Nokia E71 Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Media Player, GPS, Wi-Fi, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Gray) Immediately

Nokia E71 Unlocked Cell Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Media Player, GPS - U.S. Version with Warranty (Gray) I was looking for an unlocked GSM phone when I travel abroad. There are numerous products that serve this need. I bought the E71 because it promised additional features, particularly WiFi and GPS. Indeed, the promise of a GPS was my prime reason to jump into this price level rather than settle for a standard GSM phone; unfortunately, it is completely useless.

Pros: The GSM worked well in several countries; however, it is difficult to find providers who support prepaid GSM with Internet connection (In the UK, O2 turned out, through a recent visit, to be an excellent provider of both).
The WiFi works well so you can get your email and access web services, even if the screen and keyboard provide for a poorly designed user interface (e.g., as compared with iPhone and the likes). The camera works, but is of little value for me.

Cons:
1. Even as a mere phone the E71 is a trouble. You cannot dial without looking at the keyboard; and it takes some practice to hit the right keys. But the advanced features are a practical disaster.
2. The GPS software simply does not work. It refuses to provide voice instructions or visual instructions, like any standard GPS. After many hours of struggling with the cryptic and useless manual and with Nokia's web site, I gave up. [Among other I followed up the instructions given to other E71 users for activating voice; I downloaded the "map loader" software into my Mac, then the "multimedia transfer" and tried to use these to get maps into the E71; but all I got is complaints from the map-loader that the phone has no memory card -- even when it has 8GB of free memory]. I managed to preload a map of London before a recent travel. But, when I reached London it turned out that the map covered a tiny section of the city and did not include such central areas as Kensington where we were staying. One bright spot is that Google Maps works on the E71. However, in the absence of voice, it is useless for navigation. Nokia should best discard its GPS software and make Google maps work on the E71; it will save itself money and save users the frustrations.
3. The "free" radio application, likewise, refuses to play radio through the WiFi access point and requires the use of a cellular network, where you would pay for the "free" radio more than you would pay for a satellite radio service.
4. I would grade the user interface around 4 on a scale of 0-10 (I am a software professional). Nokia should perhaps buy iPhones for its product managers so they can learn how to get it right.
5. The manual and web support are useless in resolving problems.

All in all, you get a GSM camera phone and internet access -- if you can find respective prepaid providers-- with a poorly designed software and user interfaces. But then, why waste hundreds of dollars when you can get a vanilla unlocked GSM phone that will do the job. Better still, wait for the iPhone to become unlocked, or for unlocked versions of Google's Android.

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