The burning E61i issue

I have worked with Hetty for about 7 years. She’s an extremely efficient Managing Director of an array of our operations and is constantly on the pulse of the latest fashion trends.

First among her bewildered friends with a Nokia E61 (at my instigation), she converted to it with total delight. It was the first handset that I’d shown her to which she immediately answered ‘yes’ to my ‘the company should buy one of these for you’ question.

Working in the mobile industry, I’m particularly over-eager to make sure the company purchases the latest technology — you know — any excuse. Hetty is generally the sensible voice, eyebrows raised, asking if we actually need another [insert handset] to add to the array across my desk.

Typically speaking, it is business critical to have the hardware sat there. Let me just get out my credit card… but of course, there’s always room for good financial management, right?

Chatting with Hetty recently, she remarked that she’d been on the T-Mobile site hunting for the E61i — ‘the one with the camera’. No dice. It’s not there, alas.

I heard through the burgeoning grapevine that Three, who certainly led the way with the E61, are reportedly not bothering with the E61i. Bit annoying that.

And T-Mobile? Well, like the geek that I am, I’m always excited when a non-geek seeks a new handset and I’m rather disappointed that it doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the T-Mobile site.

I’ve been trying to convince her to get a Nokia N95, particularly given it’s wicked 5 megapixel camera. Why not, Hetty?

“Because I like having my phone and my email in one device. I had my Blackberry and some other phone before and that was just silly.”

I think, alas, it’ll need to be a buy-it-new job. I’ve been looking on eBay. I might just plonk the cash for the E61i, £299, on the Nokia store. I’ve never bought from the Nokia shop before you see, it would be good research.

Right?