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

So, I’ve been trying out Emoze for S60…

While there are a lot of applications available for s60 now a days…
the one thing that struck me was the addition of Facebook messaging…

While I Can’t assume that all of my readers are Facebook users, I cannot fathom that if you don’t use it, you still haven’t heard of it!

In general, it is a push email service that polls for your email from various clients and sends them to your mobile device…

Some services covered are:

Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook messaging. Home/Local internet account. OWA based Corporate email account.

In a nutshell this gives you email on the go, and on top of that, access to your facebook emails!

From my reading further into it, It can run all the time, or in a standby sort of mode, meaning that when something gets detected, it will wake the application up, and show the new message

Pairing this service with the wonderful mobile application palringo, you can have instant messaging for facebook. amd check your messages via emoze.

That is just my current setup, as being on the go all the time, and sometimes unable to log on to facebook…

There is a free version which lets you check one messaging service, or a paid service they call “Pro” which costs  $12.99 a year.

There is a native app, but what I tried was the Java version, which looked really pleasing to the eye, and had number keyed menus so that once you hit menu, all you have to do is push the corresponding number (you can of course hit up or down to get to your selection )

All in all I liked this app, I can’t wait to see what other services they offer, as they also listed MySpace, Bebo
Ning, LinkedIn as well as Hi5 as up and coming supported social networks.

Also listed is that they will provide support for 40 other web
communities including Orkut, Frindster, Skyrock Network and Flicker to name a few!

Also, not to be forgotten, it’s available for nearly EVERY device, I even hear that an iPhone app is right around the corner!

While I currently use many different mobile email services, this is a really simple to use application which can get all of your messages to you directly on your mobile… Because I’m usually mobile and we’re all headed that direction and still need to get our messages…

Sorry it’s been so long, not much new has happened…

So, this Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has grown on me, but alas, It has got to start getting ready to go back…

Some of the apps that I’ve been using though, have completely made the phone, and opened my eyes for the future of S60 v.5 which is a jump from the previous v.3. I am really looking forward to how this version will react with an upper level phone such as the N97 as well as the Samsung i8910

On with the apps…

One app that totally takes advantage of the full screen resolution is Gravity, I am not much of a Twitter fan, but this app has opened my eyes. Coming from being a die hard Jaiku user, and loving the threaded conversations, it’s still a bit hard for me to try to keep up, but Gravity takes some of the headache out of it…

I can view photos taken with twitpic right in the app, and can respond and start a new tweet very easily. The app is really easy to use and is very responsive.

Shozu is a life saver. While in Colorado I was without a computer, and had to rely on this device for all of my posting and uploading of photos, Shozu made that really easy, and left me more time to enjoy my trip.

Google Maps with Latitude has also appealed to me, and now with the option of using my location to update my Google status, it’s all the more connected…
I can see where my friends currently are, and, if i’m nearby I’ll know so that I can try to meet up.
This is one of the things that I like about LBS (location based services) I can not only Call my friend, but I can text, IM them if they are on an Instant Messaging app, fire up the map and see where they are and in the future I could even video call them.

There are so many different ways that we are connected, and just think… a few years ago people didn’t think they needed voicemail, now we use it all the time, especially with SpinVox! Texting really took off as well, and people thought that would be a waste… Just wait to see how technology is going to make our lives so much easier!

Of course I’m still using sportstracker and I think you should check out all that it has to offer… especially the new package from Nokia and Polar a bluetooth Heart rate monitor for getting up to the minute Heart stats during your work-out!

Fring vs. Palringo… Hmm… I still have both installed… but I must say, that the Fring for S60v5 seems much easier for me to use… maybe it’s just me… what do you guys think? They’re both free, and both great products! if you’re looking for an IM client that ties skype into itself, try Fring… if you’re looking for an IM client that lets you use Facebook chat… go for Palringo… or, get them both!

Nokia maps… I really want to get into this app, but… I just don’t find myself needing everything that it has to offer… maybe if I was on foot… or not in a rush… But I drive almost for a living, and know my way around pretty well… the only thing I don’t know is physical addresses… and for that Google Maps helps me out so much… I will try it out now, for a bit and will try to report back…

So… That’s about it… I need to update a bit more, and I am sorry, but there really doesn’t seem to be much in the way of change, and need for me to update… and I’m not one to repost the news… I don’t feel it’s necessary to do that, it kinda bores me… Just give me the device or the app to play with and I’ll tell you if I like it, and, if by my description you want to try it, so be it!

Please vote for me, Daniel Silvers for the 48 hours in Denmark contest.

It is a contest in which I am trying to use my knowledge and ability to use mobile technology and social media to promote Tourism. I believe I can show how Tourism can be shaped for the future, using mobile technology, and not some big, bulky camera!

I can do so much from my mobile phone, and that’s what I’ve been trying to show for a while now!

I will be getting a round trip flight and hotel for 48 hours in Denmark!

