Nokia N93i is a fold-and-twist smartphone, a slimmed-down but pumped up spin-off of Nokia N93. Most people would argue though that like its forerunner, it is more of a camcorder phone than a smartphone.
Nokia N93i is still bulky at 2.2 in x 4.6 in x 1.1 in and 163 g; however, it is already a good 5mm thinner and 17g less than its predecessor. It looks strikingly attractive with its large, shiny mirror-backed screen and two-toned silver/black exterior.
Nokia used an Organic Light-emitting Diode (OLED) for the phone’s 2.4-inch screen, helping it to extend battery life as OLEDs do not require backlight to function. With a large 240 x 320 pixel display, message sending, web browsing and personal information managing is easier and enjoyable.
The screen gives an impressive view of your applications with its vivid and vibrant colors. Its 16 million color display makes your pictures come alive! However, you might find it disappointing as the outer layer of the screen is too reflective when used outdoors. Especially with sunlight, the contrast is compromised, giving out a glare and blurring the icons on the screen.
One cool thing about this Transformers look-alike phone is that it twists and rearranges in your hand to form a gun-like video camcorder, positioning your thumb rightly on the big record button with an intuitive zoom rocker around it. Video recording from a phone has never been this fun and classy. Its screen is also built to flip around and sit like a laptop, serving as a portable media viewer. It also has a TV out that allows straight connection to a V or monitor, so you can watch your recorded video on TV monitor and even create and manage slideshows with music. How cool is that?
As for connectivity, which is what makes a phone a smartphone, N93i is included in the top list of excellent Web browser with its user friendly Wi-Fi set up connection. It has GPRS data connection and wireless access via 802.11b and Bluetooth 2.0.
Sure, there are 5 mega pixel cameras around now, making N93i’s 3.2 mega pixel Carl Zeiss lens seem less impressive. However, its hinge-mounted 3.0 x optical zoom camera compensates for this. It even allows you to go further to a 20 x digital zoom. So your photos appear as crisp and vivid, if not more, as they would in a 5 mega pixel camera. Also, it has a tiny LED light under the lens for close-up photos in the dark.
Video shooting in this phone is not only flashy but also easy to master as it only has limited features, which include auto and night scene modes. Nokia’s promise is that this phone would give you DVD quality video. Critics on the other hand, beg to differ, saying that its quality is no different from a webcam output. Although it is a full 30 frames per second, the resolution is very low.
The major failing of this smartphone is in its battery. From N93’s 1100mAh, it is now a 950mAh BL-5F, which has reduced capacity. Nokia claims that battery life could last 11 days. However, tests proved that moderate calls and Bluetooth use drain the battery in four days. Media player can also drain it in six hours. And for a full Wi-Fi and camcorder use, N93i could only last 3.5 hours.
This time when touchscreens were way overrated, an ordinary looking candy bar mobile phone with the usual-looking keypad is a sigh of relief. An addition to Nokia’s N-series, the N79 a mid-range phone that are sensible enough for the common user.
Laden with a very pleasing external and offering a comfortable grip, the Nokia N79 measures 110mm x 49mm x 15mm and weighs 97 grams. It features a flat number pad to give space to 2.4-in screen with clear and bright 320 x 240 pixels resolution. The screen is good enough to make us appreciate its multimedia offerings. The screen is also equipped with an accelerometer that responds accordingly to every turn of the hand.
Shortcut buttons are situated between the screen and the number pad. A Nokia Multimedia Key is located on the far left, just like the other N-series phones, which will takes its users to a revolving menu of multimedia offerings like Internet, music, photos, and gaming. The Navi wheel is reminiscent of the iPod’s scrolling capability, but not as responsive yet still works well, and you can enable/disable this function. There is also a slider on the top edge of the handset that locks and unlocks the phone.
Customize N97’s shell among three Xpress-on back plates choices (brown, lime green and blue), although you can only replace the back, with the front portion remains at white. No problems with this though, because the front and back’s theme will definitely match.
Connectivity options in the N79 include 3G with HSDPA with download speeds to 3.6Mbps and Wi-Fi. It supports quad-band GSM, GPRS and EDGE. Two-way video calling is possible with the N79, with its front camera and a 5MP main camera equipped with Carl Zeiss lens on the rear. It has a dual LED flash auto focus and a macro mode that helps take the best indoor shoots. Overall image quality is good, although capturing moving images is a little tricky because of high shutter lag.
