Nokia N91 review

Transferring files couldn't be easier. When you attach the N91 to your PC using the provided cable, you choose whether to connect in PC Suite mode (for synchronisation of Outlook data), Media Player (for synchronisation with Windows Media Player 10 -- yes, although this handset runs the Symbian operating system, Microsoft's media player is supported), or as a mass storage device. The latter is ideal if you simply want to drag and drop music files to the 4GB hard drive.

You can share playlists over Bluetooth or via MMS -- could this be the start of a whole new youth craze? And while we are on the subject of Bluetooth, the N91 outputs stereo music to a headset -- make sure your headset is compatible, of course.

Music playback stops when a call comes in, and picks right back up again when you hang up. Similarly, playback carries on while you do other things with the phone, and even if you have the music controls section slid down to get to the number pad, it carries on working.

All this counts for nothing if playback quality is a let-down. It isn't. The provided headset delivers good quality sound and plenty of volume. An 8-band graphic equaliser lets you fiddle with what you hear, but there are enough presets to be going on with.

We said earlier there is more to the N91 than just music. All the standard Series 60 diary and contact management capability, along with ability to share data with Outlook is here. The 2-megapixel camera and video recorder shoots good quality images. The FM Radio with its twenty presets supports Visual Radio, which will be useful when it eventually launches in the UK.

Rarely seen in mobiles is Wi-Fi support, and here is rare support for faster 802.11g as well as slower 'b' standard connections.

If have access to a Wi-Fi network, browsing the Web through the N91 is on the cards. The full HTML Web browser is fast and efficient. When you enter a URL the phone says it is 'searching for available access points' before offering various over the air choices or the option to 'search for WLAN'. Choose that and it finds all the available networks. The only bother is entering passwords for protected networks, which is a bit of a pain.

The Web browser isn't all sweetness, though. It insists on horizontal as well as vertical scrolling. Choose Page Overview mode and you can see a complete Web page in miniature. Use the joystick to move a small box around on this page, click and you zoom in to the area you've selected. It's good, but also fiddly.

Performance
The star attraction of the N91, music playback, is pretty much faultless. Sound quality is good, there is plenty of volume, and rooting through hundreds of tracks is fast and easy. The front controls work like a dream and doubling them onto the headset is a great bonus.

You are going to need a lot of battery life from this handset to make it worthwhile using it as a music player. Nokia says you'll get up to ten hours of music playback. We managed all the music listening we wanted during daily travel without suffering battery problems, and as long as you are not a complete music junkie we reckon you should manage a weekend away from mains power.

Call quality was fine, and again volume plentiful.

Thanks to Expansys for providing a review sample of this phone

Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Kate Macefield