Nokia E73 - REVIEW

At first glance it may look like the E73 Mode is simply a T-Mobile USA branded Nokia E72, but there are actually some design differences that I personally find make the E73 Mode even better than the E72. Check out the image below, credit goes to All about Symbian and you can see the E73 Mode has a slightly curved QWERTY keyboard that helps match the way your thumbs rotate. You will also find a rather significant change in hardware button layout with the E73 Mode have them all along two extended bars rather than buttons centered making them smaller on the E72. The E73 Mode also a bit more metal below the QWERTY keyboard and IMHO it feels more solid than the E72 and much more like the E71 construction we have all come to love.

Internally, the E73 Mode also has some differences in radio frequencies with support for T-Mobile’s 1700 MHz 3G band and support for UMA WiFi calling (separate post coming that will discuss this in detail).

In the box:

The Nokia E73 Mode comes in a typical T-Mobile package rather than the sleek Nokia packages I have been used to lately. Nokia and T-Mobile also did not skimp out on the contents and give you everything you need to turn the E73 Mode into your only smartphone. You will find all the following inside the retail box:

• Nokia E73
• Nokia High Efficiency Charger AC-10U
• Mobile Charger DC-6
• Nokia MicroUSB data cable CA-101D
• Nokia Headset WH-205
• Pouch CP-384
• Guides and pamphlets
  • T-Mobile Getting Started Guide
  • T-Mobile Tips & Tricks
  • T-Mobile Terms & Conditions
• T-Mobile SIM card
• Recycle bag

Specifications:

• ARM 11 600 MHz processor
• S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 (3.2.3)
• Quad band GSM/EDGE with 850/900/1800/1900 MHz support
• Tri band WCDMA with 900/1700/2100 MHz support
• 2.36 inch 320×240 pixel resolution QVGA display
• 250 MB of free user disk space
• microSD card slot for expanded memory (4GB card included)
• Bluetooth 2.0 with over 10 profiles supported
• Integrated GPS with A-GPS
• Integrated FM radio with RDS
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• Optical trackball
• 3.5mm headset jack
• BP-4L 1500 mAh battery
• Dimensions of 4.48 x 2.30 x 0.40 inches and 4.5 ounces

Around the hardware:

The QWERTY keyboard is the most prominent feature on the front of the E73 Mode and as I mentioned above I think it is better even than the E72 layout. Compared to BlackBerry devices and other QWERTY smartphones I have tried I especially like that Nokia has included direct keys for entering @, ?, !, period, and comma. A Ctrl key is also present so you can do simple things like Ctrl-C for copy, Ctrl-V for paste, etc. If you press and hold on keys with alternate characters then the alternate character will be entered. I find the E73 Mode keyboard to be much more functional than a BlackBerry keyboard and if text entry and messaging are your focus I highly recommend you check this device out.

You will also find you can quickly toggle Bluetooth, the LED flash as a flashlight, and silent profile by simply pressing and holding the Sym, space, and Ctrl buttons.

Above the keyboard you will find 8 hardware buttons and as shown in the image above they have a much different arrangement than the E72. These keys are for left and right soft keys, send and end functions, home, calendar, contacts, and email. I like that Nokia made the send and end keys green and red since it is easier to differentiate what they are used for. Pressing the home key also jumps to the menu/launcher. The directional pad is also an optical touchpad so you can slide your finger or thumb across it to control navigation. I haven’t fully gotten used to it yet and turned it off for a few days where it works as a traditional directional pad.

The display is the same QVGA quality as the E71/E71x/E72 and is one of the disappointing aspects for me personally after having used several devices with high resolution displays. I am not saying it is horrible by any means, but I have been spoiled lately so it does take some getting used to. The support for 16+ million colors is nice and image do look pretty good on the display.

The 5 megapixel camera is centered on the upper back and protrudes out more than the one on the E71. There is no self-portrait mirror on the E73 Mode. The speaker is to the left of the camera and sounds decent with the camera spacing away from the back helping noise bounce off tables too. The back cover is metal and has a slightly textured feel to it. It is solidly installed and feels great in your hand.

Software:

The E73 Mode is preloaded with a ton of applications such as Quickoffice (full version with new document creation capability), Visual Voicemail, Ovi Maps, Nokia Messaging (with support for Gmail, Exchange, Lotus Notes Traveler, and more), Nokia Podcasting, Multiscanner (capture business cards and turn them into contacts), Ovi Files, some enterprise software (encryption, Intranet, MDM Client), Printer utility, aThere is no Internet Radio application loaded out of the box.

Conclusion,Price and Availability:

The Nokia E73 Mode is available from T-Mobile USA for only $69.99 with a 2-year contract and minimum voice/data plan. The unsubsidized full cost may be the same as the Nokia Nuron since the subsidized cost is the same and that is just $179.99. The E73 Mode is locked to T-Mobile and will not work with AT&T’s 3G data network. Even at the full Even More Plus (non-subsidy) I think $179.99 for this device is an awesome deal that I will be taking advantage of.

If you are looking for the latest and greatest smartphone then you may be a bit disappointed with the E73 Mode since it is using an older OS than iPhone, Android, and webOS. However, I personally found it to be quite refreshing since everything flew on the device and the standby/home screen is extremely useful and powerful. I was able to fly around with the keyboard and hardware buttons and the rock solid slim form factor is one of the best EVER on a smartphone. I think when people enter a T-Mobile store and see this stacked up next to the BlackBerry QWERTY devices they will choose this beauty. I personally think the E73 Mode is better than a BlackBerry with a more functional keyboard, solid operating system, good multimedia support, and thousands of available apps in the Ovi Store.