 |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Feature Pack 2 focuses on user interface and performance improvements. The 369MHz N78 is a snappy S60 device, and with the likes of demand paging under its belt, it boots in 21 seconds from the moment the power button is pressed until the device is ready to use. Opening folders, scrolling menus and launching most applications is quite fast with only the video player and Maps taking a few seconds to load. As with all Nokia S60 smartphones, the phone syncs to Outlook under Windows via the included USB cable or Bluetooth, and it can sync multimedia items as well. There is no Mac OS X iSync plugin yet, but Nokia may yet release one since the phone is still so new. The phone has a USB 2.0 high speed port and can work in mass storage mode. HSDPA, Good Times on AT&T The N78-3 is a quad band 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM world phone that's sold unlocked for use with any GSM carrier. It will work fine with T-Mobile but it shines on AT&T in 3G HSDPA coverage areas. The Safari-based web browser has gotten even faster in Feature Pack 2. Steve Jobs might find it an all-too worthy adversary since the N78's browser is faster than the N95's he used in his speed comparison while introducing the 3G iPhone. Our homepage downloaded in 8.5 seconds with a good HSDPA signal, and that's not a mobile-optimized page! Feature Pack 2 adds prioritization of Internet connections (i.e.: WiFi, then the cellular data connection, then the VPN connection) and this works best with the web browser. Note that the N78-3 has only the US (AT&T) 3G 850/1900MHz bands and not the European 2100MHz band. When not in a 3G coverage area, the phone drops down to EDGE, as it also does with a T-Mobile US SIM. The N78 supports DUN for those who wish to use it as a high speed wireless modem for a notebook and at Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR speeds, Bluetooth won't bottleneck the HSDPA connection.
Flash video support is here-- simply direct the web browser to www.youtube.com, then select the desktop view link to see FLV flash video. We won't call this smooth and with so many youtube videos being VGA, the entire video won't fit on screen (scroll, scroll, scroll). Video is however watchable, especially QVGA video. Should you prefer a mobile-optimized experience, go with the mobile view instead of desktop view (though not all videos are available in mobile H264 format). To watch youtube, WiFi is best but HSDPA will do-- forget EDGE. The new N-Gage doesn't yet support the N78, but we do hope that support will follow. Right now N-Gage supports the N95 family, the N81 and the N82. Where am I? No need to get the most expensive NSeries smartphone to get GPS. The N78 has an internal GPS and Nokia Maps. As with the Nokia N95-3 after recent firmware updates, and the N95 8 gig, the GPS is much quicker to get a satellite fix and can even manage from indoors if there's a window nearby. We strongly suggest you download and install the free Maps 2.0 (a free download for any S60 model), which offers added features such as walking mode and traffic along with big improvements to routing. The N78 comes with a 3 month trial, and thereafter there's a monthly fee for navigation and routing (basic positioning, POIs and maps are free). While Nokia's service doesn't yet compare with TeleNav as offered by all major US carriers, it's usable and reasonably priced. The N78 occasionally booted us out of the Maps program, and we're guessing a firmware update will follow soon to fix bugs as, is often the case with new Nokia NSeries models.
Camera Though the Nokia N73 also had a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, making the N78 look no better on paper, it does indeed take better photos. It can't compete with the N95 or Nokia N82, but the photos are sharp (a little overly so), colorful and generally accurate with just a small blue bias. Indoor shots show some noise and the LED flash helps just a bit, but we were pleased with the very low light shot of the cat below (the room was nearly dark with only the adjacent window providing some light while offering contrast challenges). These sample photos were taken at the highest resolution. Unedited other than resizing for use here. Click on a photo to see the original version (~2048 x 1536 pixels, up to 1 meg each) in a new window.
The phone has a Carl Zeiss autofocus lens as do other high end NSeries imaging phones. Max photo resolution is 2048x1536 pixels, and max video resolution is VGA at 15fps with stereo audio. Maximum video clip length is 60 minutes in MP4 format (the camcorder also supports 3GP for MMS). VGA is nice, but 15 fps means the video isn't as smooth or realistic as the N95's. Focus is quite quick as is image save even at maximum resolution-- this isn't a repeat of the initial N95 release with slow camera issues. The camera application does occasionally become unresponsive for a second or two at random times, especially noticeable when trying to activate a menu. Again, we can see a firmware update in the future that will take care of this.
Software Nokia S60 smartphones ship with a large compliment of software. There's the web browser, email/SMS/MMS client, music player, FM radio application, Podcasting app, Quickoffice (creates/edits/views MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint files), Adobe PDF viewer, text to speech, Video Center (streaming video), Real Player, Gallery, Photos (an album for captured photos), profiles, active desktop (Nokia's home screen with shortcuts to apps and customizable info for WLAN, upcoming appointments and more) as well as a complete PIM suite with contacts, calendar, notes and tasks that sync to Outlook on the desktop and to the Mac once a plugin is a available.
Nokia's music player might not be as sexy as Sony Ericsson's walkman phones, but it covers the basics including syncing, playlists and sorting by all the usual suspects. It updates quickly when you add new songs to a card and supports popular formats including unprotected iTunes AAC and AAC+ files, MP3 Battery Life 3G phones with GPS and an autofocus camera are battery hogs. The N78's 1200 mAh battery keeps the phone going with moderate use for 2 days. If you use the GPS for an hour trip, check email at 15 minute intervals, stream video or music and talk an hour a day or more, expect to charge it nightly. If you use the phone lightly it can last up to 4 days in our tests. Conclusion With the proliferation of high spec Nokia NSeries and E series devices, it's becoming harder to choose among them. Here in the US, at least for AT&T subscribers, the list is shorter if you want 3G support and that narrows the choice. If you aren't a photo maven and don't crave the Nokia N95's 5 megapixel camera or the N95 8 gig's massive storage, the N78 is a logical alternative. Though longer, it is thinner and we expect when the phone has been out a few months, prices will settle and the N78 will be a cost-saving alternative. The phone certainly offers a lot for the money: GPS, WiFi, 3G a 3 megapixel autofocus camera and the latest S60 software. We love the looks and clever modern design-- heck we don't even mind the keys! Pro: Bright, sharp display, GPS, WiFi and FM radio and transmitter. Great looks, cool design. Has all US bands and HSDPA support with great browser speeds. Music playback sounds good through wired headphones and A2DP, though not quite as good as the Nokia N95. Stereo headset, 2 gig microSD card are in the box-- nice. Con: If you're in love with small phones, this isn't your bag. The camcorder's VGA video seems pointless at only 15 fps: I'd rather have 30 fps of higher quality QVGA video.
Price: Est. $499 - $550 Web site: www.nokiausa.com Comparison Shopping: Where to Buy
| ||||||||||||