Please vote, because I hope you believe in me as much as I believe I can do this!

http://48hoursindenmark.com/

Voting started today, the more comments, the more “votes”

Thank you!
Daniel

Wow, I really didn’t give this phone a chance… Every time I saw it, i played with it for about a minute, then passed it on…

Not impressed I’d say…
Now, I want one of my own, and I hear that Amazon and Dell are both selling them pretty cheap…

On with my actual writing, and not my babbling about it…

This device is solid, lots of internal memory for applications and storage
I could definitely see my brothers and friends and even my parents using this phone, It’s very straight forward, the camera is amazing in good light outside for taking quick snap shots, and it’s got everything that I have come to love with S60!

Currently I have installed on the device:

Palringo, Fring, Photo Browser, ScreenSnap, Sports Tracker, Gmail, Google Maps, Qik, JoikuSpot, Shozu.

I took the phone with me on my trip to Denver and up the mountain and the only problem I had with the phone, I had corrected before I left

First off,

I thought the battery life was short before I left… I think that I just use the phone too much… in the last 3 weeks of having the phone I have used 19hours talk, and over 500MB of data transferred, so… maybe I just need a bigger battery…

using the touch screen with gloves on was simple, and uploading via Shozu to my blog, my Ovi account as well as searching through the Facebook site on the huge screen made it really easy to go a whole week without using a computer.

This is what I look for in a device, something that can keep me on the go, and also keep me in the know!

I would recommend this device for anyone who is looking into a new device, is interested in listening to music with the included 8gig micro SD card, and anyone who would like to view the web in a really nice size screen that can also fit in their pocket!

The camera is a 3.2Mp Carl Zeiss optics lens which takes amazing photos in daylight, and decent up close shots with the led flash…

there are a few things that took some getting used to, like only having 4 items on my standby screen, but for people who talk a lot you could substitute that with people you call frequently.

searching for a number was pretty easy, just select contacts, then tap the type screen, and choose the first letter, then it automatically gives you the next available second letter and so forth and so on… or, you could just scroll down till you find the name you are looking for…

you can also easily manually enter the phone number of course.

by losing the other options on the standby screen, you also gained some other media shortcuts… By tapping just off the screen on the top right, you are given your media options: Music, Photographs, Share Online, Video and Internet browser.

Tapping the time you can set your alarm and access connectivity options such as network, LAN, Bluetooth amongst other connectivity options.

I really like this device, and at the price point of under $350 I don’t see why you would get any other touch screen device at all! Or at least not pick up this sweet device!

So, I found this website, 48 hours in Denmark which is offering:

“… a free trip to Denmark, with all expenses paid. Plane, hotel, food and fun.

What’s the catch? We want you to show us how you use digital media when you travel as a tourist. We want you to tell us how you’ve researched the trip, how you use digital media while you are here, and how you share your experiences when you get home.

Anything goes, as long as it has got something to do with digital media. We expect blogging, twittering, lifestreaming and flickring to come together – maybe even some services we haven’t heard about…”

I really think that this is something that I can do…

Something that I am very interested in, as I am very interested in how social online media is and can be a more effective part in daily life, and where else to start, but tourism.

And, I think I would enjoy it very much!

So I applied!

Watch my video application (Daniel Silvers) and the others here:

After recently watching CNN’’s race to 1,000,000 followers on Twitter, I cannot help but feel sorry that Google has let Jaiku go to the wayside…

I believe the way that I heard it said… And I wish I could remember who it was (it seems that every time I cannot think of who said something, Stefan comes to mind… So, until told otherwise, he gets the credit…)

Twitter is like yelling out the window to strangers, Jaiku is like walking downstairs to talk to them…

I think that with Jaiku A trip like this could be more fun, people could comment in real threaded time to your updates on things you are doing, and wherever you may be, and maybe even tell you things nearby… Then again, there’s Dodgeball but, oh, Google bought and shut that down too… Just signed up for four square and will try to cross post to there as well…

Back to it… I believe that using Google Maps on the phone, I can find where it is I want to go, and can use SportsTracker, or NokiaviNe to keep track of my trip… As well as using Shozu to upload photos and video, as well as updating my blog on my way… that way, I can keep my friends and followers updated in real time…

Although I love being on a computer, I have really come to enjoy the freedom that using a smartphone, (such as the Nokias that I use) affords me, I can stay in touch with the online world, and not be tied down to a computer, at a coffee shop, in a cubicle or anywhere… And, If I need a bit more then the phone can offer me, I can just break out the N800 Internet Tablet…

So, what do you say? interested? stop by, see the entries, and if you feel so inclined, apply by April 27th!

I feel that all the current applicants are all doing different things, and all of which are very exciting for social media!

I really wish I had done a better video, but I was stranded in Denver International Airport, and just barely made the deadline (before it was extended…)

There was so much more I wanted to talk about, but hoping that by my blog speaking about myself and my belief in the future of Mobile Technology, I will still be able to stay afloat in the running!

