MobileDan’s Weblog

So, when I decided to write my last post on emoze I had to break out the only phone I have for now, being Jonathan Greene’s N78 that I still need to get back to him, AND think of an appropriate gift, seeing as I’ve been borrowing it for… oh… 6 months! (Please leave ideas for things if you have any)

BACK to the story!

So, emoze is in the process of releasing a version for the 5800, but for now, I don’t have one, so I had to fire up the N78…

Buttons… Wow…

I don’t think I was really expecting to like the Nokia 5800, I was kinda iffy on the whole touch screen thing, being that I drive and text so much, but I had already known that I HATED QWERTY, although I did kinda like the E71, It was QWERTY and that was a deal breaker for me… (that, and the pink hue on the photos…)

So, Yeah, I LOVE this phone… I am reassured every time I pick up the iPhone, every time I have to show my father how to do something on his N75, and every time that I use any other phone…

But the funny thing was that using the N78, which is a SOLID device I must add… I really felt like using a rotary dial phone… after using Touch tone for so long…

That’s how archaic it felt to my hands…

Sitting here at my computer, phone on lap, I just touch the screen on the 5800 to wake it up to see if I missed anything… I did it 3 times to the N78, after catching myself doing it the first time, calling myself stupid, I still managed to do it 2 more times!

It’s just that smooth!

One beautiful, solid phone this 5800 is!  AND it’s just the basic model!

The N97 is going to have so much more in the way of social networking, and after just seeing this phone, I know it’s going to be AMAZING!

As I wrap up my visit from the Nokia 5800, I am again comforted in the fact that Nokia is producing quality products, with the user in mind, never really outdating a model with a newer or flashier one before the last model has seen it’s glory.  Which I must add is my #1 pet peeve with one specific company for releasing a newer version of phone or music player a step up for the same price as the last model, JUST after I have purchased mine…

Thanks…

My N73 which is a few years old can still hold its own in the wild, as well as the N78, and any other model released…

Even the N95 which was the flagship phone for many years, is still very competitive, even with the release of the N96 and the up coming release of the N97.

So, back to rotary dial for me… buttons, buttons and buttons… until I get the N97!  my only problem, and I’m sure it’s across the board, is the pricetag… but for what it’s worth, my feelings on the economy and such, is that instead of purchasing a flashy camera AND phone… get your moneys worth, Function over Form!  look into the Nokia devices, I’m sure there’s something that can fit your budget… the lowest camera resolution of 3.2 usually comes with Carl Zeiss optics which alone makes it a great camera, mixed with all the features of S60 and a solid build, and the fact that firmware updates are always coming out to help your phone keep up with the times… Nokia = sound investment

Until next time…

MD

As I posted earlier about borrowing Jonathan Greene’s N78 and how much I liked it!

Reading through my blogs I also stumbled upon a posting in which I ranted, but also made a statement about “…the winner (for me) will then have to compete against the N96 and N78 (can I get them both at the same time?)”

Having the N78 and N96 next to each other I couldn’t help but think that the N78 is like a baby brother to the N96…

A lot of the features that I had gotten used to in the N78 were still there in the N96, and a lot of the things that I liked about the N95-4 were incorporated into the N96.  All in all, the N96 should’ve been a front runner, but unfortunately it was not so…

The crashing drove me crazy!  literally 3 crashes per day!

Coming back to the N78 was a simple switch, and I am back to no problems with a solid device.  Not that I don’t foresee the N96 coming into it’s own, but the N78 is a fully matured device.

I can still play music on it, and I can use the FM transmitter if I so desire, it’s simple, I load the music player, start playing a song, hit the options button, go to FM transmitter, and select a station!

The drop back to 3.2MP camera wasn’t felt as hard as one would expect, at least I’m not going back to 2.0!

I still have Wi-Fi, I still have GPS and I still have S60 in general for all of it’s greatness!

I really like the feel of the flip out phones (N95 and N96, as well as the N85) but for now they are out of my price range

Last week I purchased my own N78 for US3G phone for $268!  comparing the two devices they obviously look the same, but the N78 US3G seems smoother, the navi-wheel seems to be much smoother, and it does this cool thing (excuse my ignorance for not knowing the terms, I’m just a user after all ) when I hit the camera button, the screen shrinks and spins! it’s more animated then it’s European brother… I really enjoy this phone so far, and expect nothing but love from and to it!

