The US version of the Nokia E71 is one highly anticipated handset, although it won’t command as strong a following as the recent iPhone 3G release. Still, this business centric cell phone is touted to be the slimmest QWERTY device on the market, measuring a mere 0.39″ in thickness. It is currently available to the general public via a range of consumer electronics, wireless and online retailers, and at the Nokia Flagship Stores in Chicago and New York. More of the E71 can be garnered if you read past the jump.

The Nokia E71 also includes a number of entertainment features and supports many of the latest Ovi services including Nokia Maps and Share on Ovi. With integrated A-GPS and Nokia Maps 2.0, the Nokia E71 can easily pinpoint locations and provide optional turn-by-turn navigation information. The device also captures high-quality images and videos with its 3.2 megapixel camera, which can be quickly uploaded and shared with friends and family around the world using the fun and easy Share on Ovi service.

Easy-to-configure email, including support for both enterprise-grade email including Mail for Exchange and Intellisync as well as the most popular consumer email services like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail, combined with real-time access to calendar information, contacts and to-do lists make the Nokia E71 a perfect productivity tool. Built-in encryption technology for both the device memory and an optional microSD memory card is also included with the Nokia E71.

I would go on a limb and speculate that most Nokia E71 customers would have owned the E61i prior to this, since that cell phone was one multi-functional unit although this one improves on the predecessor’s strong points even further. You can pick up an unlocked Nokia E71 for approximately half a grand.

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