Nokia has really drawn a fine line between the E and the N series family of smartphones. That is, as we all know, enterprise solutions for the E-series, and multimedia entertainment for the N-series. But still, you can see some good media capabilities on the E66 despite this line. Don't expect much though if you are a hardcore N-user as you will likely be disappointed.

Camera

So far, as well as the E71's, the best camera you could ever get from an E-series device: 3.2 mega pixels with auto focus and led flash. The camera software has the same interface, but has a laggy version of the toolbar which can also be found at the right side. No built-in geotagging, but eh, why Nokia? The E71 has this feature, why no love for the E66?

Image processing is speedy, and snappier than the N82. I bet this is not because of the lesser resolution, but the faster processor.

I took sample pictures and macro shots are good, more than acceptable, thanks to the dedicated macro-mode. Some are blurred though, so you gotta have rock steady hands when dealing with low light conditions, even outdoors, cloudy days in particular. Still I was able to get good close-ups and you'd think it's got a potential up its sleeves to fall in line among the top 3.2mp camera phones, but..

Non-macro, pictures are too grainy. More often than not, they are overexposed, and always struggle to balance bright and dark areas especially on landscape subjects. I tried fiddling with the settings (the ones I use and work best with my N82) but things just got even worse. I will never be pleased or contented with the pictures taken by the E66's camera. Spoiled by the N82 I guess, :)




With regards to video capture, QVGA of up to 15fps is unconvincing. No video stabilization. I'll just let the video sample do the talking. Download here.

Gallery

Arggh, this beautiful device is still stuck with the same old lackluster gallery application, just like its e-series brothers. Very incompetent compared to the gallery of the N-series multimedia beasts.




Good thing, images are separated from videos. The nice fading transition when switching the display orientation looks great when viewing pictures. There are also 3 animated flash screensavers that comes with the phone, which compliments with the default theme very well.

Video playback supports MPEG-4, .mp4, .3gp, and RealVideo file formats and H.263, H.264 codecs.

Music

The same music player that we can see on S60 V3 devices.. Loudness and stereo widening options are available for an improved sound quality. Equalizer is only five bands, and no music visualization feature.



As you may have already know, the E66 has a 2.5mm audio jack, bummer it is. The loudspeaker is just horrible, so I bought a 3.5mm adapter to check out its sound quality through my Philips headphone. I was initially surprised by the great sound performance, and at the back of my mind, afraid to know it's quality is better than the N82.

But after shifting back and forth listening with the same file through the E66 and my N82, the sound quality really stood-out better on the N82. I am no expert on this but, for me, treble and mids are quite good on the E66, but fails with bass. Also, white noise is very noticeable particularly on vocals.

I used the E66 as my primary device, and planned to keep the N82 at home during the whole trial period (so that I can really see the goods and bads of the device through everyday use). But just a few days after, I ended up bringing both devices at work. I can last for 2 weeks without the awesome camera, but never without my favorite headphone and mp3s.

The N82 may be better regarding music experience but the E66's performance is indeed respectable. And most people will not really notice the difference unless audiophiles. I am actually satisfied with its sound quality, but the 2.5mm jack is really a big step backward for me.

Internet

As with other top of the line Nokia devices, the E66 also has the superior S60 internet browser. This means full-desktop version of websites with Java / ECMA Script support and Flash Lite 3 for flash sites such as YouTube. Featuring 3G, HSDPA and WiFi, the user will surely have the benefit of a fast and satisfying online experience. Plus the built-in accelerometer which works like charm with the browser.




Full screen browsing is now possible, in both display orientation. Full screen is absent on the N82 when surfing in landscape mode. Also, switching from full to normal screen is now easier as the option is available through the left soft key, instead of digging down Web Settings.

Also, not surprisingly, the E66 can be used for tethering (using the device as a modem to connect your PC to the Internet). And a new highlight, the Intranet application, allowing the user to connect to his/her company's intranet by setting up company-specific VPN policies.

Share Online is also built-in, enterprise professionals can now enjoy direct uploading of photos and videos from the device. (Current services available: OVI, Flickr and Vox)

And being an S60 device, there are endless possibilities for the E66 through a wide array of third party applications available to further expand its online prowess.

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P.S - sorry for the much delay of this part, been super busy at work last
week.

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