Music is a high point in the N79. It has stereo speakers located on the upper and lower right edge of the phone that produce nice and loud sounds. A 3.5mm headset jack is located on the top edge of the phone. Listen to music for ten straight hours and the battery can deal with it.
It is equipped with 50MB of internal memory and a microSD card slot that can handle a 4GB card for your files. It has FM radio and an FM transmitter and support for Nokia Music Store. You can also download games with this, being a N-gage phone.
Another wow factor in the N79 is the built-in GPS receiver and pre-installed Nokia Maps that works well with the accelerometer. Other productivity tools include calculator, calendar, PDF reader, unit converter, notes taker and QuickOffice for reading Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
Continuing the tradition of the Nokia NSeries is the Nokia N73, with its stylized design and improved multimedia features. The greatest asset of Nokia N73 is its 3.2-Megapixel camera featuring a myriad of imaging features. While it’s considered a multimedia god, the N73 has been attacked with some issues related to performance, although some has found the glitches forgivable, especially as it managed to get into the standard in terms of construction and comfort.
N73 features a commendable QVGA screen, at 2.4 inches on a 240 x 320-pixel resolution. It displays 262,144 colors with brightness and contrast automatically adjusted to environmental factors. The theme is interchangeable and the backlight is also adjustable.
Below the screen are the navigation controls and a alphanumerical keypad. The front panel includes the Talk and End buttons and a joystick for scrolling. The joystick acts as the select key when pressed. On the sides of the keypad are additional controls: two of which are shortcuts to the Menu and Edit functions, a multimedia button and a clear key. The problem with this arrangement is that the layout appears to be cramped, which can cause wrong dials and accidental opening of applications.
Situated on the right spine of the N73 is where the camera capture key, review button, a zoom in/out button and volume controller. The last two functions are shared on a single button. The miniSD expansion slot, protected by a cover, is on the bottom portion, a departure from the usual location of the memory slot of earlier Nokia phones (behind the battery cover). On the back side of the phone is the camera lens. Another camera is located just above the screen in the upper right corner.
Phone capabilities of the N73 have always been the point of contention especially by mobile phone critics, despite having been deserved its self-acclamation of being the “multimedia computer.” The address book has a limited memory of 42MB with the SIM card adding up 250 contacts. Photos can also be assigned as caller IDs. N73, being a quadband phone, also includes a speed dial, voice command support, a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, and text and multimedia messaging.
N73’s operating system is the Symbian OS 9.1 which offers a calendar, a to-do list, notes, a calculator, a voice recorder, a currency converter, and an HTML/XHTML Web browser on its list of productivity tools. Viewing (without editing) Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point documents are possible with Quickoffice. There is also an Adobe Reader for viewing PDF files.
Connectivity options with Nokia N73 includes Bluetooth 2.0 and GPRS/EDGE connections although the absent of the Wi-Fi can be a bit disappointing. E-mail capabilities include support for SMTP, IMAP4, and POP3 accounts and full attachment viewing. Nokia N73 can easily be synchronized with the computer via the Nokia PC Suite.
The N73 is at its best with its multimedia features. Its 3.2-Megapixel camera has the Carl Zeiss Optics lens, an autofocus function, and 20X digital zoom. eight scene modes, four image qualities, five resolutions, and a number of imaging and video recording and editing features. It also includes an integrated music and video player that supports a myriad of music and video formats.
Notable for its mammoth-size, the Nokia E90 is a smartphone that completely juxtaposes with its size: a phone that offers a wide variety of features and promises solid performance to business users. The E90 was introduced in the in Barcelona, Spain at the 3GSM Mobile World Congress (now known as the GSMA Mobile World Congress), in the same year when the E61i and E65 were introduced. One of the biggest drawbacks of the E90 is that it’s very expensive, although the details written in this article may help explain the price.
Sporting a dimension of 5.2 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches, the Nokia E90 Communicator is large enough to care about comfort although as stated above, this 7.4-ounce gadget redeems its downside by proving its power. Its 2-inch screen has 16 million-color display at a 320 x 20 pixel resolution. Text and images are brightly lit and can be read even direct sunlight exposure. Below the screen are the navigation array and the alphanumeric keypad. The keys are large enough and are very easy to press. What explains the bulkiness of the E90 Communicator is that it can be opened to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.6-inch internal wide screen display with 16 million-color display at a 800 x 352 pixel resolution.
