Customer Reviews

Nokia E71 Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Media Player, GPS Navigation, Free Voice Navigation, Wi-Fi, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Gray)

5 star:		(219)
4 star:		(83)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

first a comparison to the e61i: i had both the e61 and e61i and this is a major improvement over both. the form factor is incredible as it is only 10mm thin, much narrower than its predecessors, and feels very solid and sleek with its all metal body. the phone is just beautiful to look at. nokia has improved its processor greatly and the phone has almost no wait time with all its functions now. when i went back to use the e61i, it was unbearably slow compared to the e71. the keypad on the e71, although a little cramped, feels good on the fingers. one of my biggest complaints about the e61i was that earphone speaker was hard to hear out of, but the e71's narrower body and seemingly louder speaker solves the problem. the e71 has also added a microUSB port, and 2.5mm earphone jack. in terms of software, the e71 has an updated symbian os that includes some additional features and programs that were pleasant to see. the biggest program improvements for me was the updated organizer and the shortcut key options. for all e61 and e61i users out there, the e71 is a must update to nokia's wonderful line of phones.

comparison to competitors: function-wise, it has all the features blackberry's and the iphone 3g have. however, the e71 is much smaller than both (just put the e71 side to side with the blackberry curve and the iphone and they both look like monsters compared to the e71). i have no complaints with the 3g and 3.5g (umts/hsdpa), and I'm not sure what the other reviewer was talking about-- it must be a network/area dependent problem. i live in the SF bay area and i almost always connect to the 3.5g network with att and the internet is extremely fast, comparable to web browsing on a computer with broadband cable access. i really dont like the all touch screen of the iphone, so i would never consider it. i was debating between the curve and e71, but e71 beats it in both function and form-factor. the e71 has a umts/hsdpa, 3mp camera, and better battery life. all the rest (OS mainly) is just up to personal preference.

concluding remarks: if you ask "why should I get the e71", i would answer with these points based on what "I" feel is most important:
- very fast 3G capability
- excellent size, feel, and look,
- speedy processor with no lag in navigation
- improved OS and great computer connection software (nokia pc suite)
- long battery life
- 3MP camera with flash
- comes with carrying case, carrying strap, stereo earphones, and data cable
- and lastly, did i mention that this is the most beautiful i have ever seen? see one for yourself (i know its hard b/c they dont really have them in stores) and you will love the look and feel of it.

Some notes to consider for this phone:

3G -- Despite Amazon saying this is the US Version of the phone (which it is,) this phone does NOT work with T-mobile 3G in the US. T-Mobile 3G in the US uses the 1700 mhz spectrum (you can read on wikipedia as for the reasons why) and there are no 3G roaming agreements with AT&Ts 3G spectrum like there is with EDGE. That being said, I have found that EDGE is fast enough for my web browsing and e-mail use (220 kbps+.) Using GSM/EDGE only also more than doubles your battery life, so this is not an entirely bad thing for T-Mobile users. The 10 hours talk-time and 17 day standby is no joke with GSM either.

Network Settings -- Nokia has a great website that will text you all the internet, voicemail, and MMS settings for your carrier to the unlocked phone.

Bluetooth Tethering -- This phone does not tether with Mac OS 10.4 Tiger. It does tether perfectly with 10.5 Leopard. It tethers with Windows XP via included Nokia PC Suite. It would be nice if a Mac suite were included from Nokia but Apple provides everything necessary with Leopard. It obviously tethers perfectly with Nokia N800/N810.

GPS -- The GPS in the phone is first class with both an actual GPS receiver and assisted GPS through cell tower. It works much better than my TomTom One especially indoors. The phone comes with a great program called Maps but the only drawback (and it is a HUGE drawback) is that you have to pay a monthly fee to use any sort of route guidance. You're allowed to see your position and browse maps for free but if you want to plan a route it costs extra. It comes with a 7 day trial that you should save for emergencies in my opinion.

Networks in General -- This phone works great on both AT&T and T-Mobile but each has their drawbacks. AT&T has the faster network but limits you to 5Gb/month bandwidth and charges extra to tether. T-Mobile allows actual unlimited data on EDGE and allows free tethering to any device but has the slower "2.75G" EDGE data network. Wifi is available on the phone and works flawlessly.

Third Party Apps -- Two must have apps are the S60 Divx player and the Slick IM client (AIM, Jabber, Etc.) The Nokia mail client works great and a third party solution is not necessary.

