Latest Nokia Mobile

Software: Nokia Text Messenger

2008-03-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

The latest product of Nokia's Beta Labs is the aptly named Text Messenger gadget. No, not text messager, messenger.

Serena Williams?

Text Messenger displays the latest text messages in your Vista sidebar, and also allows you to send messages via your PC. It requires PC Suite 6.85 installed as well as Windows Vista. So all you (and me) XP users will have to suffer - well, most likely forever. Doesn't look like this'll be a standalone app for XP any time soon.

Browse Nokia6500 SLIDE Softwares by Category

2008-02-26T05:12:00.000-08:00

File Manager - Text Editor (23)

Instant Messaging (14)

Islamic (6)

Money (3)

MP3 - Video Player (52)

Other (52)

Productivity (14)

Scheduler - Watch - Timer (24)

SMS - Email (32)

System - Utils (45)

Motorola KRZR K1 (Silver

2008-02-16T21:40:00.001-08:00

Go crazy!
Razor thin edges exude pure luxury; the precision engineered design and clear cut silhouette with a metallic gloss finish reaffirm the belief in stunning style. Premium multimedia features, advanced global connectivity options and sophisticated entertainment capabilities vie for attention. Exclusive in form; cutting-edge in functionality. Motorola KRZR K1 – for a consummate wireless and multimedia experience.

Weight : 102 g

Talktime : Up to 6 Hrs

Standby : Up to 300 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256 colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3

Camera : 2 Megapixels

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots)

Video Recording : Yes

Motorola E1070

2008-02-16T21:37:00.000-08:00

The next echelon of mobility.
Motorola E1070 catapults the mobile experience to hitherto unexplored levels. Flip open this compact 3g handset to discover a world of possibilities. Make video calls; stream audios and videos; or access the internet at high speeds. Use the 1.3 megapixel digital camera to record events and occasions. Enjoy captivating music on the move and carry all the favorite tracks wherever you go. Motorola E1070 – for uninhabited fun and prolific entertainment.

Weight : 129 g

Talktime : Up to 4 Hrs 20 min

Standby : Up to 230 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3

Camera : 1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 pixels

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : N/A

GPRS : Class 10

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes

Motorola RIZR Z8

2008-02-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

Curvaceous Charm
MOTORIZR Z8 features Motorola's first ever “kick slider” - a unique mechanism that glides open to fit the contours of your face. This 3G handset is custom-made to provide optimum multimedia entertainment. The 2 megapixel camera comes with dedicated shutter button, integrated lumi LED light and red-eye reduction. Built on Symbian OS, the Z8 is HSPDA with Bluetooth wireless control. The 90 MB of internal memory can be expanded up to whopping 4GB. Smooth,stylish & suave – the MOTORIZR Z8.

Weight : 112 g

Talktime : Up to 5 hr

Standby : Up to 380 hr

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3

Camera : 2 MP

MP3 :

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0

Infrared :

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording :

3G : Yes

Motorola W220

2008-02-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

The highly impressive and elegant Dual-Band enabled Motorola W220 mobile phone comes with vibrant looks and in a Black and Silver colored casing. The feature-rich Motorola W220 has dimensions of 95 x 46 x 16.7 mm and allows you to enjoy seamless mobile functionality with complete ease. The phone comes with great features such as GPRS, Predictive Text, MMS and external color icons. The phone is lightweight at 93g and easily fits into your pocket. The Motorola W220 has an exceptional CSTN color screen with display of 65K colors and resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. The FM radio offers high-class sound quality so that you can enjoy your favorite soundtracks on the move.

Weight : 93 g

Talktime : Up to 8 h

Standby : Up to 290 h

Colour Display : CSTN, 65K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (32 channels), MP3-like

Camera :

MP3 : MP3-like

Bluetooth :

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps

Video Recording :

3G :

LG KE970 (Shine)

2008-02-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

A jewel that bedazzles
The LG KE970 is codenamed 'Shine' for the smooth and reflective metallic surface of the slider. The integrated 2.0 megapixel camera is powered with lens crafted by world renown lens makers Schnider-Kreuznach. Imaging and photography features include digital zoom, special effects, manual or auto focus and macro mode. Listen to your favourite tune in high definition sounds on the built-in Media Player. Surf, explore and download all your favourite content from the Internet directly to your handset instantly.

