your E71 as they arrive in your Outlook WebMail inbox.

[raro]

sorry for warming up this old thread, but there are apparently some E71 experts around...

I got me an E71 over the weekend and so far quite excited. One major problem though..syncing with Outlook!

The initial syncing went well (OVI Suite), but subsequent changes in my Outlook database are not synced with OVI suite and the phone. How to force OVI to check with Outlook regularly?

I didn't use OVI at all to sync Outlook with my E71. On your E71, there is a default application installed called "Mail for Exchange (MfE)" You can configure your Outlook account there using your Outlook WebMail Settings. Then, once your account is setup, you can choose how often to sync your mailbox or you can say "always" which would then push your email to your E71 as they arrive in your Outlook WebMail inbox.

Now it gets technical...what OL webmail settings? I use a POP3/SMTP account.

Went to a DTAC shop yesterday and they have set up the phone for receiving mails every 30 min - which is good enough. Immediately would be nice of course.

One thing I noticed is, the phone downloads only the headers and then I have to click the header and only then it downoads the message.

My HTC can automatically download a set amount of the mail (say 50 kB) so I can read the first couple of lines and decide then whether i need to read the rest. Only the header is not enough to decide this.