Continuing the tradition of the Nokia NSeries is the Nokia N73, with its stylized design and improved multimedia features. The greatest asset of Nokia N73 is its 3.2-Megapixel camera featuring a myriad of imaging features. While it’s considered a multimedia god, the N73 has been attacked with some issues related to performance, although some has found the glitches forgivable, especially as it managed to get into the standard in terms of construction and comfort.

N73 features a commendable QVGA screen, at 2.4 inches on a 240 x 320-pixel resolution. It displays 262,144 colors with brightness and contrast automatically adjusted to environmental factors. The theme is interchangeable and the backlight is also adjustable.

Below the screen are the navigation controls and a alphanumerical keypad. The front panel includes the Talk and End buttons and a joystick for scrolling. The joystick acts as the select key when pressed. On the sides of the keypad are additional controls: two of which are shortcuts to the Menu and Edit functions, a multimedia button and a clear key. The problem with this arrangement is that the layout appears to be cramped, which can cause wrong dials and accidental opening of applications.

Situated on the right spine of the N73 is where the camera capture key, review button, a zoom in/out button and volume controller. The last two functions are shared on a single button. The miniSD expansion slot, protected by a cover, is on the bottom portion, a departure from the usual location of the memory slot of earlier Nokia phones (behind the battery cover). On the back side of the phone is the camera lens. Another camera is located just above the screen in the upper right corner.

Phone capabilities of the N73 have always been the point of contention especially by mobile phone critics, despite having been deserved its self-acclamation of being the “multimedia computer.” The address book has a limited memory of 42MB with the SIM card adding up 250 contacts. Photos can also be assigned as caller IDs. N73, being a quadband phone, also includes a speed dial, voice command support, a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, and text and multimedia messaging.

N73′s operating system is the Symbian OS 9.1 which offers a calendar, a to-do list, notes, a calculator, a voice recorder, a currency converter, and an HTML/XHTML Web browser on its list of productivity tools. Viewing (without editing) Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point documents are possible with Quickoffice. There is also an Adobe Reader for viewing PDF files.

Connectivity options with Nokia N73 includes Bluetooth 2.0 and GPRS/EDGE connections although the absent of the Wi-Fi can be a bit disappointing. E-mail capabilities include support for SMTP, IMAP4, and POP3 accounts and full attachment viewing. Nokia N73 can easily be synchronized with the computer via the Nokia PC Suite.

The N73 is at its best with its multimedia features. Its 3.2-Megapixel camera has the Carl Zeiss Optics lens, an autofocus function, and 20X digital zoom. eight scene modes, four image qualities, five resolutions, and a number of imaging and video recording and editing features. It also includes an integrated music and video player that supports a myriad of music and video formats.

Notable for its mammoth-size, the Nokia E90 is a smartphone that completely juxtaposes with its size: a phone that offers a wide variety of features and promises solid performance to business users. The E90 was introduced in the in Barcelona, Spain at the 3GSM Mobile World Congress (now known as the GSMA Mobile World Congress), in the same year when the E61i and E65 were introduced. One of the biggest drawbacks of the E90 is that it’s very expensive, although the details written in this article may help explain the price.

Sporting a dimension of 5.2 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches, the Nokia E90 Communicator is large enough to care about comfort although as stated above, this 7.4-ounce gadget redeems its downside by proving its power. Its 2-inch screen has 16 million-color display at a 320 x 20 pixel resolution. Text and images are brightly lit and can be read even direct sunlight exposure. Below the screen are the navigation array and the alphanumeric keypad. The keys are large enough and are very easy to press. What explains the bulkiness of the E90 Communicator is that it can be opened to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.6-inch internal wide screen display with 16 million-color display at a 800 x 352 pixel resolution.

This wide screen is perfect for browsing web sites and reading documents and e-mails. Another set of Talk and End buttons are included. Included in this interface is a dedicated number row. Below the display are shortcuts to various applications: Contacts, Messaging, Web, and Calendar. The Nokia E90 Communicator operates on Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 3rd Edition. Among the number of applications that it runs are the Quickoffice suite that enables users to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and the Nokia Team Suite to define members, conference call numbers, conference call PINs, and Web pages according to “teams”. Adobe Reader, Zip Manager, calendar, notes, calculator, clock, voice recorder and currency converter are also included. There is also an access to third-party applications. it should be noted that E90 can accommodate 120 MB of its built-in memory and the user can add up to 2GB cards on its microSD expansion.

E-mail capabilities of Nokia E90 support Microsoft Exchange Server, POP3, IMAP, and SMTP accounts, and a full attachment viewer. Call features are its best with quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, conference calling, speed dial, voice commands, and VoIP support. Connectivity features include integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0 and a built-in GPS radio.

One of the multimedia offerings of the Nokia E90 is the 3.2-Megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, and video-recording capabilities, although a number of users have commented that it has poor image quality. It also features a music player that can play MP3 and AAC files. There’s also an FM radio. The RealPlayer can play videos in MPEG-4, MP4, 3GP, RV, RA, AAC, AMR, and MIDI formats.