Screen Grabs: Nokia's N95 appears to appear on the small screen

Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

What say you? Is resident Big Bang Theory brainiac Howard Wolowitz super-stoked that Penny is conked out on his shoulder? Or is he just incredibly jovial to have his hand around what appears to be a Nokia N95? We're thinking a little bit from column A, a little bit from column B.

[Thanks, Matt]

[oZone @ May 3rd 2008 10:59PM]

Griffin McElroy said that in his Boll vs. Bay post on Joystiq. Had me rofling.

[chris @ May 3rd 2008 11:01PM]

I'm surprised he's not holding it upside down

[Simon @ May 3rd 2008 11:13PM]

Well, it does slide both ways.

[Shan @ May 4th 2008 12:03AM]

If a geek doesn't know how to hold a phone upright, then we're all doomed!

[Josh* @ May 3rd 2008 11:16PM]

Look, I know this is a gadget blog but this is an '06 phone that showed up as a TV prop...now? WOW. You really do not have to report to us every time this happens.

[Josh* @ May 3rd 2008 11:18PM]

Maybe I just don't see the point of the "segment", bah humbug etc.

[derX @ May 3rd 2008 11:58PM]

You're right. You do not and that's a crime.

Now, as a Hamurabi-esque punishment, I'm going to have to remove your eyes.

Please, sir, hand them over.

[Blaine Oliver @ May 4th 2008 2:19AM]

Its hardly a new phone, everyone and their dog has one or the 8gb version in the uk....

[superalpaca @ May 3rd 2008 11:19PM]

so?, Leonard (also TBBT) has an iPhone, so does Penny, the only difference is that Penny uses it upside down (seen on the chapter when Sheldom gets sick), TBBT targets people like... well... engadget readers, one can see lots of geeky stuff ( the indian guy, Rajesh kuterpaly?, no, not suresh, has a MB pro) leonar an xps, so, a n95 didnt catch my attention.

[derX @ May 4th 2008 12:00AM]

...wtf?

[catachip @ May 4th 2008 12:09AM]

You know sooo much about a show that's sooo bad.

[JohnTitor @ May 3rd 2008 11:18PM]

why on earth is he taking the pic with the front cam when the back camera is one of the best for a phone

[RoseGold @ May 3rd 2008 11:36PM]

my sentiments exactly john if am going to take a picture of a fine ass babe with the n95 am using the back cam

[Josh* @ May 3rd 2008 11:38PM]

So he can see himself when he takes the shot! Instead of shooting-and-praying

[timbuckto @ May 4th 2008 3:03PM]

He's using the front cam since he doesn't expect enough time to shoot and pray. He is also only using this for his Facebook profile pic so he doesn't need it to be all megapixel'd out.

[Malfoy Roark @ May 4th 2008 12:00AM]

On The Apprentice UK every contestant uses an N95.

[cmj2405 @ May 4th 2008 5:59AM]

Yeah, I have to say, it's quite a common phone over here.
I see it around more than the iPhone

[catachip @ May 4th 2008 12:10AM]

Shhhhhh. It's too late to be yelling that loud. Some of us are trying to get to sleep!

[mxgoldman89 @ May 4th 2008 12:21AM]

Sheldon also has a Logitech MX Revolution, as well as an Logitech Pure-Fi Elite iPod dock. I have a feeling that the show has some pretty good gadget sponsors.

[ryan @ May 4th 2008 12:27AM]

Agreed, this show is just plain awful.

[Tamer Brad @ May 4th 2008 12:29AM]

i meant this terrible series about "hey look someone on television is using an electronic device let's make a news post about it" but ok

[Meghan @ May 4th 2008 1:12AM]

Didn't he also use an iPod improperly in this episode? I believe he recorded video on his iPod, which....unless I'm mistaken, you can't do...

[James Mack @ May 4th 2008 1:24AM]

You can always dream...

[ageekintraining @ May 4th 2008 1:50PM]

you can if it's been jailbroken, and if they're the true nerds the show makes them out to be, it probably has been.

[Travis @ May 4th 2008 1:30AM]

i'd take the girl

[cherie22984 @ May 4th 2008 1:30AM]

You must not get the jokes or understand half the things they talk about.

[Blair @ May 4th 2008 1:51AM]

Haha, I love this show!

[majortom @ May 4th 2008 2:13AM]

the show is funny and Howard is 100% happy Penny is next to him. Remember he plowed Penny's "friend" and wound up in Penny's robe. The Nerd Bowl was the best show. PMS vs AA. Classic.

