Touch screen interfaces for smartphones are definitely the in thing with cellphones now, especially since Apple wowed users with the iPhone and took a sizable chunk of the cellphone market in a short period of time.

Yet there are still some “old but good” cellphones around which are very usable.

The smartphone under the spotlight is the Nokia E61. This smartphone lacks a camera to make it more friendly for corporate environments.  It runs Symbian OS 9.1, Series 60 third edition, The phone has a candy bar design and a full QWERTY keyboard. The cellphone is quite wide, but fortunately not too thick. It features a generous size screen (320×240 pixel resolution), which is not a touchscreen, obviating the need for a stylus. Instead there is a mini joystick right under the screen. The menu system would be familiar to anyone used to the S60 series OS. Personally I found myself hunting around in sub-menus to find a particular  Wi-Fi option. Once used to the menu layout, navigating around the phone becomes a lot easier.

CNET’s review says the Nokia E61 “boasts a vibrant and sharp screen” . . . “ a full array of wireless options (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UMTS)The Symbian smart phone also has good call quality, a speakerphone, the ability to view and edit Office documents, and robust e-mail capabilities.“