Every phone I’ve ever had has been a Nokia. Sure, just like other guys I may have flirted with other phones but in the end, I’d come back to the trusty old Nokia, it’s a guy thing, it’s safe and you know exactly what you’re going to get.
I once got a Sony Ericsson, but that lasted for almost all of 2 hours before I cursed myself for trying something different and got my old Nokia back out the box.
For the last few years, I’ve been using an N73, and it was pretty much perfect, but over time the OS slowed down and it took forever to get things done, even opening text messages resulted in an annoying 10 second delay!
The cynic and conspiracy theorist in me says the shocking slowdown of the Symbian S60 operating system is intentional and designed to make you change phones every few years. But I also sometimes wear tin foil hats, so what do I know?
The final straw came, however, when the main select button stopped working and defaulted to a constantly on status. This resulted in many unintentional prank calls, in one case over 50 calls was made to a single person over a one hour period!
At that point, I knew it was time to get me a new mobile.
The previous week I trawled around all the phone stores looking at various models and checking out specs. I’d like to say I’m free and easy when it comes to styling and design, but i’m not. I’m very fussy and particular. I know exactly what I like and can usually focus in on a particular model quite quickly.
I knew I wanted a phone with a full qwerty keyboard, because I’m constantly typing notes on my phone, and it had to have wi-fi built in, so it narrowed down my options a lot. At first i was looking at the new Nokia N97 with its touch screen and slide out keypad, but when I saw it in real life I was disappointed at how big it was and how unproportioned.
Eventually my eye fell on the E75 and I knew instantly that I had to have it. However, being of the internet generation I know it’s pretty stupid to shell out £275 without consulting the all knowing oracle. So over the past week, I researched what other people were saying and the result was conclusive:
Internet, it says yes
Fortunately I had quite a good week on the internet and my crappy (as in design, not content) little articles site ended up covering the cost of the phone – which is a beautiful thing because it means I can spend nearly all my wage on beer making intelligent and long term investments.
So, armed with 25000 rupees in my pocket, I headed off to the Nokia store in the labyrinth that is Spencer Plaza, where even hardened explorers have got lost and no known floor plan exists, except in the stuff of legends.
Tying a ball of string the entrance, I navigated myself to where the Nokia store lives. The conversation went something like this…
staff: hello sir, can I help you?
me: yes, I would like this e75
staff: ah, good choice sir
me: yep, I’ve read all about it
staff: *eyes glazing over as he launches into his speech* it has a 3.2 megapixel camera and comes with an 8gb memory card
me: yep, so can I…*cut off by the salesrep*
staff: it’s got bluetooth, 3g and WLAN connectivity, so you can check you emails from anywhere
me: uh huh, i just want-
staff: you will even get 3 months subscription to Nokia gps which will give you maps and directions for every major city in India
me: sure will come in handy in spencer plaza, eh? [editor: the place is a maze, I tell you]
staff: the keypad can slide out like this to reveal a full qwerty keypad
me: I know, that’s why I wanted it, can I buy it?
staff: it will play your mp3 files, mp4 videos or you can view your photos in your album
me: I know all this, can I get it!?
staff: and look sir, it has a full office suite, you can create your word docs, excel sheets and power point presentations, all on the phone!
me: I know all this, can we start with the formalities?
staff: sir, this is a true business phone that will keep you connected 24 hours a day.
me: dude! *I shouted, getting completely exasperated*
staff: yessir?
Me: dude, *my face and voice both relax* you had me at hello.
But he didn’t get the joke, I did eventually get the phone though.
And I don’t think I’ve made a bad decision. Infact, this blog entry you’ve just read (or at least scanned) was written, edited and uploaded…all on the Nokia E75.
I’ve got a Nokia 6500s and it’s alright. The battery annoys me a bit, though. It’s at full charge for a day. At the end of the second day, there’s a little white bit invading the green on the battery display. Next morning, there’s a little bit more white, but nothing to worry about so I don’t bother charging. Four hours later the phone’s dead. My previous phone (also a Nokia, I forget the model) lasted me two weeks (going downhill with the wind behind me, of course) before needing a charge.
It’s probably because I’m cheap and only go with the phone that my network says I can have for free every 18 months.