With its tiny size, slider form factor and extra telephony buttons, the Nokia E65 looks to be quite a special smartphone with a voice/business emphasis. Rafe has been living with it for a week and here's his big E65 review.

Read on in the full article (http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/4980_The_unsung_hero_of_3GSM-the_No.php).

Great review but there was no mention that the E65 togther with the E61i runs Series 60 3rd Edition but with no feature packs installed.Unlike the recently announced N77,6110 Navigator & E90 which runs S60 3rd Edition with Feature Pack 1 which brings some noticeable improvements to the OS.

Wonderful little Smartphone! The form factor is excellent.

My first concern after 5 hours of ownership is the buzzing/hum coming from the backlight of the keyboard.

Any thoughts out here about that? I returned one model for an exchange, and the new one still has the hum.

Yes the fact that it runs vanilla S60 3rd Edition is a shame (especially because of scalable fonts as noted in the article). Nokia says this is due to time to market concerns. This devices is out and stable before any of the FP1 devices. It always better to have the latest and greatest, but there are commercial realities too.

Have you tried to use VoIP over WCDMA rather than over WiFi?

It's nice to see that Nokia have finally given Active Standby the functionality it always deserved!

How does the screen compare with the e60's excellent screen?

The screen isn't as good as the E60's (it had a higher resolution), but honestly QVGA at the E65 physical size, I think, is good enough.

Last Thursday I had the chance to play with all E series on sale, i.e, E50, 60, 61, 65 and 70, on a exposition promoted by Nokia and some others, like Siemens Networks and Cisco. Overall good experience on internet connection. E65 is a solid device, with assist slider, but the main focus, is the
thickness, like N80 should be. E61 with it´s huge screen is good for Internet navigation, but also E60 and E70... more little screen, of course, but the better resolution helps. That reinforce my conviction about VGA screens. E61i and N95, should have VGA... and next new wave go be have it for sure.

I'd like to know how well it performs when it is being used a data modem from a laptop using a bluetooth connection? I.e. would it be a handy substitute for a 3G or GPRS data card?

Any chance you could summrize which of the new batch of Symbian phones have HSDPA connectivity?

How much "free RAM" does SysExplorer or NSysInfo report as available to applications on E65 startup?

I haven't used the Nokia sliders. Does it have the obnoxious locking mechanism of most candybar phones? Or, when the slider is open, is it like a flip phone -- ready to use, all you have to do is go ahead and dial?

When open is ready to use, for sure. But not all are equal. N80, is not assisted. E65 is assisted and open and close with single touch (the best one for me).

Can anyone tell me what the Nokia E65 will be missing by not having the S60
3rd Edition with Feature Pack 1 installed?

I'm new to Symbian and am not sure what the Feature Pack 1 is. Do I need one if I buy the E65?

If it is available why did Nokia excluded it from the E65?

Can someone pls confirm if the E65 is equipped with two-way face to face video call? The Nokia website says it does. But many reviews say it does not.

Feature Pack 1 is a software upgrade, its not an essential by any means.

The E65 has no front facing camera so video calling is one way only. You can choose a picture to show the other person.

is there any compatible stereo headset for e65? cause i checked the nokia website and they do not have any alternative headset beside the mono headset in the pack.

the fonts on the e65 are a disgrace - they are so small virtually unreadable!!
NOKIA SAYS THAT THE FONTS ARE NOT CHANGAABLE.

what is apoint of video calling function with no front facing camera?

this model sucks

Friends is this Nokia E65 is worth of buying. nokia says that we cannot install few softwares which we use for nokia 6600 segments. nokia says 3rd edition is little advanced n wil help to use for future softwares, is it true?

how its performance slow or avg speed?

I have a Nokia N80 with TomTom mobile on a mini SD card. Will the E65 support mini SD as i've heard it accepts Micro SD instead.

Also good is that you can use the E65 with challengermobile to make VoIP calls. They configure all the settings over the air automatically when you sign up.

B Rgds
Andy

I have just recently purchased this phone. I am traveling in Asia now and wanted to buy a phone which would support my US VoIP number.

This phone seems to have done the trick. I am able to receive and make calls using my US number when ever I have Wi-Fi coverage.

I using "Zingotel" my number is 206.xxx.xxxx. It was easy to setup and works like a charm. Nokia could improve the antenna so it had better reception for Wi-Fi. Then again maybe that would drain the battery too quickly.

