I was visiting CTIA last week in Las Vegas and got reintroduced to the Nokia E75.  I was handed a brand new topaz colored handset.  I was told I needed to update the firmware on it before I should start using it but do you think I was going to wait till later that afternoon to play, NO WAY.  So I started in with it and set up my email and started downloading apps.  I instantly fell in love.  It was pretty good from the get go but figured I shouldn’t install to much because I would have to update the firmware and have to start over fresh.  Well low and behold when I got the updated firmware every single app was still right where I left it.  That was a very nice way to start this new and enjoyable relationship.

The first thing I did when I got the E75 was start playing with the slide out QWERTY keyboard.  It’s pretty good.  The slide itself is rock solid.  The E75 is a true E series in terms of strength and it gives you a great feeling in your hand.  I also learned that it is supposed to be the evolution of the E90 Communicator.

For me one of the exciting new additions with S60 3rd edition feature pack 2 is a really strong new email app.  Well it’s much nicer then the old one but not as nice as I expected.  I have been using Emoze and it is better then the built in email app. Don’t get me wrong, the built in app is not bad or lacking by any means, it just doesn’t seem as polished as it could be.

Some of the things I really like about the E75:

• Tri band 3G and quad band GSM radios. Meaning both the European and North American (NAM) versions will work in most countries around the world.
• Camera has dedicated shutter button that also acts to start the camera (a bit slow to start but it works).
• Ovi Contacts (Ovi instant messenger) appears on the home screen when downloaded and activated.
• I can go to either of my 2 emails I have on the phone directly from the home screen by highlighting that account versus going to just my default account or the email home screen which lists both accounts.
• The user interface (UI) is pretty snappy and nicely polished.
• The battery life seems like it’s pretty good.  I will have to test it more but I get the feeling it will go the distance.
• The rotation from standard phone interface to having the QWERTY keyboard slid out is nice and fast.
• I really like the fact that the phone can be charged via Micro USB or the traditional prong charger.
• Lastly the handset just feels good.  It has a comfortable and strong feel in your hand.  It’s not plastic feeling at all and has some heft to it.  Along with that fact, I consider this a huge plus, my wife wants it.  She wants to steal it from me.  Her only request was that she get it in white.  Now I know that there’s a white one floating around somewhere so if the white variant doesn’t go to market can my wife have it when your done with it?

Now there are some things I don’t like about this handset also:

• First off and most annoying is the fact that my handset (and I’ve heard at least one other handset also has this problem) is VERY mushy in terms of response when you push the D pad down. I have a real issue with this as it’s one of the most common key presses on phones.  I’m hoping it’s just one or 2 of these handsets and not a whole run of them but it’s something that a buyer needs to keep in mind.
• I don’t find the slide out QWERTY keyboard to be all that pleasurable to type on,  This is a pure preference thing for me, I just prefer the form factor of the Nokia E71.  As far as the keyboard goes though it is very good.  The tactile feedback is nice and so are the keys themselves.  I don’t find I have very many missed key presses in general.
• I have a real problem with Nokia’s decision on their implementation of the predictive text.  Every time I want to use the question mark I need to press the right direction on the Dpad to “disconnect” from the word so an apostrophe doesn’t appear instead of the question mark.  I find this unbelievably annoying and don’t think very much hands on testing of the handset was done.
• This last thing is not a big issue but still and issue.  I don’t like having the red “end” button used as power on and off.

All in all I think the Nokia E75 is an absolute gem of a handset.  It does everything it’s supposed to and does it all VERY well.  There are some new tweaks and additions to it that make it an upgrade from any other E Series and N Series device.  Of course there are some things I don’t like about it but it’s my job to find those things and point them out so you the reader can make an educated purchasing decision without ever holding the handset in your hand.  To help you make that decision I will say that I give this phone a big thumbs up.  I would recommend purchasing it without hesitation to anybody.  Keeping in mind it’s limitations, for example it’s not made for taking pictures.  All in all for someone who does a lot of email or texting it’s a great handset.  It’s also nice to have the dedicated calendar/email buttons and a dedicated stand alone S60 phone on the front.

It’s a great phone and I recommend it.