So far resources permit review only of 2D-maps. But now ppotrebitelite can “visit” the largest cities in the world in photorealistic 3D-mode. “Journey” is the height of bird flight examine any building or other object from all sides. Currently available for 3D-examination only 20 cities, which include Barcelona, ??Boston, Chicago, London, Copenhagen, Florence, Helsinki, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Milan, New York, Oslo, Prague, San Francisco, Stockholm, Toronto, Venice and Vienna. In the future, however, this list will expand considerably.
As seen, the replacement of the main platform, which Nokia uses for its phones, the company will need to release much of its current employees who work on Symbian. The news is quite unpleasant for the Finns, as Nokia is the largest employer in the country, according to data redundancy of local unions can claim the thousands of jobs. How exactly, however, will clearly understand the end of April when the company will start to plan layoffs.
Standard for Nokia in every respect monoblock with QWERTY-keyboard. The design is simple and restrained, for contrast, there are three color variants of the model – dark gray, gold and bright pink (Slate Grey, Golden White, Hot Pink). When golden and white version has elements that the other two options were black.
The device has dimensions 115.5 x 58.1 x 13.6 mm. and weighs 114 grams. Typically for this type of housing units is wide, the phone fits comfortably in your palm. The construction quality is executed, no gaps or unstable elements. The hull is made mainly of plastic back cover is metal. Display plastic covering is soft and can be easily scratched with careless use.
At the top of the device will find 2-millimeter output charger and 3.5-millimeter headphone output. Left you will see microUSB-output slot and chip cards microSD, and both are covered with plastic caps. The apparatus is about 55 MB internal memory available to the consumer, the amount of memory is 64 MB. Supported chip cards up to 8 GB, the standard kit is included card of 2 GB.
Keyboard
The keyboard consists of 37 buttons, plus two buttons to access messages and phone book that can be set for quick access to other submenus. Have two modes – a short and long press, and can be set up links to different functions for both types of commands. Function keys themselves are narrow, but after a little practice are comfortable to use. QWERTY-keyboard is perfectly realized, the buttons are pressed and have a comfortable soft convex shape. Backlight is white and uniformly distributed, the symbols are read with ease in different conditions.
Display
The display is TFT with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels (2.4 inches diagonal), playing to 262,000 colors. Holds up to 6 lines of text in some modes can be displayed up to 14 text lines with small print. Due to its size and decent readable display interface can be used in sunlight. The viewing angle is not too wide. Picture quality is average, but since the apparatus is not intended for viewing video, it is not too significant deficiency.
Battery
The battery is lithium-ion BL-5J with capacity of 1320 mAh. Manufacturers guarantee up to 800 hours of standby time and up to 7 hours talk time.
In real terms the unit worked about 3.5 days to 1.5 hours talk generally about twenty photographs, video 2 minutes and 3 hours listening to music and radio. Battery charges fully in about 2.5 hours. The device provides up to 28 hours for music playback, up to 4.5 hours when surfing the Internet via EDGE and up to 30 hours listening to the radio.
Camera
The camera is 2 megapixel CMOS without AF. Given the cost of such a camera apparatus is appropriate. The interface is horizontally oriented and sufficiently comfortable.
Supported video in 3GP format with 320 x 240 pixels and recording speed 15 frames per second. You can apply effects and shooting video. The resulting images and videos are decent quality for viewing on the phone screen.
Connection quality is good. The power of the speaker and microphone sensitivity are enough to speak normally in different conditions. Ringing volume is above average, less likely to miss a call even in noisy places. Vibration is also above average in power.
The market already has a number of cheap models with QWERTY-keyboard, so the model can hardly rely on mass sales only because of their capacity for entering text. Its price is 90 euros up, for the same money you can buy Samsung C3222 Chat, which supports Dual-SIM, but no Wi-Fi-module. However, models are not direct competitors for its target audience, Nokia C3-00 is sufficiently successful solution. Overall, the product can be defined as a simple phone call with QWERTY-keyboard.
Nokia C1-02 is compact monoblock with dimensions 108 x 45 x 13.8 mm .. It weighs 77.5 grams and can be worn without a problem in every pocket. The hull is made entirely of plastic. The front panel is glossy and stain easily, the keyboard is composed of a large rubber buttons. The model is presented in several color options – black, purple, blue and gray. Around the front panel has a black plastic edge.
The back panel is made from warm to the touch plastic Soft touch. The hull is stable, without gaps and unstable elements. Right you will see output charger and microUSB-port that is covered with a plastic cap.