This wide screen is perfect for browsing web sites and reading documents and e-mails. Another set of Talk and End buttons are included. Included in this interface is a dedicated number row. Below the display are shortcuts to various applications: Contacts, Messaging, Web, and Calendar. The Nokia E90 Communicator operates on Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 3rd Edition. Among the number of applications that it runs are the Quickoffice suite that enables users to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and the Nokia Team Suite to define members, conference call numbers, conference call PINs, and Web pages according to “teams”. Adobe Reader, Zip Manager, calendar, notes, calculator, clock, voice recorder and currency converter are also included. There is also an access to third-party applications. it should be noted that E90 can accommodate 120 MB of its built-in memory and the user can add up to 2GB cards on its microSD expansion.
E-mail capabilities of Nokia E90 support Microsoft Exchange Server, POP3, IMAP, and SMTP accounts, and a full attachment viewer. Call features are its best with quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, conference calling, speed dial, voice commands, and VoIP support. Connectivity features include integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0 and a built-in GPS radio.
One of the multimedia offerings of the Nokia E90 is the 3.2-Megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, and video-recording capabilities, although a number of users have commented that it has poor image quality. It also features a music player that can play MP3 and AAC files. There’s also an FM radio. The RealPlayer can play videos in MPEG-4, MP4, 3GP, RV, RA, AAC, AMR, and MIDI formats.
Joining Nokia’s E Series, a group of phones that is dedicated to satisfy every corporate user’s needs is Nokia E61i. Users have started praising Nokia E61i’s innovative design and its excellent messaging and productivity capabilities.
Nokia E61i’s mocha-brown and silver body sports a dimension of 4.6 x 2.7 x 0.5 inches and a weifhr of 5.3 ounces. The E61i is heavier as compared to other Nokia smartphones as caused by its solid construction and a wider body. The 2.8-inch screen runs 16 million colors at a 320 x 240 pixel resolution that makes viewing text, images and videos at best. Backlighting, contrast and themes can be adjusted automatically or manually.
The navigation keys and the QWERTY keypad are located below the screen. Among the navigation keys are the standard Talk and End buttons, two soft keys, and menu shortcuts. Two quick-launch buttons are also added; one will direct to the contacts and the other one can be programmed by the user to go to any applications. The traditional five-way navigation toggle replaced the joystick controller. The QWERTY has more spacing and most of the keys are large and square in shape.
This is an improvement as the rubbery keyboard prevented any slips that limit away frustration to the act of typing text messages and e-mails. On the left portion of the phone is the voice recorder and volume control. On the backside are the camera lens, mirror and flash. The microSD slot is behind the battery cover on the left side.
The E61i runs under the Symbian OS 9.1, Series 60 third edition. Users are able to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point documents via the Quickoffice Suite. An additional utility is the Nokia Team Suite that can be used for creating teams, members, conference call numbers, conference call PINS and web pages for finding all the information about a single conference calls. Adobe Reader and Zip Manager are also included in the smart phone. Completing the list of tools are calendar, clock, voice recorder, currency converter and calendar. The default memory is 50MB but the microSD can accept up to 2GB of memory.
Nokia E61i ’s support Microsoft Exchange Servere, POP3, IMAP and SMTP accounts. An attachment viewer is also included. Push e-mail solutions allows real-time messaging in E61i, supporting Intellisync Wireless E-mail, BlackBerry Connect, GoodLink, Visto, and Seven Always-On Mail. It works with instant messaging clients like Yahoo and AOL as well. Another cool feature, the Message Reader, automatically converts the text messages to speech.
Connectivity features with E61i are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and Infrared. Bluetooth can be used for file transfers and dial up networking for laptops, aside from hands-free handsets. Phone capabilities in E61i is fantastic as it offers the world roaming, speakerphone, speed dialling, voice commands and conference calls. It also supports VOIP calls.
The deluge of mobile phones from has appeared to be unstoppable. Mobile users might have gone to thinking: among the units that are being released by Nokia every year, which are the most recommended? Which unit stands out among the rest? Judging underneath the school of design, Nokia 6300 definitely stands out.
Mobile enthusiasts would agree that Nokia 6300 is one among the most tactile phones that they have ever used, amidst Nokia’s release of its batch of high-end handsets. Cased in an expensive black glossy plastic and stainless steel covers, 6300 has a dimension of 4.2 x 1.7 x 0.5 inches and weight of 3.2 ounces. The screen displays up to 16 million colors at a 320 x 240 pixel resolution (QVGA), bright and good for viewing texts, photos and videos.
One of 6300’s greatest ergonomic assets is the large keypads, making it very easy to use. The bottom of the unit is where the charging port is located, as well as the 2.5 mm headset jack and mini-USB port, used for connecting the phone to the PC. Whenever the phone receives a new message, the blue LED in the sides will also light.
