I often joke that I’d rather have root canal than use a Symbian S60 device for any length of time. That’s a harsh statement and the burden of the issue probably lies with my own expectations. I simply struggle with the S60 user interface so much that I probably never gave it a fair shake. That’s changing because I’m borrowing a Nokia E71 from James, which should be arriving soon (JK: oops, I’d better get that shipped). I asked Matt Miller about the E71, mainly because Amazon had the U.S. version on a one-day special last week at $280, and Matt gave it a solid review. I missed that deal, but Matt said not to fret: the E63 is hitting U.S. shores soon and is expected to come in at a lower price than the E71.
In light of this, what perfect timing it is to see Mitchell Oke’s review of the E63 at Gear Diary. He feels that the E71 is the best phone he’s ever purchased, so his close inspection of the E63 offers a useful perspective. Unlike the E71, the E63 is limited to 2.5G and loses integrated GPS, but generally offers a very similar package to its pricier peer. I agree with Mitchell: changing the 2.5mm to a more standard 3.5mm port on the E63 is a nice addition as well.

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