Nokia E63 Qwerty keyboard smartphone

But if the browser holds its own against its more expensive sibling, the camera is a very definite step down from the E71. It has 2m pixels, as opposed to the E71's 3.2, with a fixed focal length and, next to the lens, a single LED flash light and self-portrait mirror. It can manage a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, has a minimal 2x digital zoom and includes a burst mode - six shots in not very rapid succession - and night mode.

Don't expect much of the camera

Pics are okay within their limits, but are quickly prone to noise if the light is anything less than perfect. The flash is fairly bright but, as usual, not very effective more than a metre or so from target. Handily, though, you can switch it on permanently, like a torch, by holding down the rather small space bar on the keyboard for a few seconds.

The rather excellent post-pic editing suite found on many other Nokia smart phones is absent - no surprise, given how naff the camera is - and you're left with just the ability to rotate, zoom or display pics in full-screen mode. Video is hardly worth it unless you have good light and little movement, recording at 15f/s.

Viewing saved videos is a different matter, however. RealPlayer is the default video viewer and films play well on the 16m-colour screen. You can download them directly from the internet, transfer them from your PC - you'll need to get your own USB data cable; there's none supplied - or import them wirelessly over Bluetooth. Incidentally, there's no infrared connection, as there is on the E71 but to be honest, it's no great loss.

The music player holds its end up with support for MP3, WMA and all the standard AAC sub-formats, and there's a six-preset graphic equaliser to set your sound. The standard issue Nokia headphones are OK, though the presence of a 3.5mm jack means it's easy to add your own. You'll need them to act as an aerial for the FM radio, which features 50 presets.

Adequate media playback

Another obvious cut-back is that while Nokia Maps is pre-installed, the E63 has no GPS receiver of its own.

Battery life proved to be strong, running for three days and more of moderate use with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched on constantly. Call quality was up there with all the best Nokias.

Verdict

The E63 is considerably cheaper than the E71 - currently a good £80 or so less, a quick scoot round the web reveals - but all that Nokia has really sacrificed is on-board GPS. The other cut corners are things like HSDPA and a camera that's not quite as good – but all still perfectly acceptable. As a substitute for the not-too-discerning E71 fan, and as a very strong alternative to the BlackBerry, it's well worth considering. ®

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