nokia N73

nokia N73

SPECIFICATIONS:-

General:

2GNetwork GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network UMTS 2100

Size:

Dimensions 110 x 49 x 19 mm
Weight 116 g
Display:

Type TFT, 256K colors

Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches, 36 x 48 mm

- Downloadable themes
- Light sensor

Sound:

Alert types Vibration

Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ringtones
Speakerphone Yes, with stereo speakers.

Memory:

Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields,

Photocall Call records Detailed,max 30 days
Internal 42 MB storage,64 MB RAM
Card slot miniSD, hot swap,buy memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 11, 236.8 kbps
3G Yes 384 kbps
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes,v2.0 with A2DP (latest firmware)
Infrared port Yes,v2.0, Pop-Port

Camera:

Primary 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels Carl Zeiss optics autofocus,
LED flash Video Yes
Secondary VGA videocall camera

Features :

OS Symbian OS 9.1, S60 3rd edition
CPU Dual ARM 9 220 MHz processor

Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging Browse

WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
Radio Stereo FM radio;Visual radio

Games Yes + Java downloadable
Colors Silver Grey/Deep Plum, Frost White/Metallic Red, Black (Music Edition)
GPS No
Java Yes, MIDP 2.0
- Push to talk
- Video download
- WMV/RV/MP4/3GP video player
- MP3/WMA/WAV/RA/AAC/M4A music player
- T9
- Voice command/dial
- Organizer
- Printing
- Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)- Photo/video editor

Battery :

Standard battery, Li-Ion 1100 mAh (BP-6M )
Stand-by Up to 350 h (2G) / 370 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 6 h (2G) / 3 h 46 min (3G)

REVIEWS:-

The truth about the N73 is that it's all about the camera. And what a camera, 3.2 megapixels with greater clarity, far less compression artefacts and better colour than even Nokia's own flagship N93. Where the N70 was perhaps 70% smartphone and 30% camera, the Nokia N73 is a true half and half. With such a strong imaging focus, it won't appeal to the 'why do I need a camera in my phone' brigade, but I doubt Nokia will mind.

The N73's camera has the obligatory Carl Zeiss optics, a mechanical shutter and a good autofocus lens, though not with optical zoom (as on the N93). And, in case you were wondering, video capture is at the Nseries 'standard' of 352 by 288 pixels and 15 frames per second, OK for casual clips of family and friends but ultimately blocky. So if you buy the N73, it's going to be for the stills capability.
It's worth noting that, as alluded to above, camera performance in dim conditions is less than stellar, as with virtually all phone-based cameras - there simply isn't enough light to produce good results on such a small CMOS sensor. Still, the N73 is no worse than other similar cameras and in fact I was quite impressed with results in pitch black conditions using the built-in LED flash, which is used both for auto-focussing and taking the actual picture.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. The N73 is a successor to the N70 in terms of form factor and looks, at least, with an almost identical form factor, size and key layout. It's light at 116g. There are lots of detailed differences though, many of which aren't necessarily positive, so bear with me while I talk you round the hardware.
The most obvious difference is the screen. It's a full 2.4" diagonal, the same fabulous display as in the N93 but thankfully this time not waving around on the end of two swivel joints. Resolution is 240 by 320, a definite improvement from the old 176 by 208 pixel standard, even though fonts do still look a little blocky on the large screen.
Away from the screen things are not quite so rosy. The overall construction of the N73 screams 'plastic' at the top of its lungs. The silvery keypad feels cheap, with a horrible ridged top to each numeric key and a joystick and surround that look as if they belong in your local 'pound' shop. Squeeze in the side of the N73 and you'll feel a distinct flexing, with an accompanying ghastly creaking noise. And to keep this noise company there's a rattle from the camera slider on the rear of the phone, which doesn't seem to have been made of sturdy enough plastic.

Below the keypad is the miniSD slot, hidden behind a very close fitting door. The manual says to use a fingernail to open it, but in my case I had to resort to a jeweller's screwdriver and a few scary moments in order to get at the card slot. Admittedly, few of us change cards very often, but I can't see why so great lengths are taken to protect the card slot when the just-as-vulnerable Pop Port and power socket are completely exposed a couple of millimetres .

This being an Nseries device, there's Media Player 10 integration and WMA file support, along with stereo audio output. Music quality didn't seem as crisp as on other Nseries devices though, despite me fiddling with the built-in 'Equaliser' and the maximum volume of playback was only just sufficient in a quiet office - I sincerely doubt that the N73 could currently power music playback in a noisy environment such as a train station or on a bus. Visual Radio is also here, though why they persist with this rather than simply calling it 'Radio', I really don't know.
It's a fairly standard Nseries software bundle, with the viewer component of Quickoffice and Adobe's PDF reader. There's also Yahoo Go!, if you're a big Yahoo fan, though watch your data useage and battery life if you do use the application. There's also a completely pointless application shortcut to F-Secure's Anti-Virus, included presumably to do a favour to their fellow countrymen - guys, you're saying 'Hey, we've got a new OS and it's fabulously secure' but then also saying 'Err... better check out some anti-virus, just in case'. There's a mixed message here that could do with resolving.
I've been through something of a roller-coaster ride with the N73. My first impressions were awful, with the over-plastic feel and noisy case, plus tacky joystick and number keypad. But then I was completely bowled over by the stills camera and the pendulum swung in the other direction.
The N73 may yet be an adequate successor to the N70, provided the Gallery activation key problem is fixed in firmware and provided a little more attention is paid to hardware quality control back at Nokia's manufacturing plant. Other niggles, such as the low volume of the built-in Music player may have to be solved in a component change for future manufactured devices.
With the way firmware updates can significantly improve the performance and functionality of a device, especially in these days of DIY updating, it's tricky to give a one-off verdict. The N73 certainly has potential, and the form factor and general camera capabilities are extremely impressive.