Nokia N80 (Unlocked)

Reviewed by

Bonnie Cha

on 06/30/2006

Add to my list
Print
E-mail
Share

Page 2

If you'd rather be entertained, there's an integrated music player that supports MP3, AAC, WMA, M4A, and eAAC+ files. To get tracks onto your handset, you can simply drag and drop files from your PC to the N80 via the included USB cable. The N80 will show up as a storage device on your computer. The mobile has an equalizer and can loop songs or play them at random. There's also an FM radio, but you must use included stereo headset to take advantage of this feature since the tuner is built into the headset. RealPlayer is also onboard, with 3GPP and MPEG-4 video streaming support.

With all the N80's multimedia capabilities, we're glad the phone has an expansion slot.

Now, let's not forget that the Nokia N80 is still a phone. The address book is limited only by the available memory (40MB), and the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts. There's room in each entry for multiple phone numbers; work, home, and e-mail addresses; a birthday; and more vitals. For caller ID purposes, you can assign each contact a photo, one of 37 ring tones, or a group ID. The quad-band world phone also has a speakerphone, speed dial, voice-command support, a vibrate mode (called Pager Profile on this phone), and text and multimedia messaging.

Other than cellular wireless, the Nokia N80 has integrated Bluetooth 1.2, Wi-Fi (802.11g), and an infrared port. The handset also supports Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), which means it can connect to TVs and home stereos over an 802.11g Wi-Fi network. The only catch is that UPnP devices are limited at this time. We like that the N80 automatically looks for available access points and you can be connected with just a couple of clicks (see Performance for more). The N80's Web browser is worth a mention too. Based on the Symbian's S60 software platform, the browser tries to prove a "true Web experience," according to Nokia, and includes some neat features. For example, it will present you with a thumbnail of the full Web page so that you can easily navigate to a certain point on the site, rather than having to scroll all over the place--very nice.

Though the N80's main focus is on multimedia, it also comes with advanced PIM functionality and runs Symbian OS 9. The smart phone can access POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts with attachment support, but there is no push e-mail solution available at this time. You can use the N80 to open and view (but not edit) Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Nokia's PC Suite, which is available for download on the company's Web site, allows for easy synchronization and data transfer between your PC and phone. Other tools include a calendar, a calculator, a voice recorder, notes, a currency converter, and an alarm clock.

You can customize the N80 with a number of preloaded themes or download more from the Web. The phone supports Java-based applications and ships with three games: Snakes, Card Deck, and Go To.

We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Nokia N80 in San Francisco using Cingular's service. Overall, call quality was good. We noticed a slight echo, and our callers reported the same, but this didn't impede our conversation. Speakerphone quality was excellent. Our friends said there was no drop in sound quality, and volume was more than adequate. We also had no problem pairing the phone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset.

Surfing the Web on the N80 was a pleasurable experience. Pages loaded fairly quickly, but we noticed a bit of lag time when switching between applications. Music playback was also pretty good. Audio was crisp and loud, but since the speaker is located on only the right side, sound was one-dimensional. Using the included stereo headset improved the situation, though.

The Nokia N80 is rated for 3 hours of talk time and up to 8 days of standby time; in our tests, the phone managed 5 hours of talk time. According to FCC radiation tests, the N80 has a digital SAR rating of 0.86 watt per kilogram.