It is late 2005, and Nokia has just launched the ‘Nseries’ with the N70, a handset designed to remind everyone that if they want a real smartphone, they have to come to Finland. It is the spiritual successor to the 6680 and currently the smallest 3G smartphone on the market, packing the power of a desktop PC into a 126g candybar that feels like a solid ingot of tech. For the UK user, this is the definitive 3G experience; every major network from O2 to Vodafone is flogging it, and for good reason—it’s the most powerful tool you can clip to your belt.nnTechnically, the N70 is a beast, running Symbian OS v8.1 (Series 60 2nd Edition, FP3) on a 220 MHz TI OMAP processor. This is significantly faster than previous models, making the multitasking and app-loading feel remarkably smooth. The headline feature is the dual cameras: a front-facing VGA lens for the novelty of 3G video calls (where you can look at a grainy version of your boss in real-time) and a 2-megapixel sensor on the back protected by a massive sliding door that covers nearly the entire rear of the phone. It captures video at 352 x 288 resolution, and while it lacks the autofocus of the Sony Ericsson K750i, the ‘Slide and Shoot’ functionality makes it the fastest camera to deploy in a pinch.nnThe screen is a 2.1-inch TFT with 262,144 colours, providing a rich canvas for the sophisticated Nseries interface. Because it’s a Symbian device, the technical ceiling is incredibly high; you can install a full office suite, PDF readers, and high-end 3D games that actually look decent on the 176 x 208 resolution display. Storage is handled via RS-MMC (Reduced Size MultiMediaCard), with a 64MB card typically included, though you’ll want to upgrade to a 1GB card immediately if you plan on using the built-in MP3 player and FM radio. The battery life is surprisingly decent for a 3G smartphone, with the 970 mAh Li-Ion pack providing enough juice for about 11 days of standby. The N70 is ‘business at the front, party at the back’—it is a sober, professional handset that just happens to be a multimedia powerhouse. It is the definitive ‘everything’ phone for 2005.