Top 10 - Classic Smartphones

[slitchfield]

In times of inconsistent quality, it's good to reflect back on devices
that have oozed quality, charisma or style, and sometimes even all
three. In "Top 10 - Classic Smartphones", I count down the significant stars of the Symbian OS world from the last 7 years. Controversial? Biased? Probably. But I'll bet there are four or five of these on everybody's own personal top 10 from the same period! Comments and your own picks are more than welcome!

Read on in the full article.

Steve, the link doesn't work... hope you correct it soon

[slitchfield]

Sorry all, now fixed. [slaps wrist] "must check contents of copy buffer before pasting in a URL"..... 8-)

I love my n93, it's shame that it's been left behind firmware wise.. I've just ordered myself a n95 8gb though in the hope that it will act as some sort of replacement although I'm going to miss the whole 'Viewfinder' twist.

[krisse]

Storming into a mono world came the stereo 6630, enabling me to take my music with me for the first time

I think the N-Gage was actually the first music smartphone: it came out in late 2003, had full stereo sound (it included stereo headphones in the package and an adaptor for 3.5mm headphones), an MMC slot for mass storage which worked up to 1 gigabyte, and it even had a dedicated music key for direct access to the player.

[slitchfield]

Krisse - yes, I know. I owned an N-Gage classic. And I *almost* put it in the top 10 for breaking lots of new ground. But it wasn't mainstream enough, ultimately, for all its clever features, and I was already feeling guilty for putting in so much Nokia hardware.... Plus it wasn't exactly stylish or elegant. The MMC was under the battery, the screen seemed too small for the form factor and you had to talk into its side(!) If it makes you feel any better, think of the N-Gage as being in at number 11 !!

[jah]

My top five would be:

5. Moto A920/A925 (first 3G Symbian device with aGPS)
4. Nokia 7710 (first high res Symbian device and Nokia's first touch screen)
3. Nokia N95 (original - Symbian's first truely convered device)
2. Ericsson R380w
1. SE's P910 - the first truely useable and mature Smartphone. Still a favorite for many professionals

[eletrix]

at first place i would have put Nokia 7610
the first ever multimedia phone with a good OS and expecially reallly stylish.
and even in terms of longevity.
my phones 7610 - 6120c - (next N98)

[hesself]

Sorry to change the subject but I have a hobby horse. Is it possible to download maps for a Nokia 6110/N95 that are off the beaten track? Or are these phones only for mainstream countries?

[malerocks]

I agree on the n93. It is one of the best phones i have used. Bulky, yes but what it packs in more than makes up for it. A legend truly. Why Nokia decided to abandon it despite all this praise is something I will never understand.

Anyways to come back to the topic of this article, i would also like to recommend the Nokia 6260. It was a beautiful version of the 6600 (which i think should also have been in the list), and was a early adoptor of all the best features that existed in smartphones then. Plus it had all the 'twists' needed to put excitement in a phone and i personally think was pretty stylish. If only it had come with a better camera, or without the stupid restriction that it would shoot in VGA mode in fold open mode only and not in twist mode...

what about the Ericsson R520?

i had this phone for ages... loved it.

[fernando20]

The lack of 6600 concerns me

[stuclark]

Steve - stereo smartphones - you're forgetting the Sendo X which was full stereo just after the N-Gage but way before the 6630. And what about the Siemens SX1 - wasn't that stereo as well (and came out before the N-Gage)

[slitchfield]

Yes, yes, AND I had a Sendo X (getting me worried now, was there a single device that I *haven't* owned?

But, like the N-Gage, it wasn't a mainstream device and represents perhaps more an evolutionary side alley. I was trying to point to devices that really have shaped what was to follow in an obvious and glorious way....

The 6630 was the first S60 phone with stereo output to sell in serious numbers (*ten million* plus, I'm estimating), whereas the N-Gage was (to buyers) all about the games and the Sendo X sold in comparatively low numbers - sadly.

[lovesign]

An interesting and nostalgic list. These things can only ever be subjective, even with the best of intentions.

I would echo the earlier comment about the 6600. That handset really had an impact. I remember going from my 7650 to the 6600 and all my wishes made true. It was also a sexy looking device (I still have it, along with my two 7650's) and I remember getting very moist around the gusset when I was able to rip a DVD to a memory card and watch an entire movie on it

Other than that, an interesting list and a good read.

Thanks Steve