At the top are the standard 3.5-millimeter headphone and ear for attaching the link. Under the back cover are slots for the SIM-card and extra memory. The camera has 64 MB internal memory and supports microSD chip cards with up to 32 GB.
Keyboard
The navigation unit includes two soft keys, buttons for admission and rejection of calls and 5-way navigation button. All have notable amplitude of movement and are comfortable.
Numeric keys are large enough and situated some distance apart, so not conducive to mistaken presses. Pressed almost noiselessly. Backlight is white, the symbols are read with ease in different conditions.
Display
CSTN display has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels (1.8 inches diagonal), playing to 64,000 colors. Because of the low resolution image quality is mediocre, individual pixels are different to the naked eye.
On display sunlight fades and becomes almost impossible to read. The picture is bright enough and has a decent wide angle, but the colors are changing even in the smallest incline. Overall display stirs nostalgia for the past and has nothing to do with recent advances in technology.
Battery
The battery is lithium-ion BL-5CB with a capacity of 800 mAh. Manufacturers guarantee 20 days work in standby mode and up to 8 hours talk time.
In real terms the unit works about 6 days in a total of two hours listening to music, 20 minutes calls daily and periodic use of other features. In Idle listening battery lasts up to 20 hours.
Testimonials
Connection quality is good. The spokesman was not too powerful, you may not hear well his interlocutor in conversation in a noisy environment. The ring volume is average, the same can be said about the power of vibration.
The cost model is around 55 euros. The device differs from its predecessor Nokia C1-01 especially in the absence of a camera. This is not too big disadvantage because the feature set of Nokia C1-01 were too weak. By contrast, the new model is cheaper and has a ergonomic body and more comfortable keyboard.
Nokia C1-02 is a simplified budget model provided mainly for calls. Pros of the apparatus are its main multimedia capabilities – MP3 player and radio. Unfortunately, the standard kit does not include headphones. 3.5-millimeter output, however, allows arbitrary use headphones of your choice. Another thing you need to buy yourself for listening to music is a chip card.
Hot right application Angry Birds continued to beat records. Within the recent San Francisco conference of game developers Peter Vesterbek said Angry Birds has exceeded 30 million downloads by users of the operating system Android. Moreover, he noted that an estimated 80% of users continue to play the game, which means that the application literally hypnotize “players. Now other companies have shown interest Angry Birds and proposed to create animated series, feature film and board game in the grounds of the application….
The device features an interesting and youthful design and the rear panel of the phone has a powerful speaker. The battery of Nokia X1-00 has a capacity of 1320 mAh and can withstand up to 13 hours talk time, up to 61 days standby and up to 38 hours of music listening. Moreover, the phone has separate controls on the player, 3.5-millimeter headphone, FM-radio, expandable microSD card chip to 16 GB, flashlight and maintenance chrezhi GSM / EDGE. The model is presented in three colors – orange, blue and dark gray. Its dimensions are 112.2 x 47.3 x 16 mm., weighs 91 grams. Apparatus is expected to hit the market in April for about ? 35.
The device has an aluminum shell is extremely thin and is formed with cut lines, which only emphasizes its dimensions. The designer has provided the phone 3.5-inch touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera and a simple interface. The creator of the model, however, does not specify what operating system will run Nokia 31.
Functional model is no different from the original Nokia C5-03. On the rear panel, however, there Illuval feminine pink pattern for which the phone memory is provided and appropriate color themes for the display. The smartphone can be a great gift for 8 March. It has a 3.2-inch touchscreen nHD-display, 5 megapixel camera, processor clock speed 600 MHz and operating system Symbian S60.
During the weekend, several blogs in the mobile sector there have dusted off little touches that have escaped in the flurry of new products introduced during the MWC 2011 in Barcelona. One of these appears to have gone unnoticed by the submission of a new user interface for Symbian shown on a Nokia N8.
It is possible that the new UI with home screen arrivals terminals Symbian ^ 3. Space showing the battery status, signal, time and operator has been reduced to a small bar, the space devoted to widgets has increased and there are three buttons, one of which seems to be a call and options.
