There’s no mistaking the business focus of this new handset from Nokia. There’s the sober design, the BlackBerry-apeing push email features and a willingness to connect to pretty much any sort of network – be it GSM, 3G or even wi-fi hotspot – anywhere in the world.

As for its looks, anyone familiar with Palm’s Treo handsets will find it incredibly familiar – a medium sized (2.8 inch) screen and a qwerty keyboard. However, the E61i is considerably slimmer than its Palm rival.

The ‘i' at the end of the name indicates that it is an improved version of the earlier E61. The new model is slimmer than its predecessor and also packs a camera. The greatest improvement is the ditching of the E61’s joystick for a five-way keypad.

That keyboard is a real joy too. Fat-fingered single-digit typing on a mobile handset is replaced with easy double-thumbed keying.

Setting up push email was a synch. I had my Microsoft Exchange mailbox working in seconds.

The spec

Size: 117 x 70 x 13.9mm. Weight 150g. Talk time 2-9 hours (dependent on connection method). Standby 8-17 days. Wi-fi, quadband, 3G, 2MP camera, Quickoffice for opening Microsoft Office attachments, supports push email including BlackBerry Connect and Mail for Exchange, 60MB internal memory, takes microSD cards up to 2GB

The hype

They say: Go mobile with your email

The reality

We say: This is an ideal alternative to a BlackBerry or the Palm Treo 750v and its cosmopolitan view on connectivity is very welcome.

The bottom line

£279 SIM free from the Nokia shop

The verdict

A great device to pack if you want to check your email wherever you are.

The roadwarrior rating

9 out of 10