N78 - v N95-8Gb
30 Minute play review…
| N95 - 8GB | N78 |
| 99 x 53 x 21 mm, 96 cc | 113 x 49 x 15.1 mm, 76.5 cc |
| 128 g | 101.8 g |
| 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inche | 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inche |
| - 8 GB internal memory - 128 MB SDRAM memory - Dual ARM 11 332 MHz CPU - 3D Graphics HW Accelerator |
- 76 MB internal memory - 96 MB SDRAM memory - ARM 11 369 MHz processor |
| 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera | 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, video(VGA 15fps), flash; |
| TV Out | FM Transmitter |
| - Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate | |
| 8gb on board storage | MicroSD Slot (2gb supplied) |
Candybar Bar verses Slider. I actually prefer the candy bar design. Sure it may be in most cases slightly bigger in your pocket, but one it is open the N95 is longer and thicker and heavier than the n78. And after 7 months my slider is not as tight at is used to be and the whole phone has a bit of a wobble, something that is not going to happen with the n78.
TV Out or FM transmitter… tough call, I have used and would use both. TV out is great in that you can make a presentation and take just your phone to a location and show clients something, or just review your holiday snaps on a big screen at the hotel. The FM transmitter means that you can listen to your music in the car straight from your phone. I’m still deciding which would be the more useful… work or pleasure.
The Camera is a big thing and so the N95-8gb camera wins hands down just on megapixel count and both phones have the same LED type flashes anyway so there is nothing in that.
The GPS is better located sitting at the top of the device as is the headphone socket (some thing that I really wish the N95 did) And it is good if not better at getting a fix as well. Also the Australian version came with a 3 month trial of the navigation.
I don’t see the problem that a lot of people seem to have that navigation costs more. I have paid for it and did so over buying TraveRoute for the R2H for the simple reason that I have my phone on me more than the R2H 9oh yeah and it is cheaper. Plus you are only paying for Navigation not the maps. You can see where you are and how to get somewhere for free anyway.
I have updated the Firmware straight away (came with 11.043 out of the box, going to 12.046),. There was an issue with the updater saying it didn’t work, but it had 
The Maps version has not been updated to Maps 2, as from a quick series of google looks there are issues with FP2 and the latest maps. (Pity)
The other great pity is there no Games or N-Gage on the phone. Games are great for one thing killing time on your phone. There is not even a version of snake for example. Power users will have no problems finding and installing free games, but Joe Average might end up paying for things that he didn’t need to.
The heart beat thing is also not upsetting me… I thought it would but given that the phone looks off when it is resting it is reassuring to know that it hasn’t died
Conclusion… If you want to get into the smart phone game the N78 is a winner. Sure the case will be used by CSI at some point in time to lift your finger prints.. but the geotagged photos will prove you were not at the location anyway. It may not have the screen and grunt of the N95 8gb, but it is a worthy device never the less.
I will put together some photos over the weekend to compare the devices and also the cameras as well.
