Nokia 5320 XpressMusic Gallery

[Rafe]

Here's our Nokia 5320 XpressMusic Gallery with a collection of photos from today's event showcasing Nokia's newest S60 phone. Rafe includes some detailed commentary on the music, gaming (N-Gage) and hardware design features of the phone. There's a lot to like in this mid-tier music maven. We'll have a text preview with more details in the next few days.

Read on in the full article.

[krisse]

Ah, so there ARE two gaming keys!

The media button on the top looked awkward at first, but it's actually in exactly the same place as a shoulder button on a games console, so it should be fairly easy to use in games.

[davidmaxwaterma]

> The left hand side of the device has dedicated music controls.
> Forward - Play / Pause - Back. They're nicely position for a quick thumb tap when
> holding the phone in one handed (if you're right handed that is!).

I think you'll find they favour people who are left handed....since they're on the left hand side of the phone and, when holding a phone, your thumb is also on the left of the device.....at least when holding the phone the right way up and in portrait mode; in landscape mode, I'd guess it works ok for either hand. (Yes, I'm left handed).

Someone mentioned on the other 5320 news thread about the grouping of the keys on the main keypad, and that it looks like they're shaped to look like a typical gaming keypad - I'm a little disappointed that this doesn't seem to be the case (though perhaps this isn't worth mentioning).

Hey Rafe, great photos there. i was just wondering the standby screen looks so different is this s60 9.3 or s40?
also is it true that the front facing webcam doubles as a gaming key.

Only 1 LED flash? but it looks two!! great photos though..

[krisse]

Someone mentioned on the other 5320 news thread about the grouping of the keys on the main keypad, and that it looks like they're shaped to look like a typical gaming keypad - I'm a little disappointed that this doesn't seem to be the case (though perhaps this isn't worth mentioning).

You can use phones' full keypads in N-Gage games if you prefer, which works fine in vertical mode, but it really isn't that great in horizontal mode. If you're holding it horizontally, having the control buttons and the d-pad all on one side of the phone with nothing on the other side feels very very awkward (try it yourself to see what I mean). The balance is all wrong in horizontal mode.

The only N-Gage phone which manages to successfully use the full keypad in horizontal mode is the N93/N93i, because of its unique form factor which puts the screen at the top and the controls at the bottom.

(Yes, I'm left handed)

I hope you've noticed the flip/rotate screen option which seems to be standard in the new N-Gage games. It's the first time since the Atari Lynx where you can decide which sides of the screen the d-pad and buttons go.

[malerocks]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i was just wondering the standby screen looks so different is this s60 9.3 or s40?

Its S60 alright. Notice the swirl S60 menu key on the keypad. Dont know about it been 9.3, although logically, that is what it should be since the n96 also is.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

also is it true that the front facing webcam doubles as a gaming key.

Webcam as a gaming key??? How does that work?

[Rafe]

Originally Posted by davidmaxwaterma

> The left hand side of the device has dedicated music controls.
> Forward - Play / Pause - Back. They're nicely position for a quick thumb tap when
> holding the phone in one handed (if you're right handed that is!).

I think you'll find they favour people who are left handed....since they're on the left hand side of the phone and, when holding a phone, your thumb is also on the left of the device.....at least when holding the phone the right way up and in portrait mode; in landscape mode, I'd guess it works ok for either hand. (Yes, I'm left handed).

Someone mentioned on the other 5320 news thread about the grouping of the keys on the main keypad, and that it looks like they're shaped to look like a typical gaming keypad - I'm a little disappointed that this doesn't seem to be the case (though perhaps this isn't worth mentioning).

David - yes you are absolutely right. (Whoops). I tend to use a phone ambidextrously depending on what hand I have free / what pocket I put the phone in. I would note though that the phone is small enough that you reach your fingers around easily or reach up an over the screen with a thumb.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hey Rafe, great photos there. i was just wondering the standby screen looks so different is this s60 9.3 or s40?
also is it true that the front facing webcam doubles as a gaming key.

Is S60 3.2 on Symbian OS 9.3. Its a custom standby screen specifically for this product, although it can be changed to the default on. No the web cam (VGA camera) is not a gaming key - the rewind / back music key is the second gaming key.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Only 1 LED flash? but it looks two!! great photos though..

It does look like that - but there is only 1. Apparently the design looked more balanced with the window in that configuration (which make sense - it stretches across the lens area).