The Nokia N-90 Experience

A combination of a high quality black and silver plastic housing accented with a shinny metal on the sides gave the casing an appearance of strength as well as a rich look. On the top of the flip, there was a small exterior screen surrounded by a mirrored chrome border. The screen is an active matrix and has 65,536 colors (128 x 128 pixels). The right side had a 5 function toggle and adjacent to it was a white push button for the camera. The left side had an input for power and a covered sync port.

The camera portion can swivel approximately 315 degrees giving you a large degree of flexibility as you hold the device for pictures. The camera lens is protected with a permanent exterior covering designed to keep the lens clean. Next to the lens, there is a tiny flash that, surprisingly, works very well on close pictures. At the top of the camera portion of the phone you find the power on/off and speaker holes.

The exterior of this phone is awesome! My descriptions can not adequately describe the solid, rich appearance the device has; nor is doing justice to its unique design. I can only hope that the accompanying pictures give you enough of an understanding as to why I was so enthralled with this initial experience.

I had to laugh at myself the first time I opened the phone up. I flipped it open not realizing that it had a dual hinge. As I opened it, I though what a dumb design, you can’t clearly see the screen and the keyboard and then all of a sudden I realized that it was not entirely open. It was not a dumb design….it was a dumb user!

So, I got to see the dual hinge work, pretty cool actually. The phone opens and you get a nice keyboard that is visually easy to see and has a distinct touch to it that makes dialing a number easy. The problem I have encountered on most phones is the size of the keys whether or not it’s a PDA phone, smartphone or just a regular cell phone….the keys are too darn small. Not so with this device. My chunky fingers fit nicely…there is little or no chance of hitting the wrong key.

The keyboard has black keys with white numbers that are clearly visible during the day and light up perfectly at night. Besides the typical 12 key array, there are 7 additional keys and a five way toggle button. The additional keys are for left and right selection of pre-selected functions, making a call, end call/closing applications, number/symbol/dictionary selector, clear key, and a main menu key. Functions vary according to the operation mode but all are easily understood as you progress through the options available.

The 2.1 inch active matrix screen has incredible clarity. It is so crisp that I find it difficult to believe that the screen is 262,144 colors (352 x 416 pixels). It could be the automatic brightness control that makes the difference but what ever it is, I like it, I can see it, it’s like looking at a high resolution photograph.

At the top of the screen, there are two selection buttons that are activated for use when the screen is rotated into imaging mode. It is a very slick interface designed for ease of use when using the imaging mode.

The back of the phone has the battery cover that had a different means of holding the cover on. It took me a couple of seconds to figure out how the cover came off but once you do it, it is very easy. Removing the cover, the SIM can easily be inserted. It was a different type of locking system than I had ever seen before but it works…that is all that matters. The battery, which has a neat hologram on it, easily slides and locked into place. Placing the cover back on, I was good to go!

Pressing the power button at the top for a second, the light on the mini screen appears, a NOKIA logo shows and after several seconds, a welcome tone and a picture of two hands appear briefly and finally you are left with a default screen.