Diaries of a Nokia Fan Boy

OK, so the N900 is finally, officially, released; and we didn’t even have to wait until September 2nd! Well looking at the specs, we see that this is quite a powerful machine, but that it is also far too big and heavy to use as a daily cellphone. Also, looking at the 3G frequencies, it appears as if the device will be coming out for T-Mobile’s network and the European networks. Shame that it won’t work on Rogers.

• WVGA: 848×480, 3.5″, 16M color screen
• Proximity sensor
• Accelerometer
• 32GB onboard memory
• microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• 256MB RAM
• ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz
• PowerVR SGX graphics
• Maemo 5
• 3G @ 900 / 1700 / 2100
• HSDPA 10MBps / HSUPA 2MBps
• WiFi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth v2.1 (w. A2DP)
• microUSB 2.0
• 5MP Carl Zeiss camera
• Dual LED flash
• WVGA (848×480) video @ 25fps
• TV-out (unknown resolution)
• GPS with A-GPS
• Digital Compass
• Stereo FM Radio with FM Transmitter
• 1320mAh battery (for unknown talk/standby time)
• Weight: 181g
• Dimensions: 110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm, 113 cc
• Expected price: 500 Euro

So this little gem is indeed quite nice, however it also costs quite a bit. Its too big to use as a cell phone, but too expensive to use alongside a dedicated cell phone. It would, I suppose, work well as an in-car computer for music, navigation, etc. but there are some cheaper options out there (with larger screens I might add). But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. It would have been nice to see the Rogers 3G frequencies on here, but I guess we’ll have to wait for a different version of the device.

-Nokia FanBoy

detailed specs on GSMArena
via: Engadget (read)

Well it looks like the seal on the Booklet 3G news is more leaky than a sieve! Some more info coming to us from NetbookNews and UMPC World. Lets leave the best for last and start with the specification update.

First of all, it looks like a safe bet that the CPU is an Atom Z530 (1.6GHz dual-core). That’s not necessarily a bad thing, its a pretty decent processor.

Second, the HDD is going to be 120GB. This implies that its going to be a disk drive, and not a solid state. Which is a shame because the solid state would have fared much better, as well as increased the battery life even further. To be perfectly honest, its a mystery how they’re getting 12 hours considering they have a dual-core processor and a disk drive :S

Third, and this is more of a speculation, the machine is likely to have 1GB RAM, and I am inferring this mostly from the CPU, the HDD and the fact that its a high-definition screen.

Fourth, it is quite likely that the battery isn’t going to be 12 hours, maybe closer to 6 hours with light usage, which is closer to the truth, and sounds like most other netbooks out there.

Since there are a lot more points mentioned I will just go on to the last one: the price. The Booklet is expected to have a price of $799, which, by any standards, is not acceptable for a netbook, even one as nicely outfitted as this. I believe that in order for this device to survive, it will have to be priced in the sub-$500 range, then it will have a fighting chance with the HP Mini’s, Acer One’s, and AI TouchBook’s of the world. Of course, the Booklet is meant to be subsidized by carriers, but the problem is, so are the other netbooks, and some are less than half the price! (the HP Mini 10.1″ is $350 at Costco across the street from me)

So in short, the specs are more disappointing than I would have hoped for, and if Nokia prices it at $799 the Booklet will die rather quickly. Especially considering its only differentiation is aluminum chassis, 3G, Bluetooth, GPS, and HD (720p?) display with HDMI out. In today’s world that just isn’t enough for a netbook to be priced in that range.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: UMPC Portal (read)
and: Netbook News (read) – warning: non-english

Finally, an announcement from Nokia that wasn’t first leaked by Eldar. The cheap version of the 5230 might be exactly what the doctor ordered for those looking for a touch-screen phone on-the-budget. However there are a couple things to consider:

1. Specification differences
2. Lack of XpressMusic moniker
3. Speed of post-release price drop

Specification Differences:
Now, we all know that its not necessarily the specifications that make the phone, however in this case they do have some implications. See here for a full list of specification differences, but here are some of the highlights:

• Identical screen size and resolution
• Identical body size, but 6g heavier
• Less internal storage (and RAM also?)
• microSD card slot, no included memory card
• Similar connectivity, however no WiFi
• Both have GPS and include Nokia Maps 2
• 2MP Camera w/out flash (vs. 3.2MP with flash)
• No TV-out
• Identical battery, but shorter talk time
• Unknown: CPU, RAM

As you can see, the specifications are nearly identical, however there are a couple key differences: lack of WiFi, cheaper camera without a flash, no TV-out. Of course if you, like me, have a good data plan, you do not need WiFi. And the 3.2MP camera was never sufficient anyway, so the downgrade there isn’t a big deal either. And the TV-out functionality was not on a priority list, so that too will not be missed. Besides that, the specifications are so similar that I would almost suggest buying the 5230.

