Time for the next part in my video review of the Nokia E75 enterprise device. How well does the dual format device cope with going online through the Web browser, and what other internet features does it carry? How does it fare for N-Gage games? And what about left-handed owners? I take a look in part four of the series, below.
With the Nokia N97 getting ever closer, there's now an official Flash site, with the usual feature lists, animated graphics and 'interactive demo'. There's also a 'Pre-order' page, although this only works if you live in the USA, Sweden, Germany or Italy.
Perhaps a little trivial and off-topic, but I thought readers might like to know how I got on with polishing out the micro-scratches in the camera 'glass' on my Nokia N95 8GB. Using Displex, bought for a song from eBay, I managed to get all the scratches out in under 5 minutes. If nothing else, bookmark this for the future in case your phone's display or camera cover get scratched?
Not exactly a glowing review from me for the Nokia E75 in The Phones Show 80, I end up criticising everything from the small screen to the cluttered layout to the small battery to the bizarre 'folder' icons. Just being honest. Also in show 80 are a top 10 of iPhone gaming and a brief interview with Rafe about the Nokia N97. Here are the feeds for the QVGA and VGA versions for your feedreader.
The Nokia 5800 is criticised by some for being a single-touch device that can only register one finger press at a time. But is this actually true? Not quite. With a bit of clever interface design the existing 5800 hardware is already capable of registering two simultaneous screenpresses at once, and you can see how this works in the full story below (you can even try it for yourself, and there's a video of a 5800 game using it). The reason this is worth mentioning is that Nokia is already using a more limited version of this method in their just-released Maemo 5 SDK, which is the latest version of the platform they use on their internet tablets. If Nokia's already using it there, it seems very likely they could use it on their S60 devices too.
Available now on many Nokia 5800 XpressMusic product codes, is a minor firmware update, v21.0.025, clocking in at 4MB over-the-air. To check if it's available for your phone, type in '*#0000#' into the virtual keypad and then 'Check for updates'. v21.0.025 brings interface speed enhancements, numerous bug fixes and a new 'breathing light' setting/control. Please comment below if you spot anything major that needs adding to this story!
Everyone else at AAS has asked if I can get as many Start Trek puns into this news story – the Nokia 5800 Star Trek edition coming out on May 1st in the UK (and I'm assuming a few more territories as well). And you know what? I'm not going to, because this is actually a pretty savvy mode on their part.
In All About Symbian Insight 68 (AAS Podcast 126) Rafe and Steve talk about the upcoming Ovi Store in relation to Widsets, N-Gage and uploading content, before sharing their recent device purchases. Steve explain why he prefers his device with an Xenon flash and Rafe talks about 3's and Orange's service strategy. You can listen to AAS Insight 68 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
In an affectionate companion feature to my "Ten Things that Nokia Did RIGHT in making the 5800 XpressMusic" from last month, I now present "Ten Things that Nokia Did WRONG in making the 5800 XpressMusic". There we go, never ever say that I and All About Symbian aren't balanced!
Ah yes, the orphan N96, the N95 replacement that was in turn maligned by reviewers and then ignored by Nokia themselves (in terms of firmware updates) - it's been a sorry year for the device and CJ sums things up well here in an illustrated post mortem. With a little love, the N96 could have been so much more, I feel....
Ewan muses on Nokia Messaging and the lack of category support in Nokia's PIM software in the third part of his video diary with the qwerty-side-sliding Nokia E75 - remember that he's been using the device for a month straight now. Video below. Oh, and watch out for the sci-fi ending.
According to a report in the Finnish national daily Helsingin Sanomat, the Nokia chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo estimates that the 5800 XpressMusic now accounts for "1 in 5 of all touchscreen phone sales worldwide". This figure was also mentioned in Nokia's Q1 results conference call and was repeated today at Nokia's AGM. It's a pretty good start for S60 5th Edition...
You've heard from Rafe, Ewan and myself on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, the first S60 5th Edition smartphone. But, it now being April 2009, it's time for the fourth AAS team member to weigh in. Tzer2 reports back with terrifically detailed thoughts on this device after a solid three months of use, day in and day out. How did the 5800 stand up to such intense real world pressure? Surprisingly well, it seems that the only role the 5800 disappointed in was that of camera phone.
Ewan returns to a familiar theme (for long time AASers) in the second part of his video diary with the qwerty-side-sliding Nokia E75, pointing out the apparent complexity of S60's application menu for new users. He's also found inconsistencies in this area that are new to the E75. Some of his concerns are addressed in S60 5th Edition, of course, but that's not going to help those who buy the E75. Video below.
The Nokia E75 is now available in the UK. It is available from the usual SIM-free sources, including the Nokia UK Shop, for a cost of £375. We'll have the first part of our E75 review online shortly. Also now available, SIM-free, is the Black/Silver variant of the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music (which is the colour variant Orange are selling).
