The past week or two I've really been working the N73, and I have to say it's a workhorse phone that I'm very impressed with. Yesterday I shifted my attention to the N93 for a while. Maybe it's the weekend coming, but I also shifted a bit into fun mode rather than corporate work mode, at least in my thinking.



These are just first impressions. I've used it as a phone and taken a few pictures, but now I'm a bit more serious.

The camera is, like the N73, stellar for a phone cam. This one is really oriented to be used as a digital video camera, but it does a great job with stills too. The zoom can be set up to maximize either picture quality or zoom range. The user interface is easy to deal with and it's really quite simple to get up and running with the camera functionality.

Links easily to the PC using the cable or Bluetooth. I haven't tried Infrared, and likely won't other than just to test and see if it works properly.

I'd never used Nokia's LifeBlog software before. It comes on both phones and on the CD for PC installation. What I find I really like about LifeBlog isn't PC related in any way. I actually don't much care for the PC app. But the phone app, if you treat the phone as a pocket-sized computer is a really simple and friendly way of managing what's on your mobile. And LifeBlog easily blogs to TypePad and VOX. I've also seen plugins for Movable Type and some others out on the net. I'd likely be inclined to try the MT plugin on the Realtime Community blog. I'm looking for a Wordpress plugin that apparently exists only in German.

Beyond LifeBlog, one of the things I really like with both of these phones is the support for Flickr that's built right in. Dealing with pictures, whether sending, blogging or posting, has never been easier on a handheld.



I've recently also played a bit with the radio functionality and I'm very impressed. Today I've been listening to my local NPS station on the stereo headset while I work. It's very nicely done and pretty user friendly.

I like the fact that there's POP3 email capability built in. I set up my primary email account and pulled in mail several times. There's also a Gmail app that's easily loaded. Email on a mobile like this is challenging, but what I find here works well enough to be in touch without having full functionality.

I confess, I don't care for Nokia's, or anyone elses, predictive text for entering data on the touch pad. I love my Treo 700W with the QWERT keyboard. But the Nokia's Bluetooth stack should support any portable keyboard. I just haven't gone down that road yet (but I will).

The native "office" applications are a shortfall in comparision to a Windows Mobile device, but that could easiyl change wtih enhancement. I find reading and reviewing documents and spreadsheets doable, but I honestly create a lot of new document drafts on my Treo, so for me, this feels like a step back. I can't create new documents.




And in the video phone mode, which sadly just can't be tested in the US, it looks like a little computer sitting on the desk. This landscape orientation is really very usable for web surfing. And given WiFi support in the N93, makes for a simple adjunct tool on my desk.

There's a mechasm to build your home WiFi network into a profile, but you can also scan either on demand or continuously for WLAN access points. Ad hoc connections have been easy enough to establish for me. I'm guessing it's quick and easy to connect to public hotspots based on everything I've seen. I'm curious what having the WiFi radio scan and update the available hotspot list every 5 minutes does to battery life, but from what I see today, it shouldn't have muc of an impact.

I'll be taking some pictures and videos. Pictures will go into my N93 photo set on Flickr for this one. There's another one for the N73. And I've set up another for the N80i, which I hear might land in my hands next week. I also plan to keep adding to my Nokia Photo Comparison set. Weather here hasn't been too agreeable for a photo outing, but I'm hoping to pull off multiple photo comparison sessions in the next few weeks leading up to the holidays.

Things still to explore? You bet.

Luca described how to do RSS onboard. I'm going to play with that. I can think of some real values for that in several areas, There's also SIP capability built in. I'm curious what I can do with that and will poke around a bit. I haven't done much tangible video blogging with the N93. That will come soon.

So there's a Friday update on progress for my testing of the Nokia N-series. Nokia is doign a fabulous job of building support and a groundswell of demand through their Blogger Relations Program. That looks to be a huge win for Nokia. And it doesn't hurt that the devices they've sending out to test are in a word, fabulous. Kudos to Nokia on both fronts.


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