Nokia E70

Performance
From a basic phone performance viewpoint we were happy enough with the E70's performance during our test period. Nokia rates the E70's battery life on a per-network basis (GSM or 3G), and given the roaming nature of most mobile users that means that the battery life could vary quite a bit. Talk time is rated from 3-7 hours--depending on the network and whether you're using the VoIP capabilities--and standby time is anywhere from five to fourteen days. In our testing in a mixed mode environment we averaged five days between recharges on a moderate usage pattern, which is acceptable for a phone with this feature set.

There's definitely a market for a BlackBerry-style phone without the inconvenience of the BlackBerry form factor, and the E70 fits the bill quite well. Like Nokia's other faux 'Berries, we're not taken with the joystick which has a tendency to overclick when you're scrolling down lists, although we were surprised at how generally easy the keyboard is to use for most typing functions. The single exception to this is if you need lots of shift key usage. While there are shift keys on both sides of the keyboard, getting your fingers around hitting shift and another key still requires lots of dexterity, and in our case plenty of knuckle-cracking noises.

The E70 fits in a good space for those wanting Blackberry style business features but who don't want an obvious brick making bad creases in their jacket pockets or lumps in their handbags.

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