I know my phone does not support the US 3G but it does not matter as it is a dual band and has wi-fi. With so many free Wi-Fi spots in the US and Canada who needs 3G? When Wi-Fi is free for the most part.

just today i bought Nokia E65. before buying it i was confused with nokia site comparision section, wen i click to list only WiFi models, E65 dint appear n i was confused. then i have enquired with few and bought it...

Just today i tested it in my office Wifi, it works perfect.

friend dont confuse with nokia comparision while checking nokia E65 for WiFi. bcos WiFi works in E65.

I use BH-800 and BH-900 bluetooth headsets and the reception is terrible, a lot of static and not much range. Has anyone else experienced this problem and if so is there a fix?

Great review! My handset is in the post. Quick question, does the challenger mobile service offer free calls to other phones when in wifi hotspots or am i getting it wrong. Living in london docklands (full of wi fi ) if it does ill halve my bills :)

It seems a little funny to me, that theres always a comment on this phone not having a grip or button for easy opening/closing of the phone.. (They say you need to touch the screen or that the keypad gets scratches..)
One tip for you all, the rubberish sides of the phone might just be designed for you all to easily open/close (and there won't be any scratches, nor fingerprints on the screen..)
Anyways; a great business phone! works for near everything, and i coudn't care less if there is no flash for the camera, who cares about the camera anyway?

can i jus say i lurve ure dog.. so sweet. i have this fone and completly love it. wud recomend to NE1 5***

I had the stereo headset that came with my Nokia N70.
This works fine with the E65.

Flightlessdragon

Uh, one question: In order to switch from and to silent mode, do I have to slide it open, press # and close it again? Or can I simply switch to silent while the phone is closed?

Really good review and comments, ordered my phone today, many thanks, Sally :)

question.
when taking photos or video, can you directly have it saved onto the microSD? and is browsing the photos slow when viewing them straight off the card.. my previous samsung D600 was very slow to load up images

I would like to know if there really is a big difference inthe firmware and applications between the e65 and e61i. Of course I can see the difference between the full keyboard and the nice big screen, but I am not sure I really need that, but I the same time I don't want to miss out on anything else from the e61i.

Can anyone help me?

any one know where or how to get smilies on this phone

I've been using an E65 for a couple of months now on Vodafone UK. It looks and feels very nice, the exchange synchronisation is excellent. You can read emails and view most common attachments including word and power point. I was very disappointed to realise that the camera like hole above the screen is not a forward looking camera as it was on my previous 6280. As far as I can tell the hole serves no real purpose, other than maybe to deceive the unwary into believing you can use it for a sensible face to face video call. However, there are other issues with this phone. Firstly, it does not work particularly well as a phone “Connection Error” is a common message. Secondly, if you start to use the extra features that this phone offers make sure you have the charger handy. Spend an hour using the phone for email synchronisation, viewing emails or composing responses while you’re on the train that doesn’t have power and you’ll find yourself having to conserve power for the rest of the day. Don’t use the music player unless you are sure you’ll be able to visit a power socket soon. I have got myself a spare battery now. Lastly, I can not get it to work as a modem for my laptop. I have installed the latest software from Nokia but it will not connect as a modem. Some of these issue could be down to Vodafone, who knows? It is a shame that a potentially great phone is marred by these fundamental problems. My phone is provided by my company so I haven’t spent my own money but I will be looking to change my phone as soon as I can. 5 out of 10!

Can this phone handle satnav? If so what software do i need for it?

Try using "Fring" (Google it) for free calls over Wifi using Skype

Definitely there is a problem withe the passphrase lenght on a Nokia E65 WLAN settings when using WPA-PSK (pre shared key).

i just got a Nokia E65 yesterday, from a local Nokia Store. The firmware version is:

1.0633.18.01
11-01-07
RM-208
Nokie E65

While configuring the device to use our network which users a 26 characters passphrase, the E65 refused to connect, always giving the error message.

If the passphrase is (temporarily) changed on the Access point to an 8 character setting, then the E65 connects with no problem whatsoever.

It also works perfectly when used with an open network (i.e. no passphrase protection).

Nokia must address this issue as many corporate wireless LANs do use long passphrases for security reasons, thus it is required for the E65 to work within that environment if its going to be considered a real serious "business category" device.

For the record, an N800 Internet table is also used in this same network with no problem using the 26 characters passphrase.

