Following on from my Nokia E55 review, I look at its sister device, this time with traditional keypad - is there anything to complain about in the perfectly formed little E52? Don't worry, I manage to find quite a bit - you can't read the keys in some light conditions and there are significant omissions from the initial firmware - though it's still a triumph of S60 miniaturisation. Here's my review of the Nokia E52.
Credit where credit's due, here I am procrastinating about my full review of the Samsung i8910 HD because of all its current software imperfections, and Jonathan Bruha goes and writes the device up as-is, and very much in my 'style', pulling no punches for either pros or cons, and with many deft turns of phrase. The Symbian device of 2009? Or a desperately flaky orphan? There's plenty in the review to support either argument, fascinatingly.
One of the highlights of our coverage of each new Symbian-powered phone are Rafe's in-depth photo galleries. And here's his extensive photographic take on the Nokia E52. Explore it in as much detail as if you had it in your hand. And watch this space, my full E52 review will be here imminently.
It's part 6 of Ewan Spence's 'real world' test of the Nokia N97 at the Edinburgh Fringe and it's embedded below. In this part he looks at how he uses the N97 (as a tablet), at the positioning of the d-pad (for gaming), at the device's 'tipping point', and at the N97 as a modem, before laying into Ovi Maps for not including gradient information or cycle routes. He also wishes there was a way to import Point Of Interest information for special events (like the Fringe). Happy watching!
Nokia today announced the Nokia 5230, a lower mid-tier, music and Ovi service-centric device for €149 (before taxes and subsidies). The device runs S60 5th Edition on Symbian and key features include a 3.2" screen, homescreen Contacts Bar and Media Bar, 2.0 megapixel camera, A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack and integration with Nokia's Ovi services. The 5230 will be available from Q4 2009. Read on for full details.
Ricky Cadden is definitely one of the most respected reviewers in the Symbian/phone world and, as official AAS-friend-in-the-USA, he brings us all a detailed, seven part review of Nokia's new budget qwerty slider, the 6790 'Surge', complete with extensive AT&T cripplingcustomisations. Here, for your reading pleasure, are his unboxing, his first impressions, 5 things he hated about the device, 5 things he loved, the (anti)social 6790, and finally Ricky's opinions of the 6790's hardware and software.
Somewhere there's a bundle of ex-Symbian employees quietly muttering “I told them the way forward was a two-box solution....” What to make of the announcement of the Nokia Booklet 3G (beyond the fact that they're consciously avoiding the term 'netbook', even though every single post, tweet and message about this device is going to call it the Nokia Netbook)? Read on for my thoughts on this new mobile device...
Nokia today announced the Windows based Nokia Booklet 3G, a mini-laptop (netbook) device. Key features include a (claimed) 12 hour battery life, 3G/HSDPA and WiFi connectivity, HDMI port (for HD video out), 10" glass HD-ready display and integrated A-GPS. The Nokia Booklet weighs in at 1.2 kilograms and is 2cm thick. Market availability and pricing information will be announced at Nokia World next week.
Just released is The Phones Show 88 - with mini-reviews of the HTC Magic and LG KS360, plus a big feature on Touch (the in-vogue system) vs Button-driven (the old guard?) phones - is one better than the other? See also the QVGA (phone) and VGA (desktop) RSS feeds.
Ahead of my own, slightly more formal AAS review of the Nokia E52 and of Rafe's video review, Asri al-Baker has also been using this new ultra-slim Eseries phones and here he reports back on his impressions after two weeks. Highlights for him are 'the best keypad in Nokia's smartphone history', the new, faster version of Web and all the Eseries interface tweaks.
It's part 5 of Ewan Spence's 'real world' test of the Nokia N97 at the Edinburgh Fringe and it's embedded below. In this wide-ranging part, he looks at 5800-to-N97 familiarity, at one-handed use, about how parts of the S60 5th Edition interface are like the Mimbari Grey Council (a Babylon 5 reference!), about the lack of a keylock clock (out of the box), about a Facebook widget that's just sllooooowwww, plus he explains why the N97 should come with the full editing version of Quickoffice, before finishing with some E75 comparisons and the observation that the N97 is like the stunning prom date which goes badly wrong... It's all below, in Ewan's inimitable style.
Nokia today unveiled the 'Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition'. The device ships with lifetime voice-guided drive and walk navigation licenses for Nokia's Ovi Maps software and service. Included in the box is a Nokia self-mount car kit, consisting of a Nokia Car Charger (DC-4), Car Holder Pack (CR-103), Rotating swivel adaptor (AD-69) and Easy Mount (HH-17). The 5800 Navigation Edition will start shipping in Q3 and is expected to cost €285 before taxes and subsidies. Read on for further details.
It's, hand-down, the smallest and lightest and - almost - most powerful QWERTY smartphone ever created. But is the E55 any good? Find out in my full review. Of its two Unique Selling Points, I was impressed by the tiny EDoF camera, which produces results beyond expectations, but I was left feeling that the 'half QWERTY' keyboard implementation needs a little more software intelligence behind it. A great value smartphone overall, but the bottom line is that its fiercest competition will come from its own sister phone, the E52.
It's part 4 of Ewan Spence's 'real world' test of the Nokia N97 at the Edinburgh Fringe and it's embedded below. In this (surprisingly gripping, considering the focus on PIM!) part, he looks at reactions to the N97 from the iPhone-loving community at the Fringe, he complains about Ovi Sync, rants about a UI fail in the N97's Contacts and rails again against missing category support in all the PIM application. He's a happy bunny really, honest.
In All About Symbian Insight 83 (AAS Podcast 145), Rafe and Steve discuss the enterprise focused alliance between Microsoft and Nokia and ponder its implications. Steve shares news of Gartner's Q2 smartphone shipment figures, before moving on to first thoughts on the Nokia E55. We then answer some reader questions. You can listen to AAS Insight 83 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
