Before the Nokia N75 was released in 2007, it was subjected into hype, as the first 3G Symbian smartphone to be released, aside from the fact that it promised a multitude of other multimedia capabilities. However, the N75 has absorbed the criticism that the other NSeries phones have received, that it focused so much on its multimedia and other features that the phone functions were compromised.

This black and silver flip smartphone wasn’t praised on its looks because of its bulk, with a dimension of 3.8 x 2 x 0.8 inches, aside from the fact that it is 7 inches long when opened, although it is the type of phone that can easily be gripped and handled. The size of the N75 shares it own advantages though as it gave room to a larger and more spacious keypad. It also includes a 1.3-inch external screen that sports 262,000 colors at a 160×128 pixel resolution. More than the standard information, the N75 also displays track information and equalizer levels in music mode, aside from the fact that there are dedicated music controls below the screen: namely, back, play/pause, stop and forward. Flipping the N75 is a different story. It showcases a 2.4 inch screen that shows 16 million colors 16 million colors at a 240×320 pixel resolution.

Text and images are displayed bright and sharp and the screen automatically adjust according to environmental conditions. Below the screen are easy-navigable controls which include two soft keys, Talk and End buttons, edit, clear, shortcuts for main menu and music and a navigation toggle. The alphanumeric keypad is roomy and tactile and can easily be pressed. Located on the right part of the N75 are the volume rocker, and keys for camera activation and video activation. The 2.0-Megapixel camera is promising yet the picture quality is quite disappointing. The power button is located on top. On the backside is the camera lens while on the left side is the Pop-Port connector, power connector, and a microSD slot. N75′s big surprise for music lovers is the two small speakers situated on both sides of the phone.

While critics are wishing that phone capabilities of the N75 could have been improved, it is safe to say that the N75 has a wide range of features except for the fact that the address book is limited only by the available memory and the 250 contacts that a SIM card can provide. Nevertheless, the N75 is a quadband phone offering world roaming and other services such as speakerphone, speed dial, conference calling, voice command support, and a vibrate mode. Other utilities include Voice Aid and Message reader that use text-to-speech technology. The core of N75′s hype is on the availability of 3G support. It can achieve data transfer speeds of as fast as 2Mbps, although it can’t support HSDPA speeds.

Bluetooth 2.0 is also included in the connectivity options and it supports wireless headsets, hands-free kits, dial-up networking, generic object exchange, and file transfer. With the presence of the 3G came a sacrifice: the absence of the WiFi and GPS. Above all, the N75 has focused on the upgrading of its music capabilities. In fact, the smartphone has devoted a whole subsection of the phone for music where users can can listen to songs, watch music videos, shop for music and listen to mobile radio. Transferring of music files from the phone to the computer was made simple through the Nokia PC Suite that allows drag and dropping of tune.

Aside from the entertainment value, the Nokia N75 is still a smartphone. It runs under the Symbian operating system and still runs the QuickOffice application for viewing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Messaging support of N75 includes IMAP4 and POP3 accounts with an attachment viewer. it also includes Adobe Reader, a Zip Manager, a calculator, a notepad, a measurement converter, a clock, and a voice recorder.

Considered as one of Nokia’s best in the line-up of the NSeries mobile phones, the Nokia N72 is derived from the Nokia N70. Nokia N72 appears to target casual users, as exemplified by its limited features and cheaper market price.

Nokia N72 has a dimension of 109 x 53 x 21.8 millimeters and a weight of 124 grams. Its TFT display has 256K colors at 178 x 208 pixels. Viewing of text and images in N72 is bright and sharp but are imprecise especially on smaller details. The display is almost illegible in direct sunlight. N72 sports a black, glossy and shiny exterior, although it’s actually made from plastic. It’s also one of the smallest among the NSeries, although many users have still commented on its big size. The keypad buttons are small, and although they are attractive in the aesthetical sense, they are quite hard to press.

Aside from the keypad, N72′s front panel shares the Menu, Pencil, Music and Clear (C) button. The back of the phone showcases the camera lens and the battery cover loose button. The right side is where the camera release button and the memory card slot are located.

Nokia N72 takes from its predecessor, N70, its operating system, the Symbian 9.1 OS with 2.8-edition user interface. It features calendar, e-mail, notes and PDF reader. It also comes with the Nokia Xpress Print, a user friendly printing solution. The N72 is a tri-band mobile that works on GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900 and swapping between network bands is automatic. It also includes the Nokia Internet browser for Web sites in HTML & XHTML format. The phone’s connectivity options allow it to connect to other devices like personal computer, printer, headset, laptop and PDA. It also includes Bluetooth technology, Pop Port and Edge technology for a faster data transfer.

It also features a hands free speakerphone and an integrated microphone. Voice commands are also included for activating features and voice dialling for making calls without dialling manually.

N72 has a number of multimedia offerings that will provide entertainment to users. The music player supports files in MP3, AAC, eAAC & eAAC+ formats, and transferring music files from a compatible personal computer is easy with the Nokia Audio Manager provided by the Nokia PC Suite. The FM radio gives users the access to their favorite radio station and they can also receive information on which song is being played and will be displayed on the visual radio feature. The RealPlayer plays media in AMR NB, AMP WB, AAC, RealAudio, RealVideo, and H263 & MPEG4 formats.

N72′s 2-Megapixel camera comes with a 20 x digital zoom & an integrated flash. One fun feature is that it lets users to change the finished photo’s color tone into sepia, normal, negative, black & white tones. The video recorder, on the other hand, has a 4x digital zoom that can record up to an hour worth of video footage. Surely, this phone is perfect