Nokia N82

Introduction:
In the middle of November, the new Nokia N82 was announced. Being a 80-series model, it is not among the top-of the-line Nokia phones (90-series), which is logical as its features are very similar to the 9-month old N95. The next high-end model which will be the successor of the N95 (including the 8GB version), is expected to be presented in the first quarter of the 2008, either on CES or 3GSM expos.
The N82 is Nokia’s first cameraphone equipped with a Xenon flash, instead of a standard LED one. This is what Sony Ericsson has been using in its top cameraphones since the K800 and has proved to be the best such technology. Flashes of this type have also appeared in the recently released high-end cameraphones of Samsung (G800) and LG (Viewty).



Design:
Just a look is enough to see that the new N82 is … let’s say different. It doesn’t remind us of any previous Nokia phone, has very different style and design-language as a whole. We may characterize it as hate-it-or-like it style and as a whole it is not among the attractive phones. The entire phone’s body is made of plastic, but unfortunately there is a cheap feeling when using it, although the construction is solid. Still, the weight is pocket-friendly, which has been the idea of the manufacturer.
As usual, the camera lens and flash are located on the back side. Next to them is a small slider that opens/closes the lens cover; it is not very comfortable but we prefer it to the bulgy cover used in the Samsung G800 for example.



So the specs for Nokia N82 should be correct as well. They include:

-Quad band GSM, UMTS and HSDPA connectivity
-5 mpx camera with Carl Zeiss lens
-Autofocus, up to 20 x digital zoom. Real Xenon flash
-30 fps VGA video capture
-Secondary CIF camera
-2.4″QVGA 240×320, 16M colors screen
-Built-in GPS
-FM Radio
-TV-Out
-Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0
-100 MB built-in memory
-Micro SD memory card slot
-Dimensions: 112 x 50.2 x 17.3 mm
-Weight: 120 g [Target]
-Talk time: GSM: 280min, WCDMA: 180min (Target)
-Standby time: GSM: 270hrs WCDMA: 250hrs (Target)




Interface:
Nokia N82 is using Symbian v9.2 Operating System and S60 Interface 3rd edition with Feature Pack 1, which is what other contemporary smartphones of the brand use (N95 8GB, N81 (8GB) ).
The banner at the top of the homescreen houses all the service information. Just below these is a row of 6 shortcuts which can be personalized to suit you best and the rest of the display is used for “notifications”. This is where missed calls, upcoming tasks (or To-Do in the calendar), received messages are displayed, as well as the music player status (the song that’s played at the moment). Shortcut to a global Search, that will seek in the whole phone's memory, which we find very handy is situated here also. Located at the bottom of the screen are the two software buttons which can also be personalized from the Settings menu.




Connectivity:
Just as the Nokia N95, the N82 cannot really be considered a global phone due to its crippled 3G support. Although the quad-band GSM/EDGE receiver allows it to be used worldwide, the 3G UMTS/HSDPA will be limited only to regions with 2100 MHz coverage (Europe and Asia).

There are three methods for local connectivity: Bluetooth (v2.0 with EDR), WiFi and USB. Bluetooth will most commonly be used for connecting to other mobile devices or phone accessories; WiFi is most convenient for connecting to local wireless networks and using them as a source of Internet; while the USB is the preferable connection to a computer. Once the microUSB cable is attached, the phone asks you to select one of four connection methods:

1. PC Suite used for synchronizing the Contacts, Calendar entries (To-Do) and the Notes with most popular systems: Outlook (Express), Lotus Organizer, Lotus Notes, Vista Contacts.

2. Data transfer opens the memory card (if present) as mass storage device, for easy and fast transfer of files.

3. Image print is used with compatible printers, to print images without a computer being necessary.

4. Media player is used for more comfortable transfer of multimedia files to and from the phone.