Techno Cop: iPhone 3G vs. Nokia E71

Oh c'mon, you did not expect me to actually compare these two state of the art devices. If I really must, then I will have to limit myself with following:

The two are about the same in size.
Both feel solid and are elegantly constructed.
The E71 is the best texting appliance for its size.
The iPhone is the best internet and productivity appliance for its size owing mostly to its multi-touch screen which allows for screen enlargements.
Both can handle voice communication very well.

Last year I detailed here my reasons why I will not buy the iPhone. The reasons for this are mainly due to the iPhone's inability to sync with MS Outlook and the lack of 3G connectivity. Those issues had been successfully addressed by Apple in just under a year with their release of the iPhone 3G. In fact, synchronizing with Vista on the HP 2710p was a breeze and only took all of 5 minutes to transfer all data from Outlook calendar and contacts onto the iPhone 3G.

I have been playing with the iPhone 3G for barely 3 weeks and it has already been my go to internet device. I now use it every day for the following:

Web browsing
Checking and making short email replies.
As an iPod for listening to music and audio books.
As an e-reader when reading e-books from ereader.com
Intermittently as a phone when I don't feel like whipping out the E71.
As a GTD (getting things done) device using Evernote.

I suggest visiting iPhone Office: 100 Ways to Turn Your Device into the Ultimate Productivity Tool to find more uses for your iPhone 3G. I have been picky in downloading stuff from the 'App Store' and only downloaded the following in order to leave more room for music, eBooks and audio books:

Evernote
eReader
Budget
WeDict
Typepad
PhoneSaber
iBeer

In fact, I will use the iPhone 3G for just about anything except for texting. Living in the 'text capital' of the world, the iPhone's virtual keyboard simply cannot compete with the full QWERTY of the E71. This is precisely why I still carry the E71 to handle voice and texting while the iPhone for everything else. Why not use the 3G and Wi-Fi of the E71 instead? The screen, the screen.

With the arrival of the iPhone 3g 16 gig in the Technocop HQ, I now hardly ever use the OQO Model 02 since for heavy computing chores, I always have the HP 2710p locked in the car.

I am currently reading, err, listening to Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Work Week on the iPhone. I highly recommend this book especially the portion where he suggests that one should take 'mini-retirements' per year. When I take my first mini retirement towards the end of the year, I think I can get away with just having a single phone – the iPhone 3G. But for now, when texting in this part of the world is a daily chore, I will have to carry both.