The Nokai N93i

Wow, the N93i looks amazing.....
Might even consider this over the iPhone, despite the cost ($1,072.78 to $1,103.00 )

By Paul Marc Rañon

When we were kids, we were all fascinated by the Transformers and the battles between the heroic Autobot leader Optimus Prime and evil Decepticon leader Megatron.

But for the Nokia N93i, there is more than meets the eye. Although considered the successor of the N93, the slimmer, silver-colored N93i is a combination of an impressive camera and sheer flexibility.

The N93i measures 108 x 58 x 25 millimeters and weighs 163 grams. The phone supports UMTS/GSM 900/GSM 1800/GSM 1900 networks and is equipped with a Symbian OS 9.1 S60 3rd edition.

Its primary internal display is a TFT 16M QVGA color screen with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The N93i has a secondary 65K color OLED external display screen with a 128 x 36 pixel resolution.

One noticeable feature of the N93i is its keypad, wherein we got the impression that Nokia was quite inspired by the Motorola RAZR keypad concept which is fast becoming the standard among other phone manufacturers.
Nokia N93i
Although we liked the N93's keypad better than the keypad on the N93i, Nokia chose in favor of a metal plate with a barely-there tactile feedback. This choice helped reduce the casing thickness but compromised the keypad's tactile feel.

The N93i has a Pop Port and miniSD card slot that can be found on the side of the phone. They are protected by a drop-out latch made of plastic. The overall design and layout of its controls are better and handier than the N93.

The device opens up just like a normal clamshell phone -- camcorder-style for photos and videos, and laptop-style for browsing and watching -- similar to the N93. It has a simple joystick for ease of use when shooting videos.

The N93i is equipped with a 3.2 mega pixel camera with flash that can take photos at a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. The lens is made by Carl Zeiss Optics and has an auto focus feature and 3x optical zoom.

As for video capture, the N93i has the ability to record DVD-like (VGA to be more specific) quality videos at 30fps. For video calls, the phone has a secondary CIF camera that allows users to chat with their loved ones rather easily.

The N93i has built-in bundled software called the Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0. This allows the mobile user to edit and/or join videos directly in the phone itself. With this phone digital film making has transcended boundaries.

All the photos and videos you've taken during those special occasions can be viewed directly on your TV. The inclusion of the TV out cable support in the N93i package makes this possible. The phone also supports PAL and NTSC standards.

A user can choose from two display settings for the on-screen menu, 16:9 or 4:3. Once plugged, it recognizes instantly, and pictures or videos appear on both the handset and the TV. Aside from that, you can also play Java games that are pre-installed in the N93i.

The N93i has PictBridge support wherein photos taken using this device can be printed directly via your favorite printer. This can be done by plugging the N93i to the printer using the bundled USB 2.0 cable.

With its built-in infrared and Bluetooth connectivity feature, a user can send single or multiple photos taken by the N93i. We tested this by sending several images to a Canon ES-1 portable printer and we were very impressed with the result.

Aside from the mentioned data transfer connectivity features, the N93i has GPRS Class 32, HSCSD (via PC dial-up), EDGE Class 32, 3G (at 384 kbps), and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g (sorry, no HSDPA). Getting connected and surfing the Internet has never been this good or cool.

Although the N93i has these advanced features, the phone has basic features that include SMS, MMS, email, Instant Messaging (IM), and a WAP 2.0/xHTML for browser basics. We have to note that texting can be quite tricky at first, but you can get used to it in time.

If you worry about the juice on this phone, the N93i comes with a hot-swappable 1GB miniSD card when you buy the package. And for those who are purists about internal memory, the phone is packed with 50MB for mass storage function.

The N93i has a built-in music player feature that supports most music formats including MP3, AAC (for iTunes lovers), eAAC+, AAC+, M4A, MPEG-4 ACC LC, LTP, MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, 64 polyphonic MIDI, and WMA.

Transferring music files can be done by full synchronization with Windows Media Player while the N93i is connected to your favorite desktop or notebook PC via USB. The phone music library function sorts all music files by genre, artist, or album.

If you're worried about missing out on your favorite DJs on air, well, the good news is that the N93i has a stereo FM radio feature. Users won't have excuses about not listening to their favorite rock tunes or going mellow with love songs (with their BF or GF of course).

Despite all of the features of the N93i, we're sure that you'll ask about its battery life. For starters, the N93i is powered by a Lithium-Ion 950mAh (BL-5F) standard battery. It has a charging time of 2 hours, talktime of 3 hours, and a standby time of 7 days, depending on usage.

What we're concerned about is that heavy users may complain about the battery life, especially among amateur digital mobile filmmakers. The N93i managed to capture 40 minutes of digital video before the battery died. We hope that Nokia will address this little dilemma.

Overall, the Nokia N93i has an impressive arsenal of multimedia features and unparalleled connectivity. Even though it has a few shortcomings, the Nokia N93i sports a superb screen, optical zoom, excellent Web browsing, and has great video quality. As Optimus Prime would say, Autobots, transform and roll out! I wish I could have one of these.

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