Nokia 7380 - Mp3-Ringtones-Mobile

4 out of 5Average user rating :

NokiaManufacturer :

September, 2006Date :

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3User opinions :

The second instalment of Nokia's fashion series of phones – apart from them upholding a whole new design genre, aesthetically – sees various improvements over the first-generation offering, released around the same time a year prior. Additional to feature upgrades, they've also gone with a swivel-based form factor – Nokia's very first – for one of their models, where it has (so far) proven to be the most successful model of the three (it replaces the clamshell form factor).

However, this review has got nothing to do with this particular creation of theirs. Instead, I've decided to take a closer look at their latest “lipstick phone” (most people seem to call it that, so I might as well follow suit!) Known as the 7380, being a logical step-up from the 7280 designation, Nokia hasn't done much in terms of altering its basic design (i.e. the small, rod-like form factor) – but have made vast changes in the phone's aesthetics, where these can be immediately seen from a simple glance (and even felt, from just after it in the hand for a mere moment!)

Beauty is really in the eye of the beholder. But if I was asked to pick one from their L'Amour Collection, it has got to be the 7380. Granted that it ranks pretty low in the practicality department – but its got the (overall) unique looks that no other phone has. And it is undoubtedly one of the most elegant-looking phones on the market today!

Highlights

Imaging: 2.0-megapixel camera with digital zoom and photo light

Simply looking at its list of features, its integrated 2.0-megapixel camera is probably the one and only feature that stands out from the other things Nokia has equipped the 7380 with. The ability to capture higher-resolution images with this handset, at a size of up to 1600-by-1200 pixels, gives buyers – and even those current owners of the 7280, which includes a VGA camera only – more reason to possibly owning one of Nokia's most fashionably designed handsets.

But such a feature, on such a handset, shouldn't be taken all that seriously. Why? Well, would you really expect a camera that does fantastic shots to be included on a phone such as the 7380, one that's fashion-orientated and targeted towards an audience who simply wants a phone that looks good? If this makes sense to you, then you'd know what to expect when I go into the nitty-gritty on the 7380's camera performance (later in this review).

Unique form factor / design

The thin, bar-like form factor has become the trademark for Nokia's fashion phone collections – and which will probably stay this way for many more to come! Reserved for the flagship model within each series, the “lipstick phone” design is easily identifiable and one that has become well associated with the Finnish phone maker.

In the case of the 7380, it maintains the many traditions that its predecessor model upholds. It comes in a sleek physical design that fits comfortably (and, nearly, perfectly) in any user's hand, offers a four-button plus spin wheel (or “Navi Spinner”) interface, and includes a relatively (to its physical size) high-resolution display supporting up to 65,536 colours.

Along with the handset, Nokia has also included a decorative hand strap that comes in the form of a connecting chain, and a matching pouch to protect the 7380 from possible scratches or damage whenever it's stored away in the pocket or purse.

I'll discuss more about the pros and cons of such a design in the following section.

General to-knows…

* The Nokia 7380 comes in a unique bar, or “lipstick” like, form factor or design;

* Because the 7380 doesn't have any removable parts whatsoever, it comes with an internal battery design and a well-integrated SIM card slot location, which can be conveniently accessed from the left side of the phone (located just under the Navi Spinner wheel);

* The active slider part – used on the 7280 to conveniently answer and end calls, as well as protect the camera lens window at the back of the phone – has been removed from the 7380's design;

* A lanyard/strap hole can be found at the bottom end of the 7380, with its mounting finished in a metal-based material in a gold-like colour (to match the decorative strip that surrounds the phone, as well as separating the upper and lower panels); and

* The centre button on the Navi Spinner's wheel is also used for the 7380's Active Light feature, which can be used to indicate (when turned on) the current phone activity (solid light when phone is being actively used, pulsating light indicating phone standby mode, and a repeating double-blink means a missed call or received message).

Point of interest: Design

Well, from what we've seen (and, for some of us, experienced) from the first model, that is – the 7280, most of us are crystal clear about the upsides and downsides of having to own a mobile phone that limits us in what we can do with it, but stands us out from the crowd when seen using it. Therefore, the balance between aesthetics and practicality is obviously non-existent – but rather, it's the question of whether you can sacrifice “that much” usability over “so much” good looks…

Between the 7280 and 7380 models, there aren't really all that many differences when looking at the various design aspects.

