A Mobile Phone With A Different Angle

There are two phones currently in the Nokia Prism series. These are the 7900 and the 7500. The main difference is that the 7900 has 3G and Quad-Band GSM whilst the 7500 is a Tri-Band GSM handset.

In terms of size the 7900 is a bit smaller in depth ( by 3.4mm ) but a bit larger in length ( by 2mm ) and a little wider in width. ( 1mm ). For the purpose of this review we will concentrate on the 3G enabled Nokia Prism 7900.

Nokia announced the Nokia Prism collection of mobile phones in August 2007 with an anticipated launch date of December of the same year. The Prism range is squarely aimed at style conscious consumers looking to be different and those who wish to be at the forefront of new designs.

Make no mistake, the Nokia Prism range will definitely standout this Xmas as they have cutting-edge colors, materials and graphics.  The diamond-cut prism design with its sharp angled lines, geometric patterns and graphic light-refracting colors take it towards the “wow” zone. It is available in liquorice black and has an aluminum backcover, which is coin-stamped and laser-etched to co-ordinate with the rest of the phone.

Jumping jehosafats!

Wait for it, the Nokia 7900 Prism offers a a choice of 49 illumination colours. Once you have chosen a colour, that colour radiates from under the graphic key-mat as well as from the LED display. Lights are also emitted from the top of the phone to signal missed calls and messages.

So in terms of style its rocking. But is this simply a mask hiding an average mid-range performer ?

The screen consists of a QVGA display with 16 million colours ( TFT ) which ensures a sharp and bright 2 inch screen. It should be noted that there is a lack of adjustable brightness settings for the display so you are in “the lap of the gods” when it comes to outdoor use.

The 7900 has 1GB of internal memory but does not have a memory card slot. You may have noticed that the recently updated N81 has 8GB of on board memory also with no memory card slot. However, for a flamboyant fashion phone like this 1GB is probably adequate.

Well, trust Nokia to come up with a prism style triangular keypad. There is no doubt whatsoever that the short and abrupt 5 way navigation key ( joystick ) will take some getting use to. However, the triangular keys that make up the keypad, should be mastered in a shorter time. We were surprised and have no real problem with the prism style triangular keys.

Battery power

The battery is a 700 mAh which Nokia claims will keep your 7900 alive for up to 280 hours on standby. That’s a respectable time these days. Basically, you are looking at the Prism lasting 2 days between charges under normal use. A recharge will take approx. 2 hours.

Camera

• Integrated 2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom
• Flash modes: on, off, and automatic
• Video recording and playback in QCIF, 3GPP, H.263, and MPEG-4 codecs and form

It can be argued that a fashion phone, which the 7900 is, dosn’t have to have the bees knees of a camera. And it doesn’t. I guess if you want a top camera phone head for one of these camera beefcakes which have a 5 megapixel camera : the Nokia N95 or the Sony Ericsson K850i ( our favorite with regard to the camera ).

However, the 7900 has a 2 megapixel camera that can only be classed as mid-range with no auto focus. It should be noted that the camera suffers in poorly lit conditions. The camera has a generous 8x digital zoom and a suite of effects such as Greyscale, Sepia, False Colours, Negative and Solarise

Themed magic

A number of themes are preinstalled. Have a look at these as they do offer quite a bit of variation which may suit your requirements better.

Stereo music player for MP3, AAC, and eAAC+ music files which is more than adequate for a fashion phone. You can plug in your 2.5mm headphones whilst the stero FM radio will store up to 20 stations. The earphones supplied in the box are fine.