Money has been invested to create completely new Symbian terminals, improvements in hardware performance, Qt development, simplified installation and increased user control. Perhaps we were too taken by the Nokia-Microsoft story to notice these details, which should reassure those who fear for the future of Symbian
If you talk or text more then this is exactly the phone you are searching for. Nokia X2 is the high end smartphone which gives allows more talk and messaging capability. With Nokia X8 and other Symbian 3 handsets already buzzing the market with their unique features, Nokia X2 makes an analogue product in the modern age. People have been searching for such phone for a long time and at last Nokia brings it in the market.
Nokia X2 is a compact smartphone with large easy to use buttons and long talk time battery power. It is simple and doesn’t have any complication at all. The phone also has media buttons on the side which allows users to have media control directly on the move.
The most important factor about the phone is long battery life time. Other smartphones do fail to deliver long battery talk time and hence face rejection from the users. Nokia X2 on the other hand comes out efficiently and delivers talk time for a week without charging it. The phone is a must for those who talk more.
People over the past few months have appreciated the phone simplicity and built. Sending a text message and adding a contact has become equally easy for people using this phone. This could be the phone for people who hate complication.
Nokia also has added other exciting features alongside its simplicity. It has got a 5 meg pixel camera which helps in delivery high end videos and images while you are out with friends. It has also got microSD slot which gives the phone extra storage space and also flexibility.
The phone also has FM radio and bluetooth feature. You can connect to wireless bluetooth devices and share files easily. The phone proves that modern smartphone does not need to be complicated in order to store high end features in them. If you have low budget and want a powerful smartphone then Nokia X2 is highly recommended for you.
The phone also has brushed aluminium back which gives a premium touch to the phone. The rest of the body are made up of plastic and has finished black and white and glassy touch. The screen is 2.2 inch large with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The operating system in use is Series 40 which is easy and has simple navigation.
Both the side of the phone are filled with Hot keys which let you control music. From pausing to skipping songs, every control is made available on the side panel. Mailing has always been easy in all Nokia phones, so is the case with Nokia X2 too. This phone also suits people who are busy with their professional life. The simplicity will help them to use their cell phone easily.
The phone is a must for everyone indeed. It has 820 minutes of talk time which is considerably very long. The comfort to use this phone is not embedded in any other smartphones yet, so get some fastcash and give it a try and you will enjoy it.
Nokia, the world’s largest cell phone manufacturer, has at last come up with the cheapest touchscreen nokia handset. Its lower cost doesn’t seems to have got any effect on the amount to features and great offers that comes with it. It is fully money value pack for the customers and a must buy phone. Read on as we disclose the cell features and its latest upgrading.
People now can get a phone worth its value, with Nokia C3-01 touch and type. The strong built quality of the phone is just amazing and people can completely rely on them. The smartphone is built on stainless steel and has metal bezel covering around the screen. It also has a metal plate at the back.
The Nokia C3-01 touch and type is little thicker and stronger than Nokia X3 touch and type who share many similar factors and features. It is 11mm thick which is thicker than many touchscreen handset in the market. The most attracting feature of this cell phone was its thick and large buttons. They were easy to use and flexible too. They are large enough to adjust the fingers and thumbs.
The buttons which were added on the side panel were little annoying. Though they are of high quality and also add great look to the phone but they are little small in size. The lock button especially proves to be little fiddly.
The volume keys, lock buttons and the cameras shutter buttons are added on the side panel of Nokia C3-01 touch and type. This style is very common among most of the Nokia handsets.
The power adopter, 3.5mm headphone socket and a microSD USB port are included on the top of phone. Whereas, the left panel and left panel and the bottom of the phone are kept free from any buttons. This gives a sleek look to the phone and also add to its simplicity.
The screen included with Nokia C3-01 is 2.4 inch large and delivers big, bright and colorful images. Web browsing with this phone may seem a little difficult. Symbian 3 devices usually comes with larger screen unlike Nokia C3-01 touch and type. the touch screen technology which is embedded in the phone makes using it easy as well as exciting.
The absence of navigation buttons on the Nokia C3-01 touch and type was not an issue as touch screens does it all. Navigation is more easy and you will forget navigation buttons.
The phone also has 5 mega pixel camera which is very common these days. So you get a whole lot of features which costlier smartphones gives at the cheapest rate. The camera delivers high end images and videos which can be shared on the Internet directly from the device.
There is another newer version of Nokia C3-01 available in the market, v05.65/0.68 and it’s better to get it if you can afford it, but hey – faxless payday loans is the one that you can count for money . The new version does not adds any new features but it is a bug fix edition to the last version. It also adds more stability to the phone. Nokia claims latest edition to be more faster and smoother.
