The Eseries from Nokia has always been the Finnish company’s most successful brand – we named the Nokia E71 our Phone of the Year in 2008. But it has always been associated with business users, so could the new handset which, even though it is not dismissing the business market, also offers social networking features at an affordable price, be the first Eseries smartphone to appeal to the mass market?

First impressions

The Nokia E5 looks like its older siblings, with its wide candybar body, smallish 2.36-inch screen, and QWERTY keyboard. While the keys do run into each other, they are rounded enough in between to allow you to distinguish between them. However, be aware that we found them rather slippery, so you may need to take care when typing. The Nokia E5 raises the style bar, offering a number of colour schemes, while the back is metallic. To open the back, hold down the two buttons at the bottom of the phone.

We found the volume keys on the side of the handset somewhat stiff, but happily you have an alternative in the shape of the D-pad if you’re using media facilities such as the movie and video players. To change the sound simply push the D-pad up or down, and push it to the side to fast forward or rewind.

Surf’s up

Web browsing was wonderfully fast using HSDPA or Wi-Fi. There are four pre-loaded social networking apps, including YouTube, which ran smoothly and offered a top-quality image, despite the small display. The browser, however, was disappointing, offering us both pixelated text and graphics. The mouse browser, meanwhile, is as speedy as most we’ve seen. In fact, it’s so fast we suggest you use the following tactics; press and release the D-pad, rather than holding it down. You’ll also find 12 browser shortcuts, which use the keys 0-9 plus the star and hash keys, and offer facilities such as finding a keyword and page overview, which is especially handy for longer web pages.

Snail mail

Email setup was tricky – we blame the old-hat Symbian OS, which means the Eseries is great for messaging, but not so good for emailing. Type in your email address and password and you still have to find your way through a number of menus to be able to retrieve your messages. Android offers a far easier system for email – simply enter your email address and password and that’s your lot. And while MySpace, Twitter and Facebook are well customised for the Eseries, setting up live feeds is more complicated than it needs to be.

We’re also not fond of the camera facility. To get ready to take a snap, you’ll have to go through two menus – there’s no quick-start button that you’ll find on the majority of phones these days. It’s particularly galling as the E5 has a five-megapixel camera that produces some excellent images. We even like the LED flash that can be used as an impromptu torch by holding down the spacebar on the home screen.

Verdict

It’s great that Nokia is offering the Eseries to the mass market, and for the price you get a great range of features. It’s just a shame the Symbian OS is past its best and doesn’t offer the ease of use an entry-level smartphone should.