First, I'd like to thanks WOM World for providing me a trial E75 unit to review. While the E75 has been reviewed a number of times, I wanted to focus on the updated messaging client from an Exchange perspective. There are large number of changes to the messaging client and one can see Nokia putting effort into responding to the complaints from users in regards to the email solution on their devices. While I will provide my views on the device overall, my main focus will be messaging based.
Device
My main device for the past 11 months has been the Nokia E71 which is highly regarded in terms of build quality. The E75 brings a fairly solid build to it and I like the look and feel of the phone. My device is the N75 NAM Black model and it's a sharp looking device that has a solid feel in your hand and provides a feeling of quality whenever you hold the phone. The slider on the device was solid as well, opening and closing easily and solidly with no wobble.
The front keypad takes a little getting used to with the soft keys. I was initially disappointed at the removal of the dedicated contacts key from the E71 but I quickly realized that I never used it having the home screen contact search makes the contacts key somewhat useless. Sliding the phone open reveals the full QWERTY keyboard. Coming from the E71 I found that there's a lot more thumb travel to get to the keys you need and it takes some getting used to. While the key travel feels good and provide adequate feedback, my one huge complaint is that the keys are all extremely flat and it's hard to discern one key from the next by touch. After some time I've gotten better and faster with the keyboard but it takes time.
What I've realized with time with this device is that this form factor really isn't for me. I feel that the landscape layout of the screen is really the best for me personally. When messages arrive I want to be able to quickly respond to them and put the phone away. Constantly sliding the keyboard out to respond to messages makes me feel less productive than pulling out a bar style E71, hammering out a message and then putting the device away. Of course the benefit to the E75 is the large keyboard which many may find easier to type on.
Everything about the phone looks and feels quality until you get to the 2.4" QVGA screen. While adequate to get the job done, it would be nice to push the screen closer to the device edges for increased size and to increase the resolution a bit. Changes in the messaging app fonts means you get more of the message on the screen but so much more could be done with increased size/resolution.
Coming from the E71 one needs to make adjustments in their expectation of battery life. Heavy utilization of the 3G network really takes its toll on the battery of this device and you'll find yourself keeping extra chargers and USB cables around to top off when needed. If I used the device for email throughout the day and a few calls a day the battery life was fine. Music streaming through Mobbler or heavy web browsing would require me to put the phone on the charger before noon.
From a software point of view we have S60 FP2 utilized in an E-series device. N-Gage is supported out of the box with the capability to play accelerometer based games as well. Video playback was better than my E71 and I was able to watch video podcasts that would choke the E71 down. It even easily played a movie file I had converted to play on my N810 which was a huge surprise. Only problem was that 2.4" screen again...
Call quality was excellent and there was little difference between the great call quality I get on the E71 and that I experienced on the E75.
Messaging
Different form factor aside, the real draw to this device is the updated messaging client that comes preloaded on the phone. It is a total refresh from the old Nokia email client that includes support for direct server connection via IMAP or POP3, Intellisync push service via Nokia Messaging (http://email.nokia.com), and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync with Mail for Exchange. Many of the criticisms from the old email client have been addressed with this new client and are welcome additions to functionality and productivity.
First I'll start with my mailbox setup. I use a Mail for Exchange box for my corporate email and push my Gmail and Ovi accounts to my device via Intellisync using Nokia Messaging though my Ovi account really isn't used. Setting up Nokia messaging was as quick as logging in to my account at http://email.nokia.com and selecting the E75 and entering my password. The E75 doesn't respond with a new SMS but rather just starts the provisioning process automatically. Worked quickly and seamlessly. Next I ran the email setup again to enter Mail for Exchange credentials. After a couple minutes I had my contacts, email and calendar events all synced to my device.At first I missed the PIM information in the settings. If you're used to the old separate MfE install you can edit all your sync settings in one place. With the new messaging client in the settings you have a set of options for each mailbox and then a separate set of options for PIM, which includes your calendar, contacts and to-do notes.
Now let's talk about improvements...
Finally there are separate Sent boxes for each mailbox that is configured. This is a huge improvement from the old client where there was one sent folder for all email and SMS/MMS messages. Depending on your email settings it will sync some number of sent messages to your device during the initial sync. This is a great move since important communication is not only inbound.
