Nokia N82 Review - Conclusion

I left my iPhone behind in search of a top-notch camera phone.  I found one in the Nokia N82.  Problem is the camera didn’t make up for all of the other things I liked about iPhone - and also like about a number of other newer handsets — that the N82 doesn’t offer.  Market emphasis right now is about marrying features to usability and providing consumers with devices that do it all, are reasonably easy and fun to use, and look good when you take them out of your pocket or purse.  The N82 trumps just about any other phone out there when it comes to feature set, and considering how complex and powerful a device it is, the S60 user interface is pretty clean and manageable. 

Thing is, the average consumer doesn’t “consider how complex and powerful a device is” when he shops for a phone or media player.  And he doesn’t read User’s Manuals, either.  So while the enthusiast interested in exploring the power of the Symbian OS will derive weeks of enjoyment from tinkering with a phone like the N82, John Q. Public just wants a device that works and works well.  Even if his expectations of a cell phone have risen from “makes calls” to “makes calls, takes pictures, does Web and Email, and plays music,” he still wants that ease of use.  Pick it up, hit the Menu key or Music icon, and go.  So while the N82 trumps iPhone and other high-end devices like LG’s Voyager (Verizon) and Sony Ericsson’s Walkman and Cyber-Shot phones when it comes to spec sheets and feature sets, those other devices are more appealing to many users

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