When I Shouldn't Have Judged the Book Phone By it's Cover

When I first read about the Nokia E71 a few months back, I never really bothered to dig deeper about it. To me, it was just one of those phones by Nokia, crammed with all the latest technologies but lacking in actual purpose.

I was more interested in the BlackBerry Bold. Touted as the best ever BlackBerry by crackberry addicts, the shear design of the Bold is undeniably bold. But, the thought of the monthly suscription to the BlackBerry services, plus the unlimited data packages to make full use of device made me think twice. Then, came the day when I finally got to hold the Bold. All my excitement turned to ashes. The size is just too bold to be true (to the pocket). I can never fit in in my jeans.

After I played around with my friends' (yes.. 3 of my friends own it) Nokia E71, I was completely amazed by the overall built and regretted my ignorance. It is bolder in a few areas compared to the BlackBerry (at least to my specifications).

1. The dimension is super slim. The thickness is about the same as my Motorola V9 making it friendlier to jeans.
2. The material used screams "executive, elegant, slick, cool" and the list goes on. My only worry is that the back cover is a fingerprint magnet.
3. The in-the-box package is generous. Nokia decided to play bold and give away 2GB memory card, a cool leather case and strap (both unnecessary to me) beside the usuals (charger, USB cable, manual etc)
4. The seemingly small keyboard (at least to my standard) is mind bogglingly easy to use even to people with large fingers. Yes, I won't be able to use both hands to type in messages but one hand operation is easy and manageable.

Then came the Nokia E63 aka the poor man's E71 for lacking HSDPA (but still maintaning the slower 3G) and GPS and also a smaller 2MP camera. It comes in cooler shades having a blue and red casing in plastic covers. I seriously wouldn't mind the downgrades because I won't be using GPS and I am done from surfing for movies showtimes (on Maxis official portal) from my phone without having the unlimited data package. The charges are unbelievably ridiculous for text only (almost no images) content.

Sadly, then came the day when I finally got to bold hold the actual unit at Sg Wang Plaza even though it is yet to be released in Malaysia officially (surprise.. surprise). Surprisingly, the plastic cover, as compared to E71's stainless steel body, doesn't bother me much. What turned me off was the fact that being stripped of some functions from it's sibling, the E63 somehow managed to gain size in the thickness division. I am still puzzled to the moment I am typing this entry. Furthermore, the price quoted is just RM200 cheaper than E71, what the...

As much as I love the Bold and dream of a slimmer (if not cheaper) E63, I guess I'm back to square one.. E71 please forgive me for my prejudgement..