The Nokia 5230 is a great entry level smartphone. Whether you are new to touch screens or just prefer to stick with the Nokia brand, the 5230 is easy to use, has some great features and is extremely reliable.
If you really want to get the most out of your 5230 and to keep it looking at it’s best for longer, there are a few accessories that you might want to invest in.
Best Nokia 5230 Case:
Capdase Classic Leather Flip Case
If you want a subtle, professional looking case, then these leather cases from Capdase could be just your thing. These classic leather cases do a great job of enhancing and protecting your Nokia 5230. Each case is made for lasting protection and is lightly padded to protect against knocks and drops. Built into the cover of each case is a storage area for additional memory or sim cards. Your phone is held in place with tough plastic clips and all charging ports, buttons and camera are easily accessible.
Capdase Classic Leather Flip Case
Best Nokia 5230 Charger:
Nokia Retractable Charger
You can guarantee that when you really need your phone, the battery will be running low – especially if you’ve been using bluetooth or any GPS applications like Nokia Maps. This handy USB charger can be used to charge your phone using your PC or laptop and can also be attached to a USB Mains Charger Adapter or USB Car Charger Adapter for charging pretty much anywhere.
Nokia Retractable Charger
Best Nokia 5230 Car Holder:
Nokia 5230 Car Pack
If you use your 5230 as your Sat Nav device in the car then I’m sure you’ll know by now that it’s not all that easy without somewhere to mount your phone. This Car Pack has been especially designed for the 5230 and is a great way to secure your phone in the car. A strong suction mount puts your phone exactly where you need it and a car charger makes sure that you don’t run out of power.
Nokia 5230 Car Pack
Best Nokia 5230 Screen Protector:
Martin Fields Screen Protector – Nokia 5230
There’s nothing worse than scratching the screen of your pride and joy. One tiny scuff from keys or coins in your pocket can really spoil your enjoyment of photos and videos on your phone. The Martin Fields screen protector is crystal clear, fitted in seconds and doesn’t interfere with the sensitivity of the touch screen.
Martin Fields Screen Protector – Nokia 5230
Best Nokia 5230 Bluetooth Headphones:
Moor Stereo Bluetooth Headset
One of the best features on the 5230 is it’s music player. It’s simple to use and can be accessed quickly from anywhere. The headphones that come in the box with the 5230 aren’t bad, but if you want to be able to listen to your music without worrying about catching cables on things a pair of Bluetooth Headphones are the way to go. The Moor Stereo headphones are one of my favourite headsets that you can get. They’re small and light, fold away when not in use and have all the controls you’d ever need built into the arms, allowing you to play/pause/track skip and adjust volume levels, all without touching your phone.
Being a Nokia blogger is not as exciting as it was some years ago. Nokia has been playing the “catch-up” game for too long now. They used to be the leader.
I was just playing with my Nokia N93 and I realized why I started a Nokia blog in the first place: they were the ones that came up with the cool gadgets, the innovations – and everyone else played the catch-up game…
But Nokia stopped innovating. Its last effort, the N8, makes me laugh when I compare it to my other phones. In every other aspect, but the camera, the N8 lags behind my Galaxy S, and more recently, my Samsung Focus.
I have to be honest, I sold the N8 I was given by Nokia. I was not using the N8, it was just pretty hardware with an annoying, horrible, and unattractive UI and UX.
I have not given up on Nokia though… There is MeeGo coming, and there are the updates that used to be Symbian 4 coming too… But until Nokia gets my attention back, this blog will remain without updates…..
The first time I heard it I wasn’t too sure about it, but now it’s coming from two different sources, so this has to be true. A tweet from the Editor-In-Chief of MobileBulgaria states that the Nokia X7 “seems” to be an exclusive of AT&T in the United States. In my opinion, this is a strong rumor coming from two sources that have predicted a number of Nokia-related events ahead of time.
If true, these would be excellent news for Nokia here in the US – where they have absolutely zero presence. It will be a tough fight though, the market is already plagued with Droids, iPhone, and now Windows Phone 7 devices; each with a ridiculously strong marketing campaign that we have never seen coming from Nokia. The X7 could do well here, it could also mean that big-company apps would arrive to the Ovi Store together with this US release. More news to come!
We knew that the Nokia X7 was coming because of the roadmap that leaked some months ago; but I personally never thought it would be this exciting. The Nokia X7 first leaked, in picture format anyway, today – showing a glorious 4″ screen, 4 speakers, and what in my opinion is, a sweet looking design.
