N85 Review Part-1: Design

The N85, is the second Nseries phone being reviewed on this blog. Let me tell you a little about the N85. The N85 is supposed to be a successor to the N81, though some people believe it to be a successor to the N95.

The N85 stole the thunder from the N96, which is the flagship Nokia device currently, by providing similar and better features as the N96. The battle was now not with the Sony Ericssons and the Samgungs. It was with the N96 for the N85.

Let me tell you about the N85 as I see it, without getting into the history. But first, a big thanks to good people at WOM World, for making it available to me for review purposes.

Design:

The design of the N85 seems like an evolution of the N81’s design. The N85 is definitely better looking than the N81. It is definitely slimmer than the N95 and also more rounded too. I must be honest and tell you that I haven’t seen such a compact Nseries since the N76. When compared to the N96, the N85 is like a breath of fresh air. It’s that good!

The only thing that the recent Nseries have got a problem with is the glossy finish. It looks good, but the minute anyone holds it in the hand, its transformed into this fingerprint magnet. The mocha colour along with black front, gives a great refreshing look. It definitely looks ‘unique’.I’m dearly grateful to Nokia for having the keys or buttons at the sides in the same colour and not something else.

The keys below the slider (soft keys and menu and ‘C’ keys) are not visible when the phone is switched off or when it is not in use. Something that was first seen on the N78. I don’t whether I should like it or dislike it, because the keys or buttons are spaced out well, but despite that there seems to be a lot of space, which could have been used to make those keys a wee bit bigger.

I am grateful that Nokia did not put that music keys setup around the D-pad. I absolutely hated it on the N96. The N85 is an all plastic affair in terms of the body, but I must say that the quality of plastic is definitely good.

There were a few things that I did not like on the N85.

• Firstly, the slider function is not nearly as smooth as the N96’s slider action. The slider for the music keys is extremely hard for some reason as if there is no spring.
• Secondly, the music keys are too small, the keys could have been easily made bigger and thereby more friendly.
• Thirdly, the black portion, which houses the call and end keys along with the menu and ‘C’ keys, below the screen is already peeling off.
• And lastly, the camera key is spongy and a little too ‘fragile’, meaning that I could not figure out the difference between pressing the key half way for focusing and pressing it outright to click a snap. I have already mentioned the glossy finish above.

To round it off, I think the N85 is a distinct leap ahead from the N81, N95 and in in some ways even the N96. But overall, there is still some scope for improvement. I hope the newly announced N86 addresses them all.

Overall I think the N85 scores good by amassing a total of 8.2/10. In terms of design, the N85 is really a challenger to N96’s title. it just needs those last few things to be addressed quickly.

N96 Review Part-1: Design

The N96, Nokia’s flagship product, a phone that is meant to show what Nokia is to the world.

The N96 when it was first outed by Nokia as a successor to the N95 8GB, created ripples in the mobile phones industry. Firstly, not many of use expected a successor to the N95 8GB, secondly the supposed launch of the N85, which had the same and in some case better features than the N96.

Nevertheless the N96 was launched in a very dramatic way, remember the WWF special edition of the N96. The astronomical price of the handset, coupled with new design direction and hardware. It was supposed to be the cutting edge in terms of technology and once again reaffirm others (read iPhone) who was boss.

How has it fared? Well, the N96 has been almost completely overshadowed by its smaller but equally equipped brother, the N85. And also to a small extent by the N79 perhaps. The N95 and its various iterations along with the N82 had set a very high bar for success. This review will seek to find out whether the N96 has been able to meet those expectations and surpass them or not.

In the first aspect of the review let’s look at the design element of the N96.

Design:
The Nseries have always been a mixed bag for Nokia in terms of design. There have been many hits as well as misses for Nokia here. The Nseries have more or less followed traditional form factors, rarely trying something new (N90, N91, N92, N93 being notable exceptions), the N95 broke the mold slightly with a dual slider design. Another thing about Nseries designs has been the elements, they have consistently used different materials and design elements to make the Nseries a unique and aspirational line of phones. N96 is not trying to do anything different from its predecessors, it too has set out to do just that. With a design that sets it apart from ‘every’ other phone out there. It’s clear that the N96 does not want to be an underdog in terms of design.