All in all this is a first class phone whose only missing feature is a touch screen. Depending on your need for a QWERTY keyboard I would say this and the N95 are battling it out for best phone in the world right now.

As the first phone to run on the US 3G network (and in some areas even faster 3.5 G), I was wondering how well this would work as a modem for my laptop for accessing the internet.

Guess what? I'm using this regularly now to connect my macbook to the internet! I'm giving up my mobile aircard (which costs about $ 70 per month) and I'm just using my unlimited mobile internet. Another positive - no need to take out the usb aircard dongle and insert it into the side of the laptop each time I need to use it!

The connection is fast enough to download video and music (you tube etc. will work fine both on the phone and the tethered mac) but the phone gets hot when it's used as a modem. It also uses a lot of power so for long time use as a modem, I'd keep it plugged into the charger.

Joikuspot is the software I used ($ 25 for a perpetual license) to tether my phone to the macbook so I can use internet.

I'm happy that MS office comes built in. I'm able to import my financial worksheets (even big ones where I do financial modelling) and it still works fast.

Fring works well on these phone - much better than on the Nokia N95. With Fring and my Skype call-out account, I can carry on telephone conversations with almost as much clarity as using my skype on the laptop. In the N95 (which is also a great cellphone), the processor isn't fast enough to allow phone conversations - the voice quality is so degraded that it's barely understandable. Apparently, Nokia placed a very powerful processor in this machine.

And since it has a fast processor, all the applications open almost instantly and my cousin, a Blackberry curve user was so impressed with the speed he said it's the next phone he'll get.

Another excellent software I like using with this phone is my Salling Clicker. I use it for remotely controlling itunes in my laptop (like when there's a party and I was to change albums or artists from my phone) or clicking to the next slide in my powerpoint presentation or fast forwarding my DVD player to the next chapter.

This is a lot of technology for the money and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Ive used this E71 for three months now. Im over my initial high, so here are comments from after the honeymoon:
1) keys are small; needs practice. better to type in one hand. it's like learning to use a typewriter for the first time, but youll get used to it in about three weeks of constant use. set aside the backup phone in the mean time. cant practice by instinct if you have a second phone, for that second number, with conventional keys. youll just be confused.
2) leather case is badly thought of. awkward when you take the phone out. high probability to drop the phone when you pull it out in a hurry. dropped mine several times while driving... i know it's bad to do this but there you go.
3) the red dot for the power button is weirdly misplaced. seems Nokia ran out of same-colored plastic while making this phone, then suddenly saw red plastic remnant from another model. weird but I LOVE IT. brings character to this model.
4) there's a nifty autofocus feature. while in camera mode, press letter t. it substitutes for the half-press in digicams (why is this instruction not in the manual?)
5) there's also a white balance option in the camera. amazing to have that shade option.
6) signal seems to be fluctuating in this phone. I have a second phone, under the same network, which reads a stable high bar, while E71's reception is jumping from 1 bar to four wildly. (is this a hardware or software problem)
7) no blackberry support. demmit, you two companies get your act together.
8) great for internet browsing.
9) i wish there is an indication somewhere to make sure that youre using wifi while surfing; not the expensive network.
10) FANTASTIC battery juice.
11) after charging from power off, do not power on immediately. seems to hang (coming from power off) that way.
12) definitely reasonably priced
13) when you open your appointment note and clicked again, does not automatically turn to edit note (unlike in the e51)
14) should have had that separate ctrl key to have that full ctrl+v, ctrl+z, ctrl+x, full-keyboard experience.
15) not much annoying lags. very responsive.
16) i like very much that the screen turns off after some time to save power. just have to press middle button to see time or if there are any missed calls and messages.
17) also do not turn on while charging. (coming from off). seems to hang.

Great investment overall. But as you can glean, still has a big room for improvement... some of it just firmware-based perhaps.

This is the most versatile smartphone on the market but it isn't for everyone. It took me a month of trial and error and of Internet searches to learn how to make all the features work. But for what I wanted, nothing else on the market compares.
The Nokia E71's competitors are the iPhone and the Blackberry, but unlike its competitors, Nokia makes unlocked phones. This means the E71 can be used on any GSM network and, more importantly, it means you don't have to sign up for the expensive data plans of cellular phone companies unless you are sure you need them. This was important to me because I wasn't sure that I did. And after two months, I have found that I almost never do. Owning the E71 is like picking from the ala carte menu at a restaurant rather than ordering the full course meal. You can pick which services you want from your cellular carrier on a daily basis, if you want, without committing yourself to two-year contracts and hundreds of dollars in fees.
As with other smartphones, the E71 serves as phone, PDA, MP3 player, GPS device, and low-resolution video camera all wrapped into a cellphone-sized package with Internet access, email, and games thrown in to boot.
Let me give the specifics that were important to me. First is GPS. After you buy the phone, you go to the Nokia Web site and download for free the mapping software and maps you need. I downloaded a complete U.S. map. This means, when I walk outside and invoke the GPS function, the E71 will spend a few minutes calculating my location and then track my movements on a map. I was on an Interstate the other day and the phone announced that I was exceeding the speed limit. If you want turn by turn directions, you have to subscribe on a monthly basis either from Nokia or from your carrier, but if you are like me and can get close to where you want on your own and only need help with the last few blocks, the E71 will does that for free. Or, if you are lost, it will show you where you are on a map and you can take it from there.
Second, if you want to go online over WiFi at hotspots, the E71 can do that. I wanted something to carry in my pocket at home to alert me to email so I wouldn't have to keep checking my computer. The E71 can use "push" email through WiFi, so whenever you establish a WiFi connection it will check your email and play a tune of your choosing when email arrives.
Third, there are times when having a cellular data connection comes in handy. The E71's can calculate its GPS position in seconds with a few kilobytes of download from the cellular carrier instead of the minutes needed to make that calculation on its own. Or if you are bored and want to check your email and there's no WiFi around, you can tell the E71 to use a cellular network. Now, if you take an unlimited data plan from your carrier - and AT&T requires this for the iPhone and Blackberry - the cost is $30 per month. But AT&T sells kilobytes for a penny. So, getting my GPS position quickly cost me 6 cents and downloading five emails cost about the same. This is why I concluded that I don't need an unlimited data plan from my carrier. Someone who regularly needs Web access is probably better off with an unlimited data plan.
Fourth, the quality of Nokia products has always been unsurpassed, and the E71 is no exception. The MP3 player is better than the Sansas I own. The camera shouldn't be compared to a dedicated digital camera, but it's perfectly fine for a cellphone camera. The screen is smaller than the iPhones, but I shouldn't need to tell you that. The E71 is somewhat smaller and a lot more rugged. Its battery is user-replaceable and lasts longer than most other smartphones. Plus, a battery costs about $10, so you can carry a spare if you want.
There is a learning curve with the E71 that many will not like. As I said, it took me almost a month to get the features I wanted functioning. What is more, not all those functions are intuitive, and some take too many button presses. But the phone seems less dumbed down than its competitors, so that although it may take some time to figure out how to make it do what you want, you don't have to fork out more money for special software applications to do these things for you.

Wow! I think it is safe to say that this Nokia E71 device of mine has definitely been an instrumental part of my daily life and will remain as such for a LONG time to come. One primary reason for being with this particular model for an extended period of time may be my inability to afford new phones, but nonetheless I actually LIKE and PREFER this model even to my E90 Communicator!

The slim profile, solid build quality, acceptable weight, tactile qwerty, word completion, exceptional reception and sound, useful apps, GPS, wifi, bluetooth, and North American 3G support have made this device one of my most prized possessions. I had dropped this phone twice in past months onto concrete and one time even had it slip out of its leather case, but the metallic exterior held up quite nicely and only shows a slight scratch on the upper right corner. At an overall glance my E71 is still in pristine condition as I use it every day of the week for home, school and even fitness. I cannot say enough how much of a benefit it has been to have a capable ESeries device that is light, portable and pocketable, and I haven't used a belt clip holster in MONTHS since I have owned it and don't plan to get one anytime soon!

What can I say about the qwerty other than it's a perfect compromise for being narrow yet retaining perfect tactile feedback for my messaging needs? Not much. Over the weeks of usage I have become proficient in quickly typing on the keys to churn out texts, emails, documents and notes in the most efficient way possible (with copy/paste ability included), and a big thanks can also go to the word completion software that Nokia has included in the E71. Why Nokia hasn't added this feature to the E90 in the latest firmware upgrade is beyond me, but I am happy to have it on my E71 and have no complaints. Being so familiar with the qwerty is indeed a good thing, and I recently learned from Howardforums.com users how to dial phone numbers with letters such as 1800-TOSHIBA or 1800-MYAPPLE. The qwerty bar form factor is extremely great in regards to performing on the go in the midst of my ongoing activities, since I don't have to worry about opening or sliding anything to type a simple response message.