The most impressive feature of the Nokia X7 is its four speakers. I am sure this four speakers will blow away devices like the HTC Surround with dedicated slide-out speaker. The next most exciting feature is the 4″ AMOLED screen. The X7 still doesn’t have rumored announcement date, but my bet is that it will be announced at the mobile world congress and will ship in no more than 3 weeks after announced, since Nokia now changed to a policy of eliminating the waiting time between announcement and release date of products. Another interesting detail is that there are 4 homescreens on this X7, as well as updated icons. The X7 might run an updated version of Symbian OS. Stay tuned for more details!
Nokia Ovi Suite – the answer of Apple iTunes is already out, and the third version can be downloaded from Nokia Beta Labs. Ovi Suite 3.0 Beta has forged an initial view, and the integration of Ovi Music, improved view of Maps and improved stability.
The new functions in the initial screen include recommended applications and music from Ovi Store. Ovi Music offers all the features of a standard music player, and full integration with the software. Ovi-so much so, (Ovi means “door” in Finnish) should lead us somewhere, but unfortunately it seems that all the integrated functions of the package are very competitive and often better software can be found on the Internet. Check the demo of the latest Ovi Suite in this video and decide for yourself.
So far, information on the top model in the music series X of Nokia were scarce, but at least we knew will be named X7-00. I recently mentioned device in Ovi Store, but the information was quickly removed. While waiting, however, see the first pictures of the phone, he took that appeared in the video. So far details of the technical characteristics are scarce, but based on the attached video of the phone works with the game Need For Speed Shift, we assume that has the same processor and graphics accelerator as in the new devices with Symbian ^ 3. Impress unusual design and the limited number of hardware buttons on the front panel – is the only one who used to access the menu. From the photos it appears that the phone has 8MR camera with dual LED flash, metal body and probably with a diagonal screen 4. Other information says that among the features are built-in 450MB memory, 256MB RAM, battery and fixed for 4 speakers.
The mobile industry has evolved at the rate of years per second in the last couple of months. The competition is fierce, and the range of offerings is wide. This accelerated growth pace, however, has been exclusively in the high-end segment of the market. A market that is now mainstream as mobile internet has become cheaper; smartphones aren’t a niche product anymore. To compete in this market, Nokia came up with the Nokia N8, the most advanced Nokia smartphone ever. Although the N8 does not represent the very top-end of the Nokia line, it is the epitome of all of Nokia’s offerings for the rest of 2010, and first months of 2011.
Hardware
The Nokia N8 has an iconic design. Nokia is one of the few manufacturers that can create something that looks completely different from the rest. The N8 is hardware-wise, one of the most complete smartphones available. It has it all: HDMI-out, USB-OTG, aluminium monoblock design, 12 MP Camera with Xenon and Carl-Zeiss, AMOLED screen, Gorilla-Glass, front-camera, and availability in five different colors. The N8 is beautiful, the design unique, the phone feels solid – it is iconic.
However, Nokia did commit a transcendental mistake when choosing the size of the N8′s screen. It is just too narrow. The N8 has a 3.5” screen, but unlike other spacious 3.5” screens out there, the N8 has a widescreen format that enlarges the length, and shrinks the width. This causes awkward font sizes, practically unusable keyboard layouts, and poor web browsing experience; even the telephone’s numeric keyboard feels tiny. Take as an example the Blackberry Torch: it sports a 3.2” touchscreen that is 4mm wider than the N8′s. While other high-end smartphones feature ample 3.7” and 4.0” touchscreens, the N8 is stuck with a relatively small display.
Battery Life
The Nokia N8 was designed as a monoblock phone, that is, the phone has no movable parts, or even a removable battery. This design has its advantages, the N8 feels like a rock in the hand. However, the battery can’t be removed. The N8 is fed by a 1200mAh battery. The battery life of this device is well above average compared to the rest of smartphones out there. However, the battery is not as long-lasting as it should be – the N8 requires, in most cases, a charge every day.
Camera
The Nokia N8 is the best widely available cameraphone out there. The majority of the shots are impeccable, no matter what the light conditions are. The Xenon flash comes into play and makes a difference when light is scarce. I now actually see other phone’s LED flash as a joke; they are good for absolutely nothing. This will not be a camera review; it is enough to say the N8 is indeed the best cameraphone, period. The only missing feature is touch to focus. It is useful on other phones to touch an object on the screen so the camera focuses on it.
