The Nokia E7 may be all about its 4-inch screen and QWERTY keyboard but powering all this fantastic hardware is the Symbian^3 operating system. Anyone buying a Nokia E7 in the next couple of months will find the Symbian Anna OS already installed but for now we’re looking at the Symbian^3 PR1.1. Read our Nokia E7 software and interface review and find what lies in store.
The Nokia E7 is an impressive device and if you’re really to put it through its paces then you need to get to grips with the Symbian^3 operating system. Sure, it still has a great deal of the look and feel of the older Symbian S60 5th Edition about it but for the most part it’s smoother, loads quicker and generally has a far more intuitive interface.
Read our Nokia E7 Hardware review
The addition of three separate Homescreens means you can create different profiles for different needs, such as work, social media, or just plain old having fun. You simply swipe your finger across the screen and you’ll find it moving on to the next Homescreen. In Symbian Anna you’ll be able to preview the screen before changing to it but at the moment this isn’t possible. If you don’t want to swipe then hitting the bar at the foot of the screen switches screens for you.
Creating completely unique Homescreen is nice and easy, simply press Options and choose Edit Home Screen. We created our main page to have the clock, diary and email options on it, while a second is packed simply with all the main apps we like to use. In all honesty, the third page is pretty blank at the moment and simply there waiting to be filled.
Getting up and running is incredibly easy. As soon as you insert your SIM and fire up the Nokia E7 you’ll be able to import your Contacts. Email is also quick and easy to manage, thanks to the onscreen Wizard. What’s more, you can even choose from all the usual culprits, not just Ovi Mail, as Google, Yahoo, Hotmail and even lesser ones such as Virgin Media and BT Internet are all covered.
The interface allows for a whole host of apps and widgets to be loaded, from the obvious culprits such as Twitter and Facebook to BBC iPlayer, as well as a whole host of news feeds that offer frequent updates.
Once you move away from the Homescreens and into the Applications and guts of the operating system you’ll find that Symbian^3 still owes a great deal to its heritage. Yes, going that last mile can be little frustrating as not all apps load and run instantly but it’s still fairly easy to get around.
Having played with the Symbian Anna operating system we know what changes are coming down the line, so while the current Nokia E7 works well it’s worth bearing in mind that everything will change in the next few months.
That said, we’re really enjoying using the Nokia E7 as it brings together a great array of features and the fact you can make it into the device you what it to be makes it even more enjoyable to use.
Check out our Nokia E7 Symbian^3 Software and Interface photo gallery:
