I’m a sucker for MacOS running on all kinds of strange devices ;)
(Via technabob)
Posts Tagged: nokia
6
Oct 09
It’s 2009, and Nokia *still* does not get USB
Over the last few weeks, I played with two new Nokia Series 40 phones, the Nokia 6600i, a beautiful Slider with 5 MP camera and metal case, and the Nokia 3720c, a great candy bar phone with excellent battery life and great reception (the only phone so far that will work flawlessly in my basement office).
The 6600i came with a 15cm short MicroUSB cable, and much to my surprise, this was the first Nokia phone that actually charged the battery through that cable.
But here’s the kicker: instead of supplying a small USB adapter for wall outlets, Nokia puts another one of the stupid ‘ant dick’ chargers in the package. This, of course, means that they also build a second completely useless jack as a counterpart. Waste of electronics and space.
Of course, when I plugged in the 6600i‘s MicroUSB cable into a standard USB plug that I use to charge my iPhone and other US devices, it refused to charge the phone.
The Nokia 3720c came without a USB cable, and will of course also NOT charge through the CA-101 USB data cable.
Way to go, Nokia, way to go…
By the way, it’s nearly the 5th anniversary of me complaining about that ;)
28
Jan 09
Nokia N79 Eco – epic green FAIL
When I first read the article, I made sure it wasn’t April 1st already.
“We understand you don’t always need another charger. So, when you buy this Nokia N79 online, it comes without one. All we’re asking is that you keep hold of your old Nokia charger, and use it again. It’s part of a trial to save energy and reduce waste, so it comes in a smaller box too, and for each one we sell we’ll donate £4 to WWF, the global conservation organization”
WTF? Who are they trying to fool here? I’ve been complaining about Nokia avoiding USB like the plague for 4 years now.
Granted, nearly all Nokia phones have USB connectors now, but they’re also the only phones with USB connectors that don’t charge via USB. Nokia even has the guts to sell a ridiculously overpriced USB charger!
A joke. And a bad one.
2
Dec 08
Nokia N97 – Another (long) shot at getting back at Apple
So, here it is, Nokia’s new flagship smartphone – The Nokia N97:
My first thought: haven’t we seen that before…?
Oh, yes:
If I were HTC,I’d take a shot at suing them. Looks eerily similar, doesn’t it?
But that aside, do I think it’s the iPhone killer? First of all, what is it with all the manufacturers trying to come out with an iPhone killer in the first place?
I think they should be happy that Apple showed them what they seem to have forgotten, but what matters most to consumers.
“Now, can you count Nokia out yet? No way. It has the biggest slice of the cell phone marketshare pie. Its devices are much better engineered than Apple’s are (GPS on Nokia is better, so are the antennas, the cameras, and bluetooth radios that Nokia uses). But engineering does NOT equal a great experience. Yeah, my Nokia does not drop phone calls in places in Silicon Valley that my iPhone does, but generally I reach for the iPhone when I want to make a call or surf the web. Why?
Nokia is behind in experience. The executives here from Nokia that I’ve talked to know that. They know this is Nokia’s touchiest week and one where they either deliver a much better device or they are going to face a very tough 2009 globally.”
And this is something that they will not be able to match that quickly, as this is what Apple worked on building for the last 7 years. Not only did they come out with the technology, they also broke barriers like noone else, making MP3 files available as a download, offering movies and TV series, integrating podcasts and generally caring for users’ needs like only they can.
Compare the experience of buying a great piece of Symbian Series 60 software through Handango with getting something on the iPhone in the AppStore. Go on, try it – you’ll know what I mean.
So is the N97 a great smartphone? It sure is. But not for people who like the iPhone for whatever reason.
24
Sep 08
iPhone vs. Symbian vs. Android
Tarek has written a well detailed post on why he prefers a Symbian S60 phone over the iPhone. Mainly he mentions technical reasons, such as lack of multitasking or the iPhone’s mediocre video and bluetooth features.
Google’s new Android phone, the G1, has gotten most of this weeks media attention. The funny thing is, it seems it’s even weaker on features than the iPhone, something like the mobile equivalent of Google’s Chrome browser. No Exchange support, no street view in Google Maps (remember – it’s a Google phone!), less memory.
I have to say, from an end user perspective, the iPhone is simply the best thing you can get. While some things may still be missing, you have to remember that Apple has not even been in this game for one year. Compare the usability of the iPhone with what Nokia came up with after 10 years of Symbian S60. I find it hard to believe that they will suddenly start seeing the light and making their phones user friendly.
User Experience has always been Apple’s specialty. The integration with an iPhone gives you music and entertainment capabilities that the competition will have a hard time catching up with. You may lament the forced link to iTunes, but frankly, I don’t get that – do people really prefer to manage their 16 GB music library by pushing mp3 files into folders manually? The there’s the music store, which lacks any comparable representation from competing vendors. Nokia is starting their music game with the Nokia Music Store, but even though they’ve had a 9 xear head start, they’re at least 5 years behind with that.
The App Store is another iPhone instant hit. True, banning the podcasting app is not good, and yes, it’s a kind of lock-in, but still: if you’re a developer, what do you prefer – put your stuff in Nokia’s Download Store with a horrible shopping experience (don’t get me started on Nokia’s strange certificate methodology, which will force you to reset your brand new phone’s clock to last year to make the phone accept your application), or Apple’s one-click App Store that might just make you rich pretty fast?
I really do understand all the anti-lock-in and Symbian-is-such-an-open-platform complaints, but think about it: what’s the system that makes life easier for you? Apple’s control over the iPhone user experience is exactly what makes it such a compelling offer for users. For me, that’s all what counts.
If I want to fiddle with stuff, I’ll buy a train set.
6
Sep 08
Nokia S60 and bluetooth car kits: FAIL
I have owned and used 20+ Nokia Symbian Series 60 phones, and the one thing that always kills me is how badly they work in conjunction with my car kit. In that time, I have also had the opportunity to use more than one car kit, and the results are equally disappointing.
- Network display: some S60 phones will correctly show the network name, others will show the phone name instead. Some do show signal strength, other don’t
- The worst thing: phone book handling. Most S60 phones will not sync the phone book at all, others will only sync one number per contact.
Looking at this, there is only one suggestion I have for Nokia: fire the guy who writes the bluetooth code. How can you explain that the behaviour with the same car kit is different with every S60 phone? Isn’t that supposed to be a standardized platform? How are you guys managing your code???
I recently read an official statement by Nokia where they say that the reason for this is that the phone book handling in non-SAP car kits depends on some non-standard bluetooth extensions, which is the reason why they will not support it.
Bullshit.
How does that explain the difference in how S60 phones work? And why will EVERY Nokia S40 phone happily work with the car kits, supporting ALL phone book features?
Makes me furious – and then they claim leadership in the business phone market…
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29
May 08
Nokia E71 Video Review
(Via Symbian60.mobi)
(Embedded video broke my site layout – go here to watch the review)
This or the new iPhone…? Hmmmm……
