Nokia E61

A few years back, Nokia was almost to mobile phones what Hoover was to vacuum cleaners. But then Nokia seemed to take umbrage at being told that its phones were boring and so started targeting the fashion market. It made games phones, music phones, camera phones, even phones without buttons - devices that were great for kids playing mobile-one-upmanship in the playground, but little short of embarrassing to pull from a pocket during a business meeting.

Thankfully, and perhaps in the nick of time, the company appears to have seen the error of its ways and once again is offering a selection of solid enterprise-class phones. The E61 we looked at was a SIM-free version. Froogle.co.uk suggests that it can be had for £220, but even at Nokia's price of £254 we think it's a bargain. The phone is also available on contract from both 3 and Vodafone. No doubt other networks will join them shortly.

The E61 is the pinnacle of the range and is a worthy contender for anyone seeking a push-email device. With its rock-solid build quality and fabulous styling, it's a smartphone you'll never be ashamed to be seen with during business meetings. All this, along with the impressive choice of email clients, makes the E61 not just equal to the other contenders in the market but, in many ways, superior.

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Author: Paul Ockenden