[Brandon @ May 4th 2008 2:56AM]

A lot of people don't get the comedy of this show because they just don't get the jokes. Most of the time I find myself laughing at stuff that really wouldn't be funny unless you went through that class in college or you've worked with some of this stuff. If you're a normal Joe who got through tech school, or even someone with a 4-year business degree, you're not going to understand what a costume representing the Doppler Effect would look like, or more importantly, find it funny that someone WOULD expect others to get it. That's the point, unfortunately I think the writers are giving their viewers too much intellectual credit and once they stop doing that, I'll no longer be interested in another "Friends"-like sit-com.

[mattclarkie @ May 4th 2008 4:12AM]

If Americans are that under-educated the world is in serious trouble.

I mean most people in the UK are that stupid, but we don't rule the world.

[gad get @ May 4th 2008 4:58AM]

Han' it o'er, Amerrr'ca-- yooouu aain't fit ta taake caare o' it noo mooorre!

[catachip @ May 4th 2008 9:56AM]

I have a B.Sc in Pharmacology, a M.Sc in Bioengineering and I'm currently in a Molecular Biology Ph.D program.... I "get" all the jokes. They're still not funny. The acting is terrible, the plots are terrible, and the predictable "setup, punch line, laugh track, setup punch line laugh track" humor is not what I look for in a comedy.

I'm not trying to be pretentious, but, I find it hard to believe that anyone with enough education to actually get all the jokes finds it all that funny. Where do you stand on "Arrested Development", "30 Rock", and the UK's "Office" and "Extras"... there are some intelligent, witty comedies for you.

[PZ @ May 4th 2008 1:54PM]

agreed. ever read xkcd? now there's a funny comic that requires a whole lot of nerdiness to understand :)

[mattclarkie @ May 4th 2008 4:09AM]

I would never rank it as one of my favourite shows, but it is good for a laugh once a week.

[laney18 @ May 4th 2008 4:54AM]

I also noticed that Howard has the Rock Band drums and Guitar Hero X-plorer lying around in his room

[Justin N. @ May 4th 2008 6:07AM]

I'm almost 100% sure that's an N80, and not an N95. The curves at the top resemble the N80 moreso than the N95, as well as the camera lens being flush with the rear casing (It's also smooth and round, rather than some sharp angles or edges as present on the revised N95-3s). Still, it's hard to tell exactly in this fuzzy shot which it is, especially since the two versions looks very similar in appearance on the backside.

[Adam @ May 4th 2008 6:41AM]

WRONG! The top of the N80 matches the rear of the phone, on the picture above you can see that the top matches the colour surrounding the screen, thus making it a silver N95 not an N80

[Phoenix @ May 4th 2008 8:13AM]

They were using iPhones the other week, why didn't engadget report on that?

ZOMG!!! ENGADGET IS GOING UN-APPLE!!!

[fred @ May 4th 2008 9:36AM]

because they are actually responding to people who wanted to see a greater diversity of gadgets because in the past this series was nothing but "Apple products on screen!!! L@@K!!!".

[Phoenix @ May 4th 2008 9:49AM]

And if they are, then it's a very good thing

[Jubei @ May 4th 2008 11:36PM]

It's good to diversify, unless the items being chosen generate absolutely zero excitement. Except for the ultra geeky N90 series crowd. Show that image to the general public compared to one holding an iPhone and watch the reaction. The iPhone will be recognized immediately the N whatever phone will not. Sorry to burst your bubble there.

[Eric @ May 4th 2008 10:15AM]

Not that I watched it or anything, but NBC's Chuck used an N95 until Apple paid them for an iPhone product placement.

[Brian Weaver @ May 4th 2008 12:31PM]

Actually, Chuck had a N80 in the early episodes of the show, not an N95.

One major N95 user I've noticed on TV is Gwen on Torchwood. The cool part is that they actually show the real UI of the phone and don't overlay some impossible screen using visual effects like many sci-fi shows do.

[Larry Sheldon @ May 4th 2008 12:14PM]

I'm wondering how that girl's picture is gong to work out when she is look if the job at BigLaw

[Josh* @ May 4th 2008 11:14PM]

That made no sense. It was just a bunch of words.

[AlphaTeam @ May 4th 2008 4:07PM]

Can I email life-captures instead of screen grabs? =D

[stew dean @ May 4th 2008 8:05PM]

It's an N95 - does a lot but does it very very badly. I sent mine back after two weeks due to how awful the thing is.

[Magallanes @ May 5th 2008 10:04AM]

Big Bang Theory have audience?

O_o