Nokia N90 Review

Talking about Nokia N90 you are not only referring to a phone, but to a multi functional device, with an impressive number of features and which does well serving both entertaining and business purposes.

Able to complete digital still and video capture tasks, music playback device and compatible with running PDA applications, Nokia N90 is finally one Nokia model that easily solved the major form and function conflicts that characterized the phones produced by this manufacturer.

If your in the UK check for latest prices here Nokia N90

The Nokia N90 resembles some sort of metal enigma due to the design of the camera lens placed on the flip hinge and the display on the top. The Nokia N90 can be switched to the digital camera mode by simply holding the phone horizontally with the screen facing you, position that will actually twist the lens assembly 90 degrees. One of the problems with the design however is making use of the small joystick control while handling which can get fiddly when trying to take photographs in this position.  The ever increasing useage of PictBridge support is also included with the phone making the print out of your pictures simple.

The N90 measures 112mm (L) x 51mm (W) x 24mm (D) and weighs 173 grams. Making it not the smallest 3G phone on the market, nor the lightest...this extra bulk seems to translate into poor battery life also with a rather poor 4.5 hours talk time (granted the two LCD screens must eat drain some power) but a standby time of a more reasonable 240 hours.

You’ll find two displays on the N90. The external mini display is an active matrix screen with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels and a color depth of 65,436 colors. The main display on the inside measures 2.1 inches and is an active matrix 262,144 color panel with a resolution of 352 x 416 pixels, the main display being far brighter and giving sharper images than the outer display.

Once you flip the clamshell you will discover a dial pad with pretty common features, with medium size keys and quite small letters. The icons on the keys hint at their functionality, but they make the user guess what they really mean. The camera does not have a separate key to get activated and it is the swivel lens as well as the swivel screen that automatically activate the camera.

As far as the video mode is concerned, we were pleased to notice that there are two soft keys on either side of the earpiece at the end of the extended LCD top flap which contribute to making the navigation through the settings, image-control and play back operations much easier.  Although the video capture is only at 15 fps giving the video a choppy feeling that can be distracting when viewed although with the good quality camera the picture it produces is quite sharp and detailed.

Nokia N90 Specifications:

• Multiple Languages
• 2nd Display: 65,000 –color TFT LCD / 128 x 128 pixels
• Polyphonic Chords: 64
• Ringer Profiles
• BlueTooth Connectivity
• PC Sync
• USB version 1.2/ via Pop-Port
• Multiple numbers per ID
• Ringer ID
• Picture ID
• EGPRS Technology class 10 / plus WCDMA in Europe and Asia
• Wireless Internet Browser Software: Opera supports WAP 2.0 xHTML, HTML frames, file upload
• Picture ID
• Voice Dialing: speaker independent / plus voice commands / dedicated key
• Expansion Card: Card Type: RS-MMC 1.8v / MMCmobile
• Email Client: protocols supported: SMTP, POP3, IMAP4; supports push email with attachments
• Nokia Picture Messaging
• MMS 300 KB max message size (about 30 sec of video) automatic photo resizing
• Text Messaging: 2 – Way, plus IM
• Number of templates for text messaging 10
• Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC
• 2+ Resolution Camera; autofocus lens; LED flash, brightness; white balance controls; self-timer and macro model.
• Streaming Video: Protocol: MPEG-4, 3GPP, Real; maximum length: about an hour; MPEG-4 format / CIF resolution (352 x 288 pixels)
• Alarm, calculator, calendar, voice memo, to do list, voice memo, games;

Nokia N90 Advantages:

• Great quality of pictures
• Wonderful display
• Great internet connectivity

Disadvantages:

• Poor battery life
• Non standard head phone jack.

If your in the UK check for latest prices here Nokia N90

In conclusion, for the rather hefty price of the N90 we feel that you would be better suited looking elsewhere for your 3G needs.  The battery life, difficult even if impressive picture capturing and large form factor just makes the N90 just not the phone we would want to carry around in day to day use.