Since I am not a great photographer, taking a look at the N8′s Flickr group might provide a better idea of the power of the N8′s camera
The video camera is extraordinary too. The quality of the sound is specially clear since the N8 has two microphones to record sound. The N8 takes video at 25 ft/sec, a bit behind the widely used 30ft/sec on most smartphones. The quality of the HD video is amazing, and even more surprising, the videos taken with the N8 look great when connected to an HD TV via the HDMI cable.
FM Transmitter, GPS, Memory, Processor, Bands
The N8 comes with a special feature Nokia has been including in some Nseries phones: a built-in FM Transmitter. The idea is to wirelessly stream to a FM radio. Nokia has been a bit un-innovative and has only thought of one application: streaming songs to a FM radio. However, there are other things you can do. For example, you can navigate with Ovi Maps and listen to the directions through your car’s speakers, rather than the phone’s. The FM Transmitter works well. In some cars you will have to do aerobics to find the spot where the N8 can transmit clearly, but once you are connected, the sound is crisp.
The GPS is another extraordinary feature on the N8. The first time I opened Ovi Maps, the GPS got almost an immediate lock. It is probably the fastest-locking phone I have seen. The reception is strong, and power consumption is low in comparison with other phones.
The memory and processor of the N8 have been a debated topic. Some say that is not enough, others say that it is more than enough. The truth is that the N8′s memory and processor are adequate. The N8 supports virtual memory, so the N8 won’t run out of it easily. The processor is fast – multitasking and running several apps at the same time is not a problem. The N8 also has a GPU, a feature present in early Nseries phones, that makes graphic elements perform better.
To wrap-up one of the most beautiful pieces of hardware ever designed, Nokia implemented a penta-band 3G chip in the Nokia N8. This means that you can pop a SIM card in and use the N8 with nearly any GSM carrier around the world. The reception, as usual, is far ahead from the competition. The N8 has great reception where most phones see the bars drop.
Software
So far the N8 seems like an excellent device. Aside from the relatively small screen, the N8 is up there with the rest. But hardware is just 50% of a phone, the rest is software – and things start to turn to a darker shade when the N8′s Symbian^3 is put under the glass. If the Nokia N8 stands out with hardware, it definitely struggles with the software. Mainly, because the UI (user interface), speed, UX (user experience), apps, and wow-cool-factor don’t perform well. To be as clear as possible, I am going to break-up even more the Software chapter in this N8 review.
Speed
The N8 is Nokia’s fastest phone (N900 aside). But the N8 is the industry’s high-end slowest smartphone too. Nokia just hasn’t been able to provide a fast UI that responds immediately to the touch. As an example, I compared a simple web browser open-time in both a Galaxy S running Android 2.1, and the N8. Both from a fresh start, both at the same time. The N8 opens the web browser from the homescreen (averaged from several trials) in 1.41 seconds. In the Galaxy S, it is almost immediate, I couldn’t come up with a time because it just opens when you touch it. Same thing happens throughout the UI. The N8 literally takes a second to respond.
This nuisance has been present in Nokia phones for ages. It was until I came back from Android and didn’t know why I just felt awkward using the N8, that I realized that one second makes the whole difference.
The kinetic scrolling is also impractical. Scrolling long lists like Contacts and E-Mail is just not intuitive. The physics are wrong, the response is not as pleasing as in other platforms. Take as an example the homescreen scrolling method. The user slides across the screen, and is not until a couple of milliseconds later that the screen responds and the homescreen changes. This, by the way, is by design, proof that Nokia can improve by simply asking users what they want.
Web Browser
The web browser in the N8 is unusable. It is probably the darkest stain in the whole product. I would be ashamed being Nokia, and allowing such a mediocre, outdated, and unpractical browser in a flagship product. First of all, the web browser is lacking Flash 10.1, and HTML 5. That by itself renders the N8′s browser behind the rest, but the thing is so bad, that is not even the problem with it. The browser can’t load sites properly – some don’t load at all, they just crash and make the phone unresponsive. The UX is just terrible: users can’t open tabs, going back takes a few clicks, and fonts don’t adjust after zooming.
