Monday 5 March 2012

Nokia N92 Review-You Really Dont LikeTo Miss It



Nokia N92 Review

Introduction 

Nokia N92 was introduced in 2005, “The display of the Nokia N92 mobile phone is one of the best though, and at 16M colors the wallpapers and designs look awesome. The mobile phone is a clamshell and has a 65K color external display. The internal screen is pretty big measuring 42 x 57 mm and at 320×240 pixels. The mobile phone has a 90MB internal memory with a mini SD card slot which can take in about maximum 2GB cards. The phone comes with EDGE, 3G and GPRS for data. Wi-Fi 802.11b/g is also one of its attractions. For connectivity you also have Bluetooth, Infrared and a USB 2.0 port.”Nokia are using the N92 to showcase DVB-H technology, which is truly impressive, but the device has plenty to offer besides mobile TV.
 “The N92 runs S60 3rd Edition, which together with the underlying Symbian OS 9 is the engine behind many of the improvements found in the phone. The S60 platform team have put a lot of work into making the user interface and bundled applications generally easier to use. There are four key reasons for this. Firstly the higher screen resolution than earlier devices give a crisper, easier to read display. 3rd Edition supports scalar vector graphics, meaning a similar physical size can be retained whatever the screen resolution. In general, a similar amount of information is shown on screen as earlier (lower resolution) devices, thus avoiding the readability issues often found in other high resolution devices. However in some instances, such as photo viewing and web browsing, the higher resolution can be used to display more information on the screen than was previously possible. Thus 3rd Edition enables the best of both worlds and makes the most of the extra screen resolution. Secondly, there have been several sensible UI design changes. These include making the height of the title/status area smaller in some instances, such as the applications view, and the introduction of scrollbars in several areas such as in list views. Thirdly, support for a landscape view across all applications (in contrast to the N90, which was Camera and Gallery only) means users can choose the one they prefer. Certain tasks and applications have a better user experience in landscape mode, with browsing being an obvious example. Finally, many of the built-in applications have received minor updates in layout, menu structure and functionality.”
 “The Nokia N92 offers easy access to TV programs without having to sit in front of a television set. Users can set reminders to watch their favorite TV programs, create personal channel lists and subscribe to TV channel packages. The outstanding new form factor offers a highly ergonomic user-experience. The usability is further enhanced by the large 2.8″ anti-glare QVGA screen with 16 million colors and the dedicated media keys that deliver a rich viewing experience”. The Nokia N92 includes an MP3 player. This phone comes with built in polyphonic ringtones, which means you can download simple MIDI files from the Internet and upload them through your phone, or simply download them via GRPS (if GRPS is built in).

Design

The N92 is a chunky handset and given what is packed inside it is not surprising that it tips the scale at a relatively heavy 191g, but size-wise at 107 x 58 x 25 mm it is not a total pocket buster.
The N92 offers a new design form factor – a flip and fold – with a total of four usage modes. In closed mode there is a small secondary screen that displays a limited amount of information (time, message, and battery and signal notifications). In flip-open mode the phone operates as a traditional flip phone and it fits snugly in the hand.
In capture mode, the screen is twisted around 90 degrees so that is at right angles to the keypad. The camera is located in the barrel of the hinge with a button on one end acting as the capture key. This mode has already been very popular in the 6260 and the N90 so it was good to see it included here. It makes taking pictures a much more initiative process. Unfortunately, unlike the N90, there are no soft keys or direction pad on the screen of the phone. Consequently, it's actually quite difficult to change settings or access the menus in this mode because it's more difficult to associate the keys with the labels on the screen and the ergonomics are such that two hands are a necessity. On the plus side, the capture button is ideally located for one handed use so it should be a bit easier to take those time-critical snapshots.