The now trademark black colour clearly shows its lineage to everyone. A beige band surrounds the phone with silver colored keys for volume, camera, keypad lock and power. This according to me really break the monotony of the beige colour and makes one wonder what was the need to have the keys in that colour? I was little disappointed by that. When one buys a phone that costs so much, he wants high class products not like these. Another thing that struck me is, why has Nokia not gone completely black for this phone? I agree that the beige colour looks nice, but why could it not be black?

The reaction to this phone has been good. After all its not everyday that one sees a N96. All my friends have really liked the phone for its looks. I for one am being very critical of it since this the flagship product! you can’t make mistakes on this one at all.

The phone does not seem to have any metallic parts on the exterior, its an all plastic affair, and they have done a good job with the quality of materials used. The annoying thing about the N96 is that it is a huge (really huge!) fingerprint magnet. Since the phone is literally enveloped in glossy surfaces, you are sure to leave fingerprints on the phone. I personally hate having my prints all over the phone. The rear panel of the phone is made entirely of plastic and the design and finish of it reminds me of the N82, which was the first to come out with that kind of a design element.

Since this phone is big in terms of size also, it can become a little difficult to get the right grip. This phone is not slippery, mind you but the size is such that it can take time to get used to holding it in the hand. Once, used to it, it’s as good as any other phone of its kind.

There a ‘billion’ keys on this phone. I have not seen a slider phone having so many keys. In total there 36 keys on the phone, and this is excluding the keypad lock slider button. That’s a whole lot of keys! Using the keys is not difficult. It can however get a little difficult to use the ‘Menu’ and ‘C’ keys as they are at the bottom of the “screen half”. The numerical keypad is also done up in glossy plastic and are just 4 bands. The keys are not individually separated but there isn’t any noticeable problem in operating them. The four keys which are there on the other side of the slider are used for music and video playback, they also double up (the 2 keys in the center) as keys to be used when playing N-Gage games. Again it’s the same glossy finish for them. The keys on the screen half of the phone are an interesting lot.

A look at the keys and you feel sure that there is no way you can escape without making a few wrong presses. But that’s untrue, I haven’t made a single mistake while using them. The design deceives you into believing otherwise. There is just one problem with them and the D-Pad as well, it squeaks! and its irritating after a while. Andrew Currie has mentioned how it feels like, it’s as if there is a piece of plastic stuck under the D-Pad, well I have to agree with him. I have the exact same feeling! Why must they squeak at all?

The fact that the keys are flat, kinds of hinders in the feedback, at least for me. I didn’t think the feedback was reassuring enough. Why was there a need to have dedicated music keys surrounding the D-Pad? what other purpose do they serve?
If someone is listening to a song, he/she could very well use the D-Pad or the dedicated music keys. I think those set of keys could have been avoided and the space used for bigger and better designed keys. The ‘Menu’ and ‘C’ keys could have been bigger, the short cut key (horizontal silver button) could have been made slightly bigger. The volume keys and the camera key were spongy. The phone has two speakers at the right hand side of the phone, inline with the volume and camera keys. Lanyard holes at the bottom left hand side, 2mm charger point, mic and Micro USB slot at the bottom (center). A 3.5mm audio plug is at the top in the center. The phone also has a Micro USB card slot, a door for the same cane be found at the left side of the phone.

In terms of build quality, I must say that the slider mechanism on it is really good. It snaps with a reassuring noise. Probably the one thing that annoys me is the squeaks emanating from the D-Pad & soft keys and also the rear panel. It seems that there is a lot of space inside.

