Sure, smartphone hardware and software are getting cheaper and easier for manufacturers to produce, but I think there will always be a place for non-smartphone devices in the market. Simplicity is key here – not everyone needs the full features of a smartphone, and while that remains true non-smartphones will always be produced, regardless of how cheap it becomes to make smartphones.

I have seen a trend over time of a general rise in the technology level even in cheap handsets, which is an obvious repercussion from the reduced cost of the components that make them. I wholeheartedly agree that even cheap handsets will eventually come with big, high-resolution screens and other treats, but I doubt that all handsets will become smartphones. The PIM features in non-smartphones have come a long way, and have reached a point where they will accommodate most users; transitioning to a smartphone user interface will do nothing but add a level of complexity that will ultimately drive the market away.

I am all for the advancement of technology, but only if it suits the needs of the consumer. There will have to be a radical change in the usability of smartphones before they truly become mainstream, perhaps the introduction of a ‘dumb’ mode that removes things like the ability to install new applications and the more complex PIM functionality would be beneficial. For the foreseeable future though, I think there will still be the constant flow of new non-smartphone devices.

That’s right, I went to the shops and purchased a nice suede covered notebook, and have been using it for everything. Jotting down small to-do lists, ideas for different projects, notes on the day’s meetings, directions on how to get to places I need to be, everything. This notebook has now become an integral part of the way I work, and I take it everywhere. I don’t think any other purchase of something to help organize my life has had this kind of impact on me in some time.

All this is not to say that I will be forgoing Microsoft Outlook and the smartphones I use every day though, for the simple notebook is still inferior for time management applications like Outlook’s calendar and such. I still make use of digital to-do lists as well, as so far I am yet to find a way to synchronize my notebook with my work’s groupware. The to-do lists on my PC/smartphone are more longer-term lists though, with the notebook being utilized for things I am doing right at that moment.

I implore everyone to reassess his or her use of technology for this kind of thing and see whether it is actually helping or hindering you. There is still a place for applications like OneNote in my life, but for the simpler things, I am in love with my notebook.

What I want to see is better integration into the phone’s firmware of tools to help disabled people. While this may not necessarily be practical for regular ‘dumb’ phones, I imagine it wouldn’t prove to be such a problem with smartphones.

Not knowing people that face these kind of challenges personally, I can only speculate what functions would make handsets more accessible to this demographic. I would assume that screen reader functionality would be a great place to start for those with failing vision, and conversely, having more pronounced visual indicators of what is going on with the device would help those with hearing impairments. Enlarged keypads would help greatly for many people, but this isn’t really practical to apply to all handsets – so what about a phone specifically designed for disabled individuals?

I wonder if it would be at all feasible for a large manufacturer to introduce a phone specifically designed to help those that have issues with today’s small and fiddly phones. Surly there would be a market for it, but I don’t know the economics of it all. At least for a start, though, I think manufacturers need to become more aware of this demographic, and I believe that the first company to realize this will get a lot of recognition for its efforts – and maybe even make some money along the way.

Note: I have tried to use language that won’t offend anyone, but if anything in this piece offends you, please contact me and I will amend it.

Going against initial assumptions that the very technology happy country that is Japan would jump on advanced devices like smartphones, previous releases, based mainly on Nokia’s S60 UI, have not done well at all. This is a trend that I imagine will continue, but I am really at a loss to explain why. The HTC Z is a very capable device – based on the Hermes reference design, it has all the specifications of a high-end non-smartphone – yet will most likely be outsold by a considerable amount by handsets with less organizational capabilities. This is certainly something that puzzles me, and I will be keeping a keen eye on what happens when these handsets are released to the market.

First things first, the Nokia E61 feels nice in the hand. I have used Blackberry devices in the past, and this thing blows them away in every way. The E61 is thin, and relatively light for a device of its calibre, and overall it gives an impression of a device smaller than what it actually is. Before this morning’s delivery, I had only briefly played with the E61 at trade shows, and I was a little concerned about one-handed usage. I am pleased to say that I have no problem using the device one handed, and am able to reach all keys with ease with my moderately sized hands.

One thing that surprised me was the feel of the keys when pressed. The look of the device seems to indicate a very firm feel, which is quite far from the truth. In use, the keys have quite a spongy feel that does take a little time to get used to. After a little use though, the keys feel nice, and my typing speed is slowly getting faster.

The memory card slot is in a bit of an awkward place, located beneath the battery cover at the side of the handset. Thankfully, the miniSD card is hot swappable, and you don’t have to remove the battery to get to it.

When first turning on the device, the screen will really daunt you. It is large, bright, colourful, and of a high resolution. This is great stuff, and one of the best screens I have seen on a smartphone in a while. The screen is particularly useful when using the built in Web Browser, which I will get to later.

To the untrained eye, there are few differences between the S60 v2 interface as seen on previous Nokia smartphones and this v3 version. One thing that is very noticeable however, is the speed of operation. This is easily the fastest S60 smartphone that I have ever used, beating even the much-loved 6630.

The software bundle with the E61 is impressive. All the regulars are here, including the calendar, to-do, notes, and contact management applications. These are all similar to the old S60 v2 apps, and work great, so I won’t get into it too much. What I will mention though, is the exceptional handling of office formats. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and even Zip files are all handled natively, and all give results very similar to their desktop equivalents. Two applications that stand out from the pack are the Web Browser and WorldMate.

I’m sure anyone reading this blog has seen the features of the S60 v3 Web Browser. This great app handles regular web sites on the internet with ease, and navigation is aided with the Mini Map feature – which gives a thumbnail view of the whole page. The joystick can be used as a mouse pointer in this application, which further aids navigation.

The WorldMate application allows you too specify what city you are currently in, and give you information such as the local weather forecast, currency exchange rates, and full world time information. The information is updated over any of the phones data connections, and the E61 comes with a three-year subscription to the service. Excellent for frequent travellers

The WiFi connectivity was easy to set up, and I was surfing and getting email over a WEP encrypted 802.11g connection in no time. The Nokia E61 supports WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption. IMAP, POP, and SMTP work a treat over WiFi, though I have not had a chance to test the device with a push email service.

Overall, I am really happy with the E61 so far. It does have its share of ‘early firmware’ quirks. An interesting bug that I have noticed is that the forward slash and question mark keys on the keypad have been switched on my unit, meaning that when I want to input a slash, I have to press the question mark, and vice versa. This proved quite confusing for a start. At the end of the day though, this is a handset that I may stick with for more than the two weeks I average with phones these days.