Sound quality on calls has never been an issue with my Nokia devices in past and present, and this E71 continues that legacy. Infact, if I didn't know any better I would say that the implementing of 3G has actually enhanced the reception quality of my E71 in comparison to my EDGE-only E90. Inside my condominium there are two dead spots for my network signal and I have no idea why, but EVERY single past phone that I have owned would fall victim to those dead spots with dropped calls and weakened reception...yes, even the E90. However, that had all changed once I started using the E71 with AT&T 3G and I am pleased to claim that the dead spots inside my own home are NO MORE!! I can finally email attachments, send texts and make calls without having to find a window or go outside onto my terrace!! If this isn't reason enough to stay devoted to this device through thick and thin, then I don't know what is.

Out of all of these apparent pros for the E71, what stands out the most in my usage is the useful functionality of the available applications that add more to a great user experience! Google Maps has saved me plenty of times in either finding my way through unfamiliar areas or connecting me with local businesses via thorough searching capability. Nokia Podcasting has provided an alternate way to stay current on some of my favorite podcasts such as This Week in Tech and The MobileTech Roundup. Internet Radio is simply amazing for when I need a departure from the 920 audio tracks on my 6GB microSD card. The S60 web browser is a terrific alternative in efficiently navigating the Internet with a non-touchscreen phone, and the inclusion of flash video support has been such a worthwhile feature for Nokia to implement! The calendar being updated to reflect the double-pane interface I first saw on the E90 Communicator has lent to quick managing of appointment scheduling. My most favorite application by far has got to be the impressive Nokia Sports Tracker that I use on my 5 mile runs to track my course via GPS along with other data. After completing the workout I can then upload the information DIRECTLY to my account on the beta online service for all to see, essentially doing the same thing my iPod nano does with the Nike Sport Kit without a computer!!! A third party application named Missing Sync for Symbian is a GODSEND and is worth EVERY penny from a Mac owner looking for a reliable sync utility for their Nokia device!! Since day one of installing it on my laptop and phone I have relied completely on the automatic bluetooth proximity syncing between my E71 (even my E90) and MacBook Pro with no problems whatsoever!

Another pro that cannot be ignored is the new interface of the home screen. Being able to initiate communication with ANY of my contacts by typing their name from the home screen is such a time saver. So much so that I have completely forgotten about the voice dialing capability! Having new notifications for missed calls, incoming texts and voicemails posted at the bottom of the home screen for easy access is another convenient addition.

Easy to reach home keys for home, calendar, contacts and messaging that can also be programmed for long press commands offer great ease in quickly accessing information when needed. The iconic d-pad with the built-in notification light is GENIUS!! Having a screen saver that shows the time of the day in HUGE font has come in handy for me more than I thought, especially on those mornings when I've had to get up early!

I can admit that the Symbian operating system is a challenge for any first time user, but with time and patience anyone can master confident and speedy navigation of its menus. Due to my E71's processor, speed has always been at a high standard whenever I would have to go through the interface or multitask with numerous open apps. For instance, in the midst of writing this blog email and playing music from the speaker this E71 continues to alert me of incoming messages and emails! Even two phone calls were accepted, and once I hung up the E71 took me back to my email draft and resumed the playback of my music without missing a beat!!

While there is so much to be thankful for in owning this E71, I would be lying if I said there was no compromising to be made with certain features. Firstly, the 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, though tolerable, is not up to the same level as the E90 in regards to low light settings and video capturing. Still pictures taken in low light reveal a grainy appearance that is an inconvenience when being viewed in full resolution on a computer screen, and video footage is not at the same TV quality 30 frames per second as the E90. However, over time I have learned that having an outstanding phone, reliable PDA, and suitable multimedia features come first before a perfect phone camera since I have a Canon SD750 anyway. Secondly, the external speaker in mono took a while to get used to after the amazing stereo performance of the E90, but its LOUD volume and clarity of sound had won me over. I had also found that since the speaker is at the top of the E71, it isn't muffled by my hands while I am typing on the qwerty like on the E90. If I was picky I could even mention the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, but I have an iPod for music and am not a fan of talking on headsets anyway. With this in mind I conclude that even though some things could use a bit of improvement, they are still tremendously worlds ahead of offerings from certain competitors such as Windows Mobile.
As of now I do offer my sincere apologies to Nokia. I had previously brought critiques against the Nokia Email beta app due to the Sent folder not updating properly. It turns out that the Sent folder must be enabled in the settings to start syncing with the server, and once I did all has been working perfectly!

