Nokia E50
Average Ratings
Hello Lover
A Nokia was the first phone I ever owned. Now after affairs with Motorola (a disaster!), LG (one cheap tart after another) Pantech (WTF was I thinking), an Samsung (almost, but no cigar), owning the e50 feels like coming home to a familiar friend.
THE GOOD:
The voice quality on the e50 is great and I couldn't ask for more (Note: I use the phone on AT&T's network). Since my service plan is pay-as-you-go (no more contracts) I don't have a data package, so can't speak to the comments about small font sizes in emails. However, I do use MediaNet to web surf and check my Gmail account. Web surfing on the e50 is simple and quick and the browser interface DOES come with text increasing/decreasing capabilities. After owning a Samsung Sync and syncing with it's bug-riddled software (a nightmare for me and my IT Manager -- the Sync routinely fouled up my Contacts), syncing with the e50 is awesome!!! Especially since the phone comes with the software CD and USB data cable (no shopping/hunting around for parts). The e50's PC/sync software is robust and has a ton of features. Lastly, having the daily Calendar appointments on the phone's mainscreen is wonderful! The bundled QuickOffice and Media Player are great as well.
THE BAD
While I love the design of the e50 (it fits comfortably in my medium-sized hand and the pockets of my skinny jeans), the choice to use a joystick instead of a conventional navigation pad leaves a lot to be desired (as does the power button-turning the phone on/off is a 2 hand operation). I also use the Media Player a lot and the e50's headphone adapter to clumsy (VERY long cord and bulky connector) and burdensome. My only other "complaint" about the e50 is that I wish Nokia offered extra software and games (I'm hooked on the bundled golf game that comes with the phone - and I hate golf) on their web site. There are 3rd party sites that offer these, but it's a shame to muck up such a great phone with questionable downloads.
Sleek, Sexy and great Reception
Yummy. This phone has great battery life and Reception. Its also small with a Nice screen. and I love how its made of metal.
PDA and Nokia
Performer. My new friend the Nokia E50.
I've had some reservations about this phone initially. I liked the small size, the PDA functions, the price and of course the fact that hardly anyone stateside has one. This phone has not been released on any carrier in the USA.
While researching the phone, there was all this talk on other sites about software crashing etc. Baloney!. This phone isn't Windows 95. I've used it for about a month now, hasn't crashed once.
That being said the you need to be patient with the Symbian OS, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually great.
Voice Features
The phone is a great voice performer. The earpiece is loud (former RAZR users can rejoice) and the reception clear with a decent signal. Also, I was remarkably surprised at how this phone can hold on to a weak signal.
I am using the phone on Cingular in Manhattan primarily; filled with both 850mhz and 1900mhz towers, including former AT&T sites. Because none of the firmware has been manipulated by cingular, this phone is not cingular optimized. It can at times pull 2 cingular networks (Cingular and the former AT&T).The switch between bands is seamless, however there can be a delay sometimes. Manual search fixes the problem, but it's not major enough to an annoyance.
PDA
The PDA is PDA light.The fact that you are working with a small screen and 3 letters to a key is a serious limitation. I use my E50 primarily to read email/calendar entries, typing in on the other hand requires patience and time.
Conclusion
After using this for about a month, I can understand why the carriers probably won't pick this up - the phone isn't easy to use except for those who are technically intuitive.
The buttons are very small. The menu type is tiny.
But if you're like me and always wished you had a phone/pda the size of a candy bar - this is it.
PROS
Great RF
Quadband
PDA "light'
Nokia design
SOLID battery life
Symbian OS and apps
Great ringtones
CONS
Small Keys
Small Screen
Small type
E50
I have had this phone for about a month: it solves many problems, but creates a few new ones. First, as an ATT unlimited plan member, I have struggled with how to get a new phone that handles e-mail with SSL, that works with the old ATT SIM card, you know the drill. Anyhow, right out of the box, no problems with Cingular, no problems with e-mail, web, etc. Bluetooth with Jabra, no issues. Music works. The buttons are a bit small, but I can live with that. The screen is great, no argument.
I have suffered through the 6682 lock-ups; what a disaster. This phone has jammed only once or twice in a month. It has been unable to disconnect a call...to the point that I had to remove the battery. Again, only once or twice, in a month. Otherwise, not a software hitch to speak of.
Now for the problem: the voice activation is the new "speaker independent" nonsense. All that means is that it does not recognize anything! This is such a step backwards as not to be believed. Well, you can always just scroll and read the beautiful screen...Not so. While the font is fine for everything else, the font size on the contacts list and within the contacts' pages is for eagle eyes. In other words, with no useful voice activation, and with no ability to read the tiny script and no ability to change the font size, you can't use the phone except to answer it while driving. Yes, we should not be using it while driving, but alas, voice recognition is supposed to be the solution to that. And it has, for me, for years. Now this giant step backward for mankind..or at least for Nokia and its customers.
Finally, if Nokia could only offer to upgrade the firmware to undo the speaker independent voice recognition and to allow for change in font/text size, this would be the unbeatable phone it appears to be at first glance.
Overall, a terrific phone, a solution for the old ATT SIM card users and a pleasure to use: just a bit of a pain to use with voice dial. Of course, wi-fi/Skype would be helpful as well.
I have never done more with such a small device.
The first thing you notice about the E50 is how absolutely solid it is. The phone is made of a mix of plastic and metal, and has a bit of heft to it, not to say that is bad, just the opposite, the phone feels like it is a well built, quality device, not a flimsy plastic throw-away phone.
This is my first S60 device, after using two Windows Mobile smartphone edition devices (Cingular 2125 & 3125) for a year or so, and just as it was a bit of a struggle going from Nokia S40 to Windows Mobile, it was a a struggle going from WM5 to S60, which this device runs. Now after a few months of S60, I feel like a pro and can't stand running WM5, and have thusly sold my WM smartphones.
PROS:
Quality feel and size...very pocketable (in certain pants)
RECEPTION...this phone blows away most anything I have ever had, even the venerable Nokia 6230. The E50 can make and take calls with NO signal bars showing on the screen, just so long as the carrier text is visible...AMAZING!
S60 operating system: once you get past it's quirks (WM has it's share of quirks too) S60 is an amazing world...there are so many programs that suit my needs more than I could ever find in Windows Mobile land. Nokia themsleves come out with many cool ones, like their Nokia Maps (use with BT GPS), their pod-catcher (I download podcasts and listen to them on my bike rides), and their fitness tracker (which actually tracks your run, walk or bike trip via optional BT GPS and gives you avg. speeds, distance, etc) even the "Mail for Exchange" software that keeps me synced with my work Exchange server is a free download !!!
CONS:
Not many, but the weight of the device makes it flop around in some pants pockets, and S60 does not come with a auto-keylock app (you can download a free one however)
You also won't find many accessories if you are not near an Nokia flagship store (thank goodness I'm near Chicago)
Great phone in a small package.
This is a great phone for people who are use to using many older candybar Nokia phones but who need to upgrade to the flexibility of a Symbian phone (without a full keyboard).
PRO'S
Great Nokia Reception
Good Speakerphone
Good battery life (esp. for a Symbian)
Feel/Quality (solid feel with metal housing)
Ease of use
Fast menu system
Nice calendar and easy syncing w/ PC Suite
CON'S
Camera Quality
Hard to get to 'menu' and 'c' buttons
Small font size (can be fixed w/ software)
Somewhat cramped keypad
