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I’ve been using the Nokia N78 for the past weeks courtesy of WOM WORLD/Nokia and come to realize that this is a phone that doesnt belong in the N-series line.  It has all the bells, whistles and style of an N-series device, yet just doesnt seem like a phone built with the same standards as the highly successful N95, N82 and others.  Ive always enjoyed the designs of most of the N-series devices until the N78.  Its important to stress that I did try getting used to this device and failed.  I hope that this break down gives a better view on what the N78 has to offer.

Design: 
When you first unwrap an N-series device the look captivates.  The N78 is no different, with its beautiful looks and high end specifications, yet something is missing.  When you start actually using this wonderful piece of art and technolgy its then that you realize you have been duped,  although you are holding something labeled with the coveted N-series label, you are in fact using something that is worthy of only a title much less.  The front of the phone is constructed using only two pieces of plastic.  One for the top part of the screen and the other piece is for the bottom.  The bottom portion where the keys are housed is the part with the fatal flaw.  Once illuminated it easy to see the phones keys consisting of two customizeable soft keys, send, end, menu button, and cancel key.  The problem occurs when trying to press any of the buttons that are too close to each other.  For example, when I would receive a call and try to answer it, I would press the call key but would be treated to the left soft key actually being activated and eventually missing the call.  If it was a isolated incident I wouldnt really mind it, but it seemed to happen so frequentley it really started to irritate me.  It also happens when trying to click the menu button, often not activating at all since it hasnt recognized the press (the result of two buttons being pressed simultaneously).  The D-pad of the N78 is of similar design to the other N-series devices but with a hidden ability.  The D-pad acts as a virtual scroll wheel ala Ipod.  Although i think its an intersting idea, it doesnt perform to well.  When the D-pad is clickable and scrollable at the same time it usual ended up in chaos as the phone would often think that I wanted to scroll when pressing the confirmation button, this resulted in the menu performing a scroll down then it would accept my confirmation, often leading me to some other menu or location I didnt want to hit.  But since this is a feature that isnt seen in many of Nokias phones I dont see a huge problem, maybe a future firmware update will correct the sensitivity of the wheel.  Until then we can only accept what is ther and hope for the best.  Although it could be possible that the trial model I received was broken in , I wouldnt doubt that others are also experiencing this issue.

The back panel is made of full plastic and houses the amazing 3.2MP camera, with Carl Zeiss optics and single LED flash.  Following the trend of the most current N-series the lens of the camera does not have a lens cover but is instead protected with a hard plastic.  The back cover also sports a nice elegant design that is subtle yet noticeable.  

The left side is furnished with a mini usb port, memory card slot, and left main speaker, while the right side has the camera button, volume rocker, and right speaker.  It is curious to note that although there are stereo speakers on this device, the speakers themselves are not located parallel to each other.  Instead the left speaker is located on the bottom part of the phone while the right speaker is located on the top portion.  Although the speaker placement is awkward I can assure you that they sound great and loud.  The only issue I had with the placement is when you have the phone in hand the lower speaker often gets blocked because your hand naturally grasps that area of the phone.

The top portion of the phone houses the power button and a 3.5mm jack that can be used with any standard headset.

Software:
One of the highlights of the N78 is S60 FP2.  FP2 brings welcome additions such as Nokia Maps 2.0, UI transitions and effects, as well enhanced battery life.  Although not as fancy as some visual effects currently being seen on some phones the simple the UI transitions and effects add alot of pop to the S60 software.  With the reliability and stability of the S60 platform.  The phone itself runs smooth with some hang ups here and there.  Not once during the time I had the N78 did I experience a crash.  
Wifi:  The N78 comes with WiFi built in and when tested worked well.  I havent seen to many issues using WiFi on a Nokia and this device was no exception.  The integration of the WiFi selection screen and scanner were smooth. 

Camera:
The 3.2 MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens takes wonderful pictures.  Interesting to note is that the N78 and E71 both have the same MP’s yet the Carl Zeiss equipped N78 takes much better photos/videos.  Below are some sample photos with the N78. 

N78 Low Light Pic
 

GPS:
The GPS on the N78 works well.  The only gripe which nothing new is that the navigation feature/voice guidance is not included with the software.  The NokiaMaps 2.0 still lacks this feature being bundled.  Overall the Nokia Maps 2.0 gives a wide variety of views, features (walking route or driving), and works smoothly.  Although the N78 didnt have 3G for the US I was still able to download the maps on the fly without any hiccups. 

Music and the FM transmitter:
The music player on the N78 is virtually identical to the ones found on other Nokia devices that are currently out.  The music player is solid allowing for equalizer customization, album art, repeat and shuffle play.  One of the more intersting features of the N78 is the FM transmitter.  I tested this feature out and it works well.  I was able to successfully stream music from the device to an FM source.  Although the sound isnt CD quality it is acceptable and a welcome feature.  I will post an in depth report of this feature in the future. 

Overall I think that the device isnt a bad creation by Nokia but I think that the outer body construction could be alot better.  Its frustrating to have a such a good phone wrapped in such a horrific package.  The sleek lines, polished finish, 3.2MP camera, GPS, WiFi, Dual Speaker all for nothing.  If the user isnt capable of feeling comfortable wielding the phone then I dont think that this phone will ever come to the spotlight.  The phone is priced right, but I think Id rather take a gamble and find a used N95, N82 or just wait for the newly released N85 to hit a reasonable price.