I just changed SE 750i to Nokia E65 and already am very disappointed even with simple and basic functions:
1. No auto-key lock. Key lock should be always confirmed by pressing digit. It takes time, because phone is slow.
2. When you add photo to your contacts they appear so small, that they become absolutely useless. I was used this option when driving a car.
3. Display size is OK, but font size is absolutely to small and you can't change it. (I don’t need glasses, my vision is 20/20)
4. Incredible fact – digits on keypad are not illuminated, so you can’t call 911 if its dark. (My old SE has even flash light)
5. in two weeks I had to shut it down and restore factory settings 5 times, because phone was not working.
6. I understand that this is a business class phone (not a cheap one), then the question is: why there still are not available any accessories for this phone (car holder, desk charger, etc…)?
I am sure I will have more comments when I will try to use 3G, GPS and other software…..

I just changed SE 750i to Nokia E65 and already am very disappointed even with simple and basic functions:
1. No auto-key lock. Key lock should be always confirmed by pressing digit. It takes time, because phone is slow.
2. When you add photo to your contacts they appear so small, that they become absolutely useless. I was used this option when driving a car.
3. Display size is OK, but font size is absolutely to small and you can't change it. (I don’t need glasses, my vision is 20/20)
4. Incredible fact – digits on keypad are not illuminated, so you can’t call 911 if its dark. (My old SE has even flash light)
5. in two weeks I had to shut it down and restore factory settings 5 times, because phone was not working.
6. I understand that this is a business class phone (not a cheap one), then the question is: why there still are not available any accessories for this phone (car holder, desk charger, etc…)?
I am sure I will have more comments when I will try to use 3G, GPS and other software…..


1. Try with AutoLock, 3rd party software
2. Same: possible with 3rd party software, e.g. Full screen caller http://www.smartphoneware.com/product/nokia_e65/fscaller60_3.php
3. You can install your own fonts
4. Keypad's baclight is switched off when the ambient light is enough.
5. This is caused by RAM or 3rd party software conflicts
6. Accessories are available, just search for them on Nokia's site.

Hi Ratza!

Thank you very much for answer. Just some more q.
3. You can install your own fonts - how can I do it?
4. Keypad's baclight is switched off when the ambient light is enough - backlight is always off, how can I change this?


Discovisc

Hi Ratza!

Thank you very much for answer. Just some more q.
3. You can install your own fonts - how can I do it?
4. Keypad's baclight is switched off when the ambient light is enough - backlight is always off, how can I change this?


Discovisc

3. http://stmcgill.wordpress.com/2006/11/14/change-your-reading-fonts/
http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spaziocellulare.com%2 FNews%2F2007%2F05%2F12%2Fcreare-fonts-per-nokia-3rd-edition%2F&langpair=it%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
4. Backlight is allways off?? This can't be good. See in Settings -> Phone -> Display

Thanks Ratza!

If you don't have a wifi account, but ur somwhere that offers free wifi, does the phone pick it up?
(sorry if this question is stupid)

It sure does. I used my E70 as the main device for websurfing using the hotel's hotspot. What's even great, you don't need to set anything, just scan for WLAN when you are asked to enter an access point. Now that's what I call a wizzard.

I just got this phone yesterday, and part of me loves i and there is another part that is disappointted with thingss missing that are normally signiture for all Nokia models. But I understand that this is a different approach compaired to most of their phones, so here are the things I have noticed in the past few hours that I would like help with (if possible)...

The Auto key lock feature has already been mentioned on here but If anyone has futher advice on how to fix this let me know.
It is rather annoying when someone calls you and you slide the phone closed and
the keys are no longer locked.

I travel often and have about 5-9 different SIM cards, I dont always want all those contacts saved on the phone, I understand I can still use them without loading them on the phone, but it is not as easy to use, and calls from these numbers will still show up only as numbers and not names, unless you move them into the phone's memory. Is there a possible solution to this or a way of the phone reading directly off the sims memory?

Also as trival as it sounds Smiley faces are a good thing. And so simple. Why were they removed. Sometimes it is easier to respond to a SMS with just a smile, I dont know why this function is not there. If anyone knows of a place to load them please post it...

Text Messaging seems more difficult, before I had the Nokia 7370 and the sms was so easy. I had a recent contact list that I could go right into, So far I have had to go into my full contact list everytime and fish out the number I want and If that number on my SIM and not loaded into the phones memory it is even more difficult.
I Will add that the wifi and web functions on this phone are truely remarkable though and I have been very impressed. I am just a little disappointed that the ease of use Nokia is known for is getting harder and more complicated. For the most part it is still very easy to use but functions that use to be a one button tap have turned into 3-5 buttons, and for no real reason.