I am not working as much as I would like, and whatever I spend my money on has to be worth it, and right now I opted for an older model, I set my limit at $300

Going back to a point I’ve been stressing a lot recently in my blogs, even though it’s an older model, it’s not forgotten about, it’s still sold, it’s still updated, and it’s still performing extraordinarily well compared to other phone manufacturers models where they forget about older models once they release a newer model…

I’m happy with this purchase!  and I’m looking forward to getting a lot of use out of it!

What older model phones are you using, and how do they compare to what others’ are releasing now?  I’d like to know!

So, I’ve been playing with the new N96-3 NAM for a little over 2 weeks now, and I have been noticing a lot of things that I really like.

First off, the shell is beautiful, an improvement on the N95-2/4 which I don’t think was so necessary, but is still very nice… rounded and less clunky.

The TV out is beautiful, not only have I used it on a huge 60″ TV but, also as a passenger in my boss’ car. My job in the mornings is to navigate traffic, so on our way into the city, I use the video input on his 6″ touch screen car stereo, this lets us both see live traffic (or as live as Google maps updates…) so that we can take the appropriate actions for other routes to clients’ houses.

Another improvement is storage, 16gig is a definite improvement from 8gig any day of the week, but with the option to utilize the expandable SD Micro card slot, that brings the total to a whooping 24gig! Way to go guys!

The screen seems clear as day, I really liked viewing videos and such, even with “power saving mode” activated which tended to dim things.

The camera takes amazing photos, but I cannot readily compare them to any of the other 5MP Carl Zeiss camera photos I’ve shot, but they still look great.

Music player / media button. while I really liked the placement of the old media key, I think that it’s proper placement on the front is really smart, but I fear that people with bigger fingers would have a bit of a problem, this was not the case for me though, even while driving…

Speakers, even with the 3.5mm out, on the top which let me use it easier while driving, the speakers by themselves sounded crisp and clear with most of my music, I did however have to tweak the audio and Eq for loudness and such.

All in all I think the hardware for the N96 is spectacular, I liked it a lot…

But remember, there are a lot of negatives and most of them revolve around the Firmware…

First off was the noticeable battery. the N96 comes with the BL-5F battery which is a 950mAh battery while the N78 that I have been borrowing from Jonathan Greene comes with the BL-6F battery which is a 1200mAh battery.  That left a big humph as I sighed and placed it in the device…  The usage out of the smaller battery was noticeable, especially when trying to power this much bigger device.  When I used the BL-6F battery, which I read about on The Symbian Blog I managed to get a bit more out of it, but, as I’m always out and about, I’m using either Sports Tracker and or NokiaviNe which is constantly using both the Internet and the GPS.  I am also using Fring for instant messaging and Jaiku as well as running Nokia Email.  I think that with everything that I am running, and others might be running more or less, a decision to keep the battery smaller is unacceptable, I wouldn’t dare leave the house without my AC-5U travel charger.  = FAIL

Creaky keys… I get a lot of creaky noises, while I wouldn’t award this a FAIL it’s kinda loud when I’m trying to type on it and someone else is trying to watch TV or something…

Freezing…  This is the bane of my frustration… I have been using this phone for 18 days, for a total of data sent and received being 130MB and total talk time of over 12 hours… I don’t know if this constitutes “power user” but I think i expect more out of my devices then most others!  I use different apps at different times, and I have a few that I like to run all the time… take Jaiku, Fring, and Nokia Email for instance… they are running all day long… There was a noticeable “lag” from hitting keys to getting a response, but I dealt with it… Once I decide to  open something like SportsTracker, I open the program, start tracking my trip and I go to look at the phone, and it’s restarted… so, my whole “workout” or “vine” when I’m using NokiaviNe is lost, ruined, and thus, not complete!  ARGH!!!  FAIL FAIL FAIL

“Activate Power Saving”? WTF?  This is a no no… does anyone pick up their phone in the morning and say, gosh, i want it to run full power and be dead in no time? FAIL!  It should be able to handle anything that users throw at it, with whatever power source it was designed to carry… and it should of course be able to at least last more then half the day…

Buttons 1, 2 and 3 please stand up… You’re fired!  Why do you think that hiding up so damn far is a good idea? I’m not a big guy, by any stretch of the imagination.  My hands aren’t huge and neither are my thumbs, but i still have problems with those damn keys… who texts with their pinkies? FAIL!

