Nokia E71

The Nokia E71 is a candy-bar smartphone with fast 3G network speed and a full QWERTY keyboard, but reviewers generally view the high price as a negative. Because it's sold only unlocked -- with no carrier affiliation -- there is some sticker shock for buyers accustomed to a low price that requires a two-year commitment to a carrier. Unlocked phones still must be activated by a carrier -- in the U.S., that's either T-Mobile or AT&T, but no contract is required. As the Nokia E71 is a business-oriented phone -- an "excellent mobile office," says PCMag.com's Sascha Segan -- the purchase price may not be on your dime, however. The Nokia E71 uses the Symbian operating system, which may seem a tad unfamiliar to U.S. users. InfoSyncWorld.com's Philip Berne says the phone "often made us feel as if we needed the help of a network administrator." But reviews say the Nokia E71 is exceptionally good for reading and editing documents. "The phone's office apps do better at displaying complex documents than Microsoft's own Windows Mobile apps," PCMag's Segan says. Professional and owner reviews indicate email support could be better -- it doesn't support HTML email and has no alert when new mail has arrived. The Nokia web browser supports Flash Lite 3.0, and reviews say the browser is fast, either via HSDPA or Wi-Fi.

On the other hand, the phone includes icons for features that don't work, at least for U.S. buyers, such as push-to-talk. And reviews point out that the GPS receiver isn't the best. Plus, if you want turn-by-turn directions, you'll have to buy an upgrade. PCMag.com's Segan, writing from New York City, says the Nokia E71 thought he was in Sweden. The keyboard is a bit cramped, and the 2.36-inch screen isn't quite big enough for business users, reviews say. Reviewers do note that there's a pretty cool text-to-voice feature that will read messages to you. While the camera is 3.2 megapixels, reviews say, it's disappointing on stills but pretty good on video.

Most reviews say that the Nokia E71 is nothing special as a music player, but that the microSD slot will accept up to 8 GB memory cards. Reviewers tend to get around five hours of talk time in battery tests. Some reviewers suggest the BlackBerry Curve, which is available on all major carriers for a subsidized price, as a good alternative for business users. The BlackBerry Bold, available on AT&T, is also a viable option.