Nokia N78 - Black (Unlocked) Smartphone

The N78-3, which is the North American version of the Nokia N78, has many features. It lacks VoIP, TV out, an accelerometer, and it won't wash your car. Just about any other mobile device feature currently available is on this device. What is on there is well executed. GPS is very accurate and fast. Internet Radio is far ranging in content and quality of signal. Here's the low down.

» Symbian OS. This is what makes smart phones smart.
» 2.4 inch LCD. Big, bright, clear
» High capacity 1200 mAh battery lasts a good while
» micro USB connector moves the high wear connector parts to the cable from the port in the phone
» Supports 8 GB capacity Class 4 microSDHC hot-swappable storage
» Music player supports album art and most audio formats
» GPS built in, supports external GPS receivers via Bluetooth
» auto focus camera, 3.2 megapixel resolution, Zeiss lens.
» owner's guides are thorough and easy to understand
» 802.11b/g works well with my home wireless network
» Podcasts, Internet Radio and Televison ROCK on the N78
» Transistor radio audio quality through external speakers
» Will play audio over your home or car's FM radio
» N-Gage gaming (N-gage now discontinued)
» N-Series PC Suite Software
» OVI Suite support

All of this is in a package that fits well in the hand and certainly in a shirt pocket. It is not a small phone but it is not huge either. It's much thinner than a Sony-Ericsson S710a. Think "fat Samsung SGH-t509" and you'll have the size just about right.

The not so good

» no dust cover over the microUSB connector or charge ports
» navigation key is difficult to control, even when "NaviWheel" mode is off
» included third-party software is buggy
» softkeys are particular about finger placement when you press them
» keypad unlock needs to be done quickly or you'll be doing it several times
» No Nokia VoIP client present on device, plans to add on are obscure.
» Chrome on Navikey wears quickly

The camera takes good photos, the video is good, the sound excellent. Zooming is smooth.

The music player is easy to operate. Play list based it is no steep learning curve to get it to do what you need to do.

GPS is also pretty straight forward. Turn on the location devices you want to use, internal, external, and/or network and wait a few minutes. The first fix took several minutes. After that it performed much better. It is tightly integrated with Nokia Maps. Overall I'm happy with it.

Lack of a port cover on the microUSB port is to my thinking a serious flaw. The electronics are small and the intrusion of small shirt pocket lint, dust and such can not be good for the connector. One of the things Nokia has gotten right on past phones, less expensive phones, was port covers.

I use a Nokia CA-75U cable to port sound from my headphone jack to my home stereo. This allows me to listen to Internet Radio on my CV D-3s. It doesn't send video down that cable like it would if this were an N96.

I've been using the phone for eighteen months and have gotten used to the little quirks. It is comfortable for me to use and it is well used but still fully functional. If picking up one on eBay, even used, it should provide an enjoyable and pretty full featured experience.

Has almost every feature you might want in a smartphone, and in a sleek size and form factor.
The 3.5G is lightning-fast. (Get unlimited Data plan or else you will go broke!) The Wi-Fi is great, Music player is good. Screen is beautiful.

The Operating System of the Phone - I am not 100% used to it yet, and I don't like the way I'm slowed down sometimes, trying to get from point A to point B. This may improve in time - I think it's a trade off - you should choose the features that matter most, and if speed is one of the important things you want, then leave some of the less important ones off of your homescreen.

The buttons are not that easy to press, but everyone says that they got used to them after a while.

great item looks simple but its thery hi tech it has a gps and wifi its has all the features the nokia e series and n series have and more. I'm trying to get one in a good price range.The max you should bid on this item is 50-70 if used and 250-279 if new if the item is over this price it is too much and if less there is either something wrong with the item or there is a catch to nokia n78 you have bought example it is a dumby phone or is a real phone but it was used for examples in a store or it is a referbrished nokia n78 Its has a scroller that works like the one on the ipod nano. It camera is the best out of the nokia e series and n series .

hi! Good phone but it is already obsolete Tell the community about your experience using the Nokia N78 - Black (Unlocked) Smartphone.

I bought the NewPhone N78 three weeks ago and was immediately impressed with the number of features available on this wonderful phone. . Overall, I'd recommend the phone if you're on a voip user