The launch of the N86 8MP in black, but also in white seems to support my thoughts that white is becoming an important color for Nokia devices. Last year I got my first white device: The E71. I’m really happy about my decision as the E71 looks really classy in white and I guess because it’s in white, it gets a lot of attention and I really mean a lot! I’ve had many people walk up to me to ask what device this was , also commenting that that the device’s white color made it look unique.

I’ve been so happy with my white E71, that I’m considering not getting the black N97, but the white version. But here is something worth thinking about when buying your next white device. The white E71 includes a matching white slip case. Even after taking really good care of the device (and case), in just two weeks the case got really dirty. I tried cleaning it daily, but as you might expect after a while it gets so dirty that cleaning just won’t help. What’s even worse is that these original Nokia slip cases are really hard to find. If that wasn’t enough, the E71’s USB and memory card’s rubber cover began to turn pink-ish red. I was puzzled as to why this was happening, but after some closer inspection I found the cause. It turned out that the red interior of the slip case began to come of on the rubber cover of the E71, giving it a pink-ish color.

This hasn’t affected the device itself, but the dirty white case and the red/pink rubber USB/memory cover is not something I like. On a black or even grey device this shouldn’t be a problem, but Nokia should consider making these white devices more real world-proof. How about using materials that less likely to get dirty?

Recently I found about this great show called The Gadget Show, a program all about tech airing on UK’s channel 5. This is a UK only TV program, making it out of reach for the rest of the world, luckily I’ve been able to watch it on Joost, but because it isn’t quite up to date with the latest shows I’ve missed their latest comparison where they put the iPhone 3G against the Nokia E71. The E71 managed to equal the iPhone 3G’s 4 out of 5 score on the Gadget Show.

At first glance you’d be more inclined to put the N96 or even the N95 8GB against the iPhone, but once you think about the E71’s stylish and thin looks, it indeed could be a rethinking and even better alternative to the slim and almost button-less iPhone 3G. What do you think? Are the E71 and iPhone 3G evenly matched?