Both use an identical four-button plus Navi Spinner UI (user interface) setup, which is probably best for such a design. But on the newer model, however, Nokia has used rubber to line the buttons and wheel to make them more usable, lessening the chance of a user's thumb from slipping during their use.

The rubber lining also does well when matched up with the 7380's remaining décor, being a mix of different finishings that make up this rather elegant-looking handset. And when paired with the mirror display panel, which pretty much covers the entirety of the handset's front side, the dark-light contrasting effect actually looks quite good.

Function-wise, both old and new models share similar UIs and basic features, as well as usage methods. Many of us who've experienced the 7280 for ourselves will be well aware of the difficulties involved whenever needing to perform input-based operations (e.g. entering numbers, adding/editing entries, typing messages). The task of having to scroll through a list of characters repeatedly each and every time character-based input is required can be quite the daunting thought – especially when it's something that needs doing on an occasional basis.

Just entering numbers to make a call isn't so bad. But for anything more, trying to deal with it on the 7380 can become a horrendous nightmare. And it's not something that you can practice until you can get good at – given the limited number of controls provided in utilising the phone and its functions.

And therefore, it is no wonder that Nokia salespeople have tried to market the 7380 as “a second phone” (for those who can afford one, and “it”) instead, rather than honing in on the outstanding features of what makes the 7380 so special (well, this is probably the subsequent selling line…)

Display

General to-knows…

* The Nokia 7380 comes fitted with a small TFT LCD panel that supports up to 65,536 colours (16-bit), has a 208x104-pixel screen resolution, and comes with a physical viewable diagonal of 1.3 inches;

* The general sizing of text shown on the 7380's display is considered smaller than those offered by other Nokia S40-based handsets – but is still quite readable; and

* Whenever the display is not active, the mirror window encasing the LCD will virtually “hide” the display on reverting to “sleep mode” after a period of inactivity.

Point-of-interest: a half-sized display?

Notice that the display resolution for the 7380 is exactly half the size of the display found on both of Nokia's 6230i and 8800 models. Although seemingly much smaller in size, they've managed to redo the UI to accommodate – in most regards anyway…

For general-purpose use, the 7380 retains a similar look-and-feel of what's found on other Series 40 (S40) based handsets – a primary area for the menu display, and a place for the soft key labels. And because of the shortened screen length, the amount of content displayed is usually reduced or shrunken down to accommodate for the available screen area. Examples include menu lists, and message display and composition screens.

Previewing multimedia content, such as images and video clips, was all but an enjoyable experience. Because of the small display area, it's really difficult for anyone to properly view such content. One good example was reviewing images taken with the on-board camera – you get a good idea of how and what the picture looks like. But when blown-up on a proper display, it is only then where those minor details become very apparent to the eye.

To put it simply, the display on the 7380 was indeed a tad small – just good enough to be viewed by the typical user.

User interface

General to-knows…

* The Nokia 7380 uses the Series 40 (S40) v2.0 user interface (or UI) for its phone menu system, one that has been customised specifically for use with the keymat setup for this phone;

* For the main menu, each submenu title screen is displayed individually – with those subsequent menus and sub-menus shown in a list format. Navigation of the menus is done via rotating the Navi Spinner wheel in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, which moves the on-screen selection bar up or down respectively;

* Whenever the standby screen is displayed, its user has the option of quickly accessing the on-board phonebook (“names” menu) and a shortcuts menu (“Go to”) – with the latter supporting a customisable list of functions that can be set from the 7380's “settings” menu;

* The overall look-and-feel of the 7380's UI was pretty average only. While it may be utilising the typical S40 interface, which most people seem to be very familiar with, the combination of a small display and the complexity of the menu system (due to the greater number of functions available) makes the user experience of browsing and utilising the on-board functions a rather distasteful one; and

* Overall responsiveness of the handset's UI was almost-immediate, which included actions such as general menu browsing, composing messages with the on-board predictive text system activated, and utilising frequently-used features such as the in-built Internet browser.

Point-of-interest: getting around with the Navi Spinner...

As unique as the design may be, solely using a wheel-based device to sift through the many menus and operating certain functions on a mobile phone can be more of a headache than it is a relief…

Although ingenious, I found the Navi Spinner setup for the 7380 – which looks after all the UI navigational needs for the phone – to be doing way more things than it should. The simple browsing of menus is fine – but when it tries desperately to fill the role of a standard 3-by-4 keypad, specifically when used to enter alphanumerical characters, the joy of using a simple turning wheel is clearly unfounded.

