[February 15, 2012] NOKIA 700 Where Symbian Belle just flies [DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India)] Tweet (DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Slim, trendy and compact-these are some of the attributes that quite easily sum up the Nokia 700, a smartphone that runs on Symbian Belle. Finnish mobile giant Nokia may be focusing heavily on its Lumia WP7 phones but it hasn't forgotten its roots and the 700 proves just that. This is one of the smallest candy-bar smartphones you'll come across today other than the Xperia Ray. The 3.2-inch screen is a ClearBlack display which gives the 700 a very sharp resolution with intense colours. The colour gamut is wide enough, so there's no banding but does not come across over-saturated. The screen is also longer vertically than it is horizontally, making it quite thin. Owing to this, typing is a bit of pain in both portrait and landscape modes. The phone is built mostly of plastic instead of aluminium so it does feel as good in your hand. Powered by a 1GHz CPU, the 700 is a quick phone and especially without Android to slow it down, Symbian Belle just flies on this phone. The interface has the similar notification style as Android but with toggle witches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. Social media apps come built-in, so you can access Facebook and Twitter right from the get go. The phone also offers really good media playback capabilities. The default music player gives you the equalizer options and supports a variety of formats like MP3, WAV, eAAC+ and WMA. Thanks to the speedy processor, 720p video plays like a breeze along with support for H.264 video files. Connectivity wise, Nokia has you covered with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC support. Nokia is pushing the adoption of NFC big time and they are arming all their high-end phones with this feature. In terms of app support, the Ovi Store is a bit barren as compared to the lush options available in Android Marketplace and Apple's Appstore. Still, we do get a small bunch of pre-loaded multimedia apps like CNN Video and E!. On the camera front, we have a 5MP shooter, but sadly, you don't get auto-focus; so, close-up shots are next to impossible. While the camera sensor is able to capture good detail and colours outdoors, it could have been a lot better if auto-focus was present. You also get an LED flash to assist you in night shots. Nokia has always prided itself on superior battery life and the 700 is no different. You'll be able to use this non-stop for two days straight with heavy use without any problems. The Nokia 700 retails in the market for `16,500, which makes it a bit too expensive, considering their own Lumia 710 is retailing for a lot cheaper. At the end of the day, the 700 is just like the Xperia Ray, a good, compact smartphone but priced a little over the top. It's really tough to recommend this phone when you can get some really good Android offerings around the same price point. Credit:Team DNA (c) 2012 @ 2012 DILIGENT MEDIA CORPORATION LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]