Armed with a QWERTY keypad, lifetime Nokia Messaging license and Usain Bolt quick HSDPA connection, the Nokia E72 is gunning for the BlackBerry preserve of push email and office productivity. But can the latest Nokia topple the might of the BlackBerry Curve 8900 messaging machine? We paired them up in a fight to the death, so read on for the verdict in our bloody stat clash…
Speed
The first round goes to the Nokia E72, and it’s not a points decision. The E72 floors the Curve with HSDPA connection, which will let you pump through web pages and bulky email attachments at up to 10.2Mbps (Trust us, that’s fast) with the right network. Whatever speed you get in reality, it’ll still be faster than the BlackBerry Curve 8900, which lags behind with a lowly EDGE connection that drags loading even basic pages like Google. Sure, it picks up the pace in hotspots thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity, but then the Nokia E72 has that too.
Winner: Nokia E72
Messaging
BlackBerrys are legendary for their pimped out push email, and while we love the ability to feed in up to 10 accounts at a time, Nokia Messaging has played keepy-uppy, serving up emails on the go just as well. The Nokia E72 edges this one thanks to a sturdier keyboard (the Curve’s tiny plastic keys move around in the case too much) and an optical trackpad with no moving parts, so you won’t be hindered by bits of dirt in the trackball like you will a certain other phone.
Winner: Nokia E72
Screen
The latest generation BlackBerry busts out with a 480×320 resolution screen – in other word’s it’s as sharp as the iPhone’s. The Nokia E72 meanwhile packs a measly 320×240 screen with just half the number of pixels. Those stats aren’t meaningless, mind – in the real world, that means you can view more of a web page at once on the BlackBerry Curve 8900, see your photos on screen sharper and enjoy video much better. Take it from us, the step up’s as noticeable as Dale Winton without his fake tan.
Winner: BlackBerry Curve 8900
Multimedia
Crucially, both the Curve and the Nokia E72 pack 3.5mm audio ports so you can use your own cans with comfort when listening to tunes. Backing up that swish screen on the BlackBerry Curve 8900 though is a newly improved multimedia player that handles music files no problemo, letting you sort by artists, albums etc, and packs more video support than an iPod touch. The BlackBerry catches the Nokie E72′s jaw on this one, but will it get back up in time for the final round?
Winner: BlackBerry Curve 8900
Extra features
It’s a knock out. Other than the email, RIM’s only other online service for its smartphones is the horrific BlackBerry Maps, which is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Google Maps for BlackBerry gets round that problem, but why bother when Nokia Maps on the Nokia E72 is stuffed full of extra features, like pedestrian routing? That’s only part of Nokia’s Ovi selection: you also get Ovi Share and Files for storing your multimedia in the cloud, plus contacts for wirelessly syncing your address book. The whole suite’s a winner, and so is the Nokia E72.
Winner: Nokia E72
It went to the last round, but the Nokia E72 came out on top before the bell went. Nokia’s online services, the 3G connection and solid build make it one tempting business blower.
Overall winner: Nokia E72
What do you think? Agree with the verdict? Let us know in the comments section