NEC N412i

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Ever since Motorola introduced its super-thin Razr V3, it has been seen as the clamshell to beat for many competitors. While some vendors have come close with their thin phone offerings, none has so far been able to emulate the success of the Razr. NEC's latest i-mode cellular, the N412i, however, seems to show lots of promise. It is not only thinner than the V3, it is also packed with more features. Can the N412i be the one to take on the Razr?

Design
It doesn't get thinner than the N412i. Measuring just 11.9mm thin, the NEC is no doubt one of the skinniest clamshells in the market today. In fact, it is also thinner than the majority of candy-bar offerings, so it should fit easily into tight pockets (think the Motorola pink Razr ad).

Despite its slim design, the NEC feels extremely sturdy. The 102 x 47.5mm footprint also makes for a comfortable yet good grip of the phone. We like that NEC has included an external display that can almost double for a mirror. Its loop antenna-cum-hinge design should prove popular with the young audience, too. Overall, the phone offers a simple, uncluttered look and feel.

Considering most handsets today come with 262K-color displays, we were a tad disappointed with the 176 x 220-pixel, 65K-color TFT screen on the N412i. After all, the display indirectly affects the viewing, multimedia and gaming experience of the mobile. Fortunately, the 96 x 39-pixel monochrome OLED external screen makes up with its display of useful phone information such as caller ID, battery level, reception level and time. There is also a small LED light below the external screen that can be customized to change colors during incoming calls, incoming SMSes, etc.

Another design gripe of the N412i is the keypad. While the keys are intuitively located and spaced out, they lack tactile feedback, making it harder for the SMS texters to type accurately. This is particularly so for the "5" button which is unusually recessed into the keypad.

As with most phones, the volume keys on the left side can be used to activate the external screen from idle mode. For the N412i, the "volume up" key can be used to activate the camera function when the clamshell is closed and doubles as a shutter button in camera mode. The mirror function of the external display serves as a viewfinder during self-portraits.

There are no soft keys for user customization. Instead, dedicated keys for i-mode and the address book have already assigned.

The most significant tradeoff for the NEC's slim design is its non-removable battery. This will certainly be a problem for heavy phone users who are always on-the-go, since the handset has to be recharged using an AC outlet. The flipside is the accessible SIM card slot on the right, which will surely be appreciated by those with multiple SIM cards.

Features
Considering most super-slim mobile phones offer just VGA resolution cameras, NEC surprised us with a 1.3-megapixel sensor on its N412i, which captures decent-quality images up to 1,280 x 1,024 pixels. It comes with 5x digital zoom as well as a video recording function. However, with no built-in media expansion slot, users are limited to the 26MB of onboard memory. This is hardly sufficient for storing megapixel resolution images, not to mention video clips and MP3 songs.

The N412i does come with Bluetooth and USB connectivity options, which should allow for easy transfer of data to a PC or other compatible devices. What's surprising, though, is that while 64-chord polyphony and MP3 ringtones are possible and the speakers allow for MP3 playback, a speakerphone is absent.

Being i-mode capable, the N412i allows access to a whole range of information and content services such as like email, sports, music, movies and weather. However, the availability of this service depends on your mobile operator, and StarHub is currently the only operator in Singapore to offer this feature.

The usual PIM features are in place, along with GPRS Class 10, WAP 2.0 and MIDP 2.0 Java support. PictBridge, the technology to print directly to your printer without the need for a PC, is also available. Interestingly, the N412i offers users an option to record the mobile phone conversation but this is limited to 60 seconds for each recording.

Performance And Battery
During our testing, we experienced no problems with reception or voice calls. The 600mAh Lithium-ion battery managed to last about two days on moderate usage.

The highest SAR value for this handset is 0.597W/kg, which meets international guidelines for exposure to radio waves.