The ability to see inbox status is improved over what is seen in FP1 devices with MfE and even with Nokia Messaging. You have the ability to list two email inboxes and it will list the number of unread messages next to the mailbox name. You can set each box individually on how you want unread messages to be displayed with no-popup, pop-up and unread header. The pop-up flashes up to 5 unread headers to give you a quick snapshot of the unread email in your inbox without having to browse there to check, very handy. This is similar to the wayMfE works in FP1 devices except the mailbox doesn't disappear from the homescreen when there are no unread messages.
The inbox layout is much easier to read as are messages with nice contrast. Inbox message listing now also finally includes the message time versus having to flounder your way through message options to find that info.
Shortcuts!! There are now easy to use shortcuts standardized throughout the messaging client. These are the same shortcuts that many have seen with Nokia Messaging installed and it's amazing how much productivity increases. "R" for replay, "A" for replay-all, "U" to quickly mark a message unread, "T" takes you to the top of the inbox, etc. From the message list in the inbox you can select right on the D-pad to bring up options to quickly Reply, Reply All, Forward, Mark Unread, Move or Delete. One of my frustrations with Mail for Exchange v2.9 is the fact that I have to be inside the message and then select from the options menu to mark a message unread. All these options are a step in the right direction.
Mail for Exchange has seen some great updates in functionality. Finally we get subfolder support!! Within the inbox you can select More Folders from the drop menu and browse your inbox subfolders that are on your Exchange server. The bad part of this is that there is no notification when a new message arrives in any of the subfolders . And on top of that there's no change in the folder icon to denote a new message either. You have to browse to each and ever folder to check if there is a new message there which begs the question, why bother? At least with Roadsync you get a red * next to the folder to denote a new message.
Another great addition is the ability to look up Exchange contacts within your email. Simply browse up to the contact, press right on the D-pad and it brings up a list of options for that contact to email, call, save contact, contact details and search. If you select call and the contact is not in your device contact list the phone will ask if you want to search the company directory. Selecting the search option will quickly search all emails that relate to that contact.
We also see an update to the calendar interface. Meeting info in the calendar now shows invitee lists. This was an issue in the old version where you really had no insight into who was invited to meetings. Inside the meeting event each contact has the same little arrow next to it so that you can select right on the D-pad to bring up and options list. Unfortunately when you select call there's no option to search the corporate directory. WTF ? How did this function make it into the email inbox but not into the calendar? This functionality needs to be added to the calendar invitee list as well Nokia.
All these updates are welcome additions to the Mail for Exchange and messaging capabilities of Nokia's devices. However there are still some things to work out. One was a complaint I've had with Mail for Exchange in general on all my devices, it has the propensity to LAG. The E75 gives you the ability to turn transitions on and off for the device. Unfortunately it only works for the menus does not affect the messaging client. Nokia insisted on using fade effects throughout the messaging app that can make it sluggish. Moving quickly from my Gmail inbox to my Mail for Exchange inbox I can literally watch the Gmail message items being depopulated, the header at the top change from Gmail to Mail for Exchange, and then my MfE inbox items populate one at a time. It's less noticeable if I use the Back softkey when leaving the inbox but it's still a couple second wait for this to happen. Opening a calendar event would consistently take between 5 and 10 seconds to open which is an unacceptable amount of time.
Another issue is inside the messaging app itself. Here you can see all of your accounts and icons for settings, directory search and new mailbox. What's missing here from the Nokia Messaging install on FP1 is the number of unread in each mailbox. If I can only list two accounts on the homescreen this is a great place to do a quick check of my other accounts to see if I have any new messages. This worked well in the old client but for some reason Nokia removed this feature on the integrated client. Why force me to physically open each inbox to see if I have any new messages?
Overall the E75 messaging client brings some much needed updates for productivity improvements. The sluggishness tells me that this client needs a faster processor to really let this app shine. Hopefully this is much less of an issue with some code optimization and with the new 600MHz E-series devices that are coming out soon; E52, E55, E72. I really enjoyed using the E75 overall and really liked the new functionality. I miss a lot of it now that I'm back to my E71 but the lagging can be frustrating at times when you need the device to just work for you and work for you quickly. I hope that Nokia continues this trend of increased functionality but also hope that they work out the performance issues as well. There's so much potential here that will be wasted if the user is totally frustrated by the response of their device.
