It shouldn't come as much of a
surprise that the E62 was namechecked in the slew of Cingular material we got today, but we also managed to land some additional information
not from Boy Genius. Looks like the E62 is set to drop on Cingy on or around September/October if not earlier (we hear business accounts could get their units in June/July), and will set you back
$599 $299 without a contract, or as little as
$399 $199 with a two year. Still a pretty hefty cost for the castrated non-UMTS, non-WiFi verion of the
E61, but it'll still be ready and willing to take on just about any push email solution under the sun, and considering what it's up against in the US market, this guy still ain't half bad.
Update: our source on the prices sent us some new information, which has the E62 weighing in at $299 without a contract and $199 with a two year -- a totally compelling development which would have Cingular and Nokia taking dead aim at Verizon and Motorola's Q. Guess we'll have to wait this one out.
posted Jun 27th 2006 at 11:52PM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tnkgrl @ Jun 28th 2006 12:15AM
Why wsit for the E62 when you can buy an uncrippled unlocked E61 today for $399?
Jason @ Jun 28th 2006 12:24AM
Wow. For $400 right now I could buy an unlocked E61 with UMTS and Wifi and not have to sign a contract with anyone.
Finished.Law.School @ Jun 28th 2006 12:50AM
Do either the E61 or 62 have quad band?
Jason @ Jun 28th 2006 2:29AM
Now my comment looks stupid. I'd still rather pay $399 for an E61 with Wifi than $199 for a two year contract with Cingular, an E62 and no Wifi.
Carlos @ Jun 28th 2006 3:37AM
To Finished.Law.School, both of them are quad-band; the E61 has UMTS, but not Cingular's flavor.
As for the topic, I'm the happy owner of an E61; love it and highly recommend it, as opposed to paying for crippled version in the form of the E62 for not much less.
Synergy @ Jun 28th 2006 10:00AM
Jason or tnkgrl,
Who is selling the e61 for 400?
Thx
Mike @ Jun 28th 2006 10:18AM
I thought the E61 used a different band for UMTS that's not compatible with the band used in the US.
Can anyone confirm?
Oz @ Jun 28th 2006 11:19AM
The E61 is available for $350 now. See fonegrabber.com
The E61 is quad band and the UMTS option should work with T-mobile later this year (if they win the spectrum option)
The phone is absolutely incredible and I'd definitely recommend it.
Rand @ Jun 28th 2006 11:42AM
Answering Mike's question:
Not exactly true that E61 will use different band for UMTS. E61 uses 2100 band and UMTS only, not HSDPA upgraded variant. Cingular is building out 850/1900 UMTS/HSDPA network. However, T-mobile has yet to begin construction of network because of lack of spectrum and one of the bands being auctioned is for 2100 spectrum like that deployed in Europe and elsewhere. So, if T-mobile decides that they want to cut deployment costs through bulk purchasing and improve compatibility with its European networks, they just might bid for 2100 spectrum. Of course the downside for U.S. consumers if T-mobile deploys 2100 is that it means that it will require yet more bands and modes to be supported by UMTS phones, making them more expensive, bulky, and less capable of roaming while the technical hurdles are initially worked out. Also 2100 coverage would be weaker and take more time to build out because in general, the higher you go up in band spectrum, the more base stations it takes to cover a given area.
BTW, I have the E61 and apart from a few minor gripes love its functionality and robust build quality.
Paolo @ Jun 28th 2006 12:37PM
^^The E61 uses the European 2100 band for its UMTS, while the U.S. Band for UMTS is 850(800) and 1900.
So NO the E61's UMTS cannot be used here (U.S.)
JREAU @ Jun 28th 2006 2:43PM
@ Carlos and anyone else who happens to own this phone.
How do you like the size? The phone seems rather large - too large to carry in one's pocket.
I have the Cingular(HTC)8125 - which I find to be a horrible phone. The keyboard sucks - not to mention Windows Mobile.
I am debating between the E61 and Sony Ericsson's M600 and am leaning toward the E61 but the size has prevented me from pulling the trigger.
Fone_Fonatic @ Jun 28th 2006 4:52PM
Who/What are these boy genius reports? I mean if they're that good at getting release dates is there anything out there about the N80? I currenty have a HTC Wizard and want an N80. So can anyone confirm its coming out, or should i just go ahead and set my sights for a Hermes/Tytn?
