Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 preview: First look

The Nokia E66 builds on the successful Nokia E65. The E66 is functionally identical to Nokia E71, which we covered in more detail. It's powered by the same 369MHz processor and has the same amount of RAM: 128MB, of which 71MB are available to the user. So again, the E66 is one nippy smartphone, which handles admirably.

Nokia E66

Nokia E66 at a glance:

• Successor of Nokia E65
• Construction and design Nokia E51 style (steel back cover, metal frame)
• 2.4" QVGA (240 x 320 px) display
• Built-in accelerometer
• Symbian S60 9.2 (Feature Pack 1) with some Feature Pack 2 niceties
• Quad-band GSM, 3G with HSDPA
• WiFi, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP and EDR)
• GPS receiver with A-GPS support and Nokia Maps application
• 1000 mAh battery
• microSD card slot (up to 8GB)
• 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash, records VGA video at 22 fps
• Ehanced email support, data encryption, mobile VPN

The Nokia E66 comes in a different form factor as compared to the E71, but retains all the signature fineries of the E-series. The excellent design, metallic body and rich feature load make it a sound alternative of the E71 and still those two won't be running against each other - they are simply targeted at consumer groups with different needs.

Nokia E66 in two different outfits

Nokia E66 has only one feature over the Nokia E71 and that's the built-in accelerometer. It's actually not that much of an advantage - it's more like compensation for the fact that the E66 portrait oriented display is not as good as the E71 one in web browsing, image browsing or reading Office documents.

The accelerometer is used for automatic change of the screen orientation as well as silencing an incoming call by simply turning it face down.

Softwarewise, the Nokia E66 has the same advantages and drawbacks as the E71 - it's limited to the S60 Feature Pack 1 for some unknown reason but features a number of innovations such as the easy email setup, the Mode Switcher, the enhanced Calendar and the improved web browser.

Nokia E66 offers several enhancements over other FP 1 Nokia handsets

Well, we wrap it up with the latest Nokia offerings - the E71 and E66. A welcome break from the N-series looks, those two devices seem to inspire with quality finish and excellent materials and, most of all, eye-pleasing design. We are looking forward to some quality time with them in the comfort of our office.