Blackberry v's Nokia E71

Gavin Scott · Thu 12 Feb, 2009 19.57

Doing a little review of our business mobiles, and this new dealy has been brought to my attention.

We're currently using Blackberrys, which costs £20 per handset per month for the email pushing service, £40 per month for global roaming on this, whereas the Nokia E71 is slightly thinner, more robust, better looking, and runs a Microsoft Exchange based push email for £4.12 per month.

Can anyone give me any reason why I shouldn't switch?

Netizen · Thu 12 Feb, 2009 20.53

Can't comment on the Nokia itself, but having had experience with the problems caused by integrating Blackberry Enterprise Server with Exchange, a native Exchange client can only make life much easier. On the other hand I really like the scrollerball on blackberries. Why can't more phones have that?

Gavin Scott · Thu 12 Feb, 2009 21.29

Netizen wrote:Can't comment on the Nokia itself, but having had experience with the problems caused by integrating Blackberry Enterprise Server with Exchange, a native Exchange client can only make life much easier. On the other hand I really like the scrollerball on blackberries. Why can't more phones have that?

I'll let our IT company look after the server side, but the handsets will be super easy. One of the reps I saw had one in his pocket. He showed me the config screen at it was, username > password > domain > done. I couldn't believe my eyes.

The trackball I think my boss could learn to live without, although it does work well.

Sput · Thu 12 Feb, 2009 21.30

I've always found the best question to answer is this: Is it broke? Does it really need fixing? Have you got that many handsets that it's a big expense and really pays off to change over?

Gavin Scott · Thu 12 Feb, 2009 21.42

Sput wrote:I've always found the best question to answer is this: Is it broke? Does it really need fixing? Have you got that many handsets that it's a big expense and really pays off to change over?

Oh fuck yes. And no.

We have a relatively tiny amount of handsets - just 8 numbers on contract. But our bills are phenomenal.

In the last six months I have seen bills around £300, £500 and the better part of a grand. This is largely due to regular trips to non-European locations - Dubai and New York mostly, from where it can cost 160p per minute to ring the office.

Having run the numbers switching from 02 to Orange and dropping Blackberry, I'm looking at £1,200 per year saving. Slightly more on T Mobile, who perform well in the USA, but I have my doubts about UAE.

So in short, it may not be broke, but I can make it work better, for less.

adamcobb55 · Fri 13 Feb, 2009 08.00

Having used both a Blackberry Curve and an E71 I have found the E71 to be a much nicer phone. It is lovely and thin and is less prone to strange lock-ups and problems (although mine was locked to Vodafone and the firmware would never upgrade). Would totally recommend the E71 especially as you can stop shelling out for BlackBerry's worse than useless email service.

Gavin Scott · Fri 13 Feb, 2009 09.27

adamcobb55 wrote:Having used both a Blackberry Curve and an E71 I have found the E71 to be a much nicer phone. It is lovely and thin and is less prone to strange lock-ups and problems (although mine was locked to Vodafone and the firmware would never upgrade). Would totally recommend the E71 especially as you can stop shelling out for BlackBerry's worse than useless email service.

Thanks Adam. That's exactly the kind of ringing (no pun...) endorsement I was looking for!

Gavin Scott · Fri 13 Feb, 2009 09.58

nodnirG kraM wrote:I would be tempted towards the Nokia, but with the following completely unresearched or verified statement (given that I've never used a Blackberry) and that is that Nokias tend to be great for about three months until they get clogged up with whatever data you put on them, and then tend to be argumentative little sh_ts from then on. Plus Blackberry is made solely for this particular market, whereas Nokia aims themselves at every single person in the market place.

The way it was put to me was that Nokia has been so focussed on the consumer market, that they let RIM Blackberry take the business market in its entirety. On seeing the volumes of potential business they effectively handed to another company, they jumped in with the E series business mobiles.

One of the reps I spoke with, a very young and naive salesman, told me quite openly about the £150-200 cash back they get from RIM for shifting a Blackberry handset with software. They make no such commission on the Nokia/Exchange setup - aside from their usual commission. I was impressed with his candour - and its made me more inclined to consider his proposal seriously.

m-in-m · Fri 13 Feb, 2009 10.11

I have literally just got an E71 and have to admit it seems to do the trick. Mail for Exchange was easy as pie to setup. Can't comment on battery life as I haven't had it long enough yet. That would be possibly the only concern. Nokia have had some dodgy battery lifes - 1 day or less. If they are pushing seriously into the business market which this phone looks like they are I would guess they have dealt with this problem.