Device
My main device for the past 11 months has been the Nokia E71 which is highly regarded in terms of build quality. The E75 brings a fairly solid build to it and I like the look and feel of the phone. My device is the N75 NAM Black model and it's a sharp looking device that has a solid feel in your hand and provides a feeling of quality whenever you hold the phone. The slider on the device was solid as well, opening and closing easily and solidly with no wobble.
The front keypad takes a little getting used to with the soft keys. I was initially disappointed at the removal of the dedicated contacts key from the E71 but I quickly realized that I never used it having the home screen contact search makes the contacts key somewhat useless. Sliding the phone open reveals the full QWERTY keyboard. Coming from the E71 I found that there's a lot more thumb travel to get to the keys you need and it takes some getting used to. While the key travel feels good and provide adequate feedback, my one huge complaint is that the keys are all extremely flat and it's hard to discern one key from the next by touch. After some time I've gotten better and faster with the keyboard but it takes time.
What I've realized with time with this device is that this form factor really isn't for me. I feel that the landscape layout of the screen is really the best for me personally. When messages arrive I want to be able to quickly respond to them and put the phone away. Constantly sliding the keyboard out to respond to messages makes me feel less productive than pulling out a bar style E71, hammering out a message and then putting the device away. Of course the benefit to the E75 is the large keyboard which many may find easier to type on.
Everything about the phone looks and feels quality until you get to the 2.4" QVGA screen. While adequate to get the job done, it would be nice to push the screen closer to the device edges for increased size and to increase the resolution a bit. Changes in the messaging app fonts means you get more of the message on the screen but so much more could be done with increased size/resolution.
Coming from the E71 one needs to make adjustments in their expectation of battery life. Heavy utilization of the 3G network really takes its toll on the battery of this device and you'll find yourself keeping extra chargers and USB cables around to top off when needed. If I used the device for email throughout the day and a few calls a day the battery life was fine. Music streaming through Mobbler or heavy web browsing would require me to put the phone on the charger before noon.
From a software point of view we have S60 FP2 utilized in an E-series device. N-Gage is supported out of the box with the capability to play accelerometer based games as well. Video playback was better than my E71 and I was able to watch video podcasts that would choke the E71 down. It even easily played a movie file I had converted to play on my N810 which was a huge surprise. Only problem was that 2.4" screen again...
Call quality was excellent and there was little difference between the great call quality I get on the E71 and that I experienced on the E75.
Messaging
Different form factor aside, the real draw to this device is the updated messaging client that comes preloaded on the phone. It is a total refresh from the old Nokia email client that includes support for direct server connection via IMAP or POP3, Intellisync push service via Nokia Messaging (http://email.nokia.com), and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync with Mail for Exchange. Many of the criticisms from the old email client have been addressed with this new client and are welcome additions to functionality and productivity.
First I'll start with my mailbox setup. I use a Mail for Exchange box for my corporate email and push my Gmail and Ovi accounts to my device via Intellisync using Nokia Messaging though my Ovi account really isn't used. Setting up Nokia messaging was as quick as logging in to my account at http://email.nokia.com and selecting the E75 and entering my password. The E75 doesn't respond with a new SMS but rather just starts the provisioning process automatically. Worked quickly and seamlessly. Next I ran the email setup again to enter Mail for Exchange credentials. After a couple minutes I had my contacts, email and calendar events all synced to my device.At first I missed the PIM information in the settings. If you're used to the old separate MfE install you can edit all your sync settings in one place. With the new messaging client in the settings you have a set of options for each mailbox and then a separate set of options for PIM, which includes your calendar, contacts and to-do notes.
Now let's talk about improvements...
Finally there are separate Sent boxes for each mailbox that is configured. This is a huge improvement from the old client where there was one sent folder for all email and SMS/MMS messages. Depending on your email settings it will sync some number of sent messages to your device during the initial sync. This is a great move since important communication is not only inbound.