There’s nothing really new with Nokia 6300 on the features section, although cramping all the necessary functions in a more compact and aesthetically-promising gadget is a surprise in itself, aside from the fact that it’s very simple to use and easy to understand. Uses can view the menu either as icons, tabs or list and choose the applications they need to operate. Among 6300’s multimedia offerings are the 2.0 Mega-pixel camera, music player, video player, FM radio and voice recorder. The camera, which is located on the back side of the phone, can takes pictures and videos. Settings include timer and night mode, but there no built-in flash and auto focus.
Connectivity options with 6300 include Bluetooth and GPRS/EDGE. The GPRS/EDGE works well with the pre-installed Opera Web Browser. There is also a Bluetooth presenter for controlling PowerPoint presentations and sensor application for sharing pictures and information using Bluetooth. Java applications can be installed in 6300 using the Nokia PC Suite.
The 6300’s media player supports the following formats:MP3, MP4, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, H.263 and H.264. a 2GB microSD card can be installed for saving music and video files. An FM radio is also available. It also includes an email client that supports Gmail and Yahoo mail services. Other features include voice recorder, alarm clock, calendar, to-do list, notes, calculator, countdown timer, stopwatch and Java games. Phone critics definitely gave Nokia 6300 a deserving passing score in the ergonomics area, however it has a number of downplays, including the low-resolution camera, slow GPRS and lack of 3G.
The HTC Touch Dual joins the class of slider phones, with its own slide-out 20-key keypad tucked in its compact frame. It is taller and thicker than its predecessor, but retaining the minimalist look of just having the touch screen, 5-way navigation pad, camera and power buttons, call answer and end keys and volume control visible. The stylus is hidden on the top-right side and the microSD expansion slot at the bottom. The SIM card slot can be accessed by taking out the battery first.
It measures 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.6 in inches and weighs 3.9 ounces. The Touch Dual’s screen is smaller, however, at 2.6 inches. It has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixel and 65,536 colors. Like the original Touch, it has the HTC TouchFLO user interface which is paired with the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. It utilizes Bluetooth 2.0, EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA and UMTS, but lacks Wi-Fi capabilities and GPS.
The interface now has bigger-sized menu icons and virtual keyboard keys, a new getting started menu, a sound mode tab, phonebook with alphabet-access to contacts and a task manager with memory information. These changes allow users to have a better “touch” experience with their fingers, minimizing the use of a stylus.
TouchFLO technology makes the screen sensitive to the commands of the user given with the tap and swipe of their finger. Users can also make use of the Block Recognizer and the Transcriber to speed up doing inputs. To get to the QWERTY keypad, users just need to slide up the front cover activating a new task page on the screen which is a short cut to making text and emails or noting in appointments. The QWERTY keypad has a Blackberry SureType feel to it.
The upgraded version of Windows Mobile gives the mobile Internet Explorer zooming capabilities which decrease the need to scroll. It is still bundled with Microsoft Office Mobile Suite for using Word and Excel and viewing PDF and PowerPoint files; Direct Push Technology for real-time email and Outlook synchronization via Exchange Server; and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile for music and video streaming.
Touch Dual’s 400 MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201 processor has 128MB of RAM and gives a snappier user-experience. It makes use of a 1, 350 mAh lithium ion battery with five hours of continuous GSM talk-time and 3.2 hours of continuous 3G talk-time.
This smart phone is a quad-band with call features that include an address book, speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging and voice dialing and command. Touch Dual has two cameras, a 2-megapixel one with an 8x zoom for taking photos and videos and another one for video calls. Like the Touch, it has no flash thus taking photos or videos at night are not recommended. A purchase of the Touch Dual comes with an AC adapter, carrying case, extra stylus, manual, mini USB cable, pair of earbuds and software CD.
For those looking into moving light in this high-tech world, AT&T together with HTC America Inc. has introduced a 6-ounce smartphone that has all that anyone can wish for within its 2.3 in x 0.7 in x 4.4 in black frame.
The AT&T Tilt is a smartphone that can outdo the PDAs that are out in the market and practically replace your laptop. Owners can use it to make documents; send, receive and check voice, text, data and email (POP3 and IMAP4) messages; update personal web pages; browse photos; watch videos; listen to music or satellite radio; download music; take pictures and videos; including help in finding locations anywhere on earth.