Thanks for reading, now… Go Check it out!a

as a repost from the Nokia Daily News

I would like to point out that as I gathered, and I may be missing something…

Howard Forums has a running thread, and all that I was able to get out of it was from a user “sr1329″ who stated

“The one thing FP2 brings is a whole new access point management system that can switch from 3G to a known Wi-FI access point if you get close to one. Where it fails is that when you leave the range of that access point it isn’t very good about switching you back to 3G. It will just say connection dropped or something like that. The next time you access data it will ask you again for the access point you want to use. “

Let’s do a comparison for $hits and giggles…

Mobile user “A” purchases a brand new E71x from AT&T with a 2 year contract for $99 for the actual unit and the required data plan of $30 per month your total cost(leaving voice out because we’re assuming that Mobile user “A” and “B” will be getting the same voice plan) would be $819.99 ($99.99 for the unit, PLUS the additional $720 for just data alone, )

Compared to

Mobile user “B” (the smart and savvy shopper who purchased their unit “unlocked” from, say… Dell.com for $340)

Mobile user “B” purchases the unit, unlocked for $340, at a much higher price then user “A” of $240.01 but aside from the FP 2 I can’t see why there is THAT much of a difference, when the ends justify the means… Let’s examine further… Shall we?

Mobile user “B” now has to purchase a rate plan (we’re assuming the same rate plan as user “A” here, so the difference is the data plan…) user “B” can purchase the $15 data plan, for the same unlimited data as user “A” above for a total cost over the 2 years of the contract of $700 ($340 for the unit, PLUS the additional $360 for just the data alone…)

Wait! Did user “A” pay $720 over the 2 years and user “B” only paid $360 FOR THE SAME DATA? another example of why it pays to be a smart shopper… they give it to you cheap in the front, but you take it in the rear!

AT&T DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW THS!

Come on people, When will you wake up?  Sure, What’s a little $119.99 over 2 years when you can get FP2 on your E71?

Well, what’s to say that Nokia can’t do an OTA (Over The Air) update?

plus, you won’t have the AT&T branding of, disabled Nokia keys, un-movable (or deletable) menu items…

The device was made in such a way for a reason…

If you want it cheap, and as a knock-off, (which is how I view branded devices)

Then please buy this unit

Sincerely yours…

MobileDan

First video taken with the Nokia 5800 XM on my way in to the city this morning…

I need to work on my “um’s”

Here I discuss How I’ve come to really like everything about the unit, and how I keep finding out new things about it all the time!

OK, so last night didn’t count… I got the phone opened up and played with it, but I didn’t really leave the house with it…

Today I did…

I am on the road a lot… at least 600 miles a week, and I still need to be connected… OK, you got me again… I don’t NEED to be connected, I WANT to be connected… I’m out there trying out these devices, making sure that they can handle whatever anyone can throw at them, and being the multi-tasker that I am, who better to do it then me?

On with it!  As I mentioned before I was against touch screens… but I think it was made up for by the addition of the Alphanumeric Keypad…

One problem I found today was when I was using Palringo to talk to friends I got annoyed at the steps that I had to take just to post anything!

I have organized some screenshots (Oh, before I forget, there is a really sweet app for that http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/How_to_take_screenshots_on_the_Nokia_5800_XpressMusic.php)

On with the screenshots… with my commentary…

The first thing to realize when entering any information on this phone, is that there are 4 different ways of entering text!

Handwriting

Mini QWERTY keyboard

Alphanumeric Keypad

And of course Full Screen QWERTY, which I could not show because the screenshot I am using apparently does not do so well in rotation mode…

K, now that that’s out of the way…

Here is my main buddy list, I’ll go ahead and select Ping.fm, Lets now update my status…

Now that I clicked that buddy, I want to type to it, I tap the part that says “Type Message Here” and it brings me to the screen below me… (I know the top part is hard to see, I am sorry…)

Next I am brought to this screen, this makes no sense to me, because I cannot DO anything with it, since I don’t actually have a keyboard… So, again I am forced to tap it again… I think it does this by default, thinking that I might use the Handwriting, but when It’s not in that mode, I really wish it could cut this step out…

After tapping the screen I am brought to my last used setting, the Alphanumeric Keypad

NOW I can finally type out my message…

finish typing, tap the green check mark and…

Back to this screen, this redundant screen… this damn stupid screen…

I next have to tap the options button

And hit Ok…

Which brings me back to the actual Palringo application screen with my text entered…

I next tap the screen where it says “Send”

And Voila!

My status is updated!

Versus on the N78 I would have been able to type in the fields and just hit send…

I don’t mind a few extra steps, but I really wish I could take out the Handwriting screen… or at least not have it be default…

I also have this problem when sending texts…

I’ve gotten it down though, and am pretty quick about it.

The learning curve was very short, and I definatly prefer this over QWERTY, and I fear that I am alone on this one…

UPDATE:

As per Ricky Symbian-Guru suggested below, I went and downloaded the native Palringo app

So much better using the right tool for the right job, here you see how much better and more efficiently this works!

Off the bat, this application makes better use of the screen.  I can’t believe that when I went to download the app, it gave me the other one…

Here, we can use the plecturm or our finger to scroll around, and hold on the contact we wish to talk to…

sending a message, from this screen…

…will take you to your default text entrly

leaving more room for typing, reading and less room for extra, unnecessary buttons

There you have it, Palringo v.99 for Symbian S60v5

Keeping up with what the users want and need, even as they themselves find something new that they MUST use!

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!