All Reviews > Hardware > Mobile phones
February 26, 2007
Many phones claim to do it all. And some actually manage to offer all the functions you'd want - albeit usually quite badly. The latest model to show off its all-singing, all-dancing routine is the Nokia N93, which really does take the media convergence cake and stuff it in your face.
It's got the lot: digital camera, camcorder, email, internet, instant messaging, music playback, FM radio, video playback and Java gaming. And after chucking in everything but the kitchen sink, Nokia took an unusual step: it paid attention to quality. For example, while no modern phone could show its face in public without a camera, few go to the lengths of including a 3.2Mp (megapixel) Cmos chip. This makes the N93 a genuine contender to replace your regular digicam.
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The N93's biggest feature is its ability to double up as a fully fledged camcorder that records Mpeg4 video at VGA quality (640x480 resolution; 30 frames per second), which is the equal of DVD. You'd better invest in a bigger memory card than the 128MB MiniSD it ships with, though:video takes up 28MB per min.
You can also watch video via the included TV connector, and your Mpeg4 footage can be edited and turned into playable DVDs using the bundled Adobe Premiere Elements software.
Nokia has taken a nod from Sony's camera division and attached a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens and a built-in 3x optical zoom. The Nokia N93 will happily replace most people's digicams and give them a decent camcorder to boot.
For all its good points, this is a big brute of a mobile, and the mechanics of the swivel screen (which is excellent for taking pictures and videos) make placing calls a chore. On top of this, the weight of the lens unbalances the phone in your hand, so texting is a pain.
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