Product Review: Nokia N78

When Nokia first entered the multimedia mobile market, it was among the leaders. Now, with the rise of the all-conquering iPhone and others such as Sony Ericsson, the Finnish company is certainly less lonely – but the bar has been raised significantly.

With the new N78, Nokia is clearly trying to match the success of the N73. The N78's design harks to the candy-bar design of its predecessor, but is much thinner. Indeed, the glossy front and silver edges perhaps indicate Nokia's design direction, although this clearly will not sit well with purists.

The cancel, menu, send and end keys are flat with the surface but click when you push them, making them easy to use. Instead of a standard four-way navi-key, the N78 can be used like an iPod's scroll wheel. It works well for speeding through long lists, but it's not very accurate when moved slowly.

One of the more interesting design features is the keypad, made up of four horizontal raised ridges. It looks like it shouldn't work, but is surprisingly easy to use, especially when texting. One snag, though: The cancel key is at the bottom right, which takes more than a little getting used to.

However, Nokia has tweaked the operating system so when you move from one application to another, there are effects not entirely dissimilar to those on an Apple. HSDPA (3.5G) and Wi-Fi will help users stay connected to the internet almost everywhere they go and owners can also download third-party apps such as the Opera Mini browser.

Navigating is made easy using the N78's A-GPS – it picks up satellites very quickly using a combination of cell and satellite data. Navigation using Nokia Maps works well and tagging pictures for upload to the likes of Google Earth is fun.

You can easily load up the N78 with music by dragging and dropping tracks via the PC software. On top of this, there is an FM transmitter and receiver. Plus, there is a microSD card slot for adding extra storage space. The N78's stereo speakers pump out ample sound, but they certainly won't replace your hi-fi. I was disappointed with the 3.2-megapixel camera, however – there is no xenon flash, for a start, and without a camera cover, you have to wonder why Nokia has bothered.

All in all, the N78 is a mixed bag. As an entry-level mobile, it works, although users will eventually long for a more appealing form-factor.

It packs more features than most phones, but the camera is underwhelming and the scrolling navi-key is so fiddly I switched it off. It is by no means a terrible phone, but it's not a great one either.



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