The Good
I'm still using it and nothing inside the E71 has failed on me. This phone is like a tank and I'm fairly confident it could last me a few more years of use. My usage pattern has likely changed in the 3 years I've had the phone, but at this point I mainly use the phone for company e-mail through Mail for Exchange (improved a lot since I had the E71), Smartconnect, Garmin XT (one of the best navigation software for a smartphone and still better than most available for Android), notes, texting, and making phone calls. I no longer use it for browsing the web after I got a Nokia N900 and most web pages don't render properly in the old S60 browser.
In the 3 years, I've dropped my E71 a lot of times and the most I've got is chipped corners. Definitely a tank.
Its design is timeless. I still get compliments on the elegant, thin design of the E71. It's unfortunate that most will not consider getting a Nokia and S60/Symbian is not easy to configure compared to an iPhone.
The Bad
In the 2 years since I wrote my first year of use review of the E71, a few things have changed from wear and tear:
1. After 1.5 years of use, dust was getting under the display through the 2.5mm audio jack:
2. A little after the 2 year mark, the included BL-4L battery couldn't hold more than a day's charge and started to bulge like most old lithium polymer batteries so I got another battery and it's back to normal again.
3. I get the random "out of memory" issue so it requires a battery removal.
Going Forward
After 3 long years of travelling the world with it, I've retired the E71. The E71 reminds me of the time when Nokia was on top of the world with some great designs and some great devices. I'll miss the comfortable keyboard and robust design. So long E71, you'll be missed.
If you're still carrying around a Nokia E71, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the phone.
