Nokia E90 cell phone review - Value & Comparisons
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Mark Brezinski Published on September 17, 2007 Comment on this |
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Value (2.0)
The E90 is a solid device with great hardware. But it suffers the curse of being an unlocked phone: at $1,199 (through Dynamism, who supplied our review unit), it's very expensive. That's because there is no carrier subsidy; you're paying the entire cost of the handset up front. But you get a lot for your money. Though it doesn't offer everything you could want in a business device, it comes close, and its extensibility means it's likely any needed software is just a download away. If the keyboard is important to you, and you want to have one of the best screens and keyboards on a cell phone today, then perhaps the E90 is worth the $1,199 sticker. For most people, however, the E90 simply won't be worth it, even though it is a great phone. We'd recommend waiting for the price to come down, unless you're a serious e-mailer on the road.
Comparisons
HTC Mogul - The Mogul might be a good alternative to the E90 if price is a concern. The Mogul contains a bit less functionality, but runs about $300; a quarter of the cost of the E90. The main problem with the Mogul, interestingly enough, was its price; we found its cost didn't justify the improvements over its predecessor, the PPC-6700, which is about $100 for a two-year contract. The Mogul, though much cheaper than the E90, suffered from many of the same problems: it's a great phone with a bad price. Of course, the E90's problems are much, much more serious since the phone costs about four times as much. If you find you're not having trouble giving your money away, and are looking for really high-end hardware, we'd recommend the E90 over the Mogul. Otherwise, we'd recommend the Mogul or the PPC-6700.
Blackberry 8800 - Blackberry phones are a standard in business today. Chances are, if you're entertaining the idea of purchasing the E90, you're trying to avoid getting a Blackberry. Like the Mogul, the 8800 costs $300 with a contract and $500 without. The Blackberry has a more intuitive operating system, but its browser is nowhere near the E90's. The 8800 also doesn't have as impressive a form factor, and its hardware is far inferior. Again, if you want to be able to stand up in a board room meeting and proudly proclaim, "My phone costs more than all of your suits combined," the E90 is not a bad alternative.
Nokia N95 - In our review of the N95, we jokingly asked if the buyers wouldn't rather have a new laptop for their $750. At $1,199, the same joke comes to mind, only instead of a laptop, a buyer could net a higher end desktop PC. The reason the N95 was worth the cost was having the latest and greatest. As this is the case, we'd have to recommend the E90 over the N95. The E90 is, in fact, later and greater. Though they share the same OS, there are a few upgrades the E90 receives, most of which are from the software being custom tuned to better take advantage of the internal screen. If you're going to spend $750 on a phone, money, more than likely, isn't your biggest concern.
Helio Ocean - This phone has a similar flashy form, but not in a professional way. The Ocean also doesn't contain any of the necessary business software a potential E90 customer undoubtedly needs. Here we find ourselves recommending the E90 over the Ocean just because it has the looks and practical applications a business user would need. Again, though, we must stress that there are plenty of much, much cheaper business devices out there. If you're not looking for a business device, then the E90 just isn't for you.
Apple iPhone - The iPhone, like the Helio Ocean, is not intended for business use. We therefore cannot recommend it as such. If you were eyeing the E90 as an alternative to the iPhone, just because you have a thing for the newest handsets, then the E90 might be a good replacement. After all, the iPhone's price cut makes it more accessible, which does take away from its appeal somewhat. If you're just looking for a cool new device, but don't want to get a fourth mortgage, the iPhone is the clear choice.
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