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Nokia E75
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As is expected of a Nokia smartphone these days, the E75 is packed to the brim with features including a 3.5mm audio jack and support for N-Gage, a move which grays the line between the Eseries and Nseries multimedia-centric handsets. Side-stepping that topic for the moment, the E75 also succeeds the immensely popular E71, which throws up further questions. Like exactly what proposition of this new smartphone with dual keypads is? And is there a market for it in the wake of the E71? We'll discuss that in our concluding thoughts, but for now, our assessment of the E75 follows.
Design
The E75 and E51 side-by-side.
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A quick glance at the E75 reminds us of the earlier E51. Aside from a few modifications to the numeric keypad, the metallic silver rim and textured steel back casing are based on the same design DNA as the E51. The dedicated button for Contacts has been replaced with the Back key which used to sit below the D-pad on the E51. It's a minor change, but users already accustomed to this arrangement, which can also be found on the E66, may find themselves hunting for the button initially. We like the generous buttons, but not the plastic material and cramp control panel. If you profess to liking the E51, chances are you'll be comfortable with the E75, too.
Two millimeters may seem like a small number on paper, but in the hands, it can mean a world of difference. That's exactly what we felt with the E75 which has a 14.4mm profile compared with the HTC S740 at 16.3mm thick. In fact, given its slimness, the E75 would easily have passed off as a standard candybar.
Although we believe there are users who will appreciate having two keypads, we've never found ourselves thoroughly convinced with such a feature. Our thumbs felt a little stretched when typing on the elongated keyboard; on the E75, the keys are flat. That dampens the typing experience. It caters to a niche market, which explains why there aren't many of such devices around.
The screen on the E75 measures 2.4 inches diagonally with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. That's fine if you surf the Web or work on documents occasionally and for short periods of time. If these are important to you, you might be better off with a larger display on other devices. The ambient light sensor and video call camera sit above the panel.
The E75 comes with a 3.5mm audio jack.
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On the sides of the E75 are a microSD expansion card slot, mini-USB port, 3.5mm audio jack, volume controls and shutter button. This is not the first time a 3.5mm jack has appeared on an Eseries (the earlier E63 also had one) and is certainly a welcomed feature.
Features
Compared with the E51, the physical changes may not be significant on the E75, aside from the hidden full-size keyboard, but the software enhancements are. The E75 runs on the S60 3rd edition platform with Feature Pack 2. This brings customizable home screens (similar to having two virtual desktops), firmware upgrades over-the-air, transition animations synonymous with the Nseries and support for N-Gage gaming, a first for an Eseries model.
There's also a new Talking theme as an alternative to the Active Standby mode with application shortcuts. For the former, you can access Call features, Clock, Voice commands and Message reader when in standby mode. As you scroll down, these options will be read out. While this may not be applicable to a casual user, drivers will find it convenient as they can keep their eyes on the road, not on the screen.
Email has also become an integral part of the E75 with Nokia Messaging. The enhanced interface lets you receive HTML mails, manage folders and sort messages by date, sender and size. Also riding on the new UI are enhanced calendar, contacts with predictive search and task management. What's different from previous software is that the Nokia Messaging app integrates multiple email accounts on one interface. That includes personal POP3 and IMAP email services such as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and also corporate clients like Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler.
Gmail on the E75.
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We tried this out with our Gmail and office Exchange email accounts. Setting up the former was a breeze and easily done with a few simple steps, but the latter was trickier. Previously, Mail for Exchange could be used to synchronize our office email, calendar and contacts. Now that the app has been integrated into Nokia Messaging, calendar and contacts are separated from the email client and housed under Applications in the PIM settings. We struggled initially to set up the synchronization as the settings were now buried deep within the sub-menus. Though once we managed to figure them out, we didn't have to go through the same process again.
One gripe we have is when we click to read an email from the Home screen. There isn't an option to let us return to the mailbox from there. Instead, we'd be brought back to the standby screen. This is a minor issue that can be fixed with a future firmware update. Overall, we like the integrated mailbox approach that lets us switch effortlessly between our Gmail and office accounts. It helps that the icons are now more elegant-looking throughout the whole software.
Like the recent crop of Nokia smartphones, the E75 supports HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth A2DP, FM radio and GPS (with A-GPS) for navigation. The only notable exclusion is HSUPA for high-speed data uploads over the cellular network. You can also remotely access files on your PC via the Ovi File service, encrypt data on both the phone memory and microSD card (a 4GB card is bundled) and remotely lock the handset via a coded SMS. If the phone fails to unlock after three attempts, all the data on the device will be wiped out. Built-in accelerometer-based functions include automatic screen orientation, silencing calls and snoozing alarms. These are nice additions which may come in handy occasionally.
Some preinstalled applications include Quickoffice, Adobe PDF reader and Maps. The copy of the Quickoffice that's bundled lets you view as well as create new documents. Not all Eseries devices come with this version. The E51 and E66 are examples. Maps is Nokia's own mapping solution which is one of the best free tools around for navigation.
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