Is the E7 Nokia’s best bet for a winner? We think so!

It has been a week in which Nokia has been in the news more for changes at the top than for its devices, but as the dust settles on Nokia World, there is an increasing number of people who believe that the redemption for the Finnish company will come not from its software – notwithstanding the Ballmer-type “Developers, Developers” chanting by new CEO Stephen Elop – but from the E7 handset. There are many who consider the E7 to be the spiritual successor of the last of the Communicator breed, and it certainly packs in the specs: every connectivity option, a lovely 4 inch “clear black” touchscreen display, 16 GB onboard storage, an 8MP shooter capable of recording HD video, oodles of battery life,  and best of all, a full slide out QWERTY keyboard that shows none of the quirkiness of the ones seen on the regrettable N97 and N97 mini (we still have not got used to that right-aligned spacebar!).

In fact, it is that QWERTY that convinces us that the E7 might even be a better bet than the much-trumpeted-about N8. The reason for this is simple: the Symbian ^3 platform simply does not look good enough when compared to the likes of iOS and Android. The keyboard, especially as it seems to be a normal one, should make things easier. Also, it being an enterprise-oriented device means the expectations will be of efficiency rather than something supernatural and from what we have seen of Nokia, they have always scored in that category (we still love the E71 and E72). Our only sight of the device has left us VERY impressed with the large screen and spacious QWERTY combination and if the battery life actually measures up to anything that the E90 conjured up (we used to use it for three days on the trot), then we think Nokia might just have a winner up its sleeve. Unlike the N8, the E7 does not come burdened with multimedia excellence. Just like the E series. And that is why we are betting on it succeeding. All Nokia needs to do is get the price right.