Nokia 5610 XpressMusic Mobile Review – Nokia Aims at Walkman Phones

Music players on phones, since the introduction of the Motorola ROKR, have become a standard feature across the board. What used to be something that differentiated one phone and one manufacturer from another is now a feature that every phone that comes on the market (apart from the “free phones if you sign a contract”) seems to have.

Trying to tell your music player apart has long been like trying to tell your car apart based on the style of its cup holders. With its 5610 slider form factor mobile phone, Nokia sets itself apart by integrating the music player with the rest of the phone.

The key to this is a feature set called Navislide, which is used to control the phone’s musical features with a flick of the thumb on the controls – the entire keyboard on the Nokia 5610 is fairly well designed, with the keys giving plenty of good feedback. tactile and a fast response curve. With the overall build of the device, the whole package is very well built: it fits in the hand, can be easily used with one hand, and is very solid.

But back to the Navislide: If you’ve ever used the iPod thumbwheel, the Navislide is like falling off a log. It is simple, adjustable and very easy to use. Move it to the left to use the music player, move it to the right to use the built-in FM radio, move it up for the next track or station, or down for the previous one. It’s a remarkably easy device to get used to.

That slider bar is also very useful when using the menus for other phone functions. First a note on the screen: It’s a no-brainer how much these devices have matured as the market has grown; this screen would have been considered impressive and high-end two years ago; it is sharp, bright and easy to read; the screen has a QVA resolution and is good enough for watching videos. (In fact, the mobile has a small VGA camera to make video calls).

The menu system is well designed, with four configuration options available, and it’s clear that Nokia is putting its development efforts into System 40 operating systems to good use. The D-pad is completely user-configurable, giving you plenty of options for use the phone smoothly and easily.

As a phone, it is a full 3G GSM/HSDPA network phone and can update its firmware wirelessly, without connecting to a desktop computer. Its internal contacts system can store 2000 contacts, and there is complete cut and paste between all the apps on the phone. (Seriously, once you’ve used cut and paste on a phone, the next question is “Why did it take so long to implement this…”)

Lastly, the 5610 has an excellent 3.2-megapixel camera with an integrated LED flash and decent autofocus. While it’s not going to make you give up your dedicated digital camera as a photography tool, it’s more than adequate (and bordering on overkill) as something for taking quick snapshots. Again, Nokia’s attention to user interface makes using the camera a dream.

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