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Well it’s been a long haul but I think I can safely say that I’ve found the phone for me. You see I’ve already gone through a Tocco from Samsung and a Storm from BlackBerry and while I initially gave the Storm quite a good review I’m afraid it ended up going back. It’s replacement however is a great phone. The N96 from Nokia is not touch screen and I think this is actually one of it’s greatest benefits. The problems that I had typing out a text message on the other two phones went away completely and I was able to fire out messages and Tweets at the same speed as I could on my N95. So lets look in more detail.
Firstly I’m going to look at the actual call quality and the phone functionality. During my use of it so far I’ve had no problems with calls with both myself and my caller coming through loud and clear. The phone also doesn’t drop calls and picks up excellent reception in areas where the Storm couldn’t find anything. The 3G network from Vodafone seems to be fast in Belfast City Centre but disappears very quickly as you move out of the city. This is however a Vodafone problem and not a phone issue. Texts are very easy to type and e-mail can be setup as long as you know the connection information for your provider. Unfortunately the N96 only supports POP3 and IMAP so no Live Mail for me. Since Live Mail will be introducing POP3 shortly this is no big deal and I’m happy to wait.
The browsing experience on the N96 is probably it’s weakest point. While the large screen does make website viewable and the cursor makes them easy enough to navigate the experience is certainly not as good as that on the touch screen phones and certainly not as good as the iPod Touch. The mobile versions of sites display well though and since I only ever use the Mobile Live Mail, BBC News and Google Reader sites I’m happy with what I get. You can choose to download Opera Mini but this is something I’ve yet to do.
The application list for Nokia is starting to grow with the addition of iPlayer from BBC really being a huge selling point for the N96. I tested iPlayer on the phone in Belfast City Centre and the quality was excellent with absolutely no lag and I was able to watch through an entire episode of Top Gear. I also added Twibble application which gives me access to Twitter on the move and I’ve found it a joy to use so far. I is certainly one of the best Java best Twitter applications and one I would recommend for the N96. Games are also starting to become more plentiful on this phone with the N-Gage application for running some pretty high spec and attractive games. I’ve only really had an opportunity to play the demo games so far but I’ve been impressed with what I’ve played. Nokia certainly do not have the application variety that Apple’s Application Store has and I would like to see an increase in the number of apps that can be accessed from the central Download location.
The phone itself is well built with a 3.5 inch headphone jack, memory card slot for extending the already plentiful onboard memory, USB port for computer hookup and sync with Outlook as well as a 5Mp camera which can take some excellent images. The lack of a lens cover is a pity so be careful not to scratch the lens. The keys are flat and similar to the Motorola Razor design which is not entirely my cup of tea but still they are much easier to use than any touch screen phone. Overall the N96 is an excellent evolution from the N95. It may not be a massive step forward but it is a step forward and with the exceptional multimedia power of this phone Nokia have a real competitor that should attract everyone who still has doubts about the touch screen devices.
SCORE: 5/5
Labels: 5/5, N96, Nokia