On the whole I would give the phone a respectable 7/10. A flagship product like this could have done much better. I was expecting the N96 would get a 8 or a 9 out of 10. Since it looks like a show stopper. The mistakes made were completely avoidable. I hope the next ‘flagship’ phone does not repeat these mistakes again.

UPDATE: Symbian-Guru reports that an all black N96 is available for sale in the UK at Carphone Warehouse.

the music/N-Gage keys

The keypad

The N96, design the web by hand!

The N96 rear panel design, seen alongside the N82’s rear panel

fingerprint and the front facing camera on the N96

16, the number of keys in that photo, on the N96

Bottom view.

Right side view of the N96

Top view of the N96

Micro SD card slot

Fingerprint magnet

E63 Review Part-1: Design

Firstly, a big thanks to the good people at WOM World for sending me the E63 to review. The E63 is a successor to the E62, and a cheaper version of the venerable E71. It has a lot at stake, without even knowing it. Over the next 2 weeks I shall give you all the info on the E63 and how good or bad it is. For now, Let me stick to the design aspect.

Design:
With the E51, E66, E71 setting very high standards when it came to design, its no wonder that the E63 has a huge act to follow. The E63 is not sleek or thin. If anything it is thick (going by E71’s dimensions). But compared to a N82, it is 3/5th of the latter’s thickness. The dimensions along with the materials used make the E63 a very comfortable fit in one’s hands.

The handset I have for review is the ‘Ruby Red’ colour. I guess a lot of people have complained about the staid looks of the Eseries phones and the need for some colour. The people over at Nokia, have heard their prayers. The device is available in two colours, red and dark blue. I hope there will be a complete black one as well!

The reactions I got for the colour were surprising. 8 out of 10 people loved the red! They thought that the phone looked ‘cool’. The girls also liked the colour of the phone a lot. If anything, the colour will make them more receptive towards ‘complicated’ phones (that’s what most girls say, even if they use them). In terms of the colour department the opinion is pretty positive. However, a friend of mine who did not like the colour gave me an interesting point of view, he said that, ‘people like the colour when they see it, but when it comes to buying they will prefer the same staid colours’, conformity to standards being the basis of his argument. We will have to see how much of this true, when the phone is available for sale.

Gone are the steel body parts, replaced with plastic. The back panel is plastic with some sort of rubber film treatment. This gives the handset a very good grip. If you had sweaty palms, the E71 would have not given you any grip, but the E63 provides you with excellent grip anywhere, anytime. using plastic instead of metal has also meant that this device is no longer a fingerprint magnet.

The ‘qwerty’ keypad is also different. Now you probably wondering how different is different? Well quite a bit. The keys are now made of softer compound. it is not hard as the E71’s keypad. This means that people who did not like the hard keys will find the ’softer’ keys on the E63 a blessing. The arrangement is also different on the E63 of the keys. The E63 has a smaller ’space bar’ key. There are additions too, a ‘Ctrl’ (control) key is there beside the ‘Space bar’ key. On the E71, the the character (Chr) key, doubled as the control (Ctrl) key. There have been quite a few additions and omissions to the keypad overall. It seems, Nokia is keen on correcting its mistakes quickly. A photo with a side by side comparison should show you the difference. The red power button is also not there on the E63, which in my opinion should not have been removed.

Since, the E63 is a cheaper E71, a lot of omissions are there in other departments. The E63 does not have any keys at the side of the device like the E71 or E66. The only things at the sides of the device are on the left, a Micro USB slot, a Micro SDHC slot; on the top, a 3.5mm audio enhancement plug and mono speaker; at the bottom the mic, the 2mm charging slot and the lanyard clip holes. No dedicated volume buttons or camera key for that matter. The E63 also does not have a front camera, because it does not support HSDPA.

In terms of build quality, I found the E63 to be really good. Even though the elements of the design bear strong resemblance to the 1 and 2 series, the build quality is far superior and comparable to some high end phones. This design is however, not without its quirks. The 3.5mm plug for the headset has been given a cover, a cover that is bound to get lost once removed by the user. Also it isn’t exactly very easy to remove it. Secondly, the covers for the Micro USB and Micro SDHC slots are a little flimsy. I fear repeated opening and closing could wear them out and make them useless.

