I have spent several hours now with the latest Nseries device to come out of Nokia’s doors, the N78. The device arrived to my pleasant surprise several hours early, and I got some pictures snapped for the occasion. The N78 is the first Nokia device to feature the S60 feature pack 2, which is almost a whole new interface from the S60 we see now.

The interface is a lot more showy than on the other Nseries handsets thanks to feature pack 2. The interface now has smooth transitions, and a more flashy theme. There are also several stability and performance enhancements in the new feature pack as well. Gone seem to be the days of the clunkier interface found on devices without this enhanced feature pack.

When describing the design of the device, superb is a word that keeps coming to mind. The device is built amazingly, right to the casing, the device literally radiates good looks. The black gloss case is sleek, but is a finger print magnet. I found myself cleaning it over and over again just to stay sane. Nokia has been hitting the gloss a lot lately though, and enough people seem to be able to get used to cleaning it that they are not changing that any time soon. The keypad is small, but actually surprisingly easy to type on.

The camera on the device is one of the best I have used in a while. Like many Nokia devices though, it is plagued with over exposure. The white balance and ISO settings can be adjusted though, to overcome this. The pictures are crystal clear, and after using the N81 for so long, the familiar yet faint click of the auto focus adjusting was welcome.

The new interface is stunning. I knew the second feature pack would add quite a few new features, and that it would look a ton better. I had no idea though, what I was in for. The new interface has smooth transitions, going from the home screen to the camera and back, provides plenty of screen shrinking, image rotating, transition eye candy. The interface also has a different theme, and has a lot more black peppered in. This looks absolutely beautiful on the gloss black phone.

That is all I have for you for now, from the few hours I have had it. I will be carrying it around for a few days to get a good feel for the device. Check back for a full and very thorough review of this new wonder device from Nokia.