nokia e-62

The Nokia E62 excels on many points: rich set of features, sturdy design, vivid 320 x 240 display with 16 million colors and efficient, well-thought keypad and software. But a certain number of annoyances also make the whole thing less enthusiastically interesting. That said, it's a cellphone I enjoyed using. It's certainly good enough, but it is not perfect.

Pros

• Talk time of up to 5 hours (300 minutes) does live up to its expectations.
• Vivid display, sturdy design, good navigation joystick.
• All the data transfer you can dream on: memory expansion card

Cons

• Surprisingly slow software. Even bringing up the call log takes up to 2 seconds.
• Uneasy earpiece. If not perfectly centered, sound volume becomes virtually zero.
• Keypad is not the easiest to use.

Description

• Voice and data network types: GSM, HSCSD
• Bar-shaped PDA phone with fixed full QWERTY keyboard
• No camera, probably to satisfy discreet businesses

Guide Review - Nokia E62 Review

The Nokia E62 is part of a new trend that favors thin and lightweight PDA phones. At only 5 ounces and just above half an inch thick, it beats more traditional PDA phones. Yet, it includes a full QWERTY keyboard, perhaps not the best, however: keys are so hard to press... a little more and you'd need to join a gym to get fit enough for your phone. Sound quality was good, except when using the handset directly with the earset not well centered -- then the volume dropped to near zero. They would have needed to sculpt a small engraving on the sides of the earpiece to reach a larger distance. The speakerphone also performed well with an above average volume (a rare feature nowadays) but don't put it too high or it will distort.

Basics-wise, the Nokia E62 is up to the level. I never felt short of battery life too early, cellular signal performance was always stable, the 5-way navigation joystick is easy to control and everything feels sturdy and durable. But as I write this, something still appears like a mystery to me: why is the Nokia E62 responding so slowly? While virtually any phone on the market can bring up its call log in a wink, the Nokia E62 takes more than 2 seconds. Most menus are equally slow. The keypad has a good layout but backlight may make it difficult to recognize number keys at night and the keys are really difficult to press. You need to be in shape to type a few lines of text using the Nokia E62.

After more than 2 weeks using the Nokia E62 as my main phone, I have mixed feelings. There are many annoyances, many things that could have been fine-tuned better but I don't see any major problem. Which makes me conclude that I liked the Nokia E62 but I certainly did not love it. However, I wouldn't mind using it as my own phone. It is satisfying enough.