I must admit that so far the Nokia Email application has been a great addition to my E71 in managing incoming emails. The interface is quite vivid and professional looking and provides a much welcomed departure from the plain aesthetics in the old Messaging app, which still handles my SMS and MMS messages. As a huge fan of the Outlook Mobile on Windows Mobile devices, I am pleased to say that for the first time on my Nokia I am starting not to miss it.

There are a couple of features that I do enjoy about the Email beta which have made my transition from the original S60 Messaging app most comfortable. The auto completion of potential email contacts while typing in the recipients fields and the organized layout of the Inbox folder really give me the impression that Nokia knows what its doing. I am certain that further accomplishments in software development from the Symbian Beta teams will continue to take place, and I am excited to see them all come to fruition.

I can really see myself with this model permanently. Now that I am off the market as a buyer of new phones, I notice that there really isn't anything out there that is currently a worthy upgrade to what my E71 can do for me. Seeing the same old mediocre offerings from Windows Mobile devices as well as the apparent iPhone copycats has caused me to grow bored of the smartphone industry to a point. I recently read a review on the new Google G1 that didn't really cast a favorable impression and the Palm Treo Pro didn't come out on top for me either. At the end of the day I got what I wanted from Nokia in the E71, a suitable alternative to my E90 that is more adaptable for my everyday use. Until a competing conglomerate can manufacture something that fits or surpasses this standard, I am sticking to my E71 all the way in the midst of the mediocre predictability of today's smartphone industry.

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71-2

I've been searching for a solid business smart phone for some time. The key criteria was first and foremost solid phone reception in an area that can have spotty coverage due to many hills plus strong battery life. I also needed solid syncing capability to my work calendar (Oracle Calendar), a very strong web browsing experience, and well designed contacts and call management. I must say that the Nokia e71 has excelled in each of these areas and the battery life is amazing (2 days solid with no charging). The main screen (Home Screen) is very well designed and more customizable than any other smart phone I have seen including the iPhone (which I also like very much). The extent to which this phone and its menu options can be tailored to meet your unique needs is impressive. The keyboard is small but eminently usable and the weight and thinness of this phone is incredible. This is one phone that I carry in a pouch in my pocket and not on my belt -- which is a first. The speaker phone is very decent ... not as strong as a Blackberry I used previously ... but respectful. And the call clarity and reception is a major plus for this phone. I loved my iPhone but dropped calls more than I would have preferred. Not so with this phone ... I've gotten consistently good reception. The included web browser is very usable and Opera Mini is also excellent (a free download). The email client on this phone -- which I use for IMAP4 -- is decent but I find it can occasionally be slow in updating or syncing with my corporate e-mail. Also, the calendar sync works well, but there is no auto-sync capability (you have to initiate the sync directly although that's easily done). Not a deal killer for me, but the email functionality needs some further refinement (perhaps a firmware update is coming on this one) and Nokia really does need to add an autosync feature for the syncml client so it can for example run once in the morning and once in the evening without user intervention to keep your phone's calendar in sync with the office. But in the end, there is no perfect smart phone ... but this seems to me to be one of the most solid one's out there based on my own extensive research and hands on testing. Excellent build quality, very rich functionality, and a reliable phone connection. I'm well satisfied. Nokia seems to have a winner here and if you have a Mac, the sync support to the Mac platform is an added plus. Good luck in your search for the perfect phone!

This phone is a viable alternative to BlackBerry or iPhone. Keyboard is a little cramped, and not layed out like a BB QWERTY (the M is in the wrong place). Battery life while on a 3g network is not great, may not even last a day with heavy data/voice usage. Camera is excellent, as is video camera. Operating system is very stable, with very few crashes, and voice and signal quality is very good. WiFi works well and is easy to set-up networks with the built-in scanner. Quick Office program works very well with Office docs and PDF's. Excellent browser and good processor speed.

I'm still partial to BlackBerry overall, but this is a solid device.

