Video: Nokia E7 QWERTY keyboard type test – utterly awesome physical keyboard

The Nokia E7 is heralded as Nokia’s modern day communicator, sporting a similar tilt screen and QWERTY keyboard bonanza once found in the Nokia N97 and N97 mini but with a much bigger display, much bigger keyboard but all in a slimmer profile.

Being on the Eseries, business and messaging side puts much bigger pressure on having a great keyboard. This is the first touch screen on Eseries, and thus the first touch QWERTY hybrid in this end of the portfolio. With two competing inputs, you could argue that the physical keyboards may not be as good as those that are type alone.

You’ll be pleased to know the Nokia E7 has a fantastic keyboard (touch qwerty leaves something to be desired, ah meh). You’ll know it takes a little while to get fully accustomed to using a new phone QWERTY when you’ve just been using another one. E.G. N97 to N900 with the shifting keys would often make you press wrong buttons only due to muscle memory.

That aside, I was able to quickly adapt to typing on the Nokia E7 DESPITE having an obtrusive camera in between my hands (not the normal, comfortable position in daily use).

The Nokia E7’s 4 row QWERTY keyboard for me has the perfect balance of tactile feedback, sufficient bounce to know you’ve pressed a button, but light enough that you can fly through paragraphs. It is extremely comfortable to type on. Futhermore, the slim keyboard is quite spacious, the layout is great with each basic puncuation having its own dedicated keys so you don’t have to press a function button to release it. It’s the best keyboard out of all the Symbian QWERTY hybrids, miles better than the N900 and all the QWERTY only handsets. All this in a new, slim aluminium body.

In the video, that was literally the first time I had typed on the keyboard and you can see me quickly getting accustomed to the new layout.  At around 2 minutes, I move the camera and position myself in a more normal way of typing (without camera in between my hands) and typing speed just increases rapidly. What more when you’ve had a few hours, and days with it?

Apologies that the autofocus did not focus on the screen properly to read what I’m typing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBJN8uuzghU]

The E7, due this holiday season, will vary to suit the intended markets. Just like the Nokia N97 and N97 mini, the two handed QWERTY keyboard requirement is partnered with the flexibility of single hand T9 with alphanumeric touch. Furthermore, there’s SWYPE portrait QWERTY.

Tags: E7, Eseries, Nokia, Nokia E7, Symbian^3

Category: Eseries, Nokia, Symbian, Video