By Jojo Perlas
Fresh from the success of Nokia's initial batch of 3G phones, the Finnish mobile phone giant has recently launched another attempt to seduce us with its latest mobile phone offerings. Among them, the N71 is part of the second batch of Nokia's N-series range of high-performance devices. Sticking to the formula which has made the N70 and N90 popular, the N71 combines the latest technologies, stylish design, and ease of use for unparalleled mobile multimedia experiences.
First Impressions.
The first thing you will notice about the Nokia N71 is that it is quite small compared to other 3G phones already available in the market. Elegant in black and silver, it clearly exudes intelligence and style. A bit thick for a clamshell device, it is still thinner and lighter than its older sibling – the Nokia N90.
Minimalist in design, the pop port, infrared port, memory card slot, power and volume buttons are all cleverly designed not to be noticed at first glance. In fact, only the main camera and external display are the only things that stand out when looking at the folded N71.
Unlike most clamshell phones, stylishly opening the N71 with one hand is quite hard – although possible. Opening and closing the device creates a metallic click which gives it a solid feel and you'll always know that it is fully closed or open without having to look at it.
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Portable Multimedia Device.
A member of the Nokia XpressMusic family, the N71 plays digital music (MP3, WMA, AAC, MIDI) and belts them out with its built-in dual loudspeakers. The bundled Nokia headset provides adequate sound quality. But for audiophiles, an audio adapter is included should they wish to use their higher quality headphones. It also has an FM radio, a 5-band equalizer, and support for Visual Radio where listeners are offered interactive information including the song title and artist currently playing.
The N71 is also capable of playing videos (MPEG4) on its large 2.4 inch LCD screen. Slightly bigger than in older Series 60 phones, the 262K color screen also provides much improved quality and higher level detail. Videos and images can be viewed clearly from all angles even under the sun.
Being a true 3G phone, the N71 is equipped with dual cameras. A 0.3 mega pixel VGA camera sits just above the right corner of the main display for vanity shots and video calls while the external 2 mega pixel main camera shoots high-quality still photos and decent VHS-quality videos.
Surprisingly ironic, though, is that with its multimedia capabilities, the N71 only has a meager 10MB of internal storage. Fortunately, it is equipped with a mini-SD card slot which means that the N71's storage capacity can be expanded up to 2GB (equivalent to 1500 songs).
3G Advantage.
In case you haven't noticed the ad campaigns, in case you have recently joined a contest which requires you to be locked up inside a house without any outside communications, 3G is here NOW! Despite being in its infancy, consumers with 3G phones may now benefit from the advantages of 3G. (In lay man's terms, 3G means video calls and high speed Internet surfing on your mobile phones.)
Now, video calls are no longer confined to web chats on your PCs. Like its predecessors, the Nokia N71 allows users on 3G networks to make video calls and share photos and live video feeds during calls. As publicized in TV ads, this manner of communicating with your loved ones can definitely be more enjoyable. Imagine the possibilities!
Aside from the ability to make video calls, 3G is also about high-speed Internet access. With the N71's superb wireless connectivity, people can now enjoy fast connection speeds of up to 384 kbps to send instant messages, email with attachments, or to surf the Internet. With the new Nokia Web browser with Mini Map, featuring a semi-transparent over-all view of the web page, users can quickly navigate to all corners of the site as well as see the webpage as it was originally designed.
Smartphone Supreme!
In case the long list of features has got you confused, the Nokia N71 is first and foremost a quad-band mobile phone which connects to GSM 900, 1800, 1900, and UMTS networks. The phone comes complete with the full range of PDA features such as calendar, notes, and to-do list which can all be synchronized to a PC via Bluetooth, infrared, or USB 2.0. Aside from email and instant messages which were already mentioned, it can also send SMS and MMS.
Built-in applications are mostly the same as in the N70 which include the excellent QuickOffice Suite for light documents, spreadsheets, and slideshow productivity. Being a Series 60 smartphone like the Nokia 6600, 6680, and N70, the N71 can expect to enjoy rich third party program support. Unfortunately, since the N71's new S60 Operating System is not backwards compatible with the older versions, existing S60 software will not run on the N71. Developers will have to release newer versions of their software for the N71.
Deal or No Deal?
Aside from the lack of initial third party programs, there isn't that much else to complain about the N71. In fact, the N71's only other drawback is that the power button is hard to press when you don't have long nails.
Now, should you break your piggy bank and buy the Nokia N71?
Overall, the N71 is essentially the best-selling N70 in another form. It has a high-quality camera, large high-resolution display, excellent wireless connectivity, and an adequate music player.
If you are looking for a clamshell alternative to the N70, the Nokia N71 is for you!
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