"I'm in merger and acquisitions, actually."

Normally, my somewhat bohemian appearance disqualifies me from claiming to be a suave investment banker or even iafrica.com's Business Editor.

Tired of not being taken seriously because I don't have the right facial hair and filled with a wave of can-do machismo, I leapt at the chance to review the E71, Nokia's latest addition to its popular Enterprise series. And a business phone to boot...

The E71 certainly looks the business: a joy to behold in its dappled steel livery, at just 11mm thick significantly slimmer than its predecessors, and proof that the Blackberry form factor can be pleasing to the eye.

Aesthetic appeal comes at a price though — the build quality is typically high but the phone is easily sullied by fingerprints and will not stand up to the rigors of outdoor use, such as being slammed into a wall in a fit of rage.

This is something that is entirely possible when you've been made to feel like you have all the dexterity of a chimpanzee on LSD. I'm all for a full qwerty keyboard — there is nothing to beat its tactile appeal — but this is ridiculous. With keys this small, even thumb typing effectively will prove a challenge. The layout is a lot more suited to the bulkier dimensions of big brother E90, which admittedly will set you back your 13th and 14th cheques.

I don't have hands like a pro wrestler but after two weeks of practice I'm still 26 times faster at dashing out a SMS using my trusty old N70 than on this 101 wonder. Notch one up for predictive text.

The directional pad on the other hand is tremendous and a boon for executives who want to notch up a few high scores on the sly.

Pop the hood and the E71 means business. As one would expect from a smartphone, it is chockfull of features like preloaded podcasting, a browsing experience par excellence, and Microsoft Exchange messaging — features no self-respecting info junkie could do without.

Nokia has garnered a significant market share and built a reputation on intuitive interfaces and outstanding build quality. The E71 represents no departure from the norm — browsing and working through the myriad of menus is a breeze.

A ying-yang icon signals the mode change feature, ideal for turning your phone into an in-flight entertainment centre. Nifty touches like the way the D-pad glows when on lockdown, a fully-featured dictionary and a talking SMS function become more and more significant with extended use.

The strength of the GPS antenna is a highlight, achieving a lock in less than a minute in most conditions. So now there's no reason why you should have taken that wrong turn and ended up at that strip club...

The E71's 2.4-inch screen is a bold, transflective invitation to explore the phone's gaming and multimedia capabilities, its QVGA resolution holding up well even in direct sunlight. I played Solitaire for hours without a hint of eye strain, tinkering with the cards and the baize colours too. (Yes, I played Solitaire for hours.)

Video is watchable but can be temperamental at times; the E71's lack of dedicated N-series hardware is painfully shown up here, but then the E-series is all about business before pleasure.

But perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the piece is the 3.2 megapixel camera, which is a digital tribute to mediocrity.

Ultimately these niggles shouldn't see anyone shy away from a quality piece of smartphone engineering, and stern competition for the Blackberry and Windows Mobile-powered enemy. And it's a whole lot cooler than a tie and briefcase — in time, it could even give the iPhone a bloodied nose.

Garmin Mobile XT

While tinkering with the Nokia E71, we also got the chance to try out Garmin's Mobile XT travel package on it.

In many ways the Global Positioning System is as important as the advent of cellular communication itself. After a week of exploring Cape Town with my new sixth tech-sense, there can be no return to ignorance.

This is one of those instances where technology has made my world larger. Tourist attractions (or Points of Interest in GPS parlance) are as plentiful as grains of sand in the Karoo — and there's plenty to do and see in the desert, apparently.

Supplied on a Micro SD card, the Garmin Mobile XT travel package offers such innovative features as Google local online content to find the best places to meet, dine and unwind, location-tagged images from Panoramio.com and, to ensure you get to your destination in good time, you can check your flight status while you're on the go via Garmin Online.

If you own a GPS-enabled mobile phone, there's simply no excuse not to make full use of it and invest in a software package such as Mobile XT. More than just a guide from A to B, it has the power to make the journey that much more interesting.