The advantages and disadvantages of lens covers on camera-equipped phones is a hotly debated topic. Recent Nseries devices have seen a mix: N78, N95 8GB and N96 (no lens cover) versus N79, N85 and N95 classic (with lens cover). In the first in a series of articles on contentious camera issues, Steve looks at the question of whether scratches on the camera's protective glass really make a difference.
Guest contributor Nick Anstee signed up to be one of the first to get a Nokia N96, as part of a limited 'wildlife' run. Read on for his first impressions of the N96 [text updated heavily], after almost a week of intensive playing, plus photos of the device and some really nice photo samples taken on the device.
In All About Symbian Insight #38 (AAS Podcast #91) Rafe and Steve chat about where the Nokia N96 lines up, firmware updates to the Nokia N95 and N95 8GB, look forward to Comes with Music announcements and touch on Symbian's Q2 results. The main part of the insight covers the newly released Samsung I8510 and our first impressions of its 8 megapixel camera.
v30 firmware is now online in Nokia Software Update for the N95 8GB too. This follows the update for the N95 classic on Friday. Changelog below. The usual caveats about backing up/syncing and insuring your house apply. Contents may settle in transit, and so forth....
Steve and I have had the Samsung i8510 (a.k.a. the INNOV8, in some markets) for the best part of a week, putting it through its paces. In all honesty, it's too early for a full review because there are some things needing to be attended to by Samsung, but what Steve was really interested in was how well the screen, 8 mp camera, focussing camcorder and DSP-powered music playback performed. I hope you'll be interested too. [Monday morning: We've updated the sections on playing videos, on music playback and application compatibility]
An updated firmware, v30.0.015, has been made available for the Nokia N95 classic. Updates include the latest versions of Nokia service applications (Nokia Maps 2.0, Share online 3.0), inclusion of the full N-Gage client and smaller updates to a number of applications. The updates also adds automatic screen rotation to the N95 classic. Read on for more details and screenshots.
Nokia yesterday announced it has started shipping the Nokia N96, which means it will become available, SIM-free, in shops over the next few weeks. Availability via operators will take a little longer; the UK launch on the 3 network is scheduled for October 1st. The N96 is a high-end Nseries device with a focus on mobile TV and video (large 2.8 inch screen, video stand, DVB-H receiver, and preloaded movie content). It also features a 5 megapixel camera and integrated GPS. Read on for more details.
And I thought it was just me. James Burland's written an eloquent rant about how he keeps wanting to go back to his trusty Nokia N93, which still outperforms allcomers on the video recording front (stereo sound, optical zoom). With photo and video capture being critical to many people's phone use these days, is he right to criticise Nokia's direction? Although agreeing with him in a way, I'd also point to GPS, larger screens and 3.5mm audio output as modern boons.
Rafe gives his first impressions of the Nokia N79, along with detailed analysis on exactly who it will appeal to and where it fits into Nokia's burgeoning Nseries range. The hardware is the main focus as Rafe takes an early look at a prototype of Nokia's latest Nseries 'candybar' handset.
As the N-Gage platform has recently been released for the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, All About Symbian has updated its review of the phone to take account of this expanded functionality. It definitely adds a great deal of value to an already-inexpensive device, and you can find out more (including the new score) by clicking on the link.
For completeness, I've updated my comprehensive guide to S60 hardware of the past, present and future, adding Nokia's new devices and also camera flash information. Hopefully worth bookmarking, if you haven't already....
In All About Symbian Insight #37 (AAS Podcast #90) Rafe, Steve and Ewan chat about Nokia's new Nseries devices - the N79 and N85. Also in this Insight: Steve reports back on his Samsung G810 experience, there's discussion of Sync on Ovi and how it points the way for three pronged future of Nokia's service platform.
In case you're not already subscribed to the standard or hi-res RSS feeds, note that Smartphones Show 64 is now out, with video reviews of the Nokia 6650 and Samsung G810. Comments welcome!
The N-Gage application is now available for download for the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic. If you want to download the app directly onto the handset, just go to the 5320's Games folder, click on the N-Gage logo and then click on the 5320 XpressMusic link from the list of downloads. If you prefer downloading the app via your computer, click here to find out how to install using the PC and Mac method.
AAS regular Dirk Snoyt experienced the failure of his beloved Nokia N95 a month ago, as you may remember, following a long road trip. Dirk's now put up a long, interesting and fairly convincing article explaining why he's replaced it with... an N82. The change in form factor, plus smaller screen, is compensated for by the extra RAM, better GPS and Xenon flash.