And because the phone has a menu system that spans several levels, moving between these with the Navi Spinner interface can get quite tedious. At these times, I would probably more prefer to have a 4-way controller doing the same job – where coordination becomes far less of a problem (the idea of pressing buttons is easier than controlling the speed and movement of a wheel).

This was exactly the same scenario presented to users of the 7280, which also utilises the same interface. Unfortunately, there's really no way of further improvising the Navi Spinner design in making it more usable – given the limited number of buttons/controls working alongside the wheel-based controller. Therefore, users of these devices will simply have to put up with this downside.

Messaging

* The following messaging standards are supported by the Nokia 7380: SMS (text), picture, MMS (multimedia), and audio messages;

* For audio messages, the 7380 will start with the voice recorder feature – and once completed, it will insert the audio clip into an MMS-based message (this is done automatically in the background) making it ready to send almost immediately;

* Text input is done via the Navi Spinner wheel interface, which works by accepting single-letter inputs from its user (these are selected from a list scrolled through with the spin wheel, and confirmed by pressing the centre button). Different “lists” for numbers and symbols have been created for both practicality and convenience;

* Identical to its predecessor, the 7380 comes with a special predictive text system that works with the Navi Spinner wheel for inputs. Subsequent to the input of a character, the system will try to come up with the ‘best' letter choice based on the text already entered for the current word (e.g. if “h” and “e” is typed in, the system would subsequently come up with an “r” and “e” – which makes the word “here”);

* The predictive text system also prioritises certain letters (coloured in blue) – by placing them at the very beginning of the scroll list – that it thinks are highly probable choices based on the partially completed word. This can help speed up the text input process somewhat;

* Ease of use of the 7380's predictive text input system was considered low – considering the fact that entering text with a wheel-based controller is just plain inefficient. However, having predictive text does help to ease the situation somewhat – but not significant enough to make it practical; and

* Ergonomically, the design of the 7380 offers users a very comfortable hold when the Navi Spinner wheel is used for text-based input. For this, however, it requires both of the user's hands to work (left to balance and properly position the phone, right to control the Navi Spinner interface).

Making and receiving calls

* The Nokia 7380 is a tri-band GSM handset, supporting access to networks running at 900, 1800, and 1900MHz bands;

* Calls can be taken through either through the handset itself (i.e. earpiece-microphone setup), handsfree through the in-built speakerphone feature, via a wired headset accessory, or through a wireless Bluetooth audio device supporting either the ‘Handsfree' or ‘Headset' profile;

* Overall audio performance for calls with the 7380 was considered very good, relative to the method of call handling used (e.g. via the handset, headset, etc);

* To bring up the digit keypad on the 7380 (to make a call), the user can either choose the “Number Entry” main menu option – or just hold down the centre button on the Navi Spinner until the number digit scroll list appears on-screen. From here, it's a simple matter of plucking the digits from the scroll list to create the required telephone number;

* The following call alert types are supported by the 7380: MIDI-based polyphonic tones, and the playback of digital audio clips. Audio formats supported are the same as those playable by the integrated media application – including: AAC; MP3; and NB-AMR; and

* Visual alert notification for calls is available through the 7380's Navi Spinner button, which also has an integrated orange-coloured LED. Also known as the Active Light feature, the LED will emit a solid glow when a call is received, and repeated double-blinks after a call has been missed.

Connectivity

* The Nokia 7380 supports Bluetooth for local (device-to-device) connectivity only;

* Open transfers of content is only available through the 7380's Bluetooth support;

* For Bluetooth-based open transfers, the 7380 supports both object push and file transfer methods – with data transfer speeds averaging around 60-70kB/s (this can decrease when the handset is handling other tasks);

* A PC suite software is available (not included, but downloadable from Nokia's support web site) for the 7380, which allows users to perform tasks such as synchronising organiser-based data with a PIM-based software, manage on-board data and files, Internet connectivity (from a PC), and the backup and restore of phone files;

* For Mac (specifically, those machines running OS X) users, accessing multimedia-based files (via Bluetooth) on the 7380 is made possible via the Nokia Collector software – also downloadable from the phone maker's support site;

* For remote data connections with the mobile network, the 7380 supports the following methods: dial-up (CSD/GSM Data), HSCSD, and GPRS (2.5G). In most cases, the handset would be operating with the latter, faster option;

* Connectivity with an external computing device for the purpose of Internet access is possible through the aforementioned local connectivity method, and subsequent to the installation of the provided software CD-ROM; and

* A standard WAP/xHTML browser is provided for access to online-based content.

