Niche Phone

There are mobile phones, and then there are mobile phones. What started as a phone which could be carried around to make phone calls, has now evolved into a complex communications device. Modern phones pack gizmos and gimmicks such as web browsers, cameras, Global Positioning Systems, music players, to the good ol' pocket radio. Ardent James Bond fans might remember the Nokia from the Tomorrow Never Dies, which he used to remotely drive the BMW 7-series.

Then there are phones which target specific markets (spies, obviously, as shown from the Bond example). From Disney phones for kiddies, to sport phones which work underwater (I'm still confused about that), to camera phones which carry serious optics, phones are becoming a lifestyle item, and sometimes even a fashion accessory. The phone we're talking about today is one such niche phone. The Nokia 5300 XpressMusic – Transformers Edition.

The XpressMusic series was Nokia's answer to the Sony Ericsson Walkman series of phones. They promised the same level of audio quality and control as the walkmans, along with Nokia's proven reliability and usability. It can trace its roots back to the Nokia 3300, a Nokia N-Gage-looking, bulky and heavy thing, which nonetheless provided superior audio quality.

About the phone: The moment I heard about the 5300 Transformers Edition, I was thinking of a cool and sexy phone with lots of metal, and blinking lights, and buttons to press. I was hoping it would literally transform itself just like the Transformers would on the big screen, stand up, sing to me (after all, it is supposed to be a music phone), and then try to kill me. Apparently, it doesn't do any of that. How disappointing.

In brief, it's a Series 40 v.3 slider phone, with a 1.3 mega pixel camera, music player, radio, Infrared and Bluetooth connectivity, downloadable themes and apps, and expandable memory. Basically everything we've learnt to expect from a mid-range phone nowadays.

The phone supports upto 2GB expandable memory, which can hold around 20 hours of music. Nokia was a bit late into entering the slider phone market, but has caught up. The slider action of the 5300 feels solid, unlike some earlier Nokia phones. In comparison, the build quality of the phone feels better than the uber-expensive Nokia N95 which my colleague has. He won't be happy to hear that, I'm sure.

Music – the most important thing about the phone, is somewhat of a letdown. Don't get me wrong, the phone's audio quality is quite impressive, and the provided standard headset/ hands-free kit does music justice. It's the getting the music to play part which lets the phone down. Keep in mind that the phone can support upto 2GB, which for us would translate into over 500 songs. Managing the music and creating play lists would need to be spot on in a phone with this much capacity, and on that the 5300 fails to live up to expectations, unfortunately.

One needs to browse the entire song list, and take a two-step process (1. Add tracks to favorites, 2. Rename favorites as a playlist) to create play lists. Even then, moving tracks around would mean going back to the same steps. On a brighter note, the radio feature is spot on. Signal strength is good, and the camera takes pictures good enough for Facebook, which is what most of us might use it for! Want to get creative with the camera? Buy the Fuji S6500 that I reviewed a while ago, not this.

Wrapping up, it's a nice little thing, which could've performed much better if it was a bit more thought out.

PS: It's a phone, so err… you can make phone calls and send text messages. But hey, who needs those in a phone nowadays!