I’ve been looking for a new phone for a few months now, so when the Nokia E71 finally became available it was only a question of time before my wallet was prized open by temptation. Research suggested that this new smartphone was a Blackberry killer in every sense of the word. Better operating system, better keyboard, better build quality, better screen, the list went on. If you’ve ever seen these two phones side by side you’ll know what I mean. Just looking at the materials used you can tell the sleek stainless steel of the Nokia E71 has been built to kick sand in the face of the nasty fake leather skinned Blackberry Bold.

The temptation over the weekend was too great so I visited a selection of local mobile phone emporiums only to find that my choices were very limited if I wanted to drive home with a shiny new Nokia E71. Either pay a hefty price for a network free phone with no contract or get the phone for free on the country’s largest 3G network with an 18 month locked in call package.

The second option made the most financial sense since the monthly charge multiplied by 18 was a lot less than the cost of the phone if I opted to buy it without a contract. And, the contract gave me the usual copious amount of voice minutes, text messages, multimedia messages, internet connectivity, and goodness knows what else.

Having made my choice I decided to take my own advice and leverage the power of my blog to get a good deal. After all, faced with a difficult financial climate and a very competitive market, what mobile phone store would turn down the possibility of free publicity?

It only took three simple steps to get the contract rate cut in half and a raft of extras thrown in. Ask to speak to the manager, tell them about the blog and then offer them a recommendation in return for a substantial discount.

And here it is, a brand new and very shiny Nokia E71.

The phone I wanted at half the advertised cost with a free 8gb memory card, and more voice minutes and text messages than I will ever use. A full review, including the promised link back to the store, will follow once I’ve had time to explore the full potential and functionality of my new handset.

Whatever you are buying, big or small, cheap or expensive, always remember to name drop your blog. You might get more than you expected for less than you bargained for.