Nokia 5330 Mobile TV edition

The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV edition stands at 101 x 48 x 14 mm, which is reasonably compact for a slider with a 2.4” screen. It will easily fit into most pockets so there’s very little to worry about there.

The phone weighs 113 grams, which is probably a bit more than you would expect given the dimensions and the all plastic case. Still, it gives the 5330 Mobile TV edition a good solid feel that we really appreciated.

Design and construction

The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV edition looks pretty nice at first glance with is sleek piano black finish. The problem is that it easily turns into a smudgy mess, so those positive impressions don’t last for long.

Also the quality of the plastic used for the body seems to be shockingly poor, scratching far too easy for thehandset to maintain any visual attraction in the long run.

The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV edition comes complete with a 2.4” display of QVGA resolution.

While its contrast levels are nowhere near the best examples on the market today, the viewing angles of the Nokia 5330 display are quite good. Brightness levels are acceptable given the price range.

In any case non-touch feature phones don’t come with much better displays so the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV edition deserves a decent mark. However this is one of the reasons why those handsets aren’t the best ones to watch TV on, yet the 5330 is designed to do just that.

Sunlight legibility is excellent.

 

The 2.4” display isn’t much to rave about

The ample D-pad is dead center on the navigational pad below the screen sided by four other keys (two soft buttons and two call management keys). All keys are decently sized and create no usability issues.

There are two keys on each side of the D-pad

The earpiece is above the the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV edition display, while on the left of it are the three touch-sensitive music keys. Those feel somewhat unnatural to use at first given the non-touch nature of the handset but once you get used to them, they become a comfortable way of controlling the music player.

 

The earpiece and the touch-sensitive music keys are just next to the display

The right side of the handset features the volume rocker and the screen lock/unlock slider. There is no dedicated camera key here but it’s not badly missed when the camera is only fixed focus.

  

There are a couple of keys on the right side of the phone

Because the microphone pinhole is located at the lower half of the slider, the bottom of the phone is completely bare.

 

Nokia C3 review: SNS love

Introduction

Nokia C3 is young and social, simple and reliable. Messaging and social networking are the very heart of thishandset. But are they enough of a head-turner to become a phone's key selling points? Sure thing! Just add a pinch of charisma and hang a price tag fit for the masses and you've got yourself a recipe for a true love story.

At its Indonesia launch, the phone drew massive crowds and it seems success in Europe is only a matter of time – with a price tag of about 100 euro. Compromises are always implied in this price bracket but the Nokia C3 does well to focus all attention on its strengths. It’s a budget package – no doubt about that – but so wonderfully balanced. It has all the relevant features and the target audience isn’t likely to miss what’s not there.

   

Nokia C3 official photos

A QWERTY messenger focused on the basics, the Nokia C3 is an excellent upgrade option for the budget-minded. And social networking isn’t just a thing for marketing to work with. The full QWERTYkeyboard, dedicated Messaging and Contacts keys, along with Wi-Fi connectivity round off a solid package that will give the right user all the performance they need.

Key features

• QWERTY messenger bar
• Quad-band GSM/EDGE
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi support
• Solid SNS integration on the homescreen and with dedicated buttons
• 2.4" 256K-color QVGA display with excellent sunlight legibility
• 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera
• QVGA video recording at 15fps
• Series 40 UI, 6th edition
• Stereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radio
• Bluetooth (with A2DP)
• Standard microUSB port
• microSD card slot (8GB supported, 2GB included)
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Great audio quality
• Reasonable price

Main disadvantages

• No 3G
• Low-grade camera, no autofocus, no flash
• Poor video recording
• S40 is outdated, never mind the visual updates
• No multi-tasking
• Doesn't charge off the microUSB port
• No USB cable in the retail box
• No office document viewer
• No smart dialing

The Nokia C3 is a social gadget for the young. What’s not to like if Facebook is your second home and you want to always stay in touch. Attractive design and the right feature set come at a price that many can afford. The Nokia C3 is so full of potential because it’s suited for both emerging and mature markets.

In the low end, you will sometimes come across rare gems of phones that will surprise you with their styling and features. The Nokia C3 isn’t one of them. The key word here is enough. The build, the connectivity, the interface – even the imaging – is good enough.

   

Nokia C3 live shots

A 2MP fixed-focus camera isn’t the kind to send your digicam into retirement – it’s good enough for photography you need to quickly share. The screen isn’t perfect for media or browsing, there’s no fast network data, you have a QWERTY keyboard but no document editing – you catch our drift.

Nokia C3 unboxed

The Nokia C3 comes in a plain cardboard box. Other than the phone itself, you’ll get the typical basic accessories: a charger and the good old one-piece handsfree that ends on a 3.5mm audio jack.

  

S40 user interface is looking fancy

The C3 runs Nokia’s Series 40 user interface but it’s been styled to look a lot like Symbian S60 3rd. The dedicated Contacts and Messages buttons nod to the Eseries. Overall, the Nokia C3 UI tries to look above its pay grade.

Not that much has changed – at its core it’s still the limited S40 software so don’t expect any surprising novelties in the UI section.

The S40 strengths are still valid – simple and easy when it comes to the essential functions, no hanging, no bugs. Simple is not always bad.

 

The refreshed S40 UI

The standby screen of the Nokia C3 features the pre-selected wallpaper with the usual status readings, such as signal strength, battery status, ringing profile icon and time occupying the top part of the screen. The fonts are large and readable across the whole interface.

Active standby mode (or Home screen mode, as Nokia call it here) is the default homescreen. It consists of three active rows that can be edited or relocated as users see fit – you can think of them as limited widgets.

Out of the box, the top row is the favorite contacts, followed by the Communities bar (which shows updates from Facebook and Twitter) and at the bottom, the shortcuts bar.

The main menu seems to follow the same easy-on-the-eye concept with its several available view modes.