Nokia E51 review

Nokia has always a keen eye for creating mobiles business users want to use and keep on using. The Nokia E51 could well be another classic corporate creation, combining all the right ingredients for mobile messaging, email on the move and remote synchronisation and configuration. Its sleek candybar design provides it with an elegant, understated appeal that business users will appreciate, with sophisticated smartphone functionality under the bonnet that will get the IT department onside too.

The E51, the latest in Nokia’s Eseries of enterprise-class mobiles, will not only get suits hot under the collar, though. It could quite easily become a consumer crossover hit, too, as it combines the Symbian S60 smartphone functionality you get on Nseries models with a classy feel and some user-friendly design touches.

It seems that the E51 has been cleverly crafted to accommodate different types of user ability; it can be a simple to use mobile phone on a basic level, but it’s also optimised for business-class applications including corporate multiple corporate push email and remote synchronisation solutions, instant messaging support, Wi-Fi and high-speed 3G HSDPA connectivity, plus VoIP internet voice calling over Wi-Fi..

A standard full Nokia Web Browser is part of the deal too, along with a suite of Nokia office tools for personal organiser and productivity applications, such as document viewers.

Business isn’t without pleasure here. All the usual multimedia requirements you’d expect of a 3G Symbian S60 smartphone are to hand – a multi-format music player, FM radio, a RealPlayer multimedia player, a 2-megapixel camera and support for video and audio streaming.

Handling

Recently, Nokia has done great business with clean, classic designs like the 6300 that deliver exactly what’s required by the user and don’t try to over-elaborate. The E51 appears on the surface to do just that.

It has a lovely slimline look, with metal side and back panelling giving the phone a refined air. The front keypad and screen arrangement is decked out in serious black, although the E51 is available in three tasteful colour options, with side and back panel trim varying – Black Steel (black), Pink Steel (bronze) and White Steel (chrome).

With dimensions of 115(h) x 46(w) x 12(d) mm, it’s long, thin and pocketable. Its metal-body weighs it in at 100g, but this gives it a substantial, balanced feel in the hand rather than a slip-away feel ultra-slim handsets often invite. This is aided by patterning on the smooth metal rear that adds some palm traction.

The display is a reasonable 2-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) screen, supporting up to 16 million colours. Text is a touch smaller than you’d normally see on a larger-screened Nseries device, but is readable.

Below the display, Nokia has implemented some sensible control rejigging and re-labelling to its regular S60 control pad layout. This makes for a simpler way of accessing the key business-oriented features.

A central navigation scroll key D-pad is the hub of the control system, as usual. On either are a pair of large icon-labelled control buttons. Nokia has ditched the “squiggle” symbol normally used on the main menu key of S60 phones and replaced it with a house icon – for home. The “C” clear key has also been relabelled with a back arrow.

Beneath the Menu home key is a calendar button, while opposite are phonebook and email keys, all appropriately marked for easy recognition. Another welcome touch is that these fast access keys will, with a long press, open up main functions within their respective categories – new calendar entry, new phonebook contact, compose new email, or see active applications on the “home” key.

These fast access buttons can be reconfigured for different functions, should you wish to, as can the Active Standby icons on the screen; six of these towards the top of the display can be set up for shortcuts to dozens of features or apps.

A pair of softkeys below the display can also be changed. These are a bit too narrow for our liking, but you get used to them quickly. The numberpad itself is excellent – very responsive, good-sized buttons clearly labelled and simply arranged.

Needing a bit more of a press are the few additional buttons dotted around the phone – a pair of volume keys plus a handy mute button between them, and a voice recording/voice commands key. Interestingly, Nokia has slipped in an infrared port on the side as well as including standard USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

Features

Despite its internal complexity, the phone is designed to be user-friendly out of the box, with Active Standby screen plug-ins for email and VoIP internet telephony set-up wizards. These disappear once connections have been sorted. There’s also a standby screen option to activate WLAN searches and initiate connections.