Will this e65 work with VerizonWireless?

Hello and thanks for the review. Do you know how I can time my 'silent' profile on the E65? My old Nokia had that option but this one doesn't seem to have it. I was wondering if there is a software that I can download for this. My computer is a mac?

Hello and thanks for the review. Do you know how I can time my 'silent' profile on the E65? My old Nokia had that option but this one doesn't seem to have it. I was wondering if there is a software that I can download for this. My computer is a mac?

Only with third part software, like Smart Profiles. It can be download from this same site - software section - but is a pay one!

can any body tell me how to down load videos from pc to the nokia e65 phone i have tried all sorts of things but cannot do it

It does not seem to notify me when I have missed calls. Does anybody know how to solve this.

It does not seem to notify me when I have missed calls. Does anybody know how to solve this.

If you go here, you can show missed calls, sms, emails, etc.

Menu->Tools->Settings->Phone->Standby Mode->Active standby plug-ins

Hello, not quite sure if this is the correct forum to post this under but is it possible to upgrade the os (9.1) to the more stable 9.2?

Mobile Phone cant be replaced for digital camera and lap top.. This is surely a great product who loves a handy mobile which has all 3G featuers including net calls.. I tried it with SIP profile and awesome !!!

Anoop

cresento in yahoo

Ive just ordered the E65 on O2, i did want the iphone bt it was too expensive so i went witht the next best thing.

Worst Nokia i have ever had. Doesnt pick up signal and is basically falling apart. Dont buy. Nokia, sort it out!

this phone is crap!!!!

garbage phone, it just rebooted itself than whilst i was writing a message.
the first one i had broke down within 2 weeks, (turning itself off several times a day, often midst function, calls getting cut off)
it was replaced for free, since that it hasnt been as revolting a phone, but as people have mentioned the software lags like there is no tomorrow. so everything is VERY slow,

most of the functions ar not of particular use unless you use it as a phone for business, in which case i feel sorry for you because the lack of usabilty and reliability of the phone would have a much greater impact on you.

the camera is very very average despite the 2megapix camera and over the last 2 months or so my phone has learnt a brand new trick of destroying the image that was taken and replacing it with a nice shade of opaque BLACK. so if you use it for taking any photos get them off the phone as soon as you can, and it seems to do this in a fairly random manner, so it just destroys whichever photo it likes and it done this to many photos

all in all i had another non nokia phone and that lasted me well without a hitch for about 2 years before it played up AT ALL

i went back to nokia on this phone because i had great expierience with early nokia models, 8350 i think it was, they tried to make it fancy and created something that isnt worth using

Does the VOIP function wor with Skype?

does not play mp3 in a good way

YES, IT HAS A FRONT CAMERA AND IT WORKS. YOU CAN MAKE FACE TO FACE VIDEO CALLS (If you like spending money). The fact that some rewievers go upfront and state that it does'nt come with a front camera makes you realize the poor quality of the information the internet is giving to the masses.

It also has a VoipClient, some problems connecting to multi beacon hotspots (Fonera for instance) and somehow limited range but given those limitations it works a charm over WiFi. I suggest anyone to sign for a free number here: www.euteliavoip.com

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:

Having purchased an E65 a year ago as a business phone in Australia I found the battery life when using 3g and activesync to be around 2-3 hours without making a single call. Futher to the dissapointment of purchasing a 3g business phone (for email and high speed internet access on the road), it was a rude awakening when visiting the Nokia care(less) centre. I was made to wait near to an hour to retrieve my phone each time, and the problem was never fixed. In fact only on the phone's 4th visit did they declare there was a problem, they then insisted the phone was out of warranty and not their problem any longer. Having waitied weeks for unreturned phone calls and the Nokia care centre nearly throwing my phone in the bin, I contacted Virgin Mobile, my carrier to discuss my disappointment, they immediatly picked up the issue by replacing the battery at their own expense and taking the matter up with Nokia directly - bravo! Bottom line is not because of their product, but because of their complete disregard for customer service I will never purchase another Nokia again, shame on you Nokia for pushing around the little guy. PS I will remain with Virgin Mobile for as long as they maitain this level of service. Thanks for reading.