Out of the box first impressions of the AT&T E71X

I received an E71X review unit today from WOM World. I haven’t had a chance to use the device extensively yet, but it has made an excellent first impression on me. The E71X is handsome, elegant, and smart. It feels great in the hand, and after several weeks with the N97, I am loving the qwerty keyboard. I love the E71 and thought that being carrier supported that this version of the E71 might be inferior in build. It's not. It's every bit as solid as the E71. I haven't explored the software yet, but the hardware is impressive.

I’ll be sharing my thoughts here over the next few weeks.

Qik is the bomb!

I met Andrew Currie, a tech blogger from Toronto at a Nokia party last week. He twittered about holding a Q&A about the N97 Monday morning at eleven via Qik. Now, I've known about Qik for a while. Qik is a mobile app that allows anyone to stream live video using a cellphone. It comes pre-loaded with my N97.

At 11:00am, sitting in my cubicle, I remembered Andrew was going to be on Qik...live! I clicked on the link provided via Andrew's tweet and was directed to a Qik page . I typed in "Good morning", and saw Andrew's eyes flicker, and heard him respond. I don't know why, but I had an epiphany... I mean, if you really think about it, how cool is that? Being able to stream video live.. anywhere... anytime...with your cellphone! The potential...the possibilities!

Before punching out for the evening, I decided to fire up my N97, to try streaming live video of myself sitting in my cubicle. I IMed a friend and sent her my Qik link. She commented she could see my nose... My phone was all over the place and was pointed at the old noggin just at the moment.

I need to invest in a tripod so I can keep my N97 still. Hey, its something new for me to do with my $699 N97 smartphone.

My New Mobile Computer: The Nokia N97

I brought home a new Nokia N97 three weeks ago. I had to sell my XV6800, and a Kindle to raise money for the $699 phone. This is Nokia's flagship, and I have been riding the wave of blog hype, launch parties, and promotions. Is the Nokia N97 all that it claims to be? Is it a mobile computer connecting users to the internet in new ways?

The phone is pretty to look at. I went to the Flagship NYC Nokia store intent on buying the black N97, but walked out with a white one. I can be so irrational. In most informal polls, the white N97 model fares slightly better with customers.

What I like best about the phone right now is its homescreen, 32G of storage space, Ovi, and the browser. I am relatively new to the S60 platform, and learning about all of its offerings. The camera is 5 megapixels. I also own a Nokia N82 which is the king of S60 camera phones, but the N97 takes good pictures. Some of the colors are a little washed out, but the picture quality is acceptable for a camera phone.

I decided to keep the N97. The S60 platform reminds me of the Windows Mobile platform. It takes some work to get it to do everything you need and want from a smartphone. I've also fallen in with a group of dedicated S60 users here in NYC, and they played a factor in my decision to keep the phone. I was impressed with their devotion to the platform, as well as all the innovative ways they use S60 phones to suit their mobile lifestyles.