Weight : 115 g

Talktime : Up to 3 hrs

Standby : Up to 280 hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : 2 Mega pixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared :

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

LG KG800 Chocolate (White)

2008-02-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

Reach out for more
Mystery thickens around the inimitable design of the LG KG800 Chocolate. A hidden touch sensitive navigation glows red when prodded gently and disappears when not in use. Slide-open to discover a vivid LCD color screen. Prod further into the minimalist design and know more about intelligent imaging and mesmerizing multimedia options. LG KG800 Chocolate White - more tempting than a bar of white chocolate.

Weight : 83 g

Talktime : Up to 6 Hrs

Standby : Up to 200 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3, AAC

Camera : 1.3 Megapixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : N/A

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

LG KG800 Chocolate Clearance

2008-02-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Temptation Incarnate
Mystery thickens around the inimitable design of the LG KG800 Chocolate. A hidden touch sensitive navigation glows red when prodded gently and disappears when not in use. Slide-open to discover a vibrant LCD color screen. Prod further into the minimalist design and know more about intelligent imaging and mesmerizing multimedia options. LG KG800 Chocolate - more tempting than a bar of brown chocolate.

Weight : 83 g

Talktime : Up to 6 Hrs

Standby : Up to 200 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC

Camera : 1.3 MP, 1280 x 960 pixels

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : N/A

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

LG KG800 Chocolate

2008-02-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

Weight : 83 g

Talktime : Up to 6 Hrs

Standby : Up to 200 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC

Camera : 1.3 MP, 1280 x 960 pixels

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : N/A

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

LG U300

2008-02-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

Elegance personified
The stylish and accomplished LG U300 is one of the lightest 3G mobile phones. Dual screen for a crystal clear view of videos and images; 1.3 mega-pixel camera to freeze the moment; video telephony; dedicated music and TV keys – it gives a rich multimedia experience. This powerful handset features Bluetooth, USB and 3G for fast connectivity, unlimited browsing and lots more. The radical and innovative design of LG U300 makes it stand out of the crowd.

Weight : 93g

Talktime : Up to 2.5 hrs

Standby : Up to 220 hrs

Colour Display : Dual LCD display, 26K colours

Ringtones : MP3, MIDI, Polyphonic

Camera : 1.3 MegaPixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : N/A

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes

Prada phone by LG

2008-02-16T21:19:00.001-08:00

Stylish & Powerful Talk
The sleek and simplistic appearance of the Prada phone by LG speaks all about it. The world's first advanced touch screen phone, it eliminates the conventional keypad approach. Featuring a 2.0 mega-pixel camera, video player, document viewer – the phone maximizes the visual experience on an extra large LCD screen. The ultra-thin phone (12mm) doesn't compromise on features and offers additional multimedia functions including MP3 and music multitasking messaging. Surely, its sheer fun with the Prada phone by LG.

Weight : 85 g

Talktime : Up to 3Hrs

Standby : Up to 300Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic

Camera : 2 Megapixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

LG KU990 Viewty

2008-02-16T21:15:00.000-08:00

The super sleek LG KU990 Viewty is a high technology handset that holds a huge number of features. The LG KU990 Viewty supports a large 3 inch touchscreen display, FM Radio, an MP3 player and two dedicated camera keys. The 5.1 megapixel camera with image stabilizer features is capable of taking high-quality photographs. Uploading video clips is simple and quick with this 3G enabled device. The advanced imaging features of LG KU990 Viewty include support for video recording, zoom, autofocus and xenon flash. Whats more!! you can even upload videos directly to YouTube.

Weight : 112 g

Talktime :

Standby :

Colour Display : TFT touchscreen, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3

Camera : 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps, QVGA up to 120