The ability to see inbox status is improved over what is seen in FP1 devices with MfE and even with Nokia Messaging. You have the ability to list two email inboxes and it will list the number of unread messages next to the mailbox name. You can set each box individually on how you want unread messages to be displayed with no-popup, pop-up and unread header. The pop-up flashes up to 5 unread headers to give you a quick snapshot of the unread email in your inbox without having to browse there to check, very handy. This is similar to the wayMfE works in FP1 devices except the mailbox doesn't disappear from the homescreen when there are no unread messages.
The inbox layout is much easier to read as are messages with nice contrast. Inbox message listing now also finally includes the message time versus having to flounder your way through message options to find that info.
Shortcuts!! There are now easy to use shortcuts standardized throughout the messaging client. These are the same shortcuts that many have seen with Nokia Messaging installed and it's amazing how much productivity increases. "R" for replay, "A" for replay-all, "U" to quickly mark a message unread, "T" takes you to the top of the inbox, etc. From the message list in the inbox you can select right on the D-pad to bring up options to quickly Reply, Reply All, Forward, Mark Unread, Move or Delete. One of my frustrations with Mail for Exchange v2.9 is the fact that I have to be inside the message and then select from the options menu to mark a message unread. All these options are a step in the right direction.
Mail for Exchange has seen some great updates in functionality. Finally we get subfolder support!! Within the inbox you can select More Folders from the drop menu and browse your inbox subfolders that are on your Exchange server. The bad part of this is that there is no notification when a new message arrives in any of the subfolders . And on top of that there's no change in the folder icon to denote a new message either. You have to browse to each and ever folder to check if there is a new message there which begs the question, why bother? At least with Roadsync you get a red * next to the folder to denote a new message.
Another great addition is the ability to look up Exchange contacts within your email. Simply browse up to the contact, press right on the D-pad and it brings up a list of options for that contact to email, call, save contact, contact details and search. If you select call and the contact is not in your device contact list the phone will ask if you want to search the company directory. Selecting the search option will quickly search all emails that relate to that contact.
We also see an update to the calendar interface. Meeting info in the calendar now shows invitee lists. This was an issue in the old version where you really had no insight into who was invited to meetings. Inside the meeting event each contact has the same little arrow next to it so that you can select right on the D-pad to bring up and options list. Unfortunately when you select call there's no option to search the corporate directory. WTF ? How did this function make it into the email inbox but not into the calendar? This functionality needs to be added to the calendar invitee list as well Nokia.
All these updates are welcome additions to the Mail for Exchange and messaging capabilities of Nokia's devices. However there are still some things to work out. One was a complaint I've had with Mail for Exchange in general on all my devices, it has the propensity to LAG. The E75 gives you the ability to turn transitions on and off for the device. Unfortunately it only works for the menus does not affect the messaging client. Nokia insisted on using fade effects throughout the messaging app that can make it sluggish. Moving quickly from my Gmail inbox to my Mail for Exchange inbox I can literally watch the Gmail message items being depopulated, the header at the top change from Gmail to Mail for Exchange, and then my MfE inbox items populate one at a time. It's less noticeable if I use the Back softkey when leaving the inbox but it's still a couple second wait for this to happen. Opening a calendar event would consistently take between 5 and 10 seconds to open which is an unacceptable amount of time.
Another issue is inside the messaging app itself. Here you can see all of your accounts and icons for settings, directory search and new mailbox. What's missing here from the Nokia Messaging install on FP1 is the number of unread in each mailbox. If I can only list two accounts on the homescreen this is a great place to do a quick check of my other accounts to see if I have any new messages. This worked well in the old client but for some reason Nokia removed this feature on the integrated client. Why force me to physically open each inbox to see if I have any new messages?
Overall the E75 messaging client brings some much needed updates for productivity improvements. The sluggishness tells me that this client needs a faster processor to really let this app shine. Hopefully this is much less of an issue with some code optimization and with the new 600MHz E-series devices that are coming out soon; E52, E55, E72. I really enjoyed using the E75 overall and really liked the new functionality. I miss a lot of it now that I'm back to my E71 but the lagging can be frustrating at times when you need the device to just work for you and work for you quickly. I hope that Nokia continues this trend of increased functionality but also hope that they work out the performance issues as well. There's so much potential here that will be wasted if the user is totally frustrated by the response of their device.