Pnksniper’s Weblog

Hello World! I have been trialing the E66 for about a week now and I must say the similarities between the E66 and the E71 are uncanny.  I call the E66 the little brother but in reality I believe they are both equal more like twin brothers with different characteristics.  Even with all the similarities though there are enough differences that set this phone apart.  Lets explore these and find what sets the E66 apart from the E71.  Enjoy!

The introduction of the new E-series handsets by Nokia has stirred quite a bit of interest from the public simply because the quality of the handsets are impeccable.  Although the E66 has not received as must attention as the E71 (much of the reason being that the E71 is a qwerty device) the quality of the handset is superior to most handsets on the market to date.

Design:

The design of the E66 is similar to that of the E71, heavy steel pieces mixed with plastic components to create a truly solid masterpiece.  The phone is beautiful when viewed in person and photos do not do this phone justice.  As apposed to the bar qwerty styling of the E71,  Nokia chose to go with a sliding form factor for the unit.  The construction of the device is solid without any creaks in the device (common for phones with a lot of plastic parts) or wobble in the slider (common defect seen in the flagship N95 model).  The phone packs a 3.2MP camera w/ video capability, GPS w/ A-GPS capability, 2.4″ 16 million color screen, 2.5mm headset jack, Wi-Fi, microUSB, and 3G.

Left:2.5mm jack and MicroUSB slot | Right:Camera button, Volume Rocker

Screen:

The phone houses a 2.4″ 16 million color display that sits flush with the bezel of the handset.  This leaves the screen prone to scratches and I do highly recommend applying a screen protector before heavy use.  From the factory Nokia does have a display protector applied to the unit, but I believe this mainly to protect the screen during construction and shipping and is only a temporary solution.  Eventually the protector does peel off exposing the screen underneath.  As with most recent Nokia phones the display looks great.  The words are clear and the colors are bright and accurate.  The colors become washed out when exposed to direct sunlight but is a common occurrence in most phones.  Although not as large as some would like I think that the 2.4″ is enough to get the job done.  The past 3 review units I have received have all had 2.4″ screens and I haven’t had an issue with the size.  One thing to note about the screen is that Nokia does have a built in accelerometer for the E66 that automatically rotates the orientation of the screen to landscape.  Although I like the idea and the feature does work, I wish that the screen rotation would be more accurate.  I would find myself many times tilting the phone just to orientate it to the proper view while trying to access music, numbers, etc.

Keypad:

Being a sliding handset the E66 houses two sets of keypads.  One being the top layer that sits on the top portion of the phone and the other being the number pad that is housed on the bottom portion.  The top portion has the D-pad + OK/Select, Start call, End call, Home, Contact, Message, Calendar,  left and right assignable key, and a back button.  The unique part of the design is that when the unit is not illuminated there are no visible icons on the front besides the call and end buttons.  This adds a great touch to the design.  The keys are solid and the size of the buttons are acceptable.  I think that the Home, Contact, Calender, and Message button are on the small side and people with larger fingers/hands will have an issue with this part of the phone, but overall good design with good feedback from the keys.  The bottom portion houses the number pad which is a good size and does not have the gap issue which is seen in many sliding phones.  The top row (1-3) are spaced perfectly away from the bottom of the sliding portion on top.  The keys are accessible and I never have issues with fingers being mashed into the top part.  The keys illuminate evenly and are bright.  The design of the keys also make this area a joy to feel. The comfort of the keys is accomplished by having a raised area on the bottom of each number key that tilts the button slightly upwards. A minor change to the standard flat keypad but the user gets a different but albeit better experience.

Left: E66 with keypad no illumination | Right: E66 with keypad illuminated

Two issues that I encountered with the E66 is the placement of the power button and the depth of the volume rocker buttons.  When the unit is open the power cannot be accessed easily. The button is recessed within the case and is extremely difficult to press when a profile needs to be switched.   The other issue is with the volume rocker.  The buttons are flat and there is not enough distinction between the up and down keys.  The construction of the keys is different from the ones found on the E71,  the E66’s buttons are lined together without a break between the buttons.

Left: E66 Power button | Right: E66 (top) and E71 (bottom) volume rocker

One of my favorite introductions to the E-series is the pulsing D-pad which alerts users of missed calls, messages, etc.  Although I love this feature I pretty much have the same gripes as I did with the E71 (better customization, different colors for specific events).

Software:

Since the software components are identical to the E71 (refer to E71 software review) Ill be covering the differences in the E66 as apposed to a complete software run down.  One of the major differences is the QuickOffice application.  Although it is the same version found on the E71, the program on the E66 does not support creation of new documents, worksheets, or presentations without the purchase of an upgrade.  The other difference is in the cosmetic upgrade that Nokia has applied to the OS.  The fading effects/transitions found within the menu system is a welcome change that looks good and doesnt slow down the performance of the phone.  The phone is fast and efficient like the E71 as can be expected since the phone has the same internals as the E71.

Camera:

The E66 has the same 3.2MP camera that’s found in the E71.  The image quality of the unit is sub par and works better in well lit areas.  The video quality also suffers with maximum resolution being 640×480 @ 15fps.   Besides the lack of a high quality camera in the the E66 the phone suffered from a glitch that would occur when taking photos or video.  One important thing to notate is the presence of a camera button on the E66.  Although this button does not start the camera application, it is used to take photos and has a half press and full press capability which is missing in the E71.  The unit would start the camera application and the pictures/video on the viewfinder would be upside down.  I don’t know how many units have the same issue but there is no doubt that this issue can be fixed with a future firmware upgrade.

Left: Indoor shot | Right: Indoor Shot Low Light (will update with better shots)

Outdoor Shots: (Updating)

E66 Video:

Music:

The E66 houses a single speaker which can be found on the bottom of the device.  Although the speaker is loud enough to produce clear tones, the unit suffers when trying to play music through its single speaker.  The positioning of the speaker is also an issue since it located at the bottom of the phone.  I found highly irritating since my hand is usually holds the bottom of the phone thus covering the speaker.  While for music the sounds was good, it was by no means clear or loud when turned up.  If in a private setting the speaker works great but when in a real world application outdoors or driving, the speaker just is not enough.

GPS: The GPS works well and with assisted GPS locks quickly. Since the device is similar please refer to the E71 review for more details about the GPS.

Web:  Since the device is similar please refer to the E71 review for more details about the web performance.

Overall the E66 is a speedy device that has a lot to offer.  It offers what the E71 can do in a smaller package.  Although it does suffer from some minor flaws in design and the camera is not the best, it is what can be expected from a business focused device.