Battery cover, you FAIL… You can’t take a slip from my ottoman, 8″ up without losing your insides? Humpty Dumpty looks like a rubber ball compared to you!

Did I mention the s….l…o…w…  L…a…g…? FAIL!

I want to love this phone, I really do, but for now I’d advice people that get frustrated easily to go and purchase an N95-4 NAM

I think that most of the problems can and will be addressed in upcoming FW updates, I was using 11.018 for the N96-3 NAM

Freezing and lag time, one would hope would be addressed in newer firmware updates… As well as the power saving… make that in a FW that it’s ALWAYS in Power Saving Mode… don’t give the option as power saving, default to regular and offer something like battery waste mode as an option, but don’t default to power hog!

How I would suggest fixing some of the non FW issues would be recalling the BA-5F battery or, offer a coupon for users to upgrade to the BL-6F AND Make a back plate that can accommodate it, without falling off as easily as it does with the proper battery in it!

Creaky keys, we have to live with it, but it should be addressed… as well as 1, 2 and 3…

I think as a flagship, it would be nice for the Xenon flash,  but just typing that out made the back of my neck tighten thinking of the battery issue…

I know that this device will get better, it will take a little bit of time, but once it does it’ll be nice to see this phone in all it’s glory… but oh, wait… there is already going to be a lot of hoopla about the N-97 I just hope it doesn’t get thrown by the wayside… Nokia needs to stay strong with NON TOUCH SCREENS as well!

How I came to use N78, and why I believe it’s a solid device.

I’ve been using my  N73 for about a year, and although it doesn’t have US3G, I still find it to be an excellent device.  I say device because it’s more then just a phone.  I have come to use this phone for most of my E-Mail, IM, Photography, Social Networking, Calendar, Notes, Games, Maps… I use the heck out of it!

Sometimes I get the opportunity to trial other devices, and when I started using devices with GPS in them, I fell in love with SportsTracker and the ability to do precise positioning in Maps. This brings me back to the N78.

I was supposed to drive across the country to help move my brother from Westchester County NY to Las Vegas, NV. 

Westchester to Vegas

I am fortunate enough to personally know Jonathan Green of Atmaspheric Endeavors, and I asked him if there was a device of his not in current rotation that I could borrow for tracking my trip across the country with my brother.  He immediately volunteered his N78, he defined it as a solid device, and, a solid device it is!

The form of the N78 is the same candy bar form that I am familiar with, the buttons remind me of the N82, which I really loved even though at first I was worried that they would be hard to use, this was and is not the case!

N82

I wouldn’t call this a downgrade at all from the N82, they are both in their own fields, but some features that might be considered too much to pay for, for a daily use phone would save some money in the long run, such as the accelerometer and the xenon flash 5MP camera.

One thing that stood out for me though in the N78 that I must talk about is the FM Transmitter!

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I drive a lot!  I have been plugging the phones into the headphone out jack on the phone, while this is nice, sometimes you might find yourself in a situation where there is no wire, and no tape deck adapter.  Setting it up is a breeze, my only problem was that because I live in Westchester County NY where it’s highly populated, so too are the FM stations, so I find myself changing the frequency back and forth, but I also have this problem with my XM receiver.  The quality is excellent!  But, I still have problems with overpopulation of FM in my area, so I choose to use the wire.

The flash on the camera is nice, even though it’s only the LED and not Xenon. It works well indoors and out, day and night.  The N78 comes with a 3.2MP Carl Zeiss optics camera which is still more then most camera phones in it’s price range.  And the difference that the CZ optics makes is HUGE!

The battery life is nice, it lasts me all day and I use SportsTracker, Nokia Email, Fring for IM and occasionally make phone calls

All in all, this is a solid device, still holding it’s own in the world, and being a solid, lower end NSeries device.  I have as of yet to try the N79, but think that that could also be a viable option.  Although I’ve heard of the N78 currently selling for under $300 which would make it more appealing then $4-500.

I believe that this would make an excellent starter phone for anyone interested in getting into S60, or just for getting out of whatever they’re currently using.  I’ve found that I can do so much more with my devices then others. I think that we need to start thinking of mobile devices as more then just phones, and once the idea of function over form sinks in, especially in these financial times, the better off we will be.