Nokia N85 contest winner enjoying his new device

Brad won the Nokia N85 from out Nokia Experts Launch Contest and sent in the following note that I wanted to share with you all:

Nokia Experts,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the generous prize awarded for your launch contest.  Within hours of winning, I was given software keys and a tracking number for the Nokia N85.   Your positive reviews of the Nokia E71 were what convinced me that it was the phone for me.  Likewise, with your praise of the N85, I knew I was in for a treat!

The phone arrived a day early via FedEx and I wasted no time opening the box. The accessories were very well packaged.  You get an 8gb class4 microSD card (preinstalled), a home micro USB charger, a very high quality AV cable, ear bud headphones and a detachable in-line microphone that can be used with any headphones.  Other than a car charger, nothing has been left out.

The phone itself is smaller than I imagined even though the slider function adds some thickness.   This combination makes it very easy to hold.  Yet, for some reason, the soft-keys seem too far from the display.   This makes using on them a bit unnatural.  That and the plastic of the 4-way rocker were my only gripes.

The OLED screen is every bit as bright as people say it is.   Because it has no back light, it’s easier on the eyes in low light situations.  It’s also easier to view in bright sun light.  With it also using less power, I hope this OLED technology becomes more common.  At first, the extremely high contrast seems to indicate that this technology doesn’t support as many colors or brightness levels.  But, just view a photo or use the camera and that worry goes away.

Ah yes..  the camera.  I love this thing.  Combined with the great screen, bright flash, lens cover and Carl Zeiss optics, it’s easy to forget that you have a phone in your hand.  Honestly, it’s my favorite part of the phone and it makes me less likely to ever use the camera in my E71 again.  That alone might make this the phone of choice for nights out.

This is my first Nseries phone, so I’ve barely experienced the media capabilites or games yet.  I imagine that I’ll be finding little features for weeks as I dig through the menus.  And that’s what I love about Nokia’s S60.  I know it can scare some people off, but I love software that let’s me customize to my heart’s content without breaking anything.  As I compose this email on my E71, I have my calendar running in the background as well as my alarm clock.  The web browser is open and connected via WiFi, Handy Safe Pro is running, the Mobbler Last.fm app is streaming music, Nokia Messaging is receiving push email and the Nokia Music Player has been paused on a Dennis Prager podcast since 4:30 this afternoon.  And every one of those apps has been tweaked and customized in Advanced Settings.  Did I mention that I can’t remember the last time that I’ve gotten a low battery warning or had to reboot?

I’ve only been a Nokia owner for two months and I can tell that I’m hooked.   It’s not for everybody, but if you’re like me and get nervous when you can’t find the Advanced Settings menu on an iPhone, you’ll love S60.

I enjoyed reading Brad’s comments and feedback on the N85. I’ve been trying to use my N85 more to test out N-gage gaming and Qik video capturing.

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