Nokia N91 review

The Bottom Line
Music lovers won't be disappointed. Phone lovers will also like it, but the N91 is a melomaniac's device first.
Pros

* Excellent sound quality
* Nice, sturdy, durable stainless steel design

Cons

* Earpiece and ringtone volume could be higher
* Keypad is just acceptable

Description

* Technology: GSM
* North America's first phone to include a built-in hard drive
* 2-Megapixel camera

Guide Review - Nokia N91 Review
The Nokia N91 is the second N series phone that I review. And I am almost as delighted as I was when I tested the Nokia N90. Sturdy, durable design, great display, good sound... Well, excellent sound, since sound is what the N91 is about. A high-end music phone. And it has the perks you'd expect: Strong, flawless bass sounds yet crisp voices; The headset connector is not standard but there is another headset jack midway, where you can connect your own headsets -- even though those provided by Nokia were nice enough for the amateur music lover that I am. Fast forwarding is efficient, going slow at first and then faster as you keep it pressed. The N91 also features "Voice Radio", one of Nokia's recent innovations. And since we're talking about a media phone, the built-in hard drive, once connected with a USB cable, acts just like a removable disc: A piece of cake.

On the down side, the earpiece volume is ok but could be stronger. So is the speakerphone. The keypad, though much better than Nokia 8801's similar "embedded" keypad, isn't this phone's best strength

The Nokia E62 Review

The Bottom Line
The Nokia E62 excels on many points: rich set of features, sturdy design, vivid 320 x 240 display with 16 million colors and efficient, well-thought keypad and software. But a certain number of annoyances also make the whole thing less enthusiastically interesting. That said, it's a cell phone I enjoyed using. It's certainly good enough, but it is not perfect.
Pros

* Talk time of up to 5 hours (300 minutes) does live up to its expectations.
* Vivid display, sturdy design, good navigation joystick.
* All the data transfer you can dream on: memory expansion card

Cons

* Surprisingly slow software. Even bringing up the call log takes up to 2 seconds.
* Uneasy earpiece. If not perfectly centered, sound volume becomes virtually zero.
* Keypad is not the easiest to use.

Description

* Voice and data network types: GSM, HSCSD
* Bar-shaped PDA phone with fixed full QWERTY keyboard
* No camera, probably to satisfy discreet businesses

Guide Review - Nokia E62 Review
The Nokia E62 is part of a new trend that favors thin and lightweight PDA phones. At only 5 ounces and just above half an inch thick, it beats more traditional PDA phones. Yet, it includes a full QWERTY keyboard, perhaps not the best, however: keys are so hard to press... a little more and you'd need to join a gym to get fit enough for your phone. Sound quality was good, except when using the handset directly with the earset not well centered -- then the volume dropped to near zero. They would have needed to sculpt a small engraving on the sides of the earpiece to reach a larger distance. The speakerphone also performed well with an above average volume (a rare feature nowadays) but don't put it too high or it will distort.

Basics-wise, the Nokia E62 is up to the level. I never felt short of battery life too early, cellular signal performance was always stable, the 5-way navigation joystick is easy to control and everything feels sturdy and durable. But as I write this, something still appears like a mystery to me: why is the Nokia E62 responding so slowly? While virtually any phone on the market can bring up its call log in a wink, the Nokia E62 takes more than 2 seconds. Most menus are equally slow. The keypad has a good layout but backlight may make it difficult to recognize number keys at night and the keys are really difficult to press. You need to be in shape to type a few lines of text using the Nokia E62.

After more than 2 weeks using the Nokia E62 as my main phone, I have mixed feelings. There are many annoyances, many things that could have been fine-tuned better but I don't see any major problem. Which makes me conclude that I liked the Nokia E62 but I certainly did not love it. However, I wouldn't mind using it as my own phone. It is satisfying enough.