NOKIA MAY HAVE BEEN GAINING more attention for its efforts in the newer version of the Symbian operating system (Symbian ^3), but that does not mean that it has abandoned Symbian Series 60 (3rd edition); the version that powers all the devices in its famed E series and a number of non-touch smartphones from the N series. The company has been releasing handsets on the platform aimed at those who want a smartphone experience without having to mess with a touchscreen (yes, there are a lot of people like that), and the latest in that series is the X5.
Although marketed mainly as a music and messaging phone, the X5 is in fact a full-fledged smartphone packing in the same operating system that runs devices like the Nokia E72 and the more recently released E5. However, what really marks it out is its form factor. The X5 is squareshaped, with a 2.36 inch display that hides a full and surprisingly spacious QWERTY keypad. Like the similarly shaped Motorola Flipout, it has an undeniably ‘cute’ and compact look to it. But that does not mean that it is flimsy - it is very solid and feels good to hold, even a tad heavy for something so small.
And Nokia has managed to pack in a whole lot of goodies inside this pocketfriendly device. You get all the routine Symbian S60 goodies including free push mail, Ovi Store, Ovi Music, and even a view-only version of QuickOffice. In terms of connectivity, there is support for 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth although we were a bit surprised at the absence of GPS. In best Symbian tradition, the X5 is a wiz at multi-tasking (we ran four to five apps at the same time on it, and it handled them with ease) and has a battery that will comfortably see out almost two days before screaming “recharge.”The display might be a tad on the small side, but has an accelerometer, which paves the way for some neat tricks - you can change tracks by shaking the phone, and even better, find out how many messages have come by holding down the volume key and giving it a shake at which the X5 will emit a knocking sound to show new messages (honestly, we think it is simpler to have a sound alert, but still the “shake to discover new messages” is kind of cool). And as this is a music phone, the sound quality is very good indeed, right up there with the best XpressMusic handsets.
All of which makes it a very good value for money proposition at 9,490. Yes, there will be those who will say that S60 seems so “old” compared to the likes of Android, Windows Phone and iOS, but there can be no denying the fact that it performs, albeit at a tad slower pace. We would have liked to have had a bigger and higher resolution display (320 x 240 does not make it great for Web or video), definitely a better camera (with autofocus, please) and the absence of GPS means that this is one of the few S60 phones that we cannot use to find our way around town reliably, but even with those shortcomings, the X5 is a very good device for those looking for a smartphone to get their music and messaging fix without spending five figures
FEATURES
2.36-inch, 240 x 320 display
Series 60 v3, QWERTY keypad
5MP camera with LED flash
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM, 129 grams
PROs Cute form factor, comfortable keypad
CONs Ordinary camera, small display, no GPS
Price: 9,490
FAQ's:
Why do many headphone manufacturers say that they can damage hearing? Is it just a case of paranoia?
Depending on how loud you listen to music and for what duration, a pair of headphones can lead to permanent hearing damage. The risk is higher with headphones than with loudspeakers because of the isolation and proximity between your eardrums and the speaker drivers. Basically, the louder the sound, the less time it takes for the damage to occur. For example, a set of powerful headphones or earphones can even produce 110db of sound pressure, equivalent to what you would find in a discotheque with large speakers. Find out if the audio source you're using has a volume limiter function and use it .
My camera can click RAW images. What is the advantage of RAW over normal JPEG images?
RAW images are uncompressed, and often used by professional photographers. JPEG files are compressed, and that’s why you’ll notice that they have a much smaller file size for the same image as compared to RAW. The advantage of JPEG is that they offer acceptable quality, wide compatibility and you can fit a lot more images onto a memory card. RAW images cannot be opened by normal image viewers, and the camera will usually include a disk with some software to view and edit RAW files. If you can’t be bothered about opening and editing images, just stick with JPEG. The main advantage of the RAW format is that it offers a higher quality image, and a lot more room for you to post process the image on a computer.
What is the easiest way to convert videos to play on the iPod Touch?
To convert video files specifically for the iPod Touch, head to www.videora.com and download the appropriate converter software. Apart from the iPod Touch, they also offer converters for other Apple devices like the iPhone (all versions), iPad, other mobile phones and game consoles. The converter offers a ‘simple’ mode, where you don’t need to be bothered with any conversion settings; just select a file to convert, select a location to save it in and click ‘convert’. Depending on the hardware of your computer, this can take time. You can also try getting the VLC Player app (by Applidium) from the App Store. You can then transfer videos without conversion to the iPod using iTunes.
No comments:
Post a Comment