Diaries of a Nokia Fan Boy

We’re all quite familiar with Sony Ericsson’s Bluetooth watches, and of the little patch that allows us Nokia users to use SE’s watches on our phones. And of course now we’re getting previews of Blackberry’s own Bluetooth watch. So it begs the question: ‘Why not Nokia?’ I mean its not like there wouldn’t be a market for it. The development of the Symbian application for interfacing with Sony Ericsson’s watches clearly indicates that there is a need amongst Nokia users for such a watch. I know I, for one, would buy it. I seriously considered getting SE’s watch and interfacing it, but decided against it due to the brand. (actually, I’m kind of curious how many of my readers would be interested in purchasing a Nokia Bluetooth watch, but not a Sony Ericsson Bluetooth watch?)

We’ve seen Nokia’s Morph concept which incorporates the entire cell phone into a watch/phone hybrid:

And this is all fine and dandy, but I would like to see something real! Lets start with the new SE phones for instance: they have a Classic, Music and Executive editions. Nokia could come out with something for their X, E, and N-series devices. As for some innovative features come out with a navigation special watch – displaying a map, the next direction, or a compass while navigating to a given destination. Maybe include a basic touchscreen OLED with some gestures so as to reduce the number of buttons and improve sunlight legibility. Use the wrist strap to house an extended battery to keep the watch somewhat slim. And include voice recognition to make calls via Bluetooth headsets, or compose/reply to messages and emails, even start programs and navigate to specific locations. And, of course, control music.

Basically make it so that the phone can sit in the wearer’s pocket for most of the day. I know that SE’s watches are made to provide only the most basic functionality, while BB’s watch is supposed to allow to make a decision whether the message/email can wait 15 minutes or if you need to stop what you’re doing to reply. I think Nokia can provide a watch to go even further and provide some pretty impressive functionality.

As an afterthought, Nokia could even incorporate some interesting notification methods – instead of using small speakers, or noisy vibrations, instead silently contract the wrist strap or provide a small electric stimulation to the hand. Of course the latter would have many implications that would need to be considered.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: my twisted imagination.

[caption id="attachment_489" align="alignright" width="150" caption="WPC: Qi"][/caption]The Wireless Power Consortium got a heavy hitter backing it up last week: Nokia decided to join the consortium as a full member. This means that we could very well be looking for Qi-enabled devices in the not too distant future. Of course Nokia keeps its politics “correct”, but I think if the consortium comes out with a good standard, Nokia won’t pass up the opportunity to join Palm’s Pre in the wireless charging game.

It would appear that both Nokia and the Wireless Power Consortium are pretty happy with the new alliance:

“As the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer and leader in mobile telecommunications, Nokia brings a new dimension to the Consortium. This significantly expands the potential market traction of the Qi wireless charging standard,”

- Menno Treffers, Chairman, Wireless Power Consortium

“Wireless charging technology carries significant potential to enhance consumer experience of battery charging. Consumers expect ease of use and general compatibility of mobile devices. By joining the Wireless Power Consortium, Nokia continues to support the open standards approach that aims to meet these consumer expectations. Wireless Power Consortium is the first serious effort by the leading companies to harmonize the wireless charging technologies.”

Markku Verkama, Director, Devices R&D, Nokia

- Nokia FanBoy

press release (PDF)
via: Engadget Wireless (read)

So I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while. I’ve used my Android-based HTC Magic for about a month’s time, and I’ve posted up what I felt about it in comparison to my Symbian-based Nokia N95 8GB. But now I went back to my N95 8GB and have for about a month’s time.

My first impression going back to the Symbian phone was really more of a “It’s good to be home” feeling. But after using it for a while I realised just how much more thought out the OS really is. Not only does it allow for some customization not available on the Android, but it runs better. Its much more stable, running for days, if not weeks, without crashing or having to reboot. There are no major memory leaks, and multi-tasking on it is a joy!

Besides that OS, the hardware is much more impressive. I rarely used my Magic’s camera, but the camera on my N95 8GB has such impressive quality that I never have to think whether I will need a camera wherever I am going. Text messaging on this phone is much more pleasant due to the addition of a hardware keyboard.

I must say, however, that Android does have its pluses, and so does the Magic. For one, the Android market is easier to use than the Ovi Store, even considering that the Android market has a terrible search. Also the applications available on the market are better – I downloaded some music players and, while they didn’t improve audio quality/support, they did add some interesting functionality such as immediate lyrics or song suggestions. At the same time, I really liked how HTC allows you to upgrade the OS via a ROM file. Different OS versions out there come with their ups and their quirks. While I didn’t like the fact that the quirks seemed to be quite large and annoying, I did enjoy being able to install a new firmware when it came out because I know someone had ported it (I am referring to my v20 N95-4 when N95-2 is on v30+).

