Humming my own tune

MANILA, Philippines - If there is one thing about music that I cannot deny it’s that it is a language that speaks tons and tons.

When I am talking to people who are my age (a little old) and then others who are even a little older than me they often say that the music kids listen to today is just a lot of noise.

“I really love the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s because the melodies were simple and the words deep,” says Lisa. “But don’t tell my kids I said that, I won’t hear the end of how much more meaningful the music they listen to today is.”

For the younger set, like my techie-nephew Diego, the type of music young folk listen to depends on what they grew up with.

“I am proud to say that I listen to music that spans lots of eras,” says Diego. “That’s because as a child I had to contend with listening to songs my titos and titas listened to.” 

In the past cellphones used to be just that — phones. Today, not so. These gadgets have so many needs to fulfill. A cellphone has to make good connections, has to be easy to text with, has to have large memory, has to have a camera that takes cool shots (preferably with a flash, for the paparazzi moments), has to be Wi-Fi capable for endless surfing. And it has to be able to play a selected amount of fave tracks to keep the user company during waiting time.

I might add, it has to look cool, be easy to carry and make a statement — all in one device.

Technology’s growth has spoiled gadget users. So spoiled are we that a cellphone is only given a second look if it meets the cool looks department.

And how.

The Nokia XpressMusic cellphones have been created to fill this need. And, just recently, Nokia introduced the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic.

The 5730 XpressMusic features all the perks of a modern cellphone, including Internet access, a Facebook application, Google Maps, GPS, instant messaging, 3G connectivity, and a 3.2-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. It is no wonder that the 5730 has become the new head-turner from Nokia.

This XpressMusic cellphone has a funky design and glossy black and red casing (or blue and black). The phone has a standard keypad and navigation wheel, with shuffle buttons along the side for skipping, stopping and playing music.

I really like the form factor, a classic candy bar, but the best part is that the phone also slides sideways to reveal a QWERTY keyboard.

The keys on the keypad have letters that are reminiscent of the dot matrix print era, which I find really cute. I also love that the 5730 is built sturdily and feels really compact when held in the hand. There are folk who love slim phones — I am not one of them. I like my cellphones to have a sturdy feel and the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic does not disappoint.

Nokia has long been known for making simple-to-use and sturdy phones and the 5730 XpressMusic is a good example. The 5730 XpressMusic has a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack, so you have the option of using any set of headphones you like. Continuing the music theme is the inclusion of an FM radio; reception is clear and navigation between stations is straightforward.

Nokia has packed plenty of features into the 5730 XpressMusic without compromising size or performance. AccuWeather.com, RealPlayer, GPS, podcasting, access to Nokia’s music store, a voice recorder and a Facebook application are all included.

Calling, calling

And, yes, the audio quality on the cellphone is great — making and receiving calls are clear and volume can be adjusted with the side-mounted controls.

There are never enough ways to express oneself especially through music because with the thriving online music industry today, we can always find and hear someone or something new that will capture our fancy.

When it comes to cellphones, self-expression is just as diverse as the songs and artists we listen to. But Nokia makes sure that our musical preferences are heard with its new slew of mobile music devices. “Nokia XpressMusic devices are built so you can enjoy your choice of music at the best way possible,” says Sandeep Khanna, marketing head of Nokia Philippines. “Each device comes with astounding audio quality along with unique and fun features that will make your music experience richer and more enjoyable.”

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is Nokia’s first music-optimized device to offer a slide-out QWERTY keyboard — ideal for quick messaging. The heart of this music device is the Homescreen for XpressMusic, providing access and dynamic information on music, people, games, e-mail and calendar. The Homescreen features an improved contacts bar with up to 20 friends and family members and provides direct access to music, N-Gage and other applications, like Facebook, Photos, Ovi Contacts, Maps, messaging, and more. With Ovi Contacts, people see which friends are online, chat and even view what music they are listening to.

Just like mom and dad

It is quite interesting that with the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic the Finnish company seems to be giving the younger users a taste of the Nokia Eseries phones that mom or dad may be using.

With the build of the XpressMusic and its connectivity abilities, it seems just a tad shy of the Nokia E75.

But the 5730 is made for fun and entertainment — so although there is some serious good stuff in it — there’s lots more fun to the XpressMusic phone.

For starters, the XpressMusic QWERTY messenger is heavy on entertainment, of course — dedicated music keys and N-Gage-conscious design, along with full-packed connectivity. The complete keyboard, elaborate organizer, the office package and GPS are enough to start talking business.

And, as I pointed out earlier, even if the dedicated gaming buttons and the digital-style alphanumeric font used on the keys leave little doubt about the target audience demographics, the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic looks too good enough even for dad and mom.

So, I would categorize the Xpress Music cellphone as one that is for the young — and more so for the young at heart. And there are a lot of us out there.

Specs time

Here’s what the Nokia XpressMusic phone’s got: 2.4-inch 16M-color TFT display of QVGA resolution; four-row side-slide QWERTY keyboard; quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G (with HSDPA) support; Symbian OS with S60 3.2 UI; 3.5-mm standard audio jack; microSD card slot, 8GB microSD card prebundled; 3.2-megapixel auto focus camera with a dedicated shutter key, geotagging and VGA video at 30fps; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP technology; USB and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) connectivity; FM radio with RDS plus Internet radio; dedicated music keys, and Nokia Say and Play (voice control to music player).

‘Nuff said.

I like that...

• It is sturdy and can take lots of rough handling;

• I was able to load quite a few of my fave tunes in a jiffy;

• It comes in red and blue;

• My younger friends wanted to have one just like it;

• It takes good enough photos; and

• It has great sound and I can hum my own tunes anytime, all the time.

The QWERTY-enabled XpressMusic cellphone has created a new niche — the niche of all-in-one cellphones.

Excuse me while I hum away. 

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The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic has a suggested retail price of P18,750 and comes in black/red or black/monochrome color combination and is available at Nokia Stores and authorized dealers nationwide.