Thinking about an E6 or E7

[DRNewcomb]

I'm considering buying either an E6 or E7 to replace my old E61. Here's my list of desirable features & must haves:
1. Quad-band GSM with at least UMTS bands I, II, IV & V (2100, 1900, AWS & 850) must have.
2. WiFi & Bluetooth with tethering by BT. (must have)
3. Real keyboard. I'm terrible with touch screens. (desirable)
4. External antenna jack (always desirable)
5. Good suite of available communications apps (VoIP, Skype, Facebook, VPN, IM, etc). (Must have) I'm not into games, so I don't really care about Angry Birds and apps like that. Barcode scanning would be nice.
6. Ability to load and run J2ME applications (desirable).
7. Camera (must have), front camera (desirable)
8. Good battery life (very desirable)

I'm comfortable with Symbian and have been reasonably happy with my E61 but also somewhat disappointed with it's poor VOIP client, impossible-to-use built-in VPN and proprietary IM clients. I was wondering if there were any nasty surprises awaiting if I purchase either an E6 or E7?

My wife owns an Android phone and there are some things I really don't like about it: difficulty running J2ME apps, poor battery life, limited BT services and lack of a real keyboard, top the list.

Discussion.

[newtype]

Coming from an E61 will make either of your requested devices seem desirable, however, it's difficult to recommend either in the wake of the current OS landscape. I do not use anything VPN or VOIP related (outside of Skype for the latter), but you will be disappointed by the poor barcode scanning of either device as neither has an autofocus camera.

I have owned and extensively used a Sony Ericsson MK16a - it has recently been updated to ICS and has a full qwerty, but lacks the AWS bands you require.

Perusing reviews for the E6 would drive me away, and the E7's battery life is less than stellar.

[DRNewcomb]

but you will be disappointed by the poor barcode scanning of either device as neither has an autofocus camera.

Ah. That's one of those nasty surprises I wanted to avoid. Thanks.

I have owned and extensively used a Sony Ericsson MK16a - it has recently been updated to ICS and has a full qwerty, but lacks the AWS bands you require.

Yeah. As a T-Mobile customer, I might be able to get by without UMTS-850 (band V) but AWS is a "must have".

[Cellular-Decay]

Why is Bluetooth tethering a must have? It's not only slow, but it's also detectable by your provider (which could be problematic if you are not on a tethering plan).

You could use EZSpot or JoikuSpot to tether via WiFi to get better performance, and less chance of getting caught (if you are not on a tethering plan). EZSpot is < $3 and works great.

I also noted that you listed a real keyboard as desirable and not must have. With that in mind I'd suggest you consider the N8 as an option. It's solidly built, has good battery life and an amazing camera (the best until the 808 comes out). 12MP, Xenon flash and auto-focus. Yes, typing on a touchscreen can be a bit frustrating, but many swear by a utility called Swype that allows you to type by just sliding your finger over the screen.

As for IM clients, there are a number of them available now. Fring and Nimbuzz are my favorites. Both will IM over multiple systems (AIM, MSN, ICQ, etc.), and Fring does video/voice calling too (and it's available on Andriod and iOS as well, so it's cross platform). Skype has an official app, but it does not support video on Symbian (only text chat and voice calling).

The N8 meets most of your criteria.

1. Quad-band GSM with at least UMTS bands I, II, IV & V (2100, 1900, AWS & 850) must have.
The N8 was the first Penta-Band 3G phone, so it will work on any GSM network for both voice and 3G data (with the exception of proprietary networks like Tracfone and Net10).

2. WiFi & Bluetooth with tethering by BT. (must have)
Yup, but I'd still recommend using WiFi tethering with EZSpot or JoikuSpot.

3. Real keyboard. I'm terrible with touch screens. (desirable)
Touch screen only, sorry, but Swype helps a lot of people get over it.

4. External antenna jack (always desirable)
They actually make phones with an external jack? I did not know that. The N8 does not have one, and I'm pretty sure your other choices don't either.

5. Good suite of available communications apps (VoIP, Skype, Facebook, VPN, IM, etc). (Must have) I'm not into games, so I don't really care about Angry Birds and apps like that. Barcode scanning would be nice.
There is a built-in social network client, but most people say that an app called Gravity is the best. I've already covered IM above. There are a number of barcode scanners as well, and the N8's camera works well with them. I don't do any VPN so others will have to help with that, but you can play Angry Birds :P

6, 7 & 8. Supports Java, Camera is awesome (best on any phone except the Nokia 808 Pureview), and battery life is very good.

[ROKstrr]

I second the N8, I was adamant about a realkeyboard, until I got my N8... and there are all sorts of apps available - if U know where to look.
Though, if the keyboard is mandatory, check out the Dell Venue Pro (Windows phone). Full hardware keyboard, large screen & a gorgeous piece of hardware.