Since I’ve been using my N95 8GB, Mike has been using my Magic and has found some even more fascinating programs. For example, he found a spectrometer that kept us amused for an hour, playing different songs into it and seeing the visual representation – it was quite interesting to see how much richer a voice is compared to an instrument.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction that Symbian is going in, and whether Nokia should consider other OS’s. To be honest, I think that there is a lot of potential in Symbian, and I hope that Nokia draws that potential out. But operating systems such as Android have already built on that potential and are already available, which will make things much more difficult for Nokia. I think that Nokia is doing well to stand by its operating system, especially considering how stable and efficient it really is, but it won’t be easy to win against the new hot shots on the block.

Also, things I would like to see on Nokia devices:

• Easily and safely exchangeable OS versions (a la HTC phones)
• Much higher support for applicatoins, more so those centered around entertainment
• Smaller, lighter, sexier touch screens (X6 is definitely an improvement)

Well these are my thoughts for a Saturday afternoon,

-Nokia FanBoy

Ok, so its been a busy week and its not looking like today is going to be any quieter. Thus, I will only update on the important things, and only mention the main points.

Qt, the development suite that Nokia acquired a while back, has added multitouch and gesture support for its 4.6 release. This applies to Nokia’s Symbian and Maemo powered devices. Actually this precludes aa interesting point, namely, this means that there will be Symbian and Maemo powered devices with multitouch capable screens. This can be achieved either by using a capacitive screen, or by using Stantum’s technology on resistive screens. Now we already know that Nokia is using capacitive screens, the Nokia X6 is an example, however I do hope that Stantum’s technology gets incorporated as that would still allow for use of a stylus.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Symbian-Freak (read)

Nokia’s capacitive-touchscreen-wielding, XpressMusic-replacing, 32GB X6 is supposed to come with a mandatory CWM subscription, inflating the price of the phone. Now lets face it, this is a service that most of us will not require because we already have our music collections obtained by “various” means. Thus, having to pay for a service we likely get for free is somewhat “less-than-smart”. So we get a cheaper variant of the X6 to the rescue: one that “Comes Without Music”, but also comes without half of the internal memory. Now the memory won’t be an issue if the phone sports a MicroSD reader, otherwise it may be a sore point. And to be honest, I would rather have the MicroSD reader and have to buy my own memory than have no card reader and 16GB built-in. At any rate, the CWM 32GB X6 is expected to be priced at an insane 530 GBP ($940 CAD), and the CWM-less 16GB variant to be price at a less-insane-but-still-outrageous 345 GBP ($610 CAD). I guess we’ll have to wait and see just how fast that price ends up dropping post-release.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Symbian Freak (read)
Also check out Engaget’s hands-on.

Ok, so I don’t have that much time today so I apologize right away for any posts that seem to be poorly researched or don’t add much more to the existing information.
Nokia released new firmware for the N97, which makes the decision ever so much more difficult again: N97 original or N97 Mini? Of course, it is expected that Nokia continue to update firmware of its flagship devices (except for N95-4 apparently – I want my v31 damn it!), and with every update the device will gain new competitive edges. When I hacked Rogers-branded N95-4 and upgrade from v11 to v20 I gained a number of improvements, including surprising ones such as greatly improved battery life. But in the case of N97 vs. N97 Mini the firmware update brings joy to existing N97 owners, and headaches to those undecided between the two devices. Take a look at the video if you’re unsure whether to upgrade your existing device, or which device to get in the first place.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Engadget (read)

Seems that there are a number of hands-on videos out on the interwebs now, and while most of what they show isn’t anything new, there are some that show neat tid bits of information.

In the X6 hands-on the reviewer shows an interesting function of the music player that allows you to select your mood and plays the corresponding music from your library. Actually seems like a really useful feature, sort of reminds me of a similar music player for Android (see my earlier Android reviews). The X3 doesn’t actually seem to bring anything new to the table.

The Booklet 3G doesn’t show anything new either, however it does provide a nice overview of the hardware and shows you the relative size. The device does look quite attractive, although the screen could have been bigger. You can also see the size of the battery at the bottom, and to be honest, my hopes are up that it will be able to run for 12 hours of decent usage, not just a 12 hour standby sort of thing.