Lack of XpressMusic moniker
And if it wasn’t for this point, I would, without question, go out and buy this device. However this is a bit of a sore point for me. Since I enjoy listening to music on my phone (I don’t have a dedicated MP3 player), audio quality is important to me, and I fear that the lack of the the XpressMusic moniker will be this device’s demise in the audio department. Of course, I’m not prejudiced, this is simply my belief, and I hope that the good people at GSMArena put the phone through its paces and compare the audio quality of the two phones (the other being the 5800 XpressMusic).

Until such a time as a good comparison can be made, the only speculation I can have on the audio quality is that it must be at least decent with the option of inclusion of the Comes With Music service as one purchase option.

Speed of post-release price drop
Just like with the 5530 XpressMusic, the device’s success will lie in its price point. If I was to check the prices right now, I would see that the 5530 XM is either more expensive than the 5800 XM (Plemix – 5530 @ $415 CAD, 5800 @ $359 CAD), or is only marginally cheaper (Mobile604 – 5530 @ $365 CAD, 5800 @ $369 CAD). And that does not bode well seeing as how the 5800 XM is actually the superior device. Of course, the 5530 XM is still dropping price, and much in the same way I expect the 5230 to come out at a slightly heightened price point, and then quickly drop in the following 1-2 months.

The expected price of the 5230 (without Comes With Music) is 149 Euro ($230 CAD), which does not leave a lot of room for the price to drop. Which makes me question will the phone enter the market at something closer to $400 CAD and then drop to its expected price, or will it enter at its expected price and only slightly drop? Really, either one is satisfactory, however I would not pay more than $250 CAD for the phone.

Nokia 5230 Colors

Conclusion
So what is the conclusion of this rather long rant? While the spec differences are of little consequence, it is the missing XpressMusic moniker that may be the demise of this little phone. But of course everything depends on price, and as such, we will have to wait and see when it comes out. As for now, check out the video below:

-Nokia FanBoy

via: press release
and: Engadget (read)

Yet again we see Mobile-review with a copy of a device which not only hasn’t been released, but hasn’t even been announced yet! This time he got a hold of the Nokia N97 Mini. With this we see the confirmation of the device’s existence as well as a glimpse at the differences in the spec list:

• Smaller overall size
• No D-pad on slide-out keyboard
• Smaller keys on QWERTY keyboard
• Metal battery cover
• No camera slider
• 8GB internal memory (vs 32GB on N97)
• Approx. 100 Euro cheaper

The difference in the spec list isn’t exactly all that amazing. In fact, for a difference of only 100 Euro’s I wouldn’t consider this over the original N97, however it would be nice to see a comparison shot (M-R doesn’t provide one). My overall feeling about the device is quite similar to Eldar’s – the device isn’t all that impressive, and while the build quality is better than the N97, I would prefer the N97 still.

Read the review for more details.

N97 Mini vs 5730

N97 Mini vs N900

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Mobile-Review (read)

Ok, so we all know that Nokia was planning to enter the netbook/notebook market, and apparently it did so by creating a “Booklet”. The Nokia Booklet 3G is basically a slightly more powerful netbook (for an unknown price). Nokia’s Exec. VP for Devices, Kai Oistamo, had this to say about the Booklet 3G:

A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility. We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all day, always on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling. In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, more helpful and more personal.

I must admit, the device itself looks quite appealing, with a very understated yet elegant simplicity. Indeed the device does remind us of a somewhat older, more classic, Nokia design. The Booklet 3G has some fairly impressive specs to be competing with the netbooks of today:

Nokia Booklet 3G

• Atom CPU
• 10.1″ HD Display
• Built-in Webcam
• HDMI Out
• Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/3G/HSDPA
• Several USB ports, 3.5mm audio out
• SD card reader (SHDC? SDXC?)
• Integrated A-GPS with Ovi Maps!
• 12hr battery life
• 2cm thick
• 1.25kg
• unconfirmed: Windows 7

The specs look really promising, in fact this would be the perfect in-car computer, depending, of course, on what kind of hard-drive it has. For the complete spec list and price info we’ll have to wait until Nokia World 09.

I was just thinking about the target market for this, and I realised that the potential is quite large. Students that prefer to have an always-on internet connection or that require GPS in their laptop could definitely use this. Of course while most universities now offer campus-wide Wi-Fi, this would be great for completing projects on the bus. And just like for exchange-students that would be greatly helped by GPS when navigating strange cities, travelling Businessmen would also find this feature quite helpful. However for the businessmen the built-in 3G would be more helpful for accessing internet en-route to a client’s location or at the client’s location during, say, a presentation (basically same reason someone would get the USB 3G stick).

The battery life in this beast is also quite impressive, and even more so considering how light it is. However, I would be quite interested to find out just how HD the Booklet’s 10.1″ HD screen is.

As for now, we have a video and a gallery for you to peruse.

Nokia Booklet 3G Back	Nokia Booklet 3G Blue	Nokia Booklet 3G Camera
Nokia Booklet 3G Colours	Nokia Booklet 3G Group	Nokia Booklet 3G HDMI
	Nokia Booklet 3G Open

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Nokia Conversations (read)
and: Engadget (read)
and: Symbian-Freak (read)
and: GSMArena (read)