Nokia 5610 XpressMusic Mobile Review – Nokia Targets Walkman Phones

Music players on phones, since the introduction of the Motorola ROKR, have become a standard feature across the board. What used to be something that differentiated one phone and one manufacturer from another is now a feature that every phone that hits the market (apart from the “free phones if you sign a contract”) seem to have.

Trying to differentiate your music player has long been like trying to differentiate your car based on the style of its cup holders. With its 5610 slider form factor mobile phone, Nokia manages to differentiate itself by integrating the music player with the rest of the phone.

Key to this is a feature set called Navislide, which is used to control the phone’s music functions with a single flick of the thumb on the controls – the entire keyboard on the Nokia 5610 is fairly well laid out, with the keys giving plenty of good feedback. touch and a quick response curve. With the overall construction of the device, the whole package is very well built: it fits in the hand, can be easily used with one hand, and is very solid.

But back to the Navislide: If you’ve ever used the thumbwheel on your iPod, the Navislide is like falling off a log. It is simple, adjustable and very easy to use. Move it to the left to use the music player, move it to the right to use the integrated FM radio, move it up to listen to the next track or station, or move it down to listen to the previous one. It’s a remarkably easy device to get used to.

That slider bar is also very useful when using the menus for other phone functions. First a note on the screen: it’s a no-brainer how much these devices have matured as the market has grown; this screen would have been considered impressive and high-end two years ago; it’s sharp, bright and easy to read; the screen has a QVA resolution and is good enough for watching videos. (In fact, the mobile has a small VGA camera to make video calls).

The menu system is well laid out, with four configuration options available, and it’s clear that Nokia is putting its development efforts on System 40 operating systems to good use. The D-pad is fully user-configurable and gives you plenty of options for use the phone smoothly and easily.

As a phone, it is a full GSM/HSDPA 3G network phone and can update its firmware wirelessly, without the need to connect it to a desktop computer. Its internal contacts system can store 2000 contacts, and there is complete cut and paste between all the apps on the phone. (Seriously, once you’ve used cut and paste on a phone, the next question is “Why did it take so long to implement this…”)

Lastly, the 5610 has an excellent 3.2-megapixel camera with a built-in LED flash and decent autofocus. While it’s not going to make you give up your dedicated digital camera as a photography tool, it’s more than adequate (and almost overkill) as something for taking quick snapshots. Again, Nokia’s attention to user interface makes using the camera a dream.