Traveling With The D60

It was roughly 1pm on Friday before we left for KL and I was juggling whether or not to bring my D60 along.. was really not a fan of the extra weight but the opportunity to really test the D60 out in the field finally caved in on me. I did not regret bringing it one bit.

Headed over to Taylor's College first to settle the fees for my college education next year and check out the apartment I'll be living in. Being at Taylor's was a real slap in the face as to how soon I'd need to start studying again. The day to day routines, classes, tedious exams, peer pressure etc. all over again, and it's been only 4 days since i had finished my SPM exams. Quite the bummer. The strangest part of it all - I wasn't even the slightest bit excited that I was about to step foot into college.

Things started looking up when we went to check out the apartment. It was much, much better than what I had in mind and I absolutely loved the facilities! The room itself wasn't too shabby either, but of course it was just a show room. What my room will really look like god only knows.

After clearing out all the official business it was off to Sunway Pyramid to chill a little and get some essentials for the Beijing Trip to come. In there I was pretty glad i brought the D60 along. Spotted a Nokia store and I fiddled with the N78, N79, N85 and N96 for a bit. Holding the N85 and N96 in hand and I really begin to understand why Nokia choose the N96 as their flagship instead of the N85.

Yes, arguably the N85 does have better features and a more powerful processor than the N96, but it feels rather tiny in the palm of my hands. Don't get me wrong, the N85 is a great device but i felt it was lacking the "Ummpph!" factor a flagship device should have. In fact I wasn't convinced that was the real deal until I picked it up and used it, by Jove that thing was small! I was also rather disappointed with the fact that the N85 on demo did not have a working Navi Wheel, nor did it have smooth transitions as the prototype N85 showed over the Internet. The N85 button were also rather stiff and hard to press compared to many other Nseries devices, I believe they may soften up after progressive use. The N85 looked much better than originally thought, especially since the front was made of plastic material instead of glossy glass-like substance as per N96 and N78.

All the models on demo there did not have working Navi Wheels, even though in the settings the Navi Wheel is set to "On", this was rather disappointing. Anyway, after holding those devices I understand why Nokia chose the N96 as their flagship model instead of the others. I won't sugarcoat it, the N96 is full with bugs and it's features are not what I'd expect from a flagship device set to replace the N95, but it definitely has the "Ummpph!" needed to be one. To many users who aren't techno geeks, the N96 will seem like a great device. The feels of the device is great and solid, the keys are relatively easy and comfortable to press, and the keypad is generously large too.

I think these things are what set aside the N96 from the N85. Sure, the N96 doesn't quite pack the same punch as the N85 or N95 under the hood, but Nokia has wrapped up all it's little flaws in a beautifully designed package.. and that's why i say it will do better for Nokia as their flagship device, sales-wise of course. The N96 feels beefy, yet not too fat to disgust. I love my phones that way. The heck with slim and flimsy phones, the N96 feels like a real power house!

I won't say much about the N78 and N79, mainly cause there's nothing much to be said. Out of the four devices, i'd still stick with the N85, no questions asked. But going out there and having a play with all those devices, it's clear to me what Nokia's strategy has been for this year's Nseries product line. Nothing to really nudge me out from my N95 yet, but 2009's lineup with the N97 does indeed look promising.

Well's that's about it. Took some night shots too at the car park. ...and as I said, I'm glad I brought the D60 along, it is an excellent camera indeed. :-)