Updated 13 Feb, 2012, 6:30 pm IST

REVIEWS / SMARTPHONES / NOKIA

Nokia N85

20 Dec, 2008, 10:00 am IST | Shayne Rana | Smartphones

Audio and Video
There’s nothing much I can say about the music player. The interface is a standard S60 version and it has features and enhancements that include EQ presets and the option for creating your own multiple presets with the aid of the 8 band graphic EQ. Loudness and Stereo Widening options are also available. The quality is quite good with a thumping bass line and adequate stimulation from the highs and the low ranges. I’m personally not a fan of these particular Nokia handsfree earphones so I prefer to use my own. Since it comes with a 3.5 earphone socket built-in as well as a microphone adapter, you’re free to use that too and a headset that suits you best.

Other audio features include a voice recorder, an option to download and listen to Podcasts, access to Nokia’s not-yet-active-for-us music store and Visual as well as internet radio. With Visual radio allowing you to get all the radio station frequencies downloaded and saved in a few seconds, it's hassle free. Reception was not too much of an issue either, with the occasional static in certain areas of the city. It’s workable. Internet radio is the best source for any and all kinds of music via the net with access to hundreds of channels from genres and styles that you can very easily search for. Buffering can sometimes get in the way of an uninterrupted spree of music listening. In this case Wi-fi is extremely handy. Nokia has also generously loaded the bundled card with plenty of free music for your enjoyment.

The N85 also has an FM transmitter so you can stream music from your handset to your car stereo for playback through the car’s speakers. The quality though is not something I was impressed with. There was too hiss and noise so clarity was an issue most of the time. Nevertheless it’s a good feature to have. Since it also supports Bluetooth 2.0 with an A2DP profile, a good set of Stereo Bt headphones would be great for a much better audio experience.

On the OLED display, videos look brilliant with the colors more vibrant and the contrast levels very sharp. I only wish that Nokia managed to incorporate more video codecs into their handsets so conversion wouldn’t be mandatory in most cases. The 8GB card included with the handset is loaded with plenty of the latest music videos as well other videos. You can connect the Video Center section to Video Feed sites like YouTube, Jamster Videos, Reuters etc. to download and stream video clips. A few are already pre-selected from various genres. You can also add more feeds to the list. The best part is you can continue playback of any and all videos from where you stopped.

The N85 supports MP3, AAC, eAAC+, WMA, 3GP and MPEG4 and AMR formats for audio and video. The Video and AV out features allow you to hook the handset up to external speakers as well as a TV (wires provided) for either watching videos or just listening to music.

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Tags: N-Series

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