In AAS podcast 84, a.k.a. Insight 32, Rafe, Ewan, Steve and Stefan talk about the new GPS-enabled Nokia Chat, the Nokia 6220 Plastic err.... Classic [just kidding, Nokia, we say lots of nice things about it really], Pro Series Golf and Nokia Download! Held together by wit, chewing gum and a piece of sticky tape, it's compered this week by Ewan, so you probably know what to expect(!)
You've written your Killer App, now it's a matter of selling it. But at what cost? Ewan thinks about the issue of pricing games and applications in the modern world. In response, Steve points out the true cost of gaming and argues that purchase price is almost irrelevant. Comments welcome!
Smartphones Show 63 just went live, with a hands-on video review of the Nokia 6220 Classic. There's also a review of the HTC Touch Diamond, comparing it to the Apple iPhone 3G. See also the Hi-res YouTube version and the RSS feeds for the QVGA and VGA versions.
It's done. Rafe's definitive review of the new Nokia E66. Part 1 covers the target market and design, plus connectivity and PIM applications, and is a must read. With a wealth of improvements over the E65, the E66 seems a worthy 2008 update for this surprisingly popular marque. Part 2 will cover business tools and multimedia.
Ride across the river with All About N-Gage's Ewan Spence as he takes a far away look at Gameloft's latest trick Brothers In Arms. The review starts with a very direct editorial about the idiocy of having a demo that lasts 20 seconds, though the full game is much longer of course and apparently it's great fun. Is it money for nothing, or is the game too strong?
With the news that Apple have (unsurprisingly) had 10 million downloads from their on-device AppStore in the first weekend of operation, I can't help but reflect back on the continuing disaster that is Nokia's Download! system - read my rant below and see if you agree!
You walk into a meeting with device X. You ride on the tube with device Y. You stroll around the park with device Z. What impressions will others have - and will these impressions be accurate? In the editorial below I give a few examples but would welcome extra real world anecdotes and data points!
Owners of smartphones have long looked down on budget phones with the assumption that cheap means nasty. However, budget phones have developed in leaps and bounds lately, and Krisse argues that they may catch up with smartphones sooner than most people realise.
Never before has cutting edge (5mp/Xenon camera, GPS) S60 hardware reached this price point - the 6220 Classic aims to be all the man in the street will ever need in a phone. What compromises, if any, have had to be made to get to this design? Is this really the poor man's N95? Find out in my detailed review of the Nokia 6220 Classic.
Part rant, part apologetic, part FAQ, in this article I reply directly to a long and interesting email fired in by a Mac-owning, iPhone fan at my championing of the Nokia N95 (8GB) in Smartphones Show 62. Not your typical troll, Nikolay makes some good points in his missive but hopefully I make some equally good ones in return!
Smartphones Show 62 is now up, with a hands-on review of the UIQ 3-powered MOTO Z10, plus my Top 5 (Smart)Phones for mid-2008 - a personal choice, with reasons!
Ewan's on a train speeding down from bonnie Scotland but he's still found time to set up a Friday rant. Ewan reckons there's a gap in the market for a network operator to set up a 'no surprises' all inclusive 'flat rate for everything' plan. Your comments welcome, this one could run and run.
Nokia today announced the European Commission has given unconditional approval for Nokia's planned acquisition of Navteq. Nokia has now received all the necessary regulatory approvals and expects to close the deal in the next 5 days. Nokia is acquiring Navteq for $8.1 billion.
The Motorola MOTO Z10 represents a very different side of UIQ 3 (and Symbian) to the more familiar devices from Sony Ericsson. In his inimitable style, and in part 1 of our full review, Ewan looks at the Z10's form and general design, finding quite a bit to like in the process. Future review parts will cover built-in software, media handling and camera functions.
Something we've heard and talked about over and over again recently is that Nokia and others have all recognised that the future belongs to 'services and software' and that the hardware has become 'a commodity'. This is all a bit jargonistic and in this feature Steve explains these phrases in plain english from the point of view of the consumer.