Build quality

It seems to me that Nokia has given their fashion series phones the extra attention when it came to their overall physical reliability – and especially so for that one outstanding model of the three.

Of course, I am referring to the “80” model in particular. And for both the “72” and, now current, “73” series models, Nokia managed to offer a highly-reliable product that was pretty much free from any obvious quality issues. Both old and new designs retained that same “solid” feeling, which was the one thing that makes them feel so great in the hand.

If I were to be more critical of my analysis, then the 7380 would be my pick of the two when asked which would more likely survive a harsh stress test. When I pressed against the different covers surrounding the 7380, I could feel the solidity being provided by both the actual covers and the inner construction. And its slightly-heavier and more-balanced weight can also give its user greater confidence in its use – specifically, being less afraid of possibly breaking it.

But as I approached the end of my review period, being three weeks after I started having the 7380 with me full-time, I started to notice creaking noises from one of the bottom corners of the phone. On closer inspection, the problem became apparent – the catches on the lower side of the phone (where the hand strap/lanyard hole is located) has started to loosen up, and producing a very small gap in between the top and lower panels. Even though it wasn't something very serious, there wasn't really much I could do to better the given situation.

Despite the last-minute setback, I am still confident that Nokia has made the 7380 as well-built as it could possibly be.

Battery life

* The Nokia 7380 comes with an internal, built-in (non-removable) lithium-ion battery with a 700mAh cell capacity, which can be charged via the handset only;

* Battery charging is available via the supplied AC charger only;

* On average use, the 7380 managed to offer talk and standby times of up to 1.5-2.0 hours and 1.5-2.5 days respectively (these figures are based on use primarily with a GSM 900/1800 network);

* A screen timeout feature turns off the screen after a defined period of inactivity from its user – an energy saving feature that crucial to keeping the standby time of the 7380 at its greatest; and

* Enabling features such as Bluetooth and Light Effects can lower the overall (per-charge) standby time of the handset.

Multimedia

The Hardware – general to-knows…

* For audio playback, a user can either make use of the provided dual-ear mono headset, the in-built loudspeaker, or a Bluetooth audio headset;

* The 7380 supports mono (non-stereo) playback of audio only;

* Storage-wise, the Nokia 7380 provides an internal memory area of up to 52MB only – which shares its use with the phone's on-board messaging function;

* The 7380 does not support the use of external memory cards; and

* Audio performance through the provided dual-ear headset was average to good, given that the 7380 doesn't offer “true” stereo support.

The Software

* A basic music player feature is included with the 7380, where it supports the following features: playback control (repeat, repeat all, random);

* The music player can operate in either foreground (on-screen) or background mode;

* Audio formats supported by the 7380 include: AAC, MP3, MP4/M4A;

* Video formats supported by the 7380 (via the Media Player function) include: 3GPP, MPEG4; and

* An integrated FM radio function is available, which requires the use of the provided headset as its antenna, and supporting the following features: audio output via loudspeaker or wired headset, custom channel presets, frequency setting via digit input / manual tuning / seeking.

Camera performance and quality

Hardware

* The Nokia 7380 comes with a 2.0-megapixel (1.92-megapixel effective resolution) CMOS-based camera, capable of producing images at up to 1600x1200 pixels and capturing video clips at 176x144 pixels (QCIF resolution);

* A fixed focus lens is used by the 7380, allowing for standard portrait shots only; and

* The 7380 supports a digital zoom of up to 4X.

Software and UI – general to-knows…

* Operation of the camera is done through the Navi Spinner interface – with the centre button acting as a virtual shutter button, and the wheel controlling the digital zoom setting;

* From the “options” context menu, a user is able to switch between photo and video modes, alter camera options/settings, and access the Gallery menu;

* It is possible to disable the camera shutter sound on the 7380; and

* The following complementary camera options are available: photo light, night mode, self-timer.

Road-testing

There wasn't really that much in terms of testing. Just like the 7280, it comes with the standard Nokia camera interface – a near-full screen viewfinder with the relevant soft key labels shown adjacent to the buttons. Unfortunately, the petite display doesn't help in enriching the experience of using the on-board camera…

But what's most important are the results – and, as most of us would've expected, the images produced by the 7380's two-megapixel camera were only average in quality. Apart from the images looking very “flat” visually, picture noise and artefacts could be found scattered throughout most of the shots – specifically those taken in not-so-ideal lighting conditions (e.g. under very dim or very yellow lighting).