On the whole the E63 is a good phone in terms of design and I would give it a 7/10 in the design department. All the strengths of the E71 and a few of its weaknesses. The usage of plastic has solved problems for the Eseries in terms of fingerprints but will the business customer want a ‘plastic’ phone, when a metallic E71 exists, is something that remains to be seen in the long run. Also the design bears strong resemblance to the cheap 1 and 2 series phones of Nokia. Is that a good decision? Only time will tell.

similarities between the two

another similarity

E71 Review Part-1: Design

Now that I am finally in Udaipur, Rajasthan. I will be posting the bulk of my reviews from there. Firstly Happy Diwali to all my readers.

Design:
The Nokia E71 is a stunning device when it comes to looks. Although the E66 was described by me as a sleek and slick device, I must say the E71 sets new standard for sleekness. This phone is definitely thinner than its predecessor the E61i. the design elements are very much the same for the device and pretty much in line with the E66’s design elements. The dotted steel back panel (the black colour phones have dots, white ones have the stripes) has similar release buttons and in the same place, albeit slimmer, considering the dimensions for this device. The shut-lines are impeccable and it feels as if this device was made to withstand the vacuums of space. The amount of chrome used made me feel as if I was holding a limited edition phone. Even the E66 did not exude this feeling. Apart from the keypad and the covers for the Micro SD cardslot, the micro USB dock (made in rubber) and the buttons on the right side, nothing else is made of plastic. The entire body of the phone is in metal. Despite this at 127gms, its incredibly light.

The problems with the design of this device is the same which were faced by me in the E66, the phone is a fingerprint magnet. Although I had not problems this time when it came to using the buttons on the side. They are clearly raised. A bit hard for my liking, but I had no problems using them. The keypad has small keys in the front. The ‘qwerty’ keypad though very useful is a bit cramped for my needs. I am still getting used to the keypad as I have always been used to a numerical pad. There were many occasions when I pressed the wrong key. I wish the keys would have been a little wider spaced and/or bigger. I wonder how the button design for the E66 would look for the E71 (selection and other soft keys).

I was also disappointed to not find a dedicated button for the camera. I understand that the camera is supposed to be the least used feature, but I’m sure a dedicated key could have been assigned at the side for the camera. I am also disappointed with the inclusion of a 2.5mm headset plug. A 3.5mm plug would have really been better.

The public perception to this phone was very positive. I had a lot of my friends looking at it as a probable replacement for their phone. Everybody said that it felt as if they were holding a ‘phone’. They were very impressed by the design of the handset and the way it fit into their hands. I admit I have the same feelings. The E66 seems to have been trumped by the E71, but I still like the E66 for the slider and size of the keys and the dedicated camera key.

Coming back to the build quality and the materials used, I am impressed with the build quality. No part of the phone looks out of place. The shut-lines are impeccable as I mentioned earlier. I don’t see anyone complaining about the creaks and other related issue. Similarly, Nokia finally got the chrome colouring right (remember the N76!). The paint does not look like it will peel off soon. The battery charging pin is also placed at the bottom a la E66 and this gives a good minimalist feel to the handset. The E series really does convey a no-nonsense look.

Nokia has really upped the ante in the business series segment of the mobile phones industry. Such high levels of quality and design, means only one thing for the rivals, increased competition. I am eager to see how well do the other respond to the challenges put by Nokia E series.

Overall I would give the E71 a good 8.9/10 in terms of design, in terms of materials used a very good 8/10 and in terms build quality a high 9/10. The small niggles with the E66 seem to fade away in the E71. Kudos to the E series team, a brilliant job done.

E66 Review Part-1: Design

Ok, I guess the honeymoon period is kinda over now. I guess its time to get back to reality.
I will be dividing the review into many parts and spread it over the period I have the handset with me.

