Except once when I got a Motorola, I have always bought Nokia phones. I am addicted to Nokia’s user interface and ease of use; what they often used to term in their advertisements as the ‘human touch.’ However, almost all Nokia phones I’ve used developed software problems. For example,

- Some Nokia phones would suddenly hang, and then restart.

- Some phones would just switch off on their own in the middle of a conversation.

- Some Nokia phones would be really slow in opening applications (this was more probably caused by a lack of  good hardware e.g. RAM).

But, the Nokia E71, which I purchased exactly a year ago, has impressed me  on all accounts. Let me list 10 reasons why even after using it for a year, I still love my Nokia E71:

1. Its got 3G – that brings alive ultra fast internet. I’ve used skype on it to make calls over the net, and the E71 rocked with that. I’ve also watched youtube videos and checked mails at great speeds. The best part is that the phone also includes WiFi, which results in way faster net speeds than the one via your network operator.

2. GPS – The inbuilt Global Positioning System in E71 has often helped me while visiting unknown places or when I’ve got lost on the streets of London! Best utilised with Google maps for mobile.

3. QWERTY keypad – Comes as close to the Blackberry style as it can and yet is unique with its own style. I have an unlimited texts plan so all those keys have been utilized!

4. Its FAST – Applications open lightning fast on the Nokia E71. Especially when I compare the phone to my previous one – the Nokia N72 – which really sucked at that.

5. Its beautiful – The looks, the looks! Such a loaded phone and so slim, lightweight with a nice metallic finish. Doesn’t overload your pockets. Have a look and decide for yourself:

The Nokia E71 grey

6. Good memory – I got a 2GB memory card with the phone, which is quite good still in my opinion. Never felt the need for more.

7. Decent camera – The E71 includes a 3.2 mega-pixel camera with flash, and added with good software to play with images before and after capturing.

8. Fabulous software – The phone came loaded with great software – including the Quick office (which is a sort of Mobile Microsoft Office), the Adobe Reader, Opera mobile browser, a bar code reader and a visiting card scanner!

9. Bluetooth: As stated earlier, the phone has 3G and Wifi Internet which is great for sharing stuff. But it also comes with built in Bluetooth (which most Nokia smart phones include anyway) so you can easily share stuff between other bluetooth enabled devices, particularly other cellphones and computers.

10. Great battery life – This is probably the only Nokia phone I’ve used which uses such a large battery; and no wonder I dont charge it every day! On an average I charge it once in 2 or 3 days for a full charge. Compare it to my earlier Nokia N72, which needed to be recharged everyday.

The Nokia E71 battery

BONUS reason why the Nokia E71 rocks – Its a truly multimedia phone. With music playback, video recording, still captures, internet, radio, GPS and so much more – its a truly smart multimedia phone which is well suited for people in all walks of life and not just the businessmen as the E series was originally targeted for.

Now that the Nokia E72 is out, which is more of an improvement over the E71 (for example wider spacing between keys, an 8GB memory card, 5 megapixel camera etc), I think I know what phone I’ll buy when I feel the need to replace my E71.

The company sold 3.7 million iPhones in 2007, and there was a noticeable gap between the number of units sold and those that were activated by providers in the U.S. and Europe that Apple holds exclusive deals with.

Despite Apple’s attempts to keep iPhone unlocking under wraps with new software and changes to the iPhone’s bootloader, enterprising entrepreneurs are apparently giving the people what they want. This is a bit of an opportunity lost for Apple, since the company has signed lucrative revenue-sharing deals with its carrier partners that don’t apply if an iPhone is unlocked from its respective network.

At least it does highlight the demand for the iPhone among China’s massive population. In-Stat said that Chinese consumers want smartphones with multimedia features and Web browsing, and the iPhone fills that need nicely. Apparently, they are willing to pay for it: 20 percent of smartphones sold in China last year went for $533 or more.

Apple’s talk breakdown with China Mobile was downplayed by CEO Steve Jobs, who claims there was only ever really one meeting. The iPhone is poised to make its Asian debut in 2008.

iPhone 8GBiPhone is Apple’s revolutionary new phone – a phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough internet device all in one.

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