The Nokia N90 is one of the first camera phones that challenges entry-level digital cameras. Its Carl Zeiss lens, 2 megapixel image resolution and large screen will appeal to many phone users who'd like to carry a decent digital camera and a camcorder with them. You can also listen to MP3 music, send and receive email and browse the Internet over a broadband-speed 3G network on this advanced smartphone.

 

A 2 megapixel camera phone that comes with a lens, which is normally used only in dedicated cameras is a good starting point for nice photos. To a certain extent photos taken on the Nokia N90 are fine. If you want to view test pictures, read the story where we compared photos of the N90 with photos taken on a compact digital camera. In a nutshell, photos taken outdoors (or whenever there is enough light) are good. Low light and when you have to use flash reduce the N90 image quality, but it is still fine for everyday photos.

 

The video quality of the Nokia N90, on the other hand, is surprisingly good when viewed side by side with a video recorded on a compact digital camera. We tested the N90 in its highest video resolution 352x288 (you can also set the video resolution to 176x144) and compared it to a digital camera's video recorded in 320x240 resolution. We tested video recording in low light and outdoors and we liked what we saw. Still, we would avoid close-up shots that include detail. Maybe we should call the Nokia N90 a camcorder phone instead of a camera phone to justify its video quality. The video recordings are stored in MPEG4 format with audio.

The Nokia N90 is a tri-band GSM/GPRS phone and connects to GSM 900/1800/1900 frequency networks around the world. It is also a 3G phone for UMTS and EDGE networks, which means you can access email and the Internet practically in broadband-speed.

 

The built-in email software allows you to connect to POP3 and IMAP4 email accounts. We connected the email software to an IMAP4 email service and Gmail POP3 service and it worked fine with both. If you download attachments, you can read them in the Quickoffice software that's pre-installed on the phone. The email experience on the Nokia N90 got really exciting when we discovered that it could be used like a Blackberry (the handheld device designed for accessing corporate email).

The N90 comes with an instant messaging application, but if you want to connect to popular instant messaging systems, such as MSN Messenger, AIM, or Yahoo Messenger, you have to download another instant messaging software on the phone.

 

Connectivity to a 3G network is useful because you get fast access to the Internet, for example, for searching information and for downloading new music, videos, or photos to the phone. The N90 software configuration should include Opera browser, but if that's not the case, download for example, Opera Mini. The Internet browser software pre-installed on the phone is not sufficient for an advanced smartphone like the N90.

 

The phone comes with RealPlayer software and you can listen to MP3, AAC (but not songs downloaded from iTunes), WAV, Real's own music formats and MIDI tunes on the device. It took some time before the RealPlayer was convinced that we really have MP3 songs on the memory card and that we really want to play them. You have to create a track list, tell RealPlayer to search for music on the memory card, assign songs on the list and then play them.

 

You have two options for connecting the Nokia N90 to your PC: Bluetooth and USB cable. If you install the included PC Suite software, you can back up the information on the phone, synchronize and transfer photos, music, calendar, notes and other items between the phone and your Windows PC.

 

The Nokia N90 is powered by the Symbian OS/S60 operating system software, which means among other things, that it is possible to download new S60, or Java applications on the phone. An example is the excellent search application that lets you access Internet search engines on your phone.

 

In addition to the extensive selection of software already included in the phone, the CD in the product package contains more applications. Lifeblog lets you sync photos and messages saved on your phone with your PC and view photos in a timeline. Included on the CD are also Adobe Photoshop Album2.0 Starter Edition (for organizing your photos) and Adobe Mobile Video Editor (for editing your N90 camcorder videos into a film that you can proudly show to your friends).

 

The battery life of the N90 is good when it is used as a phone or as a camera, but music quickly drains the battery.

 

There are some weak points in the Nokia N90 and many of them have to do with the mechanics of the unit.

 

The shutter button on the side of the unit has two problems. First, it has a poor feel and second, its placement could be better. To use the auto-focus, you push the shutter half way down, wait for the camera to focus and then push the shutter all the way down to capture the image. The problem is that you can't be sure if you pushed the button far enough, but luckily, there's a sign on the screen indicating when the focus is locked. The placement of the shutter button and the joystick are exactly the other way around than we expected. It is easy to accidentally touch the joystick when you are reaching for the shutter.

 

The connector where the USB cable and the headset cable have to be attached is terrible. It is difficult to insert the cable into the jack and the cable easily drops off. Especially, if you put the N90 in your pocket, the cable is easily disconnected.

 

The reduced size MMC memory card is not a pleasant choice because you need to use an extension piece when you want to insert the card into a memory card reader. But where are we supposed to store the small extension piece meanwhile? And why does there have to be a short, extra extension cable for the charger?

 

 

Who likes this product: The Nokia N90 is primarily a camera phone, although it has many other advanced capabilities, for example, music and Internet connectivity. Anyone who wants a 2 megapixel digital camera and camcorder that's never forgotten and left lying on the kitchen table, will like this product (assuming you always take your phone with you when walking out of the door).

 

 

Style: There must be something with cameras that makes it difficult for designers to sketch out a beautiful product. Have you ever seen a digital camera that's as attractive as an iPod? The Nokia N90 won't win any beauty contests, but it will win functionality awards. The N90 is a bulky phone, partly because of the rotating lens that lets you snap those nice photos.

 

 

Value for money: The Nokia N90 is an excellent camera phone (or camcorder phone), but its extensive functionality comes with a price tag. When you add up the price of an advanced smartphone to a price of a basic digital camera, you have the N90. That probably means that you won't find this product in every other pocket at your local shopping mall, but the attention is all yours when you whip this phone out of your pocket.

 

 

Pirkka Rannikko contributed to this review.

 

 

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