Hey All,
I'm looking at getting a new phone from 3 (UK) and i am torn between either the Nokia 6680 or the Motorola A1000. I am familiar with Series 60 but have had no experience with UIQ before specifically models on 3 and their weird access stuff, so i have a few questions

1) I understand that the walled garden exists on 3, and so i can't get onto the internet with the handset. does 3 provide any sort of access to services such as MSN Messenger which run through mobile internet (well they do on series 60/ o2) or is it slightly different with 3?

2) I remember reading when the first morotola UIQ phone came out there was all this business about it not being able to run applications "unsigned" by 3. is this still the case for the A1000? I've been browsing around and can't say i've heard of any issues,

3) Is the movie player capable of landscape, fullscreen video? does something like smartmovie exist for UIQ or a similar application?

4) How's the battery life? (this could be the killer)

5) Is it true that input is restricted to handwriting and querty input? is there no ability to display a standard 9-button keypad on the display allowing me to use T9 with my hands? (i have small enough hands, i think hehe)

6) oh is the firmware upgeradable by me (legally i mean) like the P900 is? or does it have to be sent away to have it flashed?


Finally has anyone used both the 6680 and the A1000 and could offer me some insight into which is best?

Thanks for your time

Chris

Hey All,
I'm looking at getting a new phone from 3 (UK) and i am torn between either the Nokia 6680 or the Motorola A1000. I am familiar with Series 60 but have had no experience with UIQ before specifically models on 3 and their weird access stuff, so i have a few questions

1) I understand that the walled garden exists on 3, and so i can't get onto the internet with the handset. does 3 provide any sort of access to services such as MSN Messenger which run through mobile internet (well they do on series 60/ o2) or is it slightly different with 3?I cant find a way of accessing any internet content other than emails unfortunately. If you really want this it would be worth asking 3.

2) I remember reading when the first morotola UIQ phone came out there was all this business about it not being able to run applications "unsigned" by 3. is this still the case for the A1000? I've been browsing around and can't say i've heard of any issues,Dont know I haven't tried.

3) Is the movie player capable of landscape, fullscreen video? does something like smartmovie exist for UIQ or a similar application?This one I know! It will go into landscape mode which is termed "fullscreen" however there are still rows of icons either side (top and bottom) of the screen. It is a fair chunk of the screen thats used for videos though.

4) How's the battery life? (this could be the killer)Standby Time : up to 200 hours and Talktime : up to 225 mins is quoted on the website. Things like whether bluetooth is enabled and how long the screen stays on after inactivity make a difference as well as signal coverage strength. Its a bit like asking how long is a piece of string. If you get one on contract you have 14 days to return it if you change your mind - that should allow for lots of testing.

5) Is it true that input is restricted to handwriting and querty input? is there no ability to display a standard 9-button keypad on the display allowing me to use T9 with my hands? (i have small enough hands, i think hehe)I've not found any other method of input apart from what you mention. Whats T9? I've found the current system OK but then I dont input novels and rearly send any text messages.

6) oh is the firmware upgeradable by me (legally i mean) like the P900 is? or does it have to be sent away to have it flashed?As the firmware supplied on my phone is well out of date, 3 will be upgrading it for free within the space of 3 days. Its something they insisted they collect the phone for so I'd imagine if it is possible to upgrade from home, you'd need a special cable at least. Why spend money on such things when it can be done for free for you?

Finally has anyone used both the 6680 and the A1000 and could offer me some insight into which is best?The only Nokia I have experience with is the 5110 and the A1000 is a fair bit better than that ;)

2) I remember reading when the first morotola UIQ phone came out there was all this business about it not being able to run applications "unsigned" by 3. is this still the case for the A1000? I've been browsing around and can't say i've heard of any issues,

That is no longer an issue as 3 removed that restriction with the release of the A925.

3) Is the movie player capable of landscape, fullscreen video? does something like smartmovie exist for UIQ or a similar application?

As Flying Kiwi's already answered this one I'd just like to add that SmartMovie is available for UIQ if you wish to use DivX/XviD instead of the native 3GPP files.

Thanks for the replies guys, however i've decided to get a 6680 on Orange as they offer a student package which seems pretty decent, also i don't think i could live inside of the Walled Garden, i would miss my instant messaging too much! Plus the fact that 3 were going to charge me for calls if i am not on the 3g network seems lame, especially when i hear of calls constantly dropping etc.

just have to get it flashed at a nokia shop to remove the orange crap now ^_^