Nokia N78: Pressing issues

The N73 was an extremely successful cameraphone for Nokia, and just when we were starting to think the upgrade would never arrive, here it is.

It still has a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash (as against the 5-megapixel camera and Xenon lamp on the N82), but there are lots of swish new features.

Nokia has been heavily promoting personal navigation on its handsets recently, so its no surprise to find GPS here, and highly sensitive it is too.

There’s also Wi-Fi, as well as an FM transmitter that allows you to tune into any FM radio station without the need for pairing a Bluetooth device. The 3.5mm headphone jack finishes the job.

The latest incarnation of Series 60 has been tweaked too. Just like the Sony Ericsson C902 which we reviewed recently (see Fone, issue 115), screens are highly animated with smooth transitions – almost Apple-esque. You’re probably as confused as we were – why would Nokia try so hard to copy a company that has released just two handsets in its 10-month tenure?

There is a dedicated music button on the front of the phone, as well as keys for videos, pictures, games, internet bookmarks, contacts and maps; so far, so good. However the rest of the buttons are an absolute nightmare to use.

Like the N81, and to a lesser extent the N82, Nokia has plumped for a design that hides most of the keys and gives the phone a minimalist look.

Until the buttons are illuminated, it appears the phone has just four horizontal blocks, a navigation key and the silver button that gives straightforward and quick access to the above-mentioned functions.

These blocks are actually the number keys and yes, you’ve got it: they’re incredibly hard to press. Even so, they’re not as bad as some of the other buttons. To press the others, you effectively flex the black plastic case to access the menu, clear or make and end a call. To end a call you have to actually press the edge of the phone; highly inconvenient unless you’ve got the fingers of a toddler.

We lost count of the number of times we pressed the wrong button or misused the naviwheel (where you slide your finger around the edge of the navigation key). Nokia has often experimented with its Nseries range, but this is a step too far.

But if you can put up with dodgy buttons and aren’t too snotty about your megapixel count, there isn’t an awful lot else wrong with the N78.

There are the usual horizontal icons on ‘Active Standby’ and you can have a vertical layout that looks strikingly similar to the Orange homescreen.

Beyond that, it’s a standard Series 60 device, with the same array of applications such as QuickOffice, PDF reader, ZIP archiver and a video centre that lets you stream content and subscribe to feeds.

The N78 is a decent phone, butthe design has brought it down quite a few pegs. The N82 isn’t an angelic looking handset, but it’s better than this with a better camera. You may lose the fluid menus and Active Standby, but you gain a phone you can actually use.

The Verdict

The N78 is great – until you have to use the buttons (ie. as soon as you turn it on). Why are the important keys on the edges? This really lets it down, considering the sensitive GPS receiver makes it an excellent personal navigator, and the rest of the specs are impressive too. With the latest version of the Series 60 user interface, smooth animations and the nice Active Standby screen, the exterior spoils a quality interior.

Nokia N78

Size/Weight: 113x49x15.1mm/101g
Talk Time/Standby: 4hrs/320hrs
Operating system: Symbian Series 60
Frequencies: 3G /850/900/1800/1900MHz
Screen size: 240x320 pixels
Camera: 3.2-megapixels,
2048x1536 pixels
Messaging: SMS, MMS, email
Multimedia: Music/video player
Data Services: GPRS, HSDPA
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB

Extras: FM transmitter, GPS receiver