NOKIA N95 "MULTIMEDIA COMPUTER" now available
When it was first revealed to the world in September 2006 the Nokia N95 seemed destined to be one of the most powerful handsets around, so now that it’s been released and is widely available, we thought we’d see if it has lived up to the hype.
Sporting a 5 megapixel ‘Carl Zeiss’-blessed digital camera, integrated GPS and WiFi, HSDPA data access (think mobile broadband… up to 3.6 Mbit currently possible, over 6 times as fast as most broadband users get) and an innovative ‘dual slider’ action, it’s hard to fault the features. When even Sony Ericsson’s Cybershot-branded handsets can only muster 3.2 megapixels, you start to realise just how ahead of the curve this device is. Take a look at this feature list:
5 Megapixel (2592 x 1944) digital camera
Camera has Flickr support, Carl Zeiss Optics, autofocus & digital zoom
Video recording at 640 x 480, 30 frames per second - near DVD quality
Hi-speed ‘G’ WiFi
HSDPA (3.5G)
Quad band
2.6-inch QVGA (320×240) 16 million colour screen
160MB of internal memory
microSD (aka TransFlash) memory card slot supporting up to 8Gb cards
Music Player supporting all popular formats, including eAACS, MP3 and wma.
Stereo speakers built-in, and stereo A2DP Bluetooth
Stereo FM Radio
3.5 mm audio jack
USB 2.0 via mini USB port
Fully hardware accelerated 3D graphics
It’s the little things that can make or break a device like this, so it is good to see that things like a normal headphone jack, a standard mini-USB port and a good FM radio aren’t left out.
Running Nokia’s take on Symbian, Series60, this really is more of a computer than merely a smartphone. With a massive range of software available from all over the web you can have this connecting to all your popular Instant Messaging accounts, running TomTom or even managing your expenses or workout regime in no time.
The slide form factor has seen a lot of new uses recently, but many people might forget that it was Nokia who actually introduced this with their “banana phone”, the NK-501. You might know it better as the original Matrix phone (although the spring loaded opening was just a special effect, unfortunately - the later 7110 did have this, though). So it’s hardly surprising that Nokia have innovated again with the dual-slider action: Slide the screen one way to reveal a very well engineered keypad, as you’d expect. Slide it the other way, and there’s merely 4 multimedia control keys, play/pause, forward, backward and stop.
What really blew us away though is the size of the phone (’multimedia computer’! - Ed). Much thinner than the Nokia N80, it comfortably emulates the dimensions of a ‘normal’ mobile phone without compromising on screen real estate or useable keys.
After playing with this marvel for an hour I’m still finding really useful features and all the pleasant surprises that a device this capable can provide. It may be cheesy to say, but this is the phone of the future and it’s here today.
NOKIA N95
New Nokia 5700 XpressMusic announced
The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic is a 3G smartphone running on the S60 operating system. The Nokia 5700 features a twist design that switches easily between four operating modes: Phone, camera, music player and video calls. The 5700 can download and play music tracks from a variety of internet music stores.
“The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic adds a new twist to the mobile music experience with compatibility for tracks purchased from many Internet music stores,”
says Heikki Norta, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia.
“In addition the Nokia 5700 XpressMusic features a dedicated audio chip for improved music performance which consumers can further enhance by selecting from an ever increasing line of compatible audio enhancements.”
With the addition of a 2GB micro SD memory card the 5700 XpressMusic can store up to 1500 tracks. With support for Bluetooth 2.0 users can listen to these tracks wirelessly with a compatible headset or use their own favourite wired headsets, utilising the built in 3.5mm plug on the phone.
The 5700 supports a variety of digital formats including WMA, MP3, AAC, as well as eAAC+ and MP4. When buying music online, users have the option of a variety of music stores, including those that use the Windows Media Digital Rights management system. The 5700 music player supports album art, playlists, and has a 5 band equalizer and audio visualizations
As well as being optimized for music the 5700 XpressMusic is a S60 3G smartphone, and offers all the features a smartphone has, including built in web browser, email client, and the option to install a variety of 3rd party software, including games, navigation, entertainment, productivity and creativity.
Sony Ericsson W580i announced
Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of yet another mobile phone to add to their Walkman range, the Sony Ericsson W580i.
The W580i is a slim, slide format phone, with a 2.0 megapixel camera. The Sony Ericsson W580i is just 14mm thick, but includes a large QVGA TFT colour screen, supporting 262k colours, and includes the Sony Ericsson Sports Applications, allowing you to plan your training schedule on the phone.
The phone has capacity to store up to 470 full length audio tracks, and includes the latest Walkman software with support for album art. The Track ID feature is also supported on the Sony Ericsson W580. This allows you to find the name and artist information of an unknown clip of music by recording it onto your phone and uploading it to the Sony Ericsson music service. Information of the clip is then sent to your phone.
samsung
Samsung is one of the biggest mobile phone makers having its operations in almost every country in the world. This South Korean electronics major have seen tremendous rise in its market share in different segments – CTVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, home appliances, and of course in mobile phones. The last 2-3 years have been a phenomenal journey for this Korean giant and you have got some really cool and sophisticated mobile devices in different styles, sizes and colours.
If you want your mobile phone to be slim and attractive as well as high on features, then the Samsung X-Series mobile phones are meant for you. The latest Samsung X-series mobile phones enable consumers to fully explore and experience different multimedia capabilities only with a few clicks. X-Series handsets like X620, X640, X660, X700, X820, X830 are supreme manifestations of Samsung’s technological strength and entertainment expertise. Cool features, trendy looks, optimum usability – all make Samsung X-Series mobile phones a prized possession for every mobile phone user. Features like bright and clear display screens, integrated music players, higher resolution megapixel cameras, FM radios, Bluetooth wireless technology, GPRS, USB, memory expansion etc. can be all found in all the high-end Samsung X-Series mobile phones.
Compared to X-Series mobile phones, U-Series mobile handsets are more feature rich. All the U-Series handsets like Samsung U100, Samsung U300, Samsung U600 and Samsung U700 incorporate at least 3 megapixel cameras, dedicated music players, web access facilities, GPRS, EDGE, USB, memory expansion slots etc. Some models even come complete with features like TV Output, Mobile Printing and Document Viewer etc. In size, U-Series mobile phones are a bit bulkier (except the U100) than the X-Series mobile handsets.
The final verdict is that look wise Samsung X-Series mobile phones are more appealing than the U-Series phones. But if features are what you need, then the U-Series handsets are the perfect choices.