TV mode

In TV mode, the screen is rotated a further 90 degrees so that it becomes flush with the long side of the keypad. This gives the impression of a clamshell device. It is this mode that is used for watching TV. However, thanks to Series 60 3rd Edition, all the normal applications also work in landscape mode. This is particularly good for web browsing, but also has benefits for any kind of data entry, especially text messages. However, once again the position of the soft keys is less than optimal. They are turned away towards the back and slightly under the screen which means they are quite difficult to press. The stereo speakers are located on the back of the unit (away from the person watching TV), which is not ideal, but was probably dictated by space constraints.

Keypad

It seems that Eric the keypad has escaped from the broom cupboard that Nokia locked him in after they released the 7610, and he's done a job almost as bad as the infamous 3650 rotary keypad, because it is not just the soft key position that is poor. The whole keypad is made out of a single piece of rubber and many of the keys are almost completely flat, with just printed labels differentiating them from those around them. The result is that you have to look at keys to check what you are pressing and the tactile feedback is poor. You are certainly not going to be breaking any speed records on this keypad. On the other hand, keyboard opinion is something subjective and it seems to be the thing Nokia improve most between prototype and final device models.

 Screen

The screen on the N92 is mid resolution (240 x 320), high color (16 M colors) and has an anti-glare feature, all of which add up to one excellent screen. Physically, it is a little bigger that other Series 60 phones, but the pixel density is higher, resulting in a crisper and brighter display. The Pop-port is located on the side of the keypad which is good for the TV mode, but is not going to work as well in the other modes as any headset plug will protrude from the side of the unit which could be inconvenient when sitting in a shirt pocket.   The case and general feel of the phone itself is a little plastic, with a slightly fragile feel, especially when compared to other N-Series devices such as the N91 or N70. There is definite room for improvement here.

Connectivity

With tri band GSM (900, 1800, and 1900) and single band WCDMA (2100), the N92 is not a world phone, though it is possible there will be regional variants. Outside of cellular connectivity, the device is well specified. Wi-Fi 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0, Infrared and USB 2.0 are all provided. Bluetooth version 2.0 brings improved connection speeds, lower power usage and improved multi-link usage and performance. Additional profiles are also supported such as A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) which allows for stereo Bluetooth headsets among other things. A very welcome addition is support for the USB Mass Storage profile, this means that when you plug your phone into your PC it will appear as a disk drive (just as flash memory drives or external hard drives do) allowing for files to be copied back and forth more easily and potentially sync the files of third party programs.

Software

The N92 runs 3rd Edition, which together with the underlying Symbian OS 9 is the engine behind many of the improvements found in the phone. The S60 platform team have put a lot of work into making the user interface and bundled applications generally easier to use. There are four key reasons for this. Firstly the higher screen resolution than earlier devices give a crisper, easier to read display. 3rd Edition supports scalar vector graphics, meaning a similar physical size can be retained whatever the screen resolution. In general, a similar amount of information is shown on screen as earlier (lower resolution) devices, thus avoiding the readability issues often found in other high resolution devices. However in some instances, such as photo viewing and web browsing, the higher resolution can be used to display more information on the screen than was previously possible. Thus 3rd Edition enables the best of both worlds and makes the most of the extra screen resolution. Secondly, there have been several sensible UI design changes. These include making the height of the title/status area smaller in some instances, such as the applications view, and the introduction of scrollbars in several areas such as in list views. Thirdly, support for a landscape view across all applications (in contrast to the N90, which was Camera and Gallery only) means users can choose the one they prefer. Certain tasks and applications have a better user experience in landscape mode, with browsing being an obvious example. Finally, many of the built-in applications have received minor updates in layout, menu structure and functionality.
As with previous S60 phones, there is a full range of software (PIM, Telephony, and Multimedia) on board and 3rd Edition should see Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF viewers) become standard.   The web browser application has received a complete over all and is now based on Web Core and JavaScript Core from Apple's Safari browser, resulting in improved standard compliance and support. Innovations include a 'Mini Map' which allows you to see the whole page (effectively a view of the whole rendered page, zoomed out to 20% or so) at a glance and helps you to navigate around it, 'Visual History' which allows you to see a graphical representation of pages you have visited, and support for RSS feeds. The N series also has an exclusive feature in the form of a 'Scroll Mini Map' which pops up when you are scrolling around the page to aid with navigation around the page.