This is an all-around amazing phone, from feature set to call quality.

While the E71 doesn't have the amazing UI of the iPhone, if you like Symbian/S60 (which was designed for one-hand use), a real keyboard, and excellent battery life, this is your phone.

My only complaint is the mail app, but Nokia's working on a subscription-based push email service (beta is available now) that looks good so far.

One bonus of the E71 that you don't get with the iPhone -- you can tether it to your computer using Bluetooth or WiFi (via Joiku) to get 3G internet speeds on your PC.

I *highly* recommend this phone for business and/or power users who need to be productive on their phone no matter their location.

Side note: I have no idea what the other reviewer it talking about in terms of speed -- both GPS and network/web access are terrific on the E71.

First a little background - I bought this Nokia E71-2 from Amazon after a not so positive experience using Apple iPhone (first generation) and Blackberry Bold. I needed an all purpose phone for use in corporate (read that as Microsoft Exchange) environment.

While I found the iPhone to be otherwise great, I had some major issues with it - Lack of real Keyboard just does not work well for lots of email/sms typing. Next the Exchange support was too late, too little (Exchange Account did not work for me ever and Calendar/Reminders was a problem when using Exchange over IMAP), Battery life was unbearably bad, and lastly the iPhone did not support Bluetooth stereo headphones.

So I tried Blackberry Bold - only to find out that the browser on it was not anywhere near as good as the iPhone but the real problem was that it needed a BlackBerry Data plan before it could do anything - no mails, no Internet even when connected to Wi-Fi - and my corporate data plan does not include BlackBerry Data Plan - Bummer!

Enter Nokia E71 - I am happy to report it has solved all my problems. The browser on this phone is based on the same WebKit engine that Apple uses in Mobile Safari. I found website compatibility to be excellent. Most importantly however, it comes with Flash! Most flash sites work well - but not all, as this is a Flash lite version. There is also a Youtube client freely available that works amazingly well.

Battery life on this phone is really great compared to the iPhone or any other smart phone - I can easily get through a heavy-use day (3G calling, Some music over bluetooth, Always on Exchange Sync) and even go for another day with lighter use.

If you use Exchange for email - you will find the E71 does Exchange very well. Setup was very straight forward, I could customize the sync schedule to be always on during working hours and every 1 hour off-peak. The newest version of the Nokia Mail for Exchange Application is very stable and functional. It includes a Company Directory Client which lets you quickly search for your colleagues to find their email/phone information. Meeting reminders work very well - Exchange server calendar is synced to your phone and so all your meeting reminders are available right on the home screen - very convenient. It also supports regular GMail over IMAP.

The real keyboard on this thin little phone is very usable - you almost want to keep typing! I rarely mistype. There is auto completion which works OK for most part and is actually useful.

Call quality is great - very rarely I had dropped calls, but they were due to "Network Busy" errors on AT&T's part and happened after 2 hours of talk - so I can't really blame the phone for it.

Media - The phone continues to do great on this front. I was able to pop in my 4Gb micro SD card to make enough space for all my music and podcasts. It plays MP3s/AAC and most other routinely used formats. All of your music is available automatically for setting as ring tones or other tones (reminders/alarm etc.). It has a very functional Podcast client built-in - I was able to subscribe to all of my favorite podcasts and it automatically updated/downloaded the episodes as and when they became available. Stereo bluetooth support is great - it allows to listen to music or podcasts while driving or while in the Gym. This was the only phone that played lots of music over bluetooth without crashing.

The camera on this phone is 3.2MP and so it produces better quality pictures but I found a blue hue on the pictures initially - that was fixed with the latest software update from Nokia and now the pictures are great.

Speaking of which - if you buy one, do yourself a favor and download the Nokia PC Suite Application (Windows only -works with Vista/x64) and run the phone software update before using the phone. This way you will get all the bug fixes and enhancements for the Phone without losing any data or setup. This is one area I wish Nokia improved - the upgrade process does not automatically preserve your data/settings/applications that are on your phone (as opposed to on the MicroSD card) - it should just put your phone back where it was before the upgrade and do it all automatically.

Lastly the GPS - it works well. It was able to connect to the satellites and determine my position even indoors! Download the Google Maps application for free and you have a very usable GPS.

If you are OK with having this phone locked down to AT&T network for a 2yr contract - I have heard that AT&T is bringing a later version of this phone for under $100 - so keep an eye.