Nokia N73 Review - Software

Alfredo Padilla
Published on May 04, 2007 Comment on this

OS (8.0)

The Nokia N73 runs Symbian Series 60, a smart phone operating system that allows for multi tasking and supports native third party applications. Series 60 is a polished operating system that provides solid functionality. Getting around Series 60 is fairly straightforward with a menu key that takes you to an applications menu where you can launch any program found on the phone. The multi tasking capabilities are easily accessed by pressing and holding the menu key, which allows you to view all the currently running programs and allows you to switch to them quickly.

Most users will have no problems with this operating system, but some power users will find that the built in 48MB of RAM is limiting, especially when running memory intensive programs like the web browser. We also found that some applications, like the gallery, where slow to launch. Despite these drawbacks Series 60 is a powerful platform, and any drawbacks you find in the included software can likely be addressed by installing an alternative third party program. We award a standard set of points for devices running Series 60.

Home Screen Score (7.0)

Series 60 on the Nokia N73 provides users with a home screen that is called the Active Standby screen. From here you can get basic information like time & date, signal strength and battery status at the top of the screen. Below these indicators is a user customizable line of six icons that can launch six different programs. Below this are plugins, much like you find on Windows Mobile devices.

These plugins provide information about your calendar, tasks or music (when playing) at a quick glance. Selecting and launching a plugin will take you to the associated program. Unlike Windows Mobile, there is no central location to turn plugins on or off, and third party developers have not embraced these plugins the way Windows Mobile developers have.

At the bottom of the home screen are the two indicators for the soft keys. By default these are assigned to Messaging for the left soft key and Clock for the right soft key. These can also be changed by users. Overall we found the home screen on the Nokia N73 to be well organized with very good functionality.

Extensibility (8.0)
As a smart phone operating system Series 60 allows you to install a wide range of native third party applications. There are literally hundreds of applications available, both free and retail. Applications can be installed from your desktop using the included PC Suite software, or you can install applications directly on your phone. Series 60 also supports most java applications, with support built into the operating system natively, obviating the need for a separate java midlet manager as found on many Windows Mobile devices. We were very pleased with the extensibility available on the Nokia N73.

Customizability (7.0)
Series 60 on the Nokia N73 provides a good range of customization options. In addition to the ability to change the soft keys and program shortcuts on your home screen, you can also re-arrange the icons in the applications menu, including creating new folders. You can also change the background of the home screen with any picture or graphic, as well as change the look of the entire interface using themes. We were dissapointed that there was no way to change your text font or size, an important accessibility option for some. Overall we were pleased with the customization option on the Nokia N73.

OS Responsivness (5.0)
We found Series 60 on the Nokia N73 to be a little slower than we would have liked, with large programs like the web browser and gallery opening very slowly. That being said, once a program has been launched it responds well and switching between programs is quick. As with many other Series 60 devices from Nokia we also have concerns about the fact that only 48MB of RAM are included in the device. This is 16MB less than Windows Mobile devices and can lead to programs shutting down in the background, or even all programs shutting down when running things like the web browser.

Gaming (5.3)

The Nokia N73 ships with a single game, Snakes. This game is a 3D take on the classic Snakes game and is fun to play, although it can get old after awhile. You can purchase a wide range of native games for the N73 and you can also install and play many java games. We found the joystick on the Nokia N73 to be responsive and easy to use for gaming.

Browser Features (8.0)
The Nokia N73 ships with two web browsers. The first is the modern browser that Nokia is shipping with all Series 60 devices. This browser does an excellent job of handling web pages, with support for javascript, images, frames, encryption and cookies. It also supports RSS feeds, saving them in a separate web feeds folder in your favorites. We were dissapointed however by the fact that the browser does not support WAP pages. To view such pages correctly you will need to use the older Services browser included on the phone. Despite this oversight we found the features available on the main web browser to be very impressive, one of the best we have seen on a mobile device.

Browsing Interface (9.0)

Nokia's new web browser provides one of the best browsing interfaces we have seen on a phone yet. Web pages are rendered exactly as you would see them on the desktop. The phone only displays a part of the page, however you can easily move around the page using the joystick or you can call up a "mini-map" of the page and quickly move to the section you want. We were also pleased to see that you can increase or decrease font size as

The history on the browser is very comprehensive, with items saved from session to session. History items are automatically saves in the auto bookmars folder. As you type a web address in items from both your history and bookmarks that match what you are entering appear in a pop up list, allowing you to quickly choose one. During a session you can also view your history as a series of thumbnails of the sites you have visited, a very nice option.

Bookmarks can be easily edited after you have saved them and can be organized into folders. The menu system of the browser is a little complicated, with many sub menus, however many of the common options can be accessed via keypad shortcuts. Although the browser supports multiple web pages via pop ups, we did not find an option to open a new windows manually. Overall we found the web browser on the Nokia N73 to be one of the best we have seen on a phone.

Browser Access (8.0)
To test how easy it is to access the web browser we count the number of steps necessary to launch the browser and navigate to our web site. We choose to count steps instead of doing a timing test to take network performance out of the test. Entering the web address is counted as a single step. The Nokia N73 took five steps to launch the web browser and navigate to our page. This is an excellent score, the same as the Treo 750 and one step faster than the T-Mobile Dash by one step. The Nokia N73 is helped in this test by the fact that a shortcut to the web browser in included on the home screen by default.

Calculator (5.0)

The calculator found on the Nokia N73 is the basic one found on all Series 60 devices. The keypad is used to enter numbers while functions are arranged as icons on the left hand side of the screen and are accessed using the joystick to move and select them. In addition to the basic arithmetic functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division there are also some more advanced options like percentages, square roots and a memory function. Overall we found the calculator on the Nokia N73 to be adequate. If you want a more advanced calculator you can add it via third party software.

Alarm (1.0)

The alarm on the Nokia N73 is part of the clock application. We found the alarm to be extremely limited , allowing you to set a single alarm for a single time. There are no options to choose which days the alarm goes off on. If you need more advanced options for your alarm you will need to add this in via third party software.

Document Software (4.0)

The Nokia N73 ships with a read only version of the Quickoffice suite that allows you to view, but not edit, Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. It als includes and Adobe PDF viewer. If you need editing functionality you can upgrade Quickoffice to the full editing version, or choose one of the other office editing suites that are available for Series 60.

Other Software (2.0)

The Nokia N73 is loaded with various applications. Of note are a built in file browser that allows you to access the files on your device. Nokia also includes a lifeblog application that allows you to make blog posts to compatible services directly from your phone.

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