Following the text-heavy part 1 of our Nokia N8 review, here's part 2, concentrating on the biggest Unique Selling Point of the device - it's 12 megapixel camera and 720p camcorder functions. Comparing it to previous Nokia camera phone champions, the N82 and N86 8MP, plus a run in with the only Xenon-equipped phone in the Android world, I put the N8's optics and sensor through their paces and deliver a verdict: is it as good as most people say it is? Were my worries over the unprotected camera glass justified? And what about usability?
If you want a desk stand for your phone without the all the usual paraphernalia of charging tips, USB ports, memory card readers, etc., then David Gilson might have found what you're looking for. Clingo is a new range of innovative stands and holders for mobile devices with a patent pending sticky gel. Read on to see whether David thinks it lives up to the hype or not.
The retail version of the Nokia N8 (and first retail firmware) is finally here and I have been exploring it intensively over the last few days. Read on for what I liked (and didn't like) about the N8 hardware and overall interface. With Symbian^3 under the hood, as well as a truck load of Nokia-written additions, there's a lot to explore though, and this is is just part 1 of a multi-part review. Watch this space for much, much more on the Nokia N8, as the vanguard of a new range of smartphones from Nokia as well as being a camera phone extraordinaire....
*Spark is another in a long line of “new home screen” applications that offer you a little bit more than the standard Symbian screens. Be it weather reports, a different way of presenting applications and shortcuts, pushing news via RSS feeds or keeping you in touch with your friends, this is a well worn path. If done correctly, you can create a base of users who'll evangelise on your behalf and you can continue to support – get it wrong and you’ll find a horrible mess of too many icons, a mash of text and instant “urgh” and uninstall from the users. How does *Spark fare? Let's find out.
Sitting in the recent Nokia World keynote, I spotted a familiar logo on the projector screen. The Foursquare logo. “Ooh that’s new,” I thought, “does that mean there’s an official application for Symbian now to join Android and iOS?” The short answer was yes, the client was on display in the Nokia Experience Lounge and the UI, and while having the obvious Symbian cues, also looked close enough to the aforementioned clients. It’s even labelled as “by Foursquare” although officially it is a collaboration with Nokia. Here's my review.
Proporta's range of mobile charger/battery packs has been perennially popular, every single winner on my Phones Show accessory giveaways has so far chosen the Proporta accessory. And with good reason. This, the latest in the line, is bigger and better in every way, with a whopping 5000mAh of charge ready to be transferred into any smartphones of your choice while out and about. Here's my illustrated review of the USB TurboCharger 5000.
Time to have a look at the second of Nokia’s recent self-published game releases on the Ovi Store. After Ovi Maps Challenge targeted the single player experience, Bounce Boing Battle storms into view for a two player arcade challenge. But there's not much more to the game than the 'two players over Bluetooth' mode, and that feels like a missed opportunity to extend the Bounce franchise.
ThinkChange's nUnlock is a nice little utility application and it reminds me of all the little tweaks and hacks that turn up when a phone OS is relatively new and people want to add in certain functionality. While S60 5th Edition is pretty mature, ThinkChange have found what appears to be a small gap in the market for nUnlock to slide into. And I quite like it!
Is this a game or a marketing exercise? That’s the question that Rafe asked in his news posting on the release of Ovi Maps Challenge by Nokia. Personally, I think that this is clearly a game, but if you look back at the design remit, the team promoting Ovi Maps as a package may well have made an appearance. After that, though, it looks like they’ve left well alone. Let's explain why in the Ovi Maps Challenge review.
EchoEcho is a new cross-platform "where are you?" application and service, using SMS as its communications medium, to ensure compatibility with most phones. Reviewing it seemed like a job for Ewan Spence and he dived into with glee. Although he reckons it's "an answer in search of a question", both of us reckon it has potential. Comments welcome, no matter if you think it's a slice of genius or a complete dud!
