The Nokia E7 communicator is all about its 4-inch screen and full QWERTY keyboard. The extra size of the screen means extra attention can be lavished on the keyboard making it one of the most easy-to use and appealing out there. Read out Nokia E7 keyboard review to find out more.
The Nokia E7 succeeds or fails on how well you get on with its QWERTYT keyboard. After all, being able to fire off messages and write longer documents it to key aim of this device. Thankfully, we’ve found it a joy to use.
Check out our Nokia E7 Hardware review
The keyboard on the Nokia E7 is hidden away behind the device and sits on a similar sliding hinge as found the earlier Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 Mini smartphones. This means the screen is pitched at a 45-degree angle, so you can comfortably see the screen and type in comfort.
The keyboard is well spaced with the individually mounted keys having being slightly flat to the touch but highly responsive. We’ve been using the Nokia E7 for a few weeks now and found it to be a highly balanced and comfortable keyboard to use.
The main keyboard is a standard QWERTY layout with Delete, Control and Return keys down the right-hand side. You’ll also find four directional buttons in the right-hand corner, which help you move around the screen a lot more accurately that tapping the touchscreen display.
To the left of the Spacebar you’ll find a Symbol key, so dropping everything from Emoticons to currency symbols into your messages is quick and easy. What’s more, accessing secondary functions and changing Cap size is easily done thanks to two keys down in the left-hand corner. These function keys are the same size as the main body of the keyboard so you won’t find yourself fiddling about with them, so typing quickly becomes normal and fluent.
Compared to the Nokia N900, for example, the Nokia E7 has a far more spacious and appealing layout. With four rows of keys, instead of the three found on the N900, and a centralised Spacebar, it feels more than a computer keyboard. The secondary keys also feel to be positioned more intuitively. While the slide-down nature of the N900 means you have to type with the device in your hand. However, the Nokia E7 has a slide-out keyboard that pitches the screen at a 45-degree angle so if you wish you can lay it on a table and type as though it were a more conventional work station.
We have to admit it takes a couple of days to find the perfect balance of how to hold the Nokia E7 before you really start to gather pace but we think this is pretty much the same for any device. The difference here is, once you’ve got the knack the keyboard remains a pleasure to use.
We’re impressed with the Nokia E7 in many ways and the QWERTY keyboard merely backs up our feelings about this smartphone, as the best all-round communicator device on the market today.
Check out our Nokia E7 Keyboard Review photo gallery:
