My take on some of the features:
Camera - It takes two seconds to load up, two seconds to focus, and two seconds to see the photos on the screen after a shot is taken, which hardly qualifies for a point-and-shoot. Overall picture quality is dependant on the environment where the photo is taken. If the surrounding is well-lit, photos look impressive. But, in a relatively dark environment, photos look pretty awful.
Media Playback - I played mp3 tunes and quality was pretty good. Obviously it doesn't sound as good as dedicated mp3 players like my iPod, but I think the quality is more than acceptable. But, I noticed that there was some noise in the background. This is especially noticeable when I was listening to my music in a quiet environment. Video playback is pretty decent too and the screen size was large enough to allow me to watch my recorded tv show comfortably.
Battery - I know a lot of people moan about N95's short battery life. But, I thought it was pretty decent considering all the features this phone offers. The first day I got this phone, I listened to music for about half an hour while commuting, browsed Google map to get directions, check news online for about half an hour, took about twenty photo shots, talked on the phone for about half an hour, and I still had several bars of the battery left. As long as you don't overuse WiFi or GPS, you should be fine with everyday charges.
GPS - This is my least favorite feature in the phone. It is simply too slow to lock down the location. I find myself using Google map (for mobile) more often than this feature.
Design - It is passable, but certainly does not look like a $700 cell phone (since it won't attract others, is this a good thing?) One thing that bothers me the most is the front slider. It is wobbly, so whenever I press a button it makes that 'click' sound. You do get used to it after a couple of days, and there is a DIY way of fixing this (available on the internet), but I don't think I want to open up my phone and risk breaking my $700 investment!
Conclusion - I was a bit hesitant at first because of the price and the well-known drawbacks discussed above. But if you're a semi - power user like me and wouldn't mind the features being just above average rather than fantastic, you will not regret the purchase.
iPhone or N95? - I pondered waiting for the iPhone, but ultimately decided against because 1) I don't like the idea of using touch screen to make phone calls. These are first and foremost cell phones, so the convenience of making phone calls matters the most to me. 2) iPhone does not have 5mp camera. 3) I do not want to make a two year commitment to AT&T (I like my month-to-month contract with T-Mobile, thank you) and who knows how much it will be if unsubsidized? Also, I don't know when it will be actually available unlocked. 4) I love Apple's simplicity and elegance, but I needed flexibility (of a Symbian based smartphone) and functionality.
Alternatives? - I also considered getting Sony Ericsson's upcoming W960, but I coulnd't wait that long!
Camera - It takes two seconds to load up, two seconds to focus, and two seconds to see the photos on the screen after a shot is taken, which hardly qualifies for a point-and-shoot. Overall picture quality is dependant on the environment where the photo is taken. If the surrounding is well-lit, photos look impressive. But, in a relatively dark environment, photos look pretty awful.
Media Playback - I played mp3 tunes and quality was pretty good. Obviously it doesn't sound as good as dedicated mp3 players like my iPod, but I think the quality is more than acceptable. But, I noticed that there was some noise in the background. This is especially noticeable when I was listening to my music in a quiet environment. Video playback is pretty decent too and the screen size was large enough to allow me to watch my recorded tv show comfortably.
Battery - I know a lot of people moan about N95's short battery life. But, I thought it was pretty decent considering all the features this phone offers. The first day I got this phone, I listened to music for about half an hour while commuting, browsed Google map to get directions, check news online for about half an hour, took about twenty photo shots, talked on the phone for about half an hour, and I still had several bars of the battery left. As long as you don't overuse WiFi or GPS, you should be fine with everyday charges.
GPS - This is my least favorite feature in the phone. It is simply too slow to lock down the location. I find myself using Google map (for mobile) more often than this feature.
Design - It is passable, but certainly does not look like a $700 cell phone (since it won't attract others, is this a good thing?) One thing that bothers me the most is the front slider. It is wobbly, so whenever I press a button it makes that 'click' sound. You do get used to it after a couple of days, and there is a DIY way of fixing this (available on the internet), but I don't think I want to open up my phone and risk breaking my $700 investment!
Conclusion - I was a bit hesitant at first because of the price and the well-known drawbacks discussed above. But if you're a semi - power user like me and wouldn't mind the features being just above average rather than fantastic, you will not regret the purchase.
iPhone or N95? - I pondered waiting for the iPhone, but ultimately decided against because 1) I don't like the idea of using touch screen to make phone calls. These are first and foremost cell phones, so the convenience of making phone calls matters the most to me. 2) iPhone does not have 5mp camera. 3) I do not want to make a two year commitment to AT&T (I like my month-to-month contract with T-Mobile, thank you) and who knows how much it will be if unsubsidized? Also, I don't know when it will be actually available unlocked. 4) I love Apple's simplicity and elegance, but I needed flexibility (of a Symbian based smartphone) and functionality.
Alternatives? - I also considered getting Sony Ericsson's upcoming W960, but I coulnd't wait that long!
0 comments:
Post a Comment