Codelicious @ Jun 28th 2006 6:14PM
JREAU, the E62 size can be a bit problematic since it has wide screen and full size keyboard. But comparing to HP 492x SmartPhone, E62 is abit thinner. The keyboard is much better than HTC 8125. Big buttons and smooth feeling. The screen resolution is much better than HTC/HP phones as well. Fonts look smooth and the brightness/contrast is way better than those.
I'd recommend it, but the size will be a concern. It's almost twice the size of V3.
Carlos @ Jun 29th 2006 4:30AM
JREAU, I love the phone. The keyboard is fantastic for typing those long emails or just for quick data entry; it's actually thinner than I expected, not Q thin but still, more pocketable than a Treo 700. The phone is wide so it kind of looks like you're talking into a Pop Tart, but the same as people look when using a Blackberry or Q. Plus, as long as you get a nice screen protector (Martin Fields is nice), there's no need for a case so it's slips in and our of your pocket with ease. Reception is great, the operating system is zippy and has great Office viewers and editors, push email, solid syncronization. My only gripe is no camera as I used to take tons of snapshots with my N70, but I'm survivng. The thin size and keyboard make up for it.
As for the M600, two things. Not quad-band and slow as molasses.
You can get the E61 for a decent rate at Wireless Imports, I got mine for $435 about a month ago.
PS: To confirm what others have said, it's UTMS, but not the UTMS 850Mhz require by Cingular, not that they're rolling that out with too much speed that it even matters.
Mike @ Jun 29th 2006 8:18AM
Thanks for the feedback.
I tried the Motorola Q and while the form factor is nice, the software blows chunks. Guess I gotta compare the size of the two units.
How do you like the d-pad (or whatever the little nub/stick is called)?
Donald @ Jun 29th 2006 10:47AM
"So can anyone confirm its coming out, or should i just go ahead and set my sights for a Hermes/Tytn?"
Several Cingular sources have confirmed that the Nokia N80 will NOT be coming out on Cingular.
amy77jc @ Jul 13th 2006 9:08AM
I have a question in regards to the E61 vs the E62. If i purchase the E61 (which i've seen with contract on T-mobile for less than 300) would the WIFI work? Is there a reason that they took that feature off the E62? I really want this phone but am afraid that the features i want won't be compatible with Cingular or Tmobile in the US.
Any answers/comments/information would be very helpful.
B@M @ Jul 25th 2006 3:22PM
The E61/E62 phone is really easy to get used to. Compared to the Blackberry it has many more features. The screen is amazing quality and very sharp. The only difference with the E62 is the lack of Wlan. According to other forms this was due to cigular wanting people to use there data plan. The E61 Wlan will still work here in the US. Even if it is on another GSM network. The WLAN will work without a sim card. I have had the E61 for some time now. I would not give it up. I have used the Nokia 9300 and the 9500. The E61/E62 is a lot better in size. The Symbian 60 v3 OS is very powerful and has many improvements over Symbian 80 and even 60 v2.
All around I would still buy the E62 if I did not have my E61. Wlan is only good when you have access to it. If you are on the road all the time. Whats the point of WLAN.
B@M @ Jul 25th 2006 3:24PM
The E61/E62 phone is really easy to get used to. Compared to the Blackberry it has many more features. The screen is amazing quality and very sharp. The only difference with the E62 is the lack of Wlan. According to other forms this was due to cigular wanting people to use there data plan. The E61 Wlan will still work here in the US. Even if it is on another GSM network. The WLAN will work without a sim card. I have had the E61 for some time now. I would not give it up. I have used the Nokia 9300 and the 9500. The E61/E62 is a lot better in size. The Symbian 60 v3 OS is very powerful and has many improvements over Symbian 80 and even 60 v2.
All around I would still buy the E62 if I did not have my E61. Wlan is only good when you have access to it. If you are on the road all the time. Whats the point of WLAN.
Tingo99 @ Aug 29th 2006 9:44PM
My thoughts on the E61...currently bought an unlocked one ans use it with cingular. Everything is great, especially the wifi. only issues are that it can be slow. People say it uses edge but the settings to connect seem to be for gprs. maybe the same settings for both, who knows.
Also, I have only used a blackberry and now E62. With the former, you access the web and it starts immediately. With E62 you have to first connect which is a pain.