Your life isn't all work or all play, so why should your smartphone be designed for one or the other? That's the idea behind the Nokia E63, a smartphone that lets you switch between two home screens: one for work, and one for your personal life.
Price and Availability
The Nokia E63 will be available in the U.S. in an unlocked version in early 2009. Nokia says it will sell for $279, which is much cheaper than many unlocked smartphones. An unlocked phone is one that does not come with a service plan tied to a cellular carrier; that means you're not forced to sign a lengthy service contract when you buy the phone, but you will need to supply your own SIM to get voice and data service. The Nokia E63 will work on either the AT&T or T-Mobile networks.
Design
The E63 is available in red or blue; beyond the colorful case, however, it looks a lot like most of Nokia's smartphones. You get a 2.3-inch display, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a relatively slim (.5 inches thick) profile.
Web Browsing
The Nokia E63 includes a full HTML browser with Flash support. You also get support for Wi-Fi wireless networks and the 3G HSDPA network for speedy Web browsing and data access.
Software
Like most of Nokia's smartphones, the E63 runs the Symbian OS. While it's not regarded as the most-user friendly platform for mobile phones, Symbian has been around for a while, and there are plenty of applications available for it. And the E63 features two customizable home screens, so you can set one up for your professional needs (with your business e-mail and calendar, for example) and another for your personal life (with photos and a Web-based e-mail account), and then can switch between them as you’d like.
The E63 comes with a version of QuickOffice, which lets you view Microsoft Office files, and a PDF viewer. You can download more applications directly to the phone, too.
Messaging
The Nokia E63 supports a variety of personal and corporate e-mail account types, including Microsoft Exchange, IMAP, POP3, and SMTP accounts. It also supports SMS and MMS messaging and instant messaging.
Camera
The Nokia E63 includes a 2-megapixel camera that can capture video clips as well as still photos. It includes a digital zoom and a flash, as well as the ability to adjust some basic camera settings, like white balance.
Music and More
The E63 includes a basic music and video player, and also comes with built-in GPS and support for Nokia Maps. In addition, the phone supports Nokia's Ovi suite, which is an online service that allows users to share photos they've taken with their Nokia phone, and purchase songs that can be transferred to the phone.
The Nokia E63 is an affordable unlocked smartphone. If you don't want to be tied to a carrier's contract, and are looking for a phone with a good mix of features for work and play, it could be the phone for you.