Nokia E72 – will it get left behind?

In a world where a smartphone is the only mobile phone worth having, manufacturers are increasingly churning out gadget after gadget they hope will be the next Apple iPhone, BlackBerry or Google Android.

So what about Nokia? How has its latest offerings fared in the battle of the handset?

One of its more recent products is the E72, which the brand describes as being "tailor-made for seamless business and communication".

Its most noteworthy features include real-time email support using Mail for Exchange and Lotus Notes Traveler, as well as 1GB of storage for the free Ovi Mail service.

In addition, it contains pre-loaded Ovi Maps, a 4GB memory card, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a full QWERTY keyboard, a five-megapixel camera and numerous applications, among other things.

However, according to gadget website T3, the E72 doesn’t quite go far enough to take the smartphone market by storm.

Reviewing the phone, Julian Prokaza wrote that its hardware is its true saving grace, much like the BlackBerry.

However, he explained the handset really falls short when it comes to software and its Symbian operating system.

"Symbian S60 3.2.3 looks rather dated on the E72 when compared to the slick interfaces of the iPhone and Android and isn’t anywhere near as user-friendly – multiple ways of accessing the same features and deeply buried configuration options just add to the confusion," he said.

So what does it mean for the gadget when you’ve got great hardware but inadequate software?

Well, Mr Prozaka sums it up thus: "All in all, the E72 isn’t a bad phone at all, it’s just outclassed and outdated."

Have you used the E72?

What do you think about the phone?