Comments on: E7 Handset Delay Shows Nokia Becoming a Follower, Not a Leader

By: nokia e7

nokia e7 — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:08:13 +0000

Nokia has had more than enough problems with their N8, and of two evils being late with at good product is definitely to prefer rather than being early with a bad product.

By: zunguri

zunguri — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:29:06 +0000

Sure, the E7 and N8 are more similar than different. So are the iPhone and an old Startac. They are both mobile phones and both do what people expect mobile phones to do. Extending that concept to say that a qwerty slider is like a keyboard-less touch device says more about your ability to discern differences than it does about Nokia’s code base. This difference is EXACTLY why Nokia built two different devices; some people like a physical keyboard and others don’t care.

BTW, just because Nokia didn’t spell out WHY they are delaying doesn’t mean you can arbitrarily choose the reason. Having used a developer E7 for some time now I find it a great device for someone who uses e-mail constantly. I found nothing in the UI or software that I’d call a show-stopper. No, the browser isn’t as fast as Android’s, but it also hasn’t caused me any problems or prevented me from visiting any sites and it certainly wouldn’t be cause to switch devices. Add to this the fact that the speakerphone audio is far superior to its competition and you have a great work phone.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:36:43 +0000

Appreciate that tidbit, Paul. I’ll definitely take a look – thx!

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:41:53 +0000

See entry on nokiausers.net for December 14th.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:37:50 +0000

Sorry Paul, I just looked at the Reuters story I linked to and see no mention of the materials issue you’re pointing out.

You’re right in that I didn’t mention the built-in security of the E7 – mainly because I don’t see what it has to do with this post.

As far as the N8, I had it as long as Nokia would let me keep it and used it for the entire review period.

And yes, I did compare it to my Nexus One at one point in the review, saying “I used my T-Mobile SIM, and the voice experience was at least as good, if not better, than on my Google Nexus One.” So, I’m really not sure of your point there: if it was to illustrate a bias towards my Nexus One, I’d say my reporting is at least as objective as your comment. ;)

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:27:42 +0000

You did not mention the complete Reuters report. Nokia found some issues with the materials it used to manufacture the E7 and delayed release so this could be addresses and corrected. You also do not mention the built-in security on the E-7. If I recall correctly you did not seen to have used the N8 very long and kept comparing the N8 to the Google Nexus One, which I think has been discontinued. I find your reporting generally not objective.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:57:43 +0000

APS, you could be right in terms of reading into things too much. Hard to say with vague statements that don’t really explain the exact reason for the delay. And I would applaud any effort that helps Nokia launch devices sooner after they’re announced, if not at time of announcement. But any changes to that approach really don’t explain the E7 since it was already announced. Hopefully, this gets sorted out quickly and the E7 ships sooner rather than later.

As far as the white iPhone 4 – we’ve covered that a number of times, not to mention the “deathgrip” signal issues, so don’t think they’re exempt from criticism by us. In terms of managing delivery and expectations, I think Apple does a far better job than Nokia, but of course, that’s debatable.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:54:10 +0000

Good thoughts, Mark, and I hope that the software updates bring the device up to the high standards that the hardware deserves.

By: APS

APS — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:04:53 +0000

Kevin,
I think you’re reading far too much into a minor delay in delivering this device. Elop has only been in charge a few months and the current crop of Symbian devices were planned well before he took over. The E7 despite its name and billing as the next Communicator is really only a variant or the N8, C7 & C6-01 and as such it’s not a huge loss that this devices is a bit behind schedule, if no Symbian 3 devices had launched I’d be far more concerned. One of the resent articles I’d read stated that Elop was changing the way Nokia unveils new devices so that a new product is in users hands only weeks after it is announced instead of the months that it currently takes. I think if it hadn’t been for this change the N9 would have been announced at the Meego conference when it clearly isn’t going to be ready to sell till maybe April next year.

Nokia tends to bundle in extra software with E-series devices. These include encryption, VPN, office apps and a better calendar. Maybe it’s one of these changes that’s not quite right yet?

One last thing. Where are all the white iPhone 4s?

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:33:14 +0000

Kevin, I own an N8. The problems with it are as follows:

1) Poor default browser
2) Keyboard should be overlay, not full screen
3) A QWERTY portrait option would be nice

Apart from that there are a few minor bugs in the software which I would expect in any phone.

That’s it, all of which are being corrected by the firmware updates mentioned so I don’t think it’s anything catastrophic on that front.

From what I gather it’s a durability issue and if I was a betting man I would say it’s the overly stiff release mechanism on the E7′s slider.

In retrospect, you’re right – if Nokia state a release date then they need to achieve it. That’s poor marketing, not poor design though.

As for the point about Android. I think that’s more to do with the generous press coverage Android and iOS gets which tends to focus on the positives rather than Nokia’s coverage which is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Nokia have rather been the architects of their own destruction but even if you don’t want them to fail I suspect there are a considerable number of your peers who don’t share that view.