New mobiles | new Nokias - N8 and C7 review

The defined below smart phones are one of the best new mobiles and in this case I will be just talking about new Nokias, particularly N and C series, because it would take too much time and space to review all the latest mobiles of all brands in the cell phones market.
Nokia has been a leader of mobile phone industry for quite some time, but in the past 3 years it has been loosing its’ market share in some way. Google with his Android or Apple with the Iphone with their state-of-the-art technology solutions and innovative approach have truly fascinated the most demanding cell phone users. The other manufacturers have also been doing their best in the cell phone industry as far as design, functionality and user interface are concerned.
Let’s talk about two N series models.

The first shooting high flagship of N smartphones will be the Nokia N8

Specifications:

Operating frequency:
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100

Form factor: Touchscreen bar

Dimensions: Size: 113.5 (height) x 59.1 (width) x 12.9 (thick) mm,

Colors: silver white, dark grey, orange, blue, green

Casing: anodized aluminium

Volume: 86 cc;

Weight: 135 g (with battery)

Available memory: Internal memory 16GB, microSD hot swappable memory card slot (with a capacity up to 32GB)

Operational System (OS): Symbian^3

Processor: ARM 11 680 MHz processor, 3D Graphics HW accelerator; 256 MB RAM

Display: 3.5-inch screen size, 16:9 M-color nHD (360 x 640 pixels) AMOLED touchscreen, orientation sensor (accelerometer), compass (magnetometer), proximity sensor, ambient light detector.

Photo Camera: 12 megapixel large-sensor (1/1.83”), Carl Zeiss optics, xenon flash, red-eye removal, full screen 16:9 viewfinder, autofocus, automatic location tagging (geo-tagging), face tracking/detection and built-in ND filter, zoom up to 2x (digital) for still image, secondary camera for video calls, self timer.

Video camera: 12 megapixel with Carl Zeiss optics, HD 720p resolution, video recording at 25fps, zoom up to 3x, settings for low light, white balance.

Video playback: HD 720p on HD TV through HDMI cable, video editing, flash video support, you tube browsing and streaming enabled, video call support (WCDMA).

Music: Stereo FM radio (87.5-108 MHz/76-90 MHz), MP3, WMA, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, E-AC-3, AC-3, Bit rate up tp 320 kbps, Nokia OVI player.

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, micro USB port with USB host support, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS, HDMI port, 3.5 mm AV connector.

Misc: DivX/XviD video support, Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM transmitter, 720p TV-out, Flash support in the web browser, anodized aluminum unibody, scratch-resistant display

Battery: 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery, talk time (max): 720 min (GSM), 350 min (WCDMA), stand by time: GSM – 390 hours, WCDMA – 400 hours, video call time – 160 min., video playback – 6 hours, video recording – 3 hours 20 min.

I have tried to cover the most important features, however, there’s more than that, speaking of personal information management features, supported applications, email, messaging, internet browsing, social networking, HD gaming and even more.
The phone design is really neat and does not look or feel bigger than any other best – selling touchscreen. You will definitely want to hold this sleek aluminum gadget in your hand. In the front there is an amoled display with a multitouch support.

I should mention that the Nokia producers solved the direct sunlight issue – the readability is perfect outside as it is inside. The camera and xenon flash light are a bit too protrusive and do not completely glide in the whole sleek scenario. Still, the slight drawback can be outweighed by the high camera specifications.
The video and photo camera is the brightest and most outstanding attribute making N8 new Nokias shine for the whole camera phone industry. Largest mobile phone camera sensor with low light and dynamic range capabilities indeed surpasses the latest Samsung or Sony models. The model has mechanical shutter and xenon flash, besides the lens is made from reinforced glass, due to frequent contact with a surface. The quality of taken images is outstanding, though the company somewhat decided not to overload the photo processing with additional features, like saturated colors or higher contrast. Video recording is also worth mentioning, especially the zoom feature. It appears the quality is not reduced when you are zooming in.
The user interface is “user friendly” – as always has been with the Finnish producer, be it old, out fashioned or new mobiles, in our case – new Nokias.

The Nokia N8 cell phone is quite a challenge for the smart phone industry and a huge leap frontward for the Finns. I just hope it will keep that way.

Specifications

Operating frequency:
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
HSDPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100;

Size: 117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5 mm;

Volume: 64 cc;

Weight: 130 g (with battery);

Available memory: Internal memory 8GB, micro SD (with a capacity up to 32GB), 256 MB RAM;

Operational System (OS): Symbian^3;

Processor: ARM 11 680 MHz processor, 3D Graphics HW accelerator;

Display: 3.5-inch screen size, 16M colors (360 x 640 pixels) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, Orientation sensor – accelerometer, proximity sensor, Nokia clear back display;

Photo Camera: 8 megapixel 3264x2448 pixels, fixed focus, automatic location tagging (geo-tagging), face tracking/detection;

Video camera: 8 megapixel, HD 720p resolution, video recording at 25 fps, video stabilization;

Video: MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player

Audio: Stereo FM radio, FM transmitter, MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+player ringtones,

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, micro USB port, USB on the go support, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS support, Ovi-maps, 3.5 mm AV connector.

Battery: 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery, talk time (max): 570 min (GSM), 300 min (WCDMA), stand by time: GSM – 552 hours, WCDMA – 648 hours.

The model is with curved edges, not like sharp looking N8. The phone still reminds of the N8 though with less functions – it does not have HDMI port, the camera is already lagging behind with 8 megapixel and smaller sensor. The capacitive glass display screen is smooth to touch and scroll, coming with the same resolution as N8 series. The pixel density brings enough sharpness for any small mobile phone task, though it falls behind by more than 60% in pixel quantity, compared to the Android or Ipod displays.

The back of the phone is smooth without any protrusion as in N8. However, I find it somewhat too plain looking, but I guess it’s practical and would ensure durability, for that you don’t need expensive looking anodized aluminum cover. What I found exceptional is the three keys below the screen. If you are too nostalgic about the buttons – well at least you can press the call button twice and you will ring the last person on the call journal list.

Video functions are more than enough almost reaching the N8 quality, with low multimedia messaging resolution and dimmer videos at night time only. The Divx, Mpeg4 and Xvid supported video playback leaves you kind of astounded looking at the smooth pictures in your 3.5 inch screen. It doesn’t feel like you’re holding a phone, more like a mini multi media station.

Internet and connectivity functions are the same as in N8: there’s Wi-fi, Bluetooth, GPS, GSM and 3G. Mail client is considerably easy to use and social network software – OVI integrates Twitter and Facebook and even places a small feeds widget.

Battery life is also worth mentioning with the 9 and more talk hours and 18 standby days for new mobiles. The phone would live without a recharge on average for two days if you were calling and browsing the internet every few hours. Still, If you are using it for a GPS function it might not last one hour.

Overall, the new Nokias are worth not only the look but also the money. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the money thing. The N8 series model costs around 370 euro, and Nokia C7 would be around 330 euros. The prices will, of course, vary depending upon a country and purchase conditions.