Instead of giving you a straightforward review of my new e71, I thought I’d throw in a bit of colour to help you all understand what a massive relief having this beautiful phone in my life really  is.

Previously, I’d been using a very aesthetically pleasing – but wholly useless – Sony Ericsson s500i. We’d had a good run (apart from the buttons cracking less than a few weeks after I’d got it), but the battery life was simply appalling. I’m talking two or three hours max. And when the space key started sticking, enough was enough.

I’d played around with several handsets over the past month – including the ‘definitely not passed a health & safety test’ Nokia 6650, intelligent but clunky G1 and the new iPhone. But the super slick, perfectly weighted e71 came up trumps every time. It’s the first phone I’ve got truly excited about in ages, and even though I’ve heard this handset being compared to a Blackberry – I think that’s doing it a disservice. It certainly doesn’t feel like any Blackberry I’ve ever held.

So, the camera IS a bit rubbish. But I’ve already got a swish camera – I’m not one of those users that needs a perfect pixel count, I’m far more interested in email and browsing. I need something that I can predominately use for business, but isn’t going to be restrictive because of it. 

As this is only one of a handful of 3G Nokia phones with a full QWERTY keyboard they’ve obviously put a lot of love into the development. The dome shaped keys are compact, but easy to get used to.

As well as adding to the swish design, the metal back plate and trim makes the e71 seemingly indestructible. In fact, I heard a story about a friend-of-a-friend in which he’d left his phone on top of his car (in the RAIN no less), and when it flew off at 40mph, the back just came off - no scratches or anything. Bizarre. But anyway, I don’t actually mind the added weight this brings. If anything, it makes for a more satisfying feel.

It’s also some of the simplest features that make the difference – the handy little @ key on the bottom left of the keyboard being one of them, and one touch shift key making typing a little easier on the thumbs.

Personal email accounts are also ridiculously easy to set up, just requiring your address, username and password – although hooking up your work email might require a little more patience.

The built-in GPS receiver is acceptably strong, and is quick to link up with Nokia Maps to give directions. I was expecting a direct link up to Nokia’s Music store, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The screen itself is very impressive as well - not only does it work well in direct sunlight, but it’s also consistently clear. I’m impressed with the battery life too. To give an example of how good it is - within the first week of getting my handset, I used it for almost two days with a near constant data connection, maybe an hour of Bluetooth, on top of calls and several emails. I've never had a mobile get through even a single day under that much strain.

I’ve got to throw in at this point that I was hugely impressed with the 3 guys when signing up. I’ve been royally messed around by T-Mobile of late (data charges as ALWAYS), so I weary of switching over. But I’ve managed to bag myself a quite frankly dirt-cheap tariff, with everything I could need and more (500 mins, 300 3-3 mins, 300 Skype-out mins, texts, ‘unlimited’ browsing and 1GB of downloads) all for £23 a month.

As well a guarantee of getting 50% off a 3 dongle when they up the speed to not only match but also advance beyond the speed of Vodafone in January. They were quick, efficient – and most of all, KNEW what they were talking about. I obviously knew what phone I wanted, and was fairly clued up about how I was going to be using it – so I wasn’t pressured into buying a different model, or giving any less attention than other customers needing more advice. Great experience all round.

I personally think that this is the best phone Nokia is yet to make, and it might just be the one to beat for many of the manufacturers. It’s not just about one redeeming feature, but is about the whole package - from the design, to the Symbian-powered specs, to the size, the sheer feel. It’s not only a fantastic phone to use, but its sexy with it – and if that’s not a great design execution – I don’t know what is.