January 8th, 2009
CES 2009: Nokia announces E63 QWERTY device for the US for only $279 unlocked
The Nokia E71 is a fantastic device (see my review) and I keep on going back to using it because it has a killer form factor and is solid as a rock. Nokia announced the E63 back in November for Europe and other countries. Today at CES 2009, Nokia announced that the E63 will be coming to the USA with support for 3G (on AT&T) for a low MSRP of US$279 as a SIM-unlocked device.
I had a chance to play with Rafe’s Nokia E63 for a bit and it actually has a slighter better keyboard than the E71 and is a great device. The differences between the E71 (can be found between US$300 and US$400 online) and the E63 is that the E63 has a colored plastic case (red or blue) compared to the metal casing on the E71, the E63 has a 3.5mm headset jack (bonus), no GPS is provided in the E63, and the E63 has a 2 megapixel camera (compared to the rather anemic 3.2 camera on the E71). The E63 still has WiFi, Bluetooth, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, large 1500 mAh battery, and all the other great applications (such as QuickOffice).
For US$279, you cannot go wrong with the E63 and I think it will be the device I recommend for anyone looking for a good messaging and business phone. I’ll probably pick up a blue one myself at this low price and hope it is a hot seller here in the U.S. $279 (may be even lower through other retailers) is a fantastic price for a phone without any contract obligations.
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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