 Multimedia - Music and Imaging

Music

With the Xpress Music brand attached, the N92 is also a capable music phone. Music can be copied directly to the phone thanks to the USB Mass Storage Device, but it will also be possible to synchronize from Windows Media Player. This is thanks to the licensing agreement Nokia made with Microsoft which also enables the playback of Janus DRM protected files in addition to MP3, AAC, eAAC+ and RA. This means the N92 will be able to use subscription-based music services such as Napster or Yahoo Music. The N92 will ship with an adaptor to convert the POP-Port to a standard 3.5mm audio socket so you can use your preferred headphones.

Memory

The N92 will come with 90 MB of internal memory. Although this is generous for a Smartphone it is not going to go far once you start adding multimedia. Fortunately the memory can be expanded via the mini SD slot. Currently sizes up to 2GB are available and the slot supports hot swapping of memory cards. 

Support

Like its rival the N80, the N92 supports UPnP, which allows you to play music on your phone over your home UPnP-enabled HiFi system, download music and content from your PC, and display images and video from your phone on your UPnP TV. This is done over a Wi-Fi connection, using the industry standard UPnP protocols. UPnP compatibility can usually be added by means of an add on box.

FM Radio

An FM Radio is also squeezed into the device, and as with other recent Nokia phones there is support for Visual Radio, which allows additional content to be shown on the phone (it is received via a GPRS data connection).

 Camera

The main camera is mounted in the barrel of the flip hinge, and at 2 megapixels will produce good results. However, unlike the N90 (and other high end camera phones), it does not have an auto-focus, which means that, like all fixed focus cameras, the ability of the camera is limited. Pictures from the camera seem to be on comparison with the N70, and as such are very good, but it would have been nice to see some of the N90's camera features rolled into the N92. As with other S60 phones, you can print via the USB cable (using PictBridge), via Bluetooth and (new to N92) via UPnP. As with other N series devices, the Camera and Gallery applications are a generation on from earlier Series 60 phones, with a greater range of settings and more initiative controls and both benefit from the higher screen resolution.

Multimedia key

The multimedia key, first seen in the N70, has had a software update. The multimedia key now brings up a screen which allows quick access to up to five applications (one for each direction of the keypad). This is surprisingly affective and is a definite improvement over dedicated short cut keys found on other high end devices.

Mobile TV

The TV functionality is accessed via the Series 60 TV application when in view mode (landscape). Within this program you can easily change channel and access an ESG (electronic service guide). It is clear the device is optimized for watching TV in this mode. You can sit the N92 on a desk in front of you and adjust the viewing angle, or it will sit just as easily in the palm of the hand.
The TV picture is displayed full screen and the quality of the picture is excellent, and channel changing is near instantaneous. It is difficult to get across how good it looks without seeing it for you, but between the high resolution screen and the DVB-H technology, the N92 offers an unsurpassed mobile television experience. At the NMC Nokia demo we were receiving a live stream of several channels which was about 2 or 3 seconds behind traditional TV (shown on the wall). In the keynote Nokia executives talked of the convergence of the world's most popular entertainment medium (2 billion viewers) with the world's most popular communication device. It is easy to be dismissive, but seeing BBC World broadcasting live coverage of a Cricket match funeral gave a real sense of the potential of the technology.
There is also a constant 30 second rolling record function (like many PVRs) which means you can get an instant reply whenever you wish and you can record TV direct to the memory card (limited only by the space available). There is also support for subscription services, meaning, potentially at least, the device will support premium and pay per view channels.
Nokia were also keen to emphasize the interactive capabilities of the device. With cellular connectivity built in, it is far easier for TV to become a two way medium compared with traditional TV, with TV voting and additional web discovery being two of the possibilities highlighted.

