Nokia offers a wide range of Eseries business handsets, including Communicators and enhanced messaging devices of different form factors. Each E series phone is optimized for different types of business users, but all feature the familiar and friendly S60 user interface over Symbian OS. The new Nokia E51 combines compact dimensions, rich communication skills, a comfortable keyboard and stylish design, aiming to be a classic and conservative all-round performer.
Key features
- Quad-band GSM/3G (with HSDPA 3.6 Mbps), EDGE and GPRS support
- Wi-Fi, VoIP over WLAN
- Symbian 9.2 OS Series 60 3rd edition UI with Feature Pack 1
- 12 mm slim, elegant design
- 130 MB onboard memory, expandable via microSD cards (up to 4 GB), hot swap
- Very comfortable keyboard and D-pad
- Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and IrDA (115 kbps)
- New Symbian key icons
- Fast user interface
Main disadvantages
- 2 megapixel camera with no autofocus, nor flash
- Extremely hard-to-press volume rocker, power button and voice recorder key
- Stale multimedia interface
- Cannot edit office documents
- Doesn’t charge when connected via USB
- Voice dial works well only with English names
What comes with it
The package contents of Nokia E51 are on par with most of the other non-multimedia Nokia phones. Having mentioned fingerprints, the piece of fine cloth that comes in the box is a good way to start exploring the retail package. Other than that, the box includes the small AC-5 DC charger, a mini USB connection cable (DKE-2), headset (HS-47), and the Eseries CD-ROM. Nokia E51 also comes with a Quickstart guide and User guide. Finally, let’s mention the Li-Ion Battery (BP-6MT) with capacity of 1050 mAh.
Nokia’s portfolio offers a couple of DVB-H capable solutions, specifically the Nokia N77 and a more dated phone, the N92. Neither of them was widely available, since they were used either in pilot television projects or tailored for particular regions (like the N77 in Taiwan, starting late fall 2007). Indeed, given that the vast majority of markets still have no DVB-H television enabled, a replica of the N73, yet armed with this functionality, was uncalled for. In March 2008, the European authorities standardized on DVB-H and from this point on will put in their efforts to support it. In this sense the Nokia N96 has a good chance to avoid the role of an ugly duckling that will never see release – thankfully, mobile television isn’t a big focus in the N96, it is rather included among all other things there.
Interestingly, over a year ago Nokia started to enhance its product portfolio not only by varying styles, but also hardware platform underpinning their solutions. The Nokia N95 and its follow-ups built upon the TI OMAP chip, while the N96 takes advantage of STMicroelectronics’s Nomadik. So when comparing these two phones, their similarities don’t go beyond physical aspects, since other things, like functionality and hardware, are quite different.
The phone measures in at 103×55x18 mm (125 grams) plus the camera part is even thicker due the rim around the lens that adds a couple of millimeters to the N96’s girth. On the whole, the N96 looks and feels more like some sort of shovel in the hand due to being quite wide – compared with the Nokia N81 it has gotten 0,5cm wider. While it is not a solution for women in any way, it is more about whether or not shop assistants will manage to convince them that it is the flagship solution. As far as I remember, the Nokia N93 wasn’t all that petite either, notwithstanding, women happily went for it and carried it around in their purses, and furthermore, some are still using it. It is important to realize that the Nokia N96’s dimensions are as close to the maximum as it get – its pocket-stretching casing won’t fit just about any jacket or trousers. Some may well argue with me on this, and I will readily agree that some types of clothes are perfect for the N96; but for the most part, it will not please you with its portability.
Perched on the top end is the keypad lock slider, the same as that found in the Nokia N81, along with the 3.5 mm headphones jack and power button. Sitting on the left-hand spine is the microSD memory card slot covered by a plastic flap. Things get more interesting on the right side, where you will find two speakers under a metal grill, as well as the camera button and volume rocker. The bottom edge houses the microUSB socket and charger slot (2 mm).
Form-factor wise, the N96 is a dual slider that can be pushed both up and down – that is, in the latter case you gain access to the phone’s music-minded controls that also kick in when watching video. The buttons here, unlike the Nokia N95 8Gb, aren’t bulging – they are flat and made of the same plastic as the handset’s face.
As far as the build quality is concerned, the jury is still out – the prototypes we played around with were nothing special, to put it mildly, so they gave little idea of how the N96 was really put together. Some time ago we experienced the same thing with the Nokia N81 – when I had my first hands-on session with it, I thought its build quality was horrendous. But then I spent some time with a commercial unit and found that it felt pretty solid and had no trace of its past problems left. And I really can’t think why they would make an exception for the Nokia N96 and leave it as it is today.
Nested on the rear side are the LED flash, lens of a 5 Mpix CMOS camera (which is in effect identical to the Nokia N95) with autofocus. As of today, the camera doesn’t work properly, as the software is still pretty crude (well, it does take shots, but I couldn’t find one person who would like them).
Mounted around the lens rim is a folding stand that allows for a video-friendly setup when you put the N96 on a flat surface. It is pretty handy in use and reliable at that – at least, I pressed, pushed and abused the N96 in all possible ways when the stand was out and still couldn’t break it. The models to come will also enjoy this useful detail.
The N96’s diagonal is a clear improvement over the original N95 and its 2,6 inches (which is also quite a difference compared to other 2- and 2,2-inch units). The increased diagonal normally brings about a more blurry image, however thanks to the N96’s brighter display, you will hardly notice this effect.
