Switched Splurge: Nokia N76 (Hands-On)
Anyone who's sick of their current MotoRAZR, but can't wait for the MotoRAZR2 to come out, should instead opt for the Nokia N76, a slim and sleek clamshell with a cool OLED outer screen that looks like a simple mirrored surface when turned off. Besides the mirrored accents, the N76's body comes in either elegant black or pizazz-screaming red. But enough about looks, which are at least 50 percent of what will turn heads when you walk around with this phone. The N76 also has a sweet 2.0-megapixel camera that turns on with just one button-press, a built-in MP3 player and FM radio, a flat chrome-like keypad that lights up in turquoise, and a huge 2.4-inch QVGA main screen. The phone runs on the Symbian OS, which means you can download and run numerous cool apps, including Lifeblog (which lets you upload pictures and blog posts right from the device), as well as read Office documents. You can also access and upload pictures to your Flickr account right from the phone. These are all features you'd get with any of the high-end Nokia models, including the N75, the N93 and the N95.
We played around with this baby for a couple of weeks and really loved its nifty mirrored, now-you-see-the-screen, now-you-don't surface. And despite its large QVGA main screen, the phone doesn't take up much space or bulge in your pocket.
Our only complaints? The keyboard is a bit too flat, making it hard to type numbers accurately when you're in a hurry (a problem the first generation RAZR also had). Also, the outer mirrored surface scratches easily.
We're hoping the GSM N76 will be available from a U.S. carrier soon, but for now, the phone is only sold in the U.S. as an unlocked import by online boutiques such as Dynamism.com, which specialize in cool import gadgets from Asia and Europe. Since the phone is quad-band GSM, it'll work with either AT&T (formerly Cingular) or T-Mobile. Be prepared to pay around $500 to own one now. If you wait for either T-Mobile or AT&T/Cingular to offer this phone -- and therefore subsidize it -- you might save yourself a few hundred bucks (but then you wouldn't be the coolest early adopter on your block -- the choice is yours).
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