Hands-On With Cingular’s Nokia N75
As most on HowardForums know, I recently got a chance to play with the Nokia N75, and a Cingular branded one at that! More pics and the full run-down are available after the break, though a fair warning, they’re a bit blurry. Taken with my N73, but I forgot to switch to close-up mode, so the background is nicely focused while the foreground (phones) is slightly blurry. I did take a comparison shot with my N73, as well as some sample shots with the N75. Anyways….here’s my take…..
First and foremost, the rumor on HoFo is that the delays have been
caused by instability in the firmware. The device I played with had
Cingular-branded firmware 10.1.045, dated in October, and it was really
stable. I have another contact who just got his N75 last friday, and
his has newer firmware dated 12-22, 10.1.262, and they stated it was
still extremely stable. So this instability issue was either fixed in
October, or never really was. Take your pick.
Java - this was honestly my biggest problem. I was afraid that Cingular
would have the java crippled like they did on the E62. However I’m
pleased to report that it’s not, on either one of the aforementioned
firmwares. I tested Google Maps and it worked smoothly, VERY quickly
(3G, afterall).
UI - VERY snappy. Obviously MUCH faster than my E62, even unbranded,
and a little bit snappier than my N73, which is also unbranded. I was
very impressed with the menu speeds. I also noted that at startup,
there is 22MB of RAM free, hovering around 13-14MB after a bit of use
(compared to my N73 which has 20MB at startup, hovering around 10MB
after a bit of use).
Build Quality - I personally found the phone to be extremely sturdy.
I’ve had some cheap feeling phones all the way up to the steel beast,
the 6170. It felt solid like the 6170 did. The Pop-Port and Memory Card
covers are very secure, but not a pain to get open like the N73 is. The
flip was solid, and not flimsy at all. The whole phone is wrapped in
the kind of rubber-leathery stuff that the 6131 is.
Keypad - Again referencing the 6170, the keypad on the N75 is freakin poetic. Each key is nicely sized, and the middle is indented for a fingertip, which makes "blind-typing" extremely easy. The keys are well sized, with no space in between. The only complaint I have is with the "clump" of S60 keys on the top, but that’s more personal preference, I’m not a huge fan of having them all clumped together like that. They are nicely sized, though, and easy to differentiate. There is a dedicated Music key across the d-pad from the menu key.
Front LCD - This was my favorite part, honestly. It’s actually useful. Standby it displays the usual stuff, but you can also use the media playback buttons like they’re softkeys, with the "play/pause" button being select. In this way you can browse your music library and do most everything in that app without having to open the flip. VERY convenient. Same when using the camera, you can delete the photo or go back to take another all without opening the flip.
Camera - It’s got the same 2MP CMOS lens as the N70, but it has a
flash. Here’s the comparison pics I took with the N75 and then the N73,
as well as two sample pics with the N75. Not bad, but obviously only a
2MP with no auto-focus. The left is taken with the N73, right with
the N75. You can click on them to view the original size.
Also, here are some shots taken with the N75 across the food court:
Branding - As I mentioned, the unit I played with was Cingular branded. Externally, the only branding I could see was on the inside of the phone, under the screen, and on the outside, under the screen again. However, internal branding was NUTS. There’s so many Cingular apps in there: Cingular Video, MEdiaNet, MEdiaMall, Cingular Music, and on and on and on. However, that’s one of the joys of S60, you can create a folder labeled "Crap" and toss all those icons in there, never to be seen again.
Like I said, I WILL be getting this phone, it’s only a matter of when and how much. It was stable, and best of all, S60 with US 3G. The timeframe that was mentioned to me is mid-to-end-of-Feb. Probably around $200 w/ contract. Please take both of those statements with a grain of salt. If you’re new to cellphones, a good rule of thumb is that no one knows the release date until it’s on the shelf at the store.
Very nice… now if only T-Mo would get some 3G and get the n75t or whatever they want to call it, I’d be EXTREMELY happy!
-olly
FOCUS
lol seriously … dude!
Gr8 review of the phone! Nice to finally know that Cingular will be carrying it.
My expectations are high for this phone, and, judging from your mini-review, it appears as though it will not disappoint.
*sigh* I want this phone before march…
Symbian-Guru Reviews The Nokia N75
My buddy Ricky of Symbian-Guru got his hands on a Nokia N75 and gives his full review over at his site. One of the good things he mentions is that Cingular didn’t cripple the java as we thought they would.First
Symbian Guru’s brief encounter with a Nokia N75
By brief I mean really brief! Ricky did this review in the food court of a shopping mall. He won’t reveal who let him play with the device but mentions he knows a Nokia employee. Honestly I prefer Phone Scoops