Introduction
I received the Nokia N93 just in time to take it with me on vacation to Kauai, HI. As it turns out, there couldn't have been a better test scenario for Nokia's flagship "Multimedia Computer." The N93 was made for vacations - or anywhere else you might have a need for top-quality imaging and mobile communications.
More a camcorder with cell phone capabilities than a phone with a camera built-in, the N93 boasts a 3.2 megapixel Carl Zeiss camera with auto focus, optical zoom and 640 x 480 resolution video recording at a full 30 frames per second. No other mobile phone I know of can match those specs. Combine that with Wi-Fi and EDGE (and European 3G) data capabilities, and the N93 is a powerhouse mobile imaging device. Or, in my case, the perfect way to send friends and family photos and video clips of our vacation in Hawaii.
All of that imagine power comes with a price, though. The N93 is Nokia's top-of-the-line handset (at least until the N95 comes out) and priced accordingly at close to $700. The handset is also rather large and a bit unwieldy to use - at least for phone calls. Still, if you want a phone that can shoot sparkling VGA video suitable for playback on your TV or emailing to your friends, the N93 has no rivals.
DesignAt first glance the N93 looks like a very large, thick flip phone. Measuring up at 118 x 55 x 28.2mm and weighing 180g, the N93 is more than twice as thick and twice as heavy as Samsung's ultra-thin D900 slider phone. While you might not think that a fair comparison, bear in mind that the D900 also features a 3MP camera (though it's not as high quality as the N93's). At any rate, the N93 is large enough to make me wonder how many people would be willing to carry it around on a daily basis.
The handset features a dual-hinge folding design that reminds me of the ahead-of-its-time Motorola Mpx 300: The handset folds open and shut like a traditional clamshell phone, and the upper portion of the flip (the screen) also folds along one of its longer edges. As a result, the N93 can be used in any of four modes, and the phone in fact automatically switches mode depending on how its (un)folded. The main camera can only be used when the screen has been folded and rotated at a right angle to the right panel of phone, resembling a handheld camcorder with its screen flipped open. Nokia calls this "Twist and Shoot" photography.
Finished in black and silver, the N93 features internal and external displays, a standard dialing keypad with a five-way directional pad, dedicated multimedia and menu keys, and two softkeys on the lower portion of the flip, and a second directional pad for imaging controls that's mounted along the right panel (but winds up in the perfect position when the handset folded into its camcorder-esque Imaging Mode). Two more softkeys mounted along one edge of the main display provide easy access control during Viewing Mode, when the clamshell is open the "long way" to put the display in widescreen orientation.
The handset's design works very, very well when the N93 is being used to capture or view images. I particularly enjoyed the viewing mode, which takes full advantage of the QVGA display and stereo speakers for video playback. Unfortunately, the design is rather awkward for use during voice calls. The lens barrel rests along the phone's hinge, and is thick enough that it pressed uncomfortably against my face when I held the phone to my ear for calling. Nokia built the hinge with enough tension to keep the phone open at a variety of angles, so I was able to adjust things a little bit, but I really didn't enjoy using the N93 as a phone all that much.
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