It started with a really good deal. I was on a trip. The sign said SALE. They were willing to exchange. Voila I was the owner of the new E 61. So that’s when my little adventure started.

Lets say that when I bought this phone I had a completely good and functional Nokia N 70. The only reason I bought this phone was the sale and exchange offer that added up to a wonderful deal. As I walked away with my purchase I began to wonder if I had done the right thing.

So after starting with an incredibly pessimistic attitude I went home and turned it on. I m not going to go into technical details too much. My last experience with a pda – phone was TRAUMATIC. On the first day I installed everything from my machine and the basic software that came with the phone. Then the next day I had to leave …. so I left with no instruction manual, no gurantee card and no confidence in my new found gadget.

Software on the phone is the popular symbian series 60 3rd edition software. On my N 70 the software was slow at times but on this thing it flitted between screens like it was dancing. Calls were easily made and easily received. Quad-band is something any phone should have and the signals were always strong. Voice quality good. The ear piece is set in an angle so sometimes if you don’t place your ear properly you can’t hear what others are saying too well. The external speaker is on one side and if your finger or any object were to cover it dampens sound.

Lets talk about connectivity. The Nokia E 61 is ALL ABOUT CONNECTIVITY. While I sat in the airport (without the manual) I half expected not to be able to configure this thing. Wrong !!!! 15 mins later I had assigned an access point and was surfing. The Nokia E 61 is not just about connectivity but making it all easy. This phone has all the standard rah rah. Bluetooth, Infrared, Wifi (b/g), 3G is all part of the package. But when I mean easy … it can only be given by examples. Getting that important number through an email and then smsing/ calling straight from reading the mail. Attaching documents/excel sheets to mails. Using the “Ctrl C” “Ctrl V functionality on the keypad to cut and paste between email, sms, documents. etc,..Configuring each account individually. Being able to constantly change access points on the fly. The list is endless . Oh yes lets not forget Internet telephony, configurable with an Asterisk server.

Another feature that I liked was when you connected the E 61 it could be used like a usb memory stick. This was a nice feature for me since I am always lending/loosing my memory stick. Of-course the full suite of office applications excel/ word/ power point make reading and viewing documents on the go a pleasure. A large bright screen that lets you view texts and images without squinting is definitely a bonus.

The Qwerty Keypad is Incredible!!!!! I really thought I was going to hate this keypad thing especially after trying out a treo and a P990i but ……… I was wrong. I think the keypad is perfect and hope Nokia sticks to this design. Usually my sms’s are 3 words ( Call you later)… not anymore.

Last but not the least to mention the materials used in the E 61 make it feel superb. I really like the look and feel. Yes it is a bit broad but I think the E 61 grows on you. Superb battery life — about 2 days with heavy usage.Oh VERY VERY important … you can do firmware updates over the internet so you dont have to go to the Nokia authorised Dealer each time you have a problem to get the latest firmware flashed in.

Well like every device the E 61 has its flaws. To start with I really miss a camera. The standard argument is that business phones don’t need cameras .. I disagree. Also the speaker phone quality could be improved.

I would say that the E 61 is an exceptionally good phone and worth the investment. If you are looking for a work horse then the E 61 should be on top of your list this Christmas.