AT FIRST TOUCH, the Nokia N70 feels like a stainless steel bar of soap. Like a piece of finely sculpted art, the phone invites handling, sits securely in rain-soaked hands and seems more secure to the touch than any other Nokia phone I have used in the past six years. Even though I had no idea how to activate its applications, I didn't feel I would drop the phone from a wind-swept Luas platform in Dublin shortly after I got the phone. In the past, I bounced a Nokia 7710 on the Dublin Quays while pivoting off the steps of a bus and I've launched a Nokia 9210i from my hand in a car park when slipping on an oil spill. The Nokia N70 feels secure to hand. It's a functional design aesthetic but one that will probably affect the judgment of some mobile phone customers as they decide whether they want to upgrade.
I got this phone because I am trying to upgrade my photo-blogging efforts. That means I plan to use the N70 as my e-mail launch pad to Flickr, Typepad, and Lifeblog. The adventu hotoset tagged with nokia_n70.
DISCLOSURE: I got the phone from Slattery Communications for field testing and evaluation. Do not try this at home. The image of the N70 comes from a lower-resolution camera snap on my Nokia 9500.
