Nokia E62 (AT&T)
Starting at: $59.99
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on:
- Updated on:
The good: The Nokia E62 boasts a vibrant and sharp screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a full array of wireless options (Bluetooth, UMTS). The Symbian smart phone also has solid call quality, a speakerphone, the ability to view and edit Office documents, and robust e-mail capabilities.
The bad: The Nokia E62's miniSD slot is located inconveniently behind the battery cover, and the device was sometimes sluggish when switching between apps. There's no camera option, either.
The bottom line: The Nokia E62 certainly isn't for everyone, but with its powerful productivity apps, connectivity options, and solid call quality, the smart phone will make a good addition to a corporate user's arsenal.
With its slim profile and full QWERTY keyboard, the Nokia E62 bears more than a striking resemblance to the Motorola Q and the RIM BlackBerry 8700 series, but that's not to say the smart phone doesn't have its own personality--with both good points and bad.
It's an attractive device overall, with an all-silver casing that makes it appropriate for the business set. At 4.6 by 2.7 by 0.5 inches and 5 ounces, the E62 is slightly bigger than the Moto Q, and will take some acclimation to use as a phone because it has a wider, blockier body. There are three buttons on the left spine--Volume Up, Volume Down, and Voice Record--but nothing on the right side, where we looked instinctively for a jog dial and a Back button like those found on the Q and BlackBerrys. We missed these controls, and their absence made it harder to use the E62 one-handed. Also, a Hold button would have been nice, since it was fairly easy to trigger the voice record function, and we ended up with a handful of useless recordings.
The E62's 2.8-inch screen certainly demands attention. It's large and bright with a 320x240 pixel resolution and 16-million-color output. Text and images looked excellent, and even better, it was still readable in sunlight; you can also adjust the backlighting and contrast. Just be aware that it's not a touch screen, so keep this in mind as you're shopping around for your new smart phone. You can enter all of the E62's commands via the navigation array below the screen and the full QWERTY keyboard. The array consist of left and right selection keys, Talk and End buttons for phone calls, a Menu shortcut, an e-mail launch key, and a four-way navigation joystick that acts as an OK button when you press it. We found all controls well spaced and easy to use, and they're large enough that even users with larger digits shouldn't have too many mishaps.
For the most part, we had the same praises for the keyboard as well. The buttons are fairly large, although the layout isn't quite as roomy as on the Q, particularly the bottom row. Still, we didn't have any problems firing off quick notes and messages, and the keys are adequately backlit for typing in darker environments. Our only complaint would be that the keys felt a bit stiff to press.
As a business-centric device, the Nokia E62 doesn't come equipped with a camera, although some may still want to have this option. It does have a miniSD expansion slot, but it's inconveniently located behind the battery cover on the left side; the one upside is you don't actually have to remove the whole battery. The accessories included with the E62 will vary depending on the market; ours came with a USB cable, an AC adapter, a miniSD card, a software CD, and reference material.
Packed with powerful productivity apps and wireless options, the Nokia E62 is sure to be a corporate crowd pleaser. The E62 runs Symbian OS 9.1, Series 60 third edition, and comes with full support for viewing and editing Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents--an advantage it holds over the Moto Q. We used the included USB cable to transfer all three types of files to the E62 and had no problems opening them; we were pleased that little, if any, formatting was lost. In particular we were pleased to find we could edit the documents, including the PowerPoint presentations, which is a feature you won't find on too many devices. If that's not enough, there's a Screen Export function that allows you to display the E62's screen via a compatible projector. The smart phone also works with Adobe Reader and Zip Manager, and comes with your basic PIM apps and organization tools, such as a calendar, notes, a calculator, a clock, a voice recorder, and a currency converter. There's 75MB of built-in memory, which is a bit on the lower side, but it's helped by the miniSD slot.
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Compare selected Bonnie Cha is chief correspondent for Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
User Reviews
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Most Helpful User Review
stars 32 of 33 users found this review helpful
"Great Personal Smart Phone" By eegb81
Pros Excellent call quality, Excellent Overall Smart Phone
Cons A Very Basic PDA, No Wifi, Takes a while to switch from applications
Summary I have been a TREO 650 user since September 2005. I decided switching to Nokia E62 since the TREO is very unstable (often needs restart) and has poor call quality. Treo 650 has many great features and software as a PDA, but it surely isn't a good phone at ... Expand full review
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Specifications
See full specsQuick Specs
- Service provider: Not specified
- Cellular technology: GSM
- Talk time: Up to 360 min