Part – 1: Design

As you all know I had compared the E66 to my N82 and thought that the latter was a ‘kiddie’ phone. Well let me talk of the design of the phone, build quality and materials used in greater detail.

At first sight the phone indeed is a ‘thing’ to behold. The design is indeed a step forward from its predecessor, the E65. The metal accents on the screen and the metal body give it a look of class. The quality of materials used is indeed top of the line. It certainly conveys to people that you have arrived! I was showing the phone to my friends today and they all seemed to love it. The sleekness of the phone, the weight, made them feel like buying it. I had a number of my classmates asking me the price of this handset and how different was it from the E71. When it comes to design, I must admit it has the looks, if you are a new owner, or someone who is looking to buy this phone, be assured it will make heads turn.

The menu and function buttons on the top portion housing the screen are big, making it easy for people with big fingers to use it. The keypad is designed for comfort rather than looks, but that does not mean it doesn’t look good (it looks great!) also since the buttons are backlit, the buttons light up only when needed and disappear otherwise, neat!!!, indeed a nice touch. The keypad is extremely good to operate and gives a reassuring feedback everytime you press the buttons. There are no difficulties accessing the top row of the keypad. The buttons at the side are also good. Just a few things to note here, first the camera button is placed a little ahead, which meant that many a times I ended up hitting the space between the metal ‘battery cover’ release button and the camera button. Not good when one wants to click a special moment! Second, Its probably just a problem with my handset I presume, but the metal buttons which release the battery cover seems to be giving me problems. One of the release buttons seems to get jammed, making it very difficult to open the battery cover. The volume button and the ‘voice commands’ button give a good feedback when pressed. The little cover for the Micro USB port is excellent. The fit is superb and does not give any problems while closing or opening it. In fact its one of the most beautiful things on the E66. The white portion of the phone houses the headset plugin (2.5mm) on the left hand side of the handset, a charging point at the bottom left corner of the phone and an opening to put the lanyard cable. Pretty minimalist and understated when compared to a N series. The metallic battery cover has these lines engraved on it giving it a distinct feel. On the top of the phone you will find a red button. This is the power button for the device. Now the reason behind giving it a red colour was to signify in Nokia terms ‘the power to take a decision’. I am indifferent to it. I wish the button were to be made of a different material. As for the red colour, I can’t think of what other colour to use. Chrome by the way would definitely not look good. At the end, I would give the design a 8.9/10.

Moving onto the build quality, here there are a few observations I made. Again these could be for my handset only. I found the slider mechanism a bit rough for my tastes. Having used a N80 prior to my N82, I know sliders don’t require an effort to open or close. There is an absolute lack of any spring action. The top part of the phone does tend to shake a little bit towards the right when poked (only when open). There is a gap between the top half and bottom half of the handset when closed, I wish it were flush with no gap. Something of that sort would raise the bar of quality of construction. The build quality in terms of other things is absolutely top notch workmanship. I have had no creaks or noises from the phone. Another interesting I noted was the shutlines of the battery cover, even closed there was a slight gap near the release buttons giving me the feeling as if it weren’t closed properly. For build quality I would give it a 7/10. A slider without any spring-loaded action, means it scores a little low.

When it comes to quality of materials used, I have got to hand it to you, this phone is using really good materials. The usage of metal rather than plastic means that the device ends up looking very very stylish and understated. It does however make it a fingerprint magnet. Yet it definitely makes the E series stand a notch higher than the N series. The materials used for the menu and other function buttons are ‘unique’, I say this because never have I seen the usage of materials that give a glass like feeling to the buttons. I could get a clear view of myself in those buttons. Indeed the quality of materials used are innovative and good. For materials used, I’d give it a 8.5/10.

I’m sorry for not putting up any photos. I will have them up tomorrow for sure.

The phone is sleek and slick

The phone in the hand

E66

E66

The backside of the E66

Reflected

Left view of the E66

The power to take a decision

The camera button