[DRNewcomb]

Why is Bluetooth tethering a must have? It's not only slow, but it's also detectable by your provider (which could be problematic if you are not on a tethering plan).

I suppose BT tethering might be less of a "must have" than I implied. I do have grandfathered T-Mobile Total-Internet VPN, which has always been treated as a tethering plan.

You could use EZSpot or JoikuSpot to tether via WiFi to get better performance, and less chance of getting caught (if you are not on a tethering plan). EZSpot is < $3 and works great.

Last time I looked into JoikuSpot (a while back) it created an ad hoc hot spot that was wide open (no security). This did not appeal to me. Perhaps it has been updated since then.

I also noted that you listed a real keyboard as desirable and not must have. With that in mind I'd suggest you consider the N8 as an option. It's solidly built, has good battery life and an amazing camera (the best until the 808 comes out). 12MP, Xenon flash and auto-focus. Yes, typing on a touchscreen can be a bit frustrating, but many swear by a utility called Swype that allows you to type by just sliding your finger over the screen.

Thanks. For the suggestion. I checked on GSMarena.com and they showed 27 phones (most Nokia) that met my basic requirements. There are some others, such as the Huawei Ascend P1, but they are mostly super-spendy (~$600-$700).

[DRNewcomb]

Though, if the keyboard is mandatory, check out the Dell Venue Pro (Windows phone). Full hardware keyboard, large screen & a gorgeous piece of hardware.

Where can I find solid, reliable information about the Venue Pro? GSMarena.com says that this phone has HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100 (UMTS bands I, IV, VIII). Wikipedia says it's quad-band UMTS (I, II, IV, V). Dell.com only lists the batteries.

[Cellular-Decay]

...Last time I looked into JoikuSpot (a while back) it created an ad hoc hot spot that was wide open (no security). This did not appeal to me. Perhaps it has been updated since then...

The free version of JoikuSpot has no encryption. The pay version does, as does EZSpot. Ad-Hoc only supports WEP, though, so no WPA.

[ROKstrr]

I suggested it. because it was originally for T-Mobile (and has their bands) - an AT&T version was later released. It caught my attention, back when, but never took off.
Best Buy has an unlocked version for ~$300. or a TMobile reseller may have 1, or check eBay, Amazon.
For specs, google the model (Dell Venue Pro), then read reviews from trusted sources, CNet, ZDnet, PCWorld, PhoneDog, BGR, etc.

[DRNewcomb]

I suggested it. because it was originally for T-Mobile (and has their bands) - an AT&T version was later released. It caught my attention, back when, but never took off.
Best Buy has an unlocked version for ~$300. or a TMobile reseller may have 1, or check eBay, Amazon.
For specs, google the model (Dell Venue Pro), then read reviews from trusted sources, CNet, ZDnet, PCWorld, PhoneDog, BGR, etc.

Well, it has my attention too. I have nothing against Windows (at this point in time it might be a better choice than Symbian) and at $300, unlocked, the price is OK. I'll need to study on this.

I found the Dell information page for the Venue Pro which says it's UMTS 900/1700(AWS)/2100. Also, on the Dell forums there are a lot of problem reports with this phone and complaints of short battery life.

[ROKstrr]

Google "Dell Venue Pro User Reviews" - it's a mixed bag. It released w WP7, I believe ultimately upgraded to Mango (though not sure, it dropped off the radar, NO carrier support). I would be looking for the unlocked version (It might be penta-band)to allow you to upgrade yourself - as opposed to finding carrier updates.

The sites I mentioned above are gospel, as well as Phone Scoop, Phone Arena - as always YMMV, but it looked to be a great looking piece of hardware, w a keyboard.

[DRNewcomb]

It appears that the Venue Pro came in two versions T-Mobile has UMTS 2100, 900 & AWS; ATT has UMTS 2100, 850 & 1900. Neither of these versions has all the UMTS bands I need.

[ROKstrr]

If you'd like to pursue this - email Matthew Miller @ ZDNET, I believe he had a DVP @ one point. He's very knowledgable about phones in general, and may have another suggestion (or be able to sell U 1 of his many phones).

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phone...is-summer/7860

[Adyhooper]

Nokia E6 and Nokia E7 both are nice phone. Nokia E6 runs on Symbian Anna OS and E7 runs on Symbian^3 OS, both have 680 MHz ARM 11 processor but E6 support 2D and 3D graphics. E6 is a qwerty keypad phone where as E7 comes with touchsceen interface. E6 support 8 GB internal memory and E7 support 16 GB internal memory.