Nokia E71x Day 5: Bluetooth, Google Maps, YouTube, Web Browsing, and VoIP

Day 5 with my Nokia E71x involved Bluetooth, Google Maps, YouTube, web browsing, and VoIP.

Bluetooth

Old Nokia handsets including the E61 and 6620 always had trouble with in-car Bluetooth systems. For example, the E61 pairs properly and shows caller-id information but does not show battery status, network signal strength, and has trouble with calls dialed from the phone which are then transferred to the car’s Bluetooth system. Unfortunately different sets of features work in different cars. This is one place where Sony Ericsson had always been ahead of Nokia. I’m happy to report the E71x paired properly, shows caller-id, battery status, network signal strength, and has no trouble transferring calls back and forth. I tried it the E71x in several German and Japanese cars with 100% success.

Google Maps/GPS

I’ve spent a great deal of time in London during my medical training. The culture behind navigation systems is very different in London when compared to America. Nearly every driver in London has a portable navigation unit (either dedicated or PDA/phone) from manufacturers like TomTom. More often people use their mobile phones with navigation software rather than dedicated units. This is where I became accustomed to running TomTom on the E61. Although I have built-in navigation systems in all the cars in the garage here in the United States, I still find having navigation installed on my mobile phone to be invaluable for the times when I’m in a friend’s car or a rental. Its infinitely more useful and the maps are cheaper to update than buying a new DVD every year for every car in the garage. With that said, I haven’t been able to install TomTom on the E71x. I certainly hope a compatible version is released.

In the mean time I used Google Maps via a download from Google’s website to test the GPS capability of the E71x. I’m happy to report the device can grab a GPS signal quite quickly and pinpointed my location on a map. It works. However, I’m wouldn’t be able to use Google’s software for turn-by-turn directions because it wasn’t designed for this purpose. For example, it lacks voice prompts and updates its position in large jumps while a car is moving so it would be very easy to miss a road. This is a shortcoming in the Google Maps application and not a hardware issue with the E71x.

YouTube

On the old E61, I cannot play YouTube videos in the default Nokia web browser. While using the E71x, I accidentally clicked a YouTube link on Google News only to have a video open and play in the default browser. It was quite impressive. Video and audio quality were about what I’d expect from a mobile device. Interestingly going to YouTube will play videos using both the built-in Real Player and via Adobe Flash in the browser. Google also has a Nokia-specific YouTube application that can be downloaded from Google’s site. It allows for search and video playback. Again, all of this was to my pleasant surprise.

Web Browsing

The default Nokia browser handles most things okay but fails on some sites. For example, I was attempting to view a menu for an Italian restaurant we were planning on heading to for dinner this past Friday. The Nokia browser would consistently crash and not allow me to go any further than seeing the site’s home page. Eventually I installed Sky Fire which allowed me to get a bit further but it also got stuck. The site works fine on an iPhone. Ultimately I had to resort to using my laptop. This may be a special case because many other websites worked perfectly between the two browsers but I’m really hoping we see some major improvements from Nokia and AT&T in this area.

VoIP

VoIP is the first area of disappointment from this handset. I’ve tried installing both Truphone and Vopium only to be thwarted due to various issues. I’ve contacted both organizations in the hopes of finding a solution. I will post an update when I hear back from them.

AT&T has locked down the E71x in nearly every respect. This is what exists on the device:

Menu –> Settings –> Config –> Connection –> Sip Configuration

I was able to register my Gizmo SIP VoIP account and get a successful “Registered” response but there is no “Internet Tel.” application like the Nokia E61 which configures how the phone deals with incoming SIP calls. Furthermore, there is no default call choice between GSM and SIP calls on the E71x as seen on the E61. Lastly, phonebook entries no longer give a call choice between voice, video, and internet (aka VoIP/SIP) telephone calls. It seems like the only option to run VoIP on this handset will require installing a third-party application like Gizmo, Fring, or Nimbuzz that tunnels VoIP/SIP data through a third-party website. The problem being that VoIP call quality drops through the extra jumps.

