On Monday, I received a black Nokia N82 to trial. As soon as I got it out of the box, I was in love. Read on for my initial impressions as well thoughts on the form and function.

Initial Impressions

The phone looks amazing. The black color and slippery casing make it feel like a luxury device. It fits well in my hand; the weight of the device feels just right.

Buttons. A lot has been said about the keypad. Most people see the small number keys and say that’s a horrible design decision. I love these buttons. They are little stiff from being new, but I definitely prefer the Nokia N82 keypad over my N95-1. The only knock against them is they have a white back light. I’d have preferred blue.

The number keys aren’t the only buttons that are stiff. The multimedia button is hard to press. I often have to use a fingernail to get enough precision pressure to activate the button.

The camera button doesn’t stick out much compared to my Nokia N95. On the N95, the camera button has a lot of give, so a gentle press activates the autofocus. With the N82, it takes a bit more force.

The directional pad is a joy to use. It performs like a joystick with a hat on top and is very responsive. I love having a large center button. The layout is excellent. I have not had any accidental presses of the either menu or multimedia buttons like on my N95.

Input/Output. I don’t like the placement of the charger port. It makes it impossible to use the phone one handed while charging. It is also a hindrance when watching video, since you can’t prop the N82 against something with the plug on the side.

I don’t have a problem with the change to micro-usb. It creates a very snug fit, there’s no worry it will fall out like on the old Pop-Port cables.

Lanyard Hole. I don’t like the placement of the lanyard hole. It forces the N82 to be worn on the left hand and forces two handed use.

Form and Function

Multimedia Menu. I’ve enjoyed the new multimedia carousel menu. I really love the integration of each item. Gallery shows your last picture and quick access to albums. Music has the last played track. Videos shows the last clip viewed. Maps goes to the last placed you looked up. The Contacts page can be set up like a speed dial. I do miss the ability to hold down the multimedia button to load the music player.

Music. As a music player, the Nokia N82 is great. I plugged in my Grado SR-80 headphones and was incredibly relieved to find the hiss from the N95 was gone. I’m a fan of the playback buttons on the N95 and the N82 is a little limited by its lack of such buttons. The AD-54 makes a suitable replacement; the N82 had no problems using it. Another workaround is to use am A2DP headset. Paired with the Nokia BH-601, music performance was great and the playback buttons worked fine.

Video. Video playback has been a joy. Opening a clip from the Video Center always goes to fullscreen. I love this, since the Nokia N95 won’t do this if its in portrait mode. The placement of the speakers really excels here, as the video experience is better in stereo.

Games. Gaming with N-Gage is flawless. On the N95, transitions between screens would seem glitchy. Games would start in a random orientation; one game starts in 180 mode, another in landscape, another in portrait. This is gone from the N82. Transitions are seamless and the orientation is always in portrait.

Camera. Here’s a funny fact about the camera. It loads and performs with the same speed as my N95-1 (with v21 firmware). The daylight picture quality seems a bit better. The auto mode on the N82 probably has been better tweaked. The integrated location feature is great. It seems like every time I started the camera, it already has a GPS lock.

Multitasking. I’ve been floored by all the multitasking I’ve been able to do. On Wednesday, I tested out the Sport Tracker application. I took a walk around the neighborhood and was able to take pictures while also have the music player running. My N95 could never pull this off reliably. A record of my photo walk can be found here.

Final Thoughts

That’s been my first week with the Nokia N82 Black. I absolutely adore this device and look forward to testing it out at a sporting event over the weekend and some night events over the next week. If you haven’t read it yet, also check out Mark’s review on the silver Nokia N82 and the review of the Nokia N82’s 5 megapixel camera.