Nokia N85

Great Audio and Video Plenty of Freebies included (on an 8GB card) Plenty of connectivity options Good camera "C" and Menu button not easy to access Battery is not up to par Only one full free game

Here’s yet another generic looking cross-between-N81-and-N96 handset from Nokia that’s been designed to be part of their gaming range. The N85 gives the impression that it’s a very capable handset on all fronts with features galore, but allow me to give you a better idea.

Form Factor
The N85 dual slider may be a bit generic in design for Nokia but it still manages to pull off a chic look and feel. It’s quite sleek and sexy to be more accurate. It has a 2.6-inch OLED display that sports a 240 x 320 pixel, 16 million color resolution. The use of this type of display was a smart idea, because it not only has better colors and sharper tones, but also manages to reduce the consumption of power from the screen. It’s a bit of a problem in direct sunlight though. The display tends to get a bit lost amongst the reflections but not too much.

It has a very minimalist look when the front navigation panel and keys are not active. The handset is equipped with Nokia’s Navi-Wheel that can be used for touch sensitive navigation as well as a regular five way-nav pad, a shortcut quick access menu key and rubberized Call Answer and End keys. The open keys although a bit hard under the fingerprint-magnet hard plastic casing are manageable. My issue was with the Menu and Cancel keys. The position is a little too close to the edge and hence they tend to not only be a little harder to press but sometimes a bit difficult to reach. Nothing you can’t get used to though.

The pop sliders are both smooth and very responsive for opening and shutting the multimedia and data entry keypads. Once again we see that Nokia could have a made better use of the keypad space and had maybe little larger keys, but there’re no other issues other than just that. The keys are neatly spaced out and comfortable to use. The multimedia keypad that pops out from the top also doubles as games keys and can also be used for zooming for the 5MP AF camera (with dual LEDs for a flash) that’s protected with a smooth sliding lens cover.

A micro USB port is located on one side at the top. On the other side at either end are a set of stereo speakers. Volume/zoom control, a key lock slider and the camera’s shutter release are located in between. A standard 3.5mm earphone socket, power key and universal micro USB port for the charger and PC connectivity are also placed here.

The N85 is a sturdy looking handset that gives off an air of machismo with a hint of class. If it weren’t for the plastic casing that looks quite bad after usage with fingerprints all over, I’d give it a five out of five on looks alone.

Features and Performance

Interface
A Symbian OS 9.3 with a Series 60 UI coupled with an ARM 11 369 MHz processor makes the N85 a smooth handset for navigation and control. The Accelerometer is quick when it comes to adjusting the screen orientation. However, the sensitivity is a bit too high. Nothing you can’t get used to. Using the Navi-Wheel to get around the menus is bliss and something the super lazy can appreciate. The shortcut menu activated by the dedicated key located near the nav-pad, is handy when you need to access media and such but not much else. The interface, of course, is still something to talk about.

It'z price is between Rs. 23,530 to 23,769 

HTC Launches Touch 3G in India

Touch The HTC..!!!

It’s been only a couple of weeks sincethe company launched two new handsets and HTC has today introduced a third, the HTC Touch 3G for its Indian customers. Continuing HTC's touch-phone tradition, the Touch 3G utilizes the enhanced TouchFLO technology, which is a finger-touch optimized navigation system. "The HTC Touch 3G is a stylish, flexible and user-friendly touch phone in which speed, sensation and style complement the slender and lightweight design," said Ajay Sharma, Country Head, HTC India. "Equipped with the enhanced TouchFLO user interface and super fast 3G Internet connectivity, HTC Touch 3G makes the mobile experience faster, sharper and more responsive. With its attractive design and ultra-sensitive touch screen, this phone will surely appeal to one and all."


The HTC Touch has powerful Internet capabilities. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan websites with one-hand allowing users to navigate more easily, leveraging the mobile Internet in a variety of ways. With the HTC Touch 3G, customers can search for and watch streaming video from YouTube and stay updated on the latest news with the integrated RSS reader and browse full-screen pages, all displayed on a large 2.8-inch (QVGA) TFT touch screen.With a form factor that’s quite similar to the Viva, the Touch 3G comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and integrated GPS with AGPS support. It has 256MB of flash memory and 192MB RAM, as well as support for external memory via microSD cards. The handset also runs on a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS.
The HTC Touch 3G will be available at a Market Operating Price of Rs. 28,450 at all leading HTC Authorized Resellers across the country. Sadly though it will still be a while before the technology can be used to its fullest extent considering the lack of 3G in the country

Sony Ericsson G900

Neat and sleek design Plenty of office features Good touchscreen-keypad combo 2.4-inch screen Somewhat sluggish Camera isn't that good

View Specifications

It's traditionally believed that smartphones can't be good-looking, or have any appreciable multimedia features. The SE G900 attempts to demolish that myth. Let’s see what this 'hybrid smartphone' can do! 

Design and Build

I like the form factor of the G900. It’s not funky, but it's sleek in a functional sense. To elaborate, it measures 106 x 49 x 13 mm, and weighs 99g. I won’t call it light, but it certainly isn’t a bother to carry around. It also won't produce an embarrassing bulge in your pocket.

There’s a 2.4-inch TFT touchscreen, and a regular keypad. You will also find the regular SE proprietary keys such as the Back and Cancel buttons, and direct-access keys to Notes and Messages. In addition, there’s a responsive five-way navigation pad.

The screen is large enough to put to good use, and the presence of a regular keypad adds to the charm and usability. For instance, messaging is always a pain on a touchscreen, especially when traveling on a bumpy road. It’s for situation like these that a keypad comes in handy. Also it’s a whole lot faster!

The proprietary USB/charging/earphone slot is on the left, right above the missed call/message indicator LED light. Needless to say, a small thing like this can save you a lot of effort – no need to unlock and check for missed calls every now and then.

I don’t particularly like the plastic battery cover. A rubberized finish would have worked. Besides, the color of the cover breaks the uniformity of the shiny black around the camera. The back sports theexternal speaker and the camera (with flash).

I mustn't  forget to mention the keypad lock button that makes life a lot easier, especially when driving.