The N900 preview is actually quite interesting, even if the preview is more of Maemo 5 preview than the N900 itself . The OS has multiple desktops, and kind of reminds me of Android, which was my first interaction with that sort of system. The dashboard shows running programs and appears to be well designed, but of course only time and usage will tell. Anyway, I won’t spoil anything for you so just take a look at the video.

The N97 Mini preview is also somewhat telling, but more so because I would like to see the Maemo 5 UI on the device instead. Besides that there isn’t anything new on the video.

- Nokia FanBoy

via: Engadget (read)

So Nokia finally released the official spec’s to the N97 Mini. Since I’ve covered the phone a couple times already I’ll just say what I’m thinking:

First of all, the phone sports a Quad-band HSDPA!! I’m pretty sure that’s a first somewhere along the lines, and even if it isn’t, its still damn impressive. The screen is smaller, sure, at 3.2″ you won’t be able to see things as clearly, but the phone itself is nicely smaller, with dimensions of 113 x 52.5 x 14.2 mm and a weight of 138g, the phone should make the original N97 feel like a beast. And finally, the phone sports a smaller battery at 1200mAh, which is a down-side, but not an overly large one. The phone still sports decent talk and standby times. The biggest downfall, however, is the price: 450 Euro (or $710 CAD). Especially considering that I can pick up the full sized N97 for less than that. Lets just hope the price falls quickly and more people can afford it.

So would I pick up the phone? I might, if the price was more reasonable, but its certainly going to give the original N97 a run for its money. Wait… is that a good thing?

-Nokia FanBoy

via: GSMArena (read)
and: Engadget (read)

So today is the big day of the Nokia World 09 show. And it appears that Nokia officially unveiled the Xseries with two new models: the X3 and the X6. The series is an obvious replacement of the XpressMusic moniker, and the X6 appears to be replacing the 5800 XpressMusic. In an odd move, Nokia went for the single-digit model numbers for the new Xseries, however I expect that will change after a couple more releases.

Nokia X6: the touch
The replacement to the 5800 XM improves on the old model in a number of ways:

• The X6 is slimmer: 13.8mm vs. 15.5mm
• Uses a capacitive touch screen vs. resistive
• Sports 32GB internal storage vs. 81MB
• Upgrades to a 5MP shooter from a 3.15MP
• And adds on a second LED for dual LED flash
• Adds support for geotagging
• Includes Ovi Maps 3.0 vs. Nokia Maps 2.0
• Uses the updated S60 5th UI

On the downside, the phone weighs 13g more (122g), however that’s not too much of an issue. What I did find impressive, however, is that Nokia managed to get virtually identical battery life despite using a capacitive touch screen, which tends to be a little power hungry. The phone does, sadly, lose the microSD card slot, which would have been nice to have on occasion.

Overall, however, the phone looks pretty impressive and I’m sure it will be lots of fun to play with. By the looks of it, the S60 5th UI is the same one as on the cheap-o 5230, so I think I will still go for that as my next phone. Especially considering the X6 is expected to be shipped out at 459 Euros ($725 CAD), which is more than what the N97 is currently worth!

Nokia X3: the slider
The Nokia X3 looks to be replacing the 5610 XM, and the specifications are fairly similar. The phone actually looks to be even a bit of a downgrade from its XM-branded ancestor. The Nokia X3:

• Loses 3G
• Loses the vibrant 16M color screen for a 256K color screen
• Downgrades to a 860mAh battery from 900mAh
• Loses autofocus on the 3.2MP snapper for an enhanced fixed focus
• Is only able to record QCIF@15fps video vs. VGA@15fps

On the upside, the phone

• Sheds 8g for a 103g weight
• And slims down to 14.1mm thickness from 17mm

Besides that the phones are virtually identical. It is interesting to compare the two bodies, as the Xseries line-up seems to bring a complete redesign of the phone’s exterior. Although to be honest, I’m not entirely sure if I like the X3’s look vs. 5610 XM’s; however the X6 does look much better than the 5800 XM. The pricing of the X3 is much more radical however, shipping out at 115 Euros (or $181 CAD).

So what do you guys think? Do you like the new redesigns? And would you get either phone for yourself?

-Nokia FanBoy

via: GSMArena (see X6 and X3)
and: Engadget (read 1 and 2)

Just read a very interesting article by Switched On about the positions that Nokia and Microsoft have taken in their opposing fields and the implications it may have on their current agreement:

If this month has taught us anything, it’s that Microsoft and Nokia are both determined to play across the full array of mobile devices whether they engage each other with handshakes or hand grenades.

Have a read through it, its quite interesting.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Engadget (read)