Fresh face or last legs? | Bangkok Post: tech

You have to hand it to Nokia for its determination when it comes to the operating system for its new X7 smartphone. The company has continued its Symbian drive with the Anna update, which may be the last incarnation of the OS before the company fully switches over to Microsoft's Windows Phone OS. So can this update to the archaic system keep Nokia in the smartphone race? The Finns are hopeful, but the gallery is sceptical. Let's take a look to see if it just might endure in its new X7 home.

The phone's striking metallic finish makes it stand out from competitors. Its robotic design features a rounded metallic back, and overall it feels sturdy and well-built at 146g, even though it's only 12mm thick.

There are grills on each corner, the bottom two covering speakers (and you should probably have a Van Halen ringtone to match the phone's aesthetic).

The back plate allows the phone to slip around annoyingly on most surfaces and in the hand. (Perhaps I'm too used to my cubic iPhone 4).

And the microSD memory and sim card housings seem flimsy and breakable, in an otherwise solid build meshing metal and glass.

SPECIFICATIONS

The 4-inch capacitive ClearBlack AMOLED screen is responsive, smooth and sturdy with its Gorilla Glass protection, although the resolution could have been bumped from the outdated 360x640 pixel count.

The 80MHz ARM 11 processor is also a little underpowered compared to the popular 1GHz Snapdragon on board many new HTC smartphones. The eight-megapixel camera takes decent photos and 720p video, supported with dual LED flashes that are OK at close range.

GPS navigation is present, but as with other systems, its potential is yet to be tapped through the software.

Wi-Fi type n is on board, which will come into play nicely as the technology appears in other devices such as routers, media players and motherboards.

And USB OTG is on board, enabling the phone to be used as a portable storage device through its mini USB port.

The main performance element is the new version of the much-maligned Symbian operating system. Nokia is still hanging on to its relic OS, to the detriment of the company's future. It's hard to understand why. Improvements have been made, however, such as a portrait qwerty keyboard and faster touch response time. Having Nokia Maps installed is a bonus in that it downloads all data and doesn't require network access to function, unlike Google Maps. It also pushes the social media capabilities of the phone too, trying to tap into a younger market. But the system is a dinosaur, and kids have already moved on. And Anna promised a better browsing experience, but it's hard to see any improvement over the N8.

A strong point is the battery, which lasted a couple of days with moderate use, and much longer in standby mode.

VERDICT

Interestingly enough, the element that will turn off most potential buyers, the operating system, is actually one of this phone's stronger points. But with the manufacturer's imminent move to Windows Phone 7, support for Symbian in the future has been questioned.

Some buyers will be lured by the sturdy design, the mid-range price and the decent social and multimedia capabilities. But others will dislike the operating system, the slippery design and the dating specs.

I've enjoyed using many Nokia phones over the years, so it's a little sad to see the company botch yet another release.

Is Nokia really so far out of touch with its users? If Nokia is to reassert its superiority in the smartphone market, this isn't the phone that will do it.

Let's hope it receives a lift from its adoption of Windows Phone 7.

The Nokia X7 is available in Dark Steel and Light Steel for 13,900 baht; call Nokia on 02-255-2111. Email richardm@bangkokpost.co.th with any gadget queries.