As a wireless phone, it has an instant Push to Talk communication feature and the usual voice command and dialing. Users can bring it when traveling abroad because of its 3.6 Mbps tri-band (UMTS/HSDPA) and quad-band (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) features.
Owners can use voice and data functions as well as accessories all at the same time because this smartphone’s connection can combine up to six wireless pairings. Its 3rd party applications are over the top.
It comes with AOL®, Windows Live(TM) and Yahoo!® instant messaging. YouTube can be enjoyed by just downloading the streaming media player of HTC.
The operating system used is Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional that is Vista-compatible and uses a QUALCOMM 400 MHzMSM7200 processor enabling fast 3G wireless broadband connection. Aside from Microsoft Office Mobile that one needs to use Excel, Powerpoint and Word files and Outlook, it also has Active Sync to synchronize the AT&T Tilt with one’s PC.
For memory, it has an installed 128 MB of SRAM and 256 MB of Flash ROM. Memory can be expanded to its 2 GB potential with microSD. You can use this smartphone as an integrated, high-speed, wireless modem for your laptop. Aside from Bluetooth 2.0 it also uses IrDA and IEEE 802.11b as well as IEEE 802.11g integrated Wi-Fi. It has a USB port, expansion slot, and comes with a USB cable.
You can use AT&T Tilt’s features with ease because of it’s tilting colored touch screen (28” with 64K colors) complemented with a QWERTY keyboard that slides out. A scrolling or track wheel on the left side, five-way navigation button and stylus gives users choices by which one can comfortably manipulate the device. Users can customize the screen which has a maximum resolution of 240×320. For the audiophile, AT&T Tilt supports AAC, AMR, MP3, WAV, WMA, MIDI, AAC+ audio standards. It also has a built-in microphone and speakers.
Its three megapixel camera can take excellent pictures and videos with its autofocus capabilities and 10x zooming function. Although owners will have to make do without a flash.
AT&T Navigator is used by the built-in GPS to assist when traveling in unfamiliar area. AT&T Tilt lets you make use of other GPS applications like Garmin Mobile XT and Google Map, too. You can even geo-tag photos.
Its power is the only downside that can be said of this smartphone. But most people are willing to bear with its Lithium polymer battery’s need to be recharged almost daily for three hours. They know all the features they enjoy requires a lot of power.
An AT&T Tilt smartphone also comes with an AC wall charger, 1350 mAh battery and extra stylus.
The Apple iPhone, which combined regular mobile phone capabilities with Apple’s iPod high quality MP3 player, has created hype in the world of smartphone fanatics with its sophisticated and sleek design. Yes, it looks a bit broad in its candy bar style and QWERTY keyboard layout. And looking bulky at 2.4 in x 4.6 in x 0.7 in and heavy at 4.8 oz. However, it surprisingly fits just perfectly nice in the hand. It is antenna integrated. It boasts of a whopping 3.5-inch glass touchscreen, which has a resolution of 480×320 pixels and 32-bit (128 colors) that gives a stunningly vibrant user interface.
As a full iPod Nano, it contains all the 5G iPod features, such as high-quality videos, iTunes music and podcasts. Moreover, it allows you to browse music from album to album, with cover in pretty artworks as you choose the song you want to listen to. It uses 4gb or 8gb flash memory for bigger audio and video storage capacity.
As a phone, it asserts to have 8hrs talk time and 250 battery hours on standby. It has all the essentials of a mobile phone such as automatic redial, call divert, call hold, call timer, caller ID, call waiting, volume control, ringer control, conference call capability, computer link, call transfer, speakerphone, polyphonic ringer, voice mail capability, multimedia messaging service (MMS) and short messaging service (SMS). Of course, it also has a digital camera and digital player.
As for connectivity options, iPhone features WiFi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. It also offers full internet browsing and push email options, which include IMAP and POP3 exchange services of Microsoft, and Push-IMAP or Push extensions for Internet Message Access Protocol. It uses GSM (Global System for Mobile communications, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) for cellular enhancement protocol.
iPhone operates on Darwin, a Mac OS X version open source linux computer operating system; and is also quad band calling supported, with GSM) 850, 900, 1800 and 1900, taking you to more places around the world.
On top of all these a new, and rather ingenious feature called accelerometer, would surely impress you with its capability to recognize which way up the phone is, automatically reorienting itself when you flip the unit from portrait to landscape. The same feature, which uses motion/proximity sensor, also switches the screen off during a call to avoid accidentally pressing the buttons on the screen.
The iPhone services are provided by AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless.
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