Hello guys! Aaron here and this would be my first post here at Symbian Addict. A bunch of thanks to WomWorld and Mike for giving me the opportunity to trial the Nokia E66 and share my opinions about it to the awesome readers of this blog. Btw, just to inform you, this would be my first time to use an E-series device so, bear with me in case, ;-).
The E66 is almost the same as the Nokia E71, having the same highlights: A-GPS, WiFi, 3.2 megapixel camera with led flash, business-related features such as convenient email solutions, an improved contacts and calendar application and so forth. With the E71 around, the E66 could have not been brought to life if not only because of the fact that not all people are delighted by QWERTY keyboard phones. Also, with the form factor and keypad in mind, I think businessmen that are mostly inclined to phone calls than email will rather choose a Nokia E66 instead of an E71 and vice versa. Additionally, it being a slim slick slider plus a classy and sophisticated look grabs a handful of market share, not only but especially of business-oriented individuals.
The device comes with the basic package contents such as the manual, quick-start guide, software disc, battery (1000mAh), charger (Nokia's fastest and smallest so far) and headset (HS-47). There's also a 2gb microsd card, usb connectivity cable, a white e-series leathercase and a wrist strap. Here are some pictures I took: (flash presentation may not be visible for some rss readers):
This white Nokia slider is undoubtedly a true beauty. The moment I opened the box, the E66 locked my eyes into it. Sliding in action is smooth and firm. Overall, the phone feels good and solid in the hands, but let's see after a few weeks of use. So far, the only problem I noticed is a little wobbling when the slide is open, where the upper-left portion seems not perfectly aligned on its place (just a bit). Disturbing but, you won't actually notice that unless you deliberately look or push that part sideways. I'm not sure if this is present on other E66s or if it's just this one. I will also note that the silvery parts of the phone can easily get fingerprints, especially the front panel.
There are dedicated shortcut keys for home screen, calendar, contacts and messaging, which I deem deserves a two thumbs up. These are called One-Touch Keys and what's more is that these keys (except the home screen button) are configurable to launch other applications when pressed and held for a second or two. Great! In addition, the home screen (stand-by screen on the N-series), can be switched from Business to Personal mode. Both can be configured to include different application shortcuts. There are a lot of shortcut options offered by this device. The E66 indeed triumphs over the N-series line of devices on this aspect.
I *stole* that nice pouch my N82 was using so I can put to use for this gorgeous slider, and wow, the E66 is like, swimming inside it! Yes, it's way way thinner than my (ok, bulky, but not much!) N82. So far, I am very satisfied with the E66's design. Lots of guts in the "looks" department. Build quality is definitely good, but I guess not as good as the rock solid E71. But to think that the E66 is slider in form, Nokia did a good job here.
I am quite impressed with some additions to the software which I will be discussing into more detail on my next posts. The calendar and contacts application were overhauled wherein faster access to contacts and a more efficient way to manage and monitor calendar entries are taken into a new level.
The e66 has a built-in accelerometer so the display automatically rotates depending on how the user holds the phone. Same as other nokia devices with this feature, you can always turn it off when preferred. A sweet fading transition takes place in-between opening menus and applications, also when the phone changes it's display orientation.
I am disappointed with the default theme icons which are gray and flat. I understand you want them to look "business-ish" but come on Nokia, you can do better than this, its 2008 already. These icons simply add fuel to fire making the S60 interface more unexciting. One of my friends praised the device for its looks, but then honestly gave me her opinion that the icons made the screen look.. cheap.
I would also like to note that I'm kinda having trouble with the One-Touch Keys because I often take errors pressing the wrong key (pressing the home key instead of the left-soft key and contacts instead of the right soft-key). It's irritating but I believe, I will be getting used to it in no time. The positioning of the backspace button is wonderful by the way.
So far, I'm still getting myself familiar with the phone, there are a couple of new settings and options that I haven't seen before and as I mentioned, this is my first E-series device.
That's it for now. Stay tuned as I will go deeper with the goods and bads of the device on upcoming posts. There are so many things I want to say about this handset. I believe this device will be a sure hit especially for women through it's high-class look complimented by silver and white accents. I wonder how sexy the black / gray steel version looks like! Let me know in the comments section if there's any particular aspect you want me to explore.
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