Colour-wise, the 7380 was able to do a good job in reproducing these within the shots. But it was not enough to keep me at all interested in taking any further shots with the phone.

For a two-megapixel camera, its overall performance wasn't at all appealing. If used for those very casual shots, I guess it could just pass itself off for the job – not that I would recommend this particular aspect of the 7380 to anyone!

Problems/issues

UI: the complexity of menus (being shown on such a small display) can be quite annoying!

The 7380 may have an unusual, and rather small, form factor. But that doesn't mean it has lesser functions than the average-looking mobile phone…

Nokia has given the 7380 all the standard phone features that have been made available to most S40-based handset thus far. And to access these, a user would need to do some browsing – which can mean going into various different menus before locating the required functionality.

On a standard handset, a properly-sized display plus navigational buttons offer users a comfortable means of doing the above task. However, in the case of the 7380, where its restricted physical design only allows for a mini-display plus the use of the Navi Spinner wheel interface, trying to do the same thing is far more difficult – both in terms of properly viewing the display and actioning the required movements for menu navigation.

To put it more simply, I guess what I'm trying to say is that using the menus on the 7380 can be quite a challenge – especially at times when I was trying to locate a particular menu item, or when trying to made adjustments to settings. The smaller screen size means less information can be displayed on the same screen – and having to use the wheel to browse through the menus can also become a pain!

It isn't something that a person can't get accustomed to using. But the initial impression that the 7380's interface gives its user will not be one that'll make you jump in joy.

In summary...

At the end of the day, the 7380 is simply an old design bearing a completely new look, one that shares little to no resemblance to its predecessor – apart from the fact that they both come in an almost-identical form factor. But the wand-like “lipstick phone” design, as many people know them by, is still unique to Nokia and its fashion collection series.

As much as they may be similar, though, they are actually quite different in the eyes of its target audience (or customers). Being a fashion phone, what needs to be new is the look of it – or its aesthetical presentation. There is no doubt that the 7380 takes on a completely new look and feel, in an emotive sense, as compared to the 7280 – and, in most cases, that is really what only matters.

Of course, the 7380 receives a number of feature addition and enhancements – which also contribute towards the list of “what's new” for this latest model. But really, for someone who is willing to take ownership of such a phone, considering the technical aspects of the handset isn't exactly top priority.

Should you want to consider owning the 7380, it may be a good idea to consider getting it as a second phone – rather than having it replace what you're currently using. In both practicality and performance aspects, a more-typical handset design would offer a far more usable interface and overall per-charge battery life.

While this may not be the case for everyone, I am pretty confident that many people will find using the 7380 in a full-time situation a headache – especially on those really long and really bad days that can come our way unexpectedly…

Major features

The phone itself...

Tri-band GSM support (GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz)
Display: 1.3-inch TFT LCD supporting up to 262,144 colours (104x208-pixel screen resolution)
Display: mirror-based finishing for outer display panel
Internal memory: up to 52MB available for user-based data
UI: navigation via Nokia's own Navi Spinner wheel-plus-button interface
SMS/picture/MMS/audio messaging capabilities
Ringing tones: 64-chord (MIDI-based) polyphonic and digital music files
Handsfree support: headset, speakerphone or Bluetooth audio devices
Active Light feature – indicates phone activity in a decorative manner
Java application compatibility
Speaker-independent voice system: for calls and phone functions

Connectivity

High-speed GPRS (2.5G) network data connectivity
Traditional dial-up data connections (CSD/GSM Data & HSCSD) also supported
Device-to-device connectivity via Bluetooth
Built-in WAP 2.0 / HTML / xHTML browser

Media capture

Integrated 2.0-megapixel camera with digital zoom support
Imaging modes: standard and self-timer
Video capture: supports 3GPP recordings at up to QCIF (176x144-pixel) resolution
Integrated photo light illumination feature

Multimedia

Playback/streaming of digital audio and video files through integrated media player
Dedicated music player feature
Integrated stereo FM radio receiver
Integrated loudspeaker for ringtones, speakerphone, and media player

PIM (personal information management)

Basics: day/week/month-view, calendar, notes (text-based), to-do list, voice recorder
Extras: alarm (once/repeat, standard/radio tone, snooze customisation)
Internal multi-detail phonebook (contacts) with support for photo caller ID
Synchronisation: SyncML (support for local and remote connections)