Nokia N95: Review Of The (Almost) Ultimate Geek Phone

I bought and used Nokia N95 for four months testing its main functions such as:  mobile internet, its very high quality video camera, photo camera, maps and GPS.

But, particularly, I verified if its functions really fit with the needs of a blogger, that is to say fast and easy micropublishing instruments.

Here you have all the impressions I had during these four months of use.

Nokia N95 video operating

It is out of doubt one of this electronics jewel strong points. If you then equip it with a 2 Gb SD memory you get one hour and a half high resolution video (DVD quality), even if you don’t need it.

Note that:

• You can set videos for: Tv, PC, 2 quality levels for mobile phones; MMS
• You can switch the audio off (very useful)
• It is equipped with a video stabilizer (in my opinion it gets the video worse).
  

Photos and video transfer via BlueTooth are a real blessing: you can download on your pc, nearly at once, all audios and videos. The software player used is the Real Networks (Real Player), and the video format is Quicktime. Be careful, because we are not dealing with a sort of video camera substitute, but for a blogger that’s an extraordinary instrument.

N95: a wireless webcam

This is one of its most interesting functions. Thanks to wwigo (and not to Nokia),  a new and free software,  you get the chance of using either one or the other integrated photo camera like a via BlueTooth webcam for streaming live or any recordings. Any other supply will read Nokia N95 as a real webcam (here you have its notice from N95blog.com).

Satellite maps

Its strength is that it is equipped with an integrated GPS antenna, even if to get an almost  medium quality signal reception you need to open it, otherwise it can’t connect to satellites. Then you really need to take care to one thing:

• Maps manager is included
• The navigator requires the payment of an additional fee
  

Maps manager

I am speaking about maps manager because Nokia N95 memory is not provided with maps, but it downloads them as you need their visualization. The main problem is that it needs, to download them properly, a GPRS or UMTS connection. And that rises all costs.

Nokia Map Loader starts this system. That’s a free software that whenever installed on your mobile phone you can do a sort of map “pre”-installation with home or office wifi connection, choosing among the maps you need. Therefore you won’t have connection costs on your mobile phone.

Integrated GPS

Your subscription lasts a definite period of time. I used it and I dare say that it really works, apart from the integrated GPS antenna problem that sometimes takes too much time to connect to satellites, even if, once connected in case it loses connection it just requires a few seconds to connect again (for instance out of galleries).

5 Mpixel photocamera

It takes high quality photos and it has a good configuration level but, to be straight, it has no chances with the same resolution (real) photo cameras.

Here are all the advantages:

• Optimum configuration level
• Day photos are very beautiful and night ones are medium quality
• You send photos via Bluetooth, mail or promote them directly on Flicker or other blogs
  

But the main and only disadvantage is the following one:

• Never touch the zoom!
  

Even when zooming lightly, the lack of analogical zoom causes an heavy photo quality drop down (as a consequence for its dimensions).                                                   

In few words: N95 can sometimes substitute an ordinary photo camera, but not always. For all significant occasions it is maybe better to use your  “old”, ordinary photo camera.

Power management and battery autonomy

That’s its weak point: the real matter is a real bad power management. Sometimes a well charged Nokia N95 can discharge completely in an hour. Here you have all functions list discharging this phone in a too short while:

•  Automatic research of wifi network
• Connection to wifi net
• Active BlueTooth
• Active VoIp mobile programs
• Multiple functioning mode (3G, GPRS and GSM)
  

To have a clearer idea of the bad power management on Nokia N95: if you leave it on charge while connected to the wireless net, with Truphone on and in 3G mode, its charge level never completes. It seems that the latest firmware want to solve this situation somehow, but I’m not confident in any possible miracle.

The only possible solutions could be: use it in GSM mode (if you don’t need any faster connection); disconnect the automatic Wifi net scanning. Don’t keep wlan nets or BlueTooth connections on when they are useless.

Surfing the net and mobile internet

You can surf the net with Nokia N95 with a standard browser and not in WAP mode. Of course it shows you only one part of the web page but you can therefore check the interesting area using its buttons. The zoom setting is fundamental because you can reduce on the display the visible page area, limiting then the buttons use.

Wifi card is a very delicate one: sometimes it loses connection if you go far from router, and this is very annoying particularly if you are having a VoIP call, as you should then connect and call again.

Integrated FM radio

This is the most commonly undervalued function: Fm radio has a very good receptivity wherever you are, and you can install its headphones, speakers, or its  outside audio system using always the same jack. Radio, on the contrary of the other network functions, seems to safe power as it works for hours almost without consumption.

Mobile VoIP

I downloaded Truphone, that I have long since used for wifi ADSL calls at home. And…it works!!!! I have free calls towards 40 countries and the prices for all the other countries are very low (half an hour in Brazil costs nearly 1,5 €). The only trouble is the foresaid one, the wifi card is rather weak but at the end of the day it works.

A suggestion for Truphone: connect it only when you really need to do a call because it has a very high power consumption even in stand-by mode.

Take care: operators can disable your VoIP

I bought this unlocked version smartphone for 750 € (now it is certainly cheaper). If you want to use all its functions I suggest you not to pay attention to all those operators that sell it at lower costs and with one of their sim card, because this way they limit its functions.

We knew that Orange (British operator) offers Nokia N95 equipped with a disabled VoIP without advice to its costumers, but  our Italian TIM does the same! In fact, I could install Truphone on a Nokia labeled TIM. But after having installed and started the program, I dialed the number but the item “via internet phone call” was mysteriously absent. I really don’t know if and how this practice is widespread among other operators, but if you do please tell us!

Conclusions

Even if it seems absurd, underlining all these troubles about Nokia N95 is the consequence of the good impression I had of it! I often forget we are only speaking about a telephone and some of its obvious limits sometimes seem absurd as today we got used of doing with a mobile phone what yesterday was possible only with a pc or a photo camera and similars.

Also the battery endurance default for such a telephone really sounds to be impossible!