Click to View

The Nokia N93 is the technophile's answer to the Motorola SLVR or LG Chocolate-thin fashion phones that look great but don't offer much in the way of features. That's because the N93 is a big, chunky phone, with a novel way of working and an impressive list of features. If you can put up with its size and heft, you'll find it useful for far more that just making calls.

The N93 measures 4.7 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches and weighs in at 6.4 ounces. With fashion phones like the RAZR V3m weighing 3.5 ounces, that makes this a giant. Plan on buying a belt clip, because this isn't a phone you can just slide in a pocket.

Twist & Shoot
One reason it's so large is the Carl Zeiss lens sitting on top of the phone. The N93 packs an impressive camera, a 3.2 megapixel with 3x optical zoom and 8x digital zoom, capable of shooting photos at 2048 by 1536 pixel resolution and VGA video (640 by 480 pixel) at 30 frames per second. It's not going to replace your regular digital camera or camcorder, but it's far better than the 1.3 megapixel cameras commonly found in smaller phones.

To use the N93 as a camcorder, you open the front cover halfway and then twist it so that the screen faces to your right. The phone then resembles a standard video camera. The software jumps into camera mode automatically, so that you're ready to begin shooting. Press the Options soft button on the (now) lower left corner of the screen, to toggle between photo and video modes.

The quality of the pictures and video are far above what you'll get with a regular camera, and you'll be glad you have the N93 on hand if you enjoy impromptu shooting. Recording video takes up room, of course, and the included 128MB miniSD card is good for only about six minutes of footage (the phone also has 50MB of internal memory). If you plan on shooting for longer, stock up on one or two larger capacity cards.

The N93's controls are a little hard to get used to, especially when shooting images or video. You can't use the camera one-handed, since some of the controls are on the base while others are on the screen. Controls on the base include a zoom wheel with record button in the center, a directional navigation pad with clickable center button, a camera/video mode button, and a flash button, all lined up on top of each other.


Open & ready to place a call

It's a little awkward, and we found the teeny directional pad especially hard to use with a thumb. Also, zooming in or out produces an audible clicking sound, with comes through loud and clear on saved videos. When using the camera, be sure to zoom in or out between recordings, not during.

We also found it awkward that the lens cap isn't attached to the main body. Nokia provides a string strap, but if you use it you'll have a loop of string dangling off your phone, which makes it more likely to catch on something. We would have preferred that the cap stayed attached with a small piece of rubber. Be careful, because the cap is easy to lose: You need to squeeze its sides to get it on or off the lens, and when you're squeezing it, it can easily fly right out of your hands.


Carl Zeiss lens is protected by a lens cap

Flip Again for Playback
The N93 does another nifty rotation trick. From a closed position, rotate the left side of the cover upwards, so that the device looks like a TV screen with a base. Now you've got a photo, presentation, or music viewer. Click the (now) upper right soft key to call up the "Gallery."

This is a misnomer, since it lets you call up not only images, but also music tracks (MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, OMA DRM 2.0, and Janus DRM-protected songs), videos (3GPP and MPEG-4), and sound clips. Videos play with an included copy of RealPlayer, looking great on the now horizontal 262,144-color, 320 x 240 pixel display. (The external display is small, measuring only 128 by 36 pixels.)

Music controls are simple, but the screen wastes a lot of blank space that it could use to make the artist information larger or more complete. The N93 offers two small speakers, but with a half-inch of separation, you're not getting true stereo sound. Music sounds thin and tinny through them, completely lacking in bass. To enjoy your tunes, use the included stereo headphones instead.


Flip front cover and N93 becomes a video camera

Specs
The N93 is a tri-mode phone (GSM 900/1800/1900) with EDGE data support. In the US, it only works with 1900MHz service, so your reception may be spotty. We got good reception in the New York City area using a T-Mobile SIM card. It's not currently offered by any carrier, so you'll need to buy it without any contract savings for $700. We suspect that Cingular will offer it in the near future, but nothing has been announced so far.

The N93 offers excellent connectivity features with Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth (supporting file transfers, dial-up networking, wireless earpieces, and printing; everything but stereo headsets), and EDGE data networks. We like that it offers FM radio (with the included headphones), voice recording, speakerphone, voice dialing, and conference calling. The battery is rated for 5.1 hours of talk or 10 days of standby.

Interface
Both the physical and onscreen controls can be a bit difficult, and they take getting used to. With a phone that rotates like this one, the controls aren't always in the optimal place. For many functions, it takes a little guesswork to determine which buttons you need to use to get a job done. The onscreen menu divides apps into different folders, but there seems to be little reason why an application would be stored in the one called "Office" and not the one called "My Own."


Video recording controls

Accessories
Nokia wants you to share the video you capture, so an RCA cable is included for plugging into a television set. That's an unexpected touch. So is the copy of Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0, which is loaded on the included DVD. Premiere Elements is the light version of Adobe's video editing tool, and even the light version is an attractive program.

Other accessories include headphones, a wrist strap, a camera lens strap, a 128MB miniSD card, and a USB cable for connecting to your PC. Nokia throws in a cloth storage sack, but a belt clip would have been more useful. The DVD also contains Lifeblog blogging software (which works with a blogging app on the phone itself) and Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition.


N93 with included stereo headphones

In a market full of thin, underpowered phones, it's a pleasure to find one that's genuinely useful in a variety of ways. It's pricier and larger than most people will want, but we think it will find an audience with people who appreciate its power and versatility.