AT A GLANCE
- Broadcast TV over DVB-H
- Dedicated touch music keys
- 3.2 megapixel camera; takes video
- Full Ovi Store integration
- S40 with Nokia OS
It's a decidedly mediocre phone with just one cool feature; and mobile TV's not for everyone. That said, if you're big into sports, or have young kids and don't use your phone for much besides making calls, it might be a viable option.
Like Wearing Manolo Blahniks with Cargo Shorts
You have to question Nokia's wisdom in taking one of their most long-anticipated phone features, mobile TV, and plonking it in an outdated device. They could have chosen to place the feature in a cutting-edge smartphone or a clever, lightweight little featurephone – and they would have created a device to really get us talking. But they didn't. The result is a single awesome feature in crummy packaging. Like presenting a diamond ring in a brown paper bag. Like pairing Manolo Blahniks with cargo shorts.
Great TV Service
First the good, though: the Mobile TV function really is impressive. Because it's the one thing the whole phone is designed around, it's incredible quick to set up and easy to use. You have the full TV experience: there's no lag, you can channel-hop with ease and you're not racking up data costs as you watch, because the phone uses DVB-H streaming. You do have to use an earphone-aerial in order to watch (which is a mission to carry around – and we all have enough things in our bags already) – but you can use a speaker function so that people craning over your shoulder to watch with you (which they will, trust me) can listen too.
If you're a mum who needs something portable and lightweight to entertain the kids while you're out and about – you'll be able to hook them up to Cartoon Network wherever you are. If you're a total sports junkie who would just love to be able to steal glimpses of 5-day Test cricket from your desk, it will be great. But for anyone else, you may find that you just never use the function (this was me). Mobile TV seems like a fun feature the first couple of times you use it, but it very soon starts to feel gimmicky.
Currently, you can access 8 channels from the DStv Mobile trial bouquet (on MTN, you can only access 7 on Vodacom), namely: Africa Magic, SuperSport 1, 2, 3 and 4, Cartoon Network Channel O and CNN. This may change when the service launches properly at the end of the year. The signal was good everywhere I tested it in Joburg.
A Disappointing Phone, Overall
The phone's classified as a Series 40 – which is Nokia's featurephone range (i.e. more than the most basic phones, not quite a smartphone). And TV function aside, you can't say that the 5330 is a bad phone, really. It's just an outdated phone, even by featurephone standards. Although it's pretty to look at, it just doesn't give you what you'd expect from a modern middle-market mobile.
The easy-to-use social media integration that's defined most modern featurephones is lacking (you have to use Snaptu, a very basic app buried 4 menu levels deep in the phone). Email is rudimentary. The camera is average. You can't change the phone's default web browser, even though Opera Mini comes pre-installed. The navigation isn't intuitive and the home screen's a mess.
Overall, it's frustrating to use and the features are just, well, 'meh'. You've got to be pretty dedicated to TV to be happy to sacrifice the phone's functionality to such a great extent.
Turn-ons
- Mobile TV: there's nothing else like it on the market at the moment
- Handset design: it feels solid and has clean lines
- It's stable: the software didn't hang once whilst I had it
Turn-offs
- You have to carry around the headphone/antenna to use the TV function
- Apart from the TV function, the phone has very limited functionality
- Poor menu layout means it's laborious to do anything on the phone
- Battery life isn't amazing, especially if you're watching TV
- Can't change the default web browser (this may just be a personal bugbear)
We've been waiting for Mobile TV in South Africa for years, now. The service itself is great, but it's disappointing that they've packaged it into such a dull phone.