Text Input
The text-input on the N8 is well behind the industry standards. The N8 is the only widely available, high-end smartphone in 2010 to lack a full portrait QWERTY keyboard. This is a great design mistake, and a great contradiction in Nokia’s own philosophy. Nokia argues that smartphones should be designed to be used with one hand. This is valid, it is practical and convenient. But the N8, by not having a portrait keyboard, forces some users who are not used to T9 to turn the phone to landscape mode in order to use the full keyboard. There are some users, like me, that would rather wait for a computer to be available, than composing an E-Mail using the alphanumeric portrait keyboard on the N8. Here comes a strong argument on why the N8′s screen should have been larger, or have used the regular non-widescreen format. The N8′s screen is just too narrow for a full portrait keyboard to be effectively implemented. And what is a smartphone without an effective text input method capable of satisfying multiple types of customers?
The landscape keyboard isn’t something Nokia should be proud about either. Since the beginning, I could notice that the area for each key wasn’t too generous. The keys are organized in a grid, unlike the normal organization keys have in every keyboard out there (if you look closely to a keyboard, keys are not perfectly aligned). But on top of that, the N8 has an awkward and strange organization of characters. The “enter” and “backspace” keys are totally misplaced at the bottom right corner.
Ovi Services
Nokia finally implemented Ovi with the Nokia N8. The very first thing the N8 asks the user is to sign-in or sign-up for an Ovi account. This is brilliant because syncing makes switching between Nokia phones a breeze. It is also an effective method to offer many services through one name, allowing Nokia to build a brand as a service provider. The Ovi Services in the N8 are Sync, Ovi Store, Ovi Maps, Social, and Music where available. The integration of Ovi with the N8 is excellent. The device stores the password and username, so once you signed-in for the first time, you can forget about signing-in in the rest of the services.
Nokia has come up with an “Ovi by Nokia” logo that shows up every time an Ovi Service is fired up. It is basically a blank screen lacking animations that shows the user the Ovi logo for an average of 12 seconds every time an Ovi Service is started. The logo is shown when starting the Ovi Store and Social. Fortunately, and amazingly, the logo does not show up for Ovi Maps. Now, my question is, whose idea was this? Boring the user with a 12 second screen without fancy animations is a bad idea. If Ovi Maps, a far more complex app, can start without a logo, Ovi Store could do too.
Ovi Maps
Ovi Maps is, perhaps, the strongest positive point in the N8′s software. Ovi Maps definitely deserves praise. The service has grown from being just a map application, to a hub of location based services. From Ovi Maps, the user can get access to Weather, travel guides from Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, Insight Guides, Expedia, Bookatable, and many more services. An important observation, is that even with all that new functionality, Ovi Store keeps being the amazing navigation app that it was meant to be. Since GPS locking is really fast in the N8, navigating with it is a pleasure, a free pleasure. Nokia played very well its cards by making Ovi Maps navigation a free service on new Nokia devices. The user can even download any map from the Ovi Suite for free. With this feature, roaming charges remain zero, and lack of carrier coverage doesn’t pose as a problem while navigating remote areas. The navigation on the N8 is accurate – there are plenty of POIs; and, searching almost comes up with something. Unfortunately, Google Maps still has more results than Ovi Maps. The navigation voices on the N8 are the best on any phone, you can even program your own voice, or choose from a variety of celebrity voices. All in all, the N8 is probably the best GPS replacement phone out there.
Ovi Store
Ovi Store is a mixed bag of opinions. For the most part, the Ovi Store is an intuitive and fast application that offers a great user experience. The scrolling on the Store is comparable to that of other platform’s; it is smooth and works how it is supposed to work – it is by far the best kinetic scrolling experience on the N8. The design of the app is current, using it is a pleasant experience. The negative aspects, however, do outweigh the positive points. Starting with a 12 second mandatory Ovi Logo is already a minus. But is the lack of quality applications what makes the Ovi Store unexciting. It is obvious since opening the Ovi Store, that most of the apps in the front page don’t really look interesting. The Store is crowded with RSS feeds (there are even some Facebook feeds in there), wallpapers, ringtones, videos, and podcasts that don’t belong to an app catalog. Searching for titles one would expect to be available for a smartphone like the N8, also fails: Kindle, eBay, Pandora, Google Earth, WordPress, a simple parcel tracker, Epocrates, Epicurious, and thousands of cool apps and games other platforms have, aren’t available at the Ovi Store. This lack of applications creates a mindset in the user that any search on the Ovi Store will be unproductive; unfortunately, most times this will be the case. The lack of app updates is also a major problem that Nokia has to address. On other platforms, the user is notified when app updates are available. This is really useful because app bugs are fixed, and often features are added.
