Nokia 7710 Review
Review by Jah - 10 January 2005

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The Calendar application supports two views: Day and Week view. It also supports repeating calendar entries, such as anniversaries. As with PIM applications, synchronisation with Microsoft Outlook is possible but Outlook categories do not synchronise.

Contacts can be navigated/found either using index tabs or by using a search window.

Documents, Sheet and Presentations look similar to similarly named applications on the Nokia 9500 Communicator. The main differences are that the Documents application does not have the Insert Object option. As viewers, these applications are very competent. Also it is possible to access Microsoft attachments (Word, Excel & PowerPoint) sent with emails.

The Messaging application allows the management of all message types: email, SMS, MMS and files received via Bluetooth. Email accounts can be setup using a Wizard, which is very easy to use. Also, in this application the command buttons can be customised extensively, which enhances the usability of this rich application.

File Manager allows the management of user data on the device; the creation of folders, re-naming of files and the movement of these between the device memory and memory card. The memory card is also formatted from this application. This application does not seem to support viewing of the System folder.

Profiles is used to select the profile to activate, including Flight Mode, and the editing of profiles. Unlike the Nokia 9500, the Profiles application is not accessible from other applications (as a menu option); the user needs to return to the main Desktop to access it. The other way to access profiles is to press the on/off switch. There is no Bluetooth profile, therefore when Bluetooth is needed it needs to be activated from the Control Panel (after it is switched-on it can be switched-off from the status bar).

The Clock application is used to set the time in two locations and also be used to set-up alarms.

The Control Panel includes the usual setup and configuration items of a Symbian OS device, including an item called Positioning. This is to support networks that provide value added services based on location information. Also there is an application called Themes for adjusting the look and feel of the device (including sounds). The 7710 is only provided with two themes; presumably developers/users will develop new themes at some point in the future. Regarding Internet Setup, unlike the Nokia 9500 the 7710 does not support "IP Passthrough" (which would allow one to use the Internet connection of a PC/laptop for the device's web browser) but only GPRS and GSM.

In addition to the applications mentioned above there are two other useful applications: one for currency/measurement conversion and the other for performing a search (Find) on the device and memory card.

Finally, the 7710 is shipped with version 6.4.8 of PC Suite but the latest version 6.41.6 also works well. Synchronisation can be performed using the USB cable as well as Bluetooth.

Conclusions

The main feature of this device is its ease of operation; traditional Nokia non-Smartphone mobile/cell phones are known for this characteristic. I think ease of use will be critical as Smartphones move from being targeted at specialist/power users to a wider user base. Also, this device is much more of an entertainment device/platform than, say, the Nokia 9500 which is a business device. However, like the Nokia 9500, third-party applications have the potential to further enhance the business application of the 7710. The large screen area of the 7710 could be used by third-party developers to make this device a compelling proposition for business users, especially if a Bluetooth keyboard could also be used. Typical examples of business applications would be rich organisers such as Agendus and AquaCalendar and list and data managers such as PowerSafe and Projekt.