DVB-H

DVB-H is designed for mobile devices. Time-slicing means that information is broadcast in high concentration short bursts (one second of TV in one tenth of a second) so that the receiver can be switched off 90% of the time and thus save battery power. Unlike TV broadcast over the cellular network, once broadcast DVB-H can be received by an unlimited number of people. DVB-H also has enhanced error correction built into the specification, reflecting the fact that mobile devices with small aerials that may have varying quality of reception levels.
DVB-H is a technology still in its infancy, currently only pilot projects are up and running and it is unlikely there will be a commercially launched network before summer 2006, which is when the N92 is first expected to be available. How successful DVB-H will be remains to be seen, but there are plans for commercial networks in countries all round the world (including the US, the UK and many other European countries, but the first to launch are likely to be in Asia)

Final Words

There is no doubt the N92 is a very powerful device. Seeing it working for the first time does engender a sense of wonder. There is something undoubtedly cool about convergence devices and one that has TV built in definitely packs that extra wow factor. The device is well specified and feature packed. S60 3rd Edition is a real boon and offers an extra refinement of usability and functionality compared to previous versions. However, the design may not be to everyone's tastes, with the general feel of the device, a not quite good enough camera and the keypad being low points; and there is no getting away from the fact that it is large and heavy.
There is an obvious collision here between the feature packed Smartphone which has eaten all the other consumer devices in a bid to become the one true converged device and is consequently a bit fat, and the rise of the thin phone (such as the Motorola RAZR). Which solution is right for you are a personal decision – both are good as phones, but only one is something more. If you're looking to reduce the number of devices you carry or find a powerful mobile solution then a Smartphone is for you.  If DVB-H is launching in your country then you should consider the N92, otherwise you should look at the smaller and perhaps even more desirable N80.


Specifications

General
Nokia N92
2G Networks
GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
3G Networks
-
Announced
NA
Format
Nokia N92
Form Factor
Clam shell
Dimensions (mm)
107x58x24
Weight (gms)
191
Display
Nokia N92
Type
TFT
Resolution
320x240 pixels
No. of Colors
16000000
Size
2.8 in
Scratch Resistant Display

Multi touch

Accelerometer

Ringtones
Nokia N92
Type
Polyphonic, mp3
Vibration

Memory
Nokia N92
Phone book
Yes
Call Records
Detailed, max 30 days
Internal Memory
90 MB
Card Slot
mini-SD
Battery
Nokia N92
Type
BP-5L
Stand-by
Up to 4.00hrs
Talk time
336 hrs 00 min
Internet & Connectivity
Nokia N92
Bluetooth

EDGE
False
Infrared Port

WAP
2
GPRS
Class 11
USB port

GPS

AGPS

Wireless LAN
-
Entertainment
Nokia N92
Games
Yes
Voice Recording

MP3 Player/Support

Video Player

Audio 3.5 Jack

Radio

Messaging
Nokia N92
Supported Services
SMS, MMS, Email
QWERTY Keyboard
False
T9 Dictionary


Camera
Nokia N92
Camera MP
2.0
Max. Photo Resolution
1600x1200
Max. Video Resolution
352x288
Camera Flash
LED
Digital Zoom
N/A
Optical Zoom
N/A
Sec. Camera for Video Call

Geo-Tagging

Face Detection

Smile Detection

Auto Focus

Other Features
Nokia N92
Data Speed
NA
Clock

Alarm

Sense UI

Handwriting Recognition

Trackball

CPU
-
Other
-
Colors
Silver
Torch/Light

Image Viewer/Organizer

Java
MIDP 2.0
Operating System
NA
Organizer

Accessories
Charger, Hands free, USB Cable
Language
English
Voice Memo

Hands Free

HSCSD

Calendar

Sync

Sync ML

Office Applications

Voice Dial



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