It is worth mentioning that Nokia is making an effort to bring more apps to the Ovi Store. In fact, there are some excellent paid HD Games available right now. Calling all Innovators North America also looks promising; it might finally bring the titles mentioned above, and many more to Symbian and MeeGo powered smartphones. We will have to wait and see how the Ovi Store will populate after the contest is over.
Social
The Nokia N8 comes with a Social Networking app called “Social.” It is an Ovi Service, that provides Twitter and Facebook support on the N8. The service also has the ability to link contacts in the phone book, with a contact on Twitter or Facebook. The linking doesn’t work in the way an user would expect it to work. You can only link one contact at a time, and there is no way to sync all contacts from any of the social networks into the N8′s phone book.
The app by itself is slow. While using Social, the lag is very noticeable; selected elements highlight a second after being pressed. Scrolling, which should be flawless in an app like Twitter, is horrendous. There is also a limit on how many Tweets you can go back to, it won’t show more than around 100 tweets. There is also the capability of uploading pictures and videos straight from the camera application, however, there is no description field. You will have to tag, and describe the pic you uploaded from a computer.
The Social app on the N8 is a big letdown. The app is slow, very slow. It lacks real power, and is just not intuitive or fun to use.
Multitasking
The Nokia N8 can handle a lot of tasks at the same time; and, unlike other platforms, the N8 has *real multitasking. The N8 doesn’t have any problems running 35+ tasks at the same time. The multitasking feature is accessed by long pressing the menu button, which opens a carousel with visual multitasking. The only problem with how multitasking works, is that when there are more than 20 apps open, scrolling through the tiles to find the desired app can be tedious. The N8 only shows 2 tiles in one screen; it would be better if Symbian had a more Maemo-like approach and position tiles in a grid.
Nokia Messaging
Nokia Messaging is an awesome service Nokia has been supporting for now a while. It lets you configure you mailbox, and receive emails as soon as they are sent to you. And it is pretty impressive, emails even show first on Nokia Messaging than on my Gmail webmail client. The only thing Nokia Messaging hasn’t been able to get right, is the UI of the application. To start, and you will see a pattern here, is the sluggish scrolling on Nokia Messaging. It is not smooth enough, the mails actually flick while scrolling. The unread emails aren’t that well distinguished from the rest, and threaded conversations are missing. I also got errors while trying to download attachments. Fonts are inconsistent when opening emails. Basic emails are rendered with a readable font, but newsletter and other complex emails will have a tiny font that is really hard to read.
Conclusion
The Nokia N8 is a whole new flavor of Nokia phone. It is a phone that Symbian fans will surely enjoy. But for the rest of the people, there will be more appealing options among competitor’s portfolios (unless having the best camera-phone is a must). It is evident Nokia did a great job evolving Symbian, and designing top quality hardware to launch the Nokia N8. But, those efforts were not enough to put the N8 among the hot devices of the market. The Nokia N8 is far behind in terms of user experience from Android and iOS.
Special: Since Nokia has changed its strategy to continuously update Symbian, there is the potential that many substantial changes are made to the N8 in the upcoming months. There will be a new review if this is the case.
The Nokia C7 is Nokia’s answer to fill a gap that has come about in the Nokia product range below the very popular N-series phones. The Nokia C7 has most of the high-end features that are seen on the new Nokia N8, but it will not cost the earth to buy, hence it would be the perfect choice for budget conscious buyers.
The Nokia C7 deals a 3.5 inch screen that was previously seen in the Nokia N97, but it is now better since it is the latest AMOLED technology screens that are much brighter and offer great colours than ever before. Also, this touch screen is capacitive, which means that you can do multi-touch functions in this phone. As this phone runs on the new Symbian 3 operating system, you can have up to three home screens, which can be customized based on your needs. This means that you can have all your shortcuts on the home screen itself.
The camera too is an upgrade over the Nokia N97 and it is an 8 megapixel one. The camera has 16:9 viewfinder, and comes with 3rd generating dual LED flash. This means that you take stunning pictures even indoors or low light conditions. The camera can also shoot videos in 720p HD mode at 25 fps. Nokia has equipped the C7 with internal memory of 8GB, which can also be expanded to 32GB using micro-SD cards that can be inserted into the expansion slots that are provided. Geotagging of pictures option is also available, so you can exactly find the location the picture was taken.
The Nokia C7 has been launched in the UK market only a few weeks ago and it will be available in no-contract option for ?389, while with a phone contract the price is just ?25 per month.
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