This is unacceptable. The tightly integrated VoIP/SIP client on the Nokia E61 and unlocked E71 (not AT&T’s E71x) is one of the most amazing developments in telephony in the last decade. Nokia took a chance and it sold geeks like me to recommend Nokia to our friends and family in the United States even though there is stiff competition from the iPhone and Blackberry. Without the built-in VoIP/SIP client the iPhone, Blackberry, and the new Palm Pre suddenly become viable choices because the same VoIP compromises have to be made on those devices. Actually, to be fair the Blackberry has no SIP stack and the Palm Pre is too new to have anything written for it yet. Lastly, Windows Mobile has a built-in SIP stack but nearly every handset maker removes it so third-party software or a hack is needed to get VoIP working. So in actuality the choice is between an iPhone and a Nokia. Even then the a non-jail-broken iPhone can only use VoIP over wireless but not 3G. The Nokia E71x even without a working native SIP client can still tunnel VoIP over 3G (and wireless) using third party apps but a pristine Nokia E71 can do it all natively. Hence why Nokia phones are my first choice.

In the specific case of the E71x I suspect AT&T removed all the VoIP/SIP features to continue milking customers for everything they can. Unfortunately, I understand the new unlocked Nokia N97 also lacks a built-in VoIP/SIP client as seen in the N96. Nokia claims a VoIP/SIP API is available for anyone who wants to write their own application but no one has released any software. If Nokia does not offer a native VoIP/SIP client via a firmware update in those phones, then the Nokia E61 may be the last Nokia I ever own. Nokia, I know you’re reading this post, so listen up. Put a user accessible SIP client like you have on the E61 and E71 (not E71x) and users like me will continue to recommend your stellar phones. Don’t turn your backs on us now.

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June 9, 2009 | Filed Under Phones, Tech/Gadgets 

Comments

5 Responses to “Nokia E71x Day 5: Bluetooth, Google Maps, YouTube, Web Browsing, and VoIP”

  1. Laith on July 21st, 2009 1:13 pm

    I totally agree, I just got my E71x, and was really disappointed with the locked VoIP features, am going back to me E61, I feel ripped off, just because no one ever mentioned that all the VoIP features will be locked, Nokia or AT&T should have came up with a clear statement instead of confusing the customers,I think Nokia phones are the best, but at this stage I think this whole E71x thing is a big scam and this is not right, the time i spent on trying to get simple information and trying things to see if they work or not is worth more then the $100 AT7T is getting out of this, shame shame shame.

  2. nostraludamus on July 22nd, 2009 5:52 am

    my e71x has been torture. I love the feel, the color and im getting accustomed to S60. however my main reason to get this phone was voip and it has been a hassle looking into how to do this native. So far from my research it cant be done unless i can figure out how to flash the e71x with e71-2 firmware.
    So for now its fring and workarounds i guess..

  3. Hisham on July 24th, 2009 6:01 pm

    The E71x is a problem child because its too difficult for American consumers used to the simplicity of the iPhone but it lacks the most killer features that have made Nokia famous amongst enthusiasts. If you need VoIP built-in without using Fring then buy the E71. It works beautifully.

  4. Ankit on October 8th, 2009 9:30 pm

    Hi

    can you share the SIP config settings for Gizmo for E71x. Also tell me how did you make Gizmo app to work on E71x. I installed Gizmo app from Gizmo5.com. But it does not connect to internet.

    Ankit

  5. Hisham on October 10th, 2009 12:33 pm

    @Ankit:

    I never installed the Gizmo app on the E71x from Gizmo5.com. Instead I manually entered the SIP credentials into the E71x. You’re wasting your time though. Even once you get the SIP credentials entered there is no way for you to use Gizmo on that phone. If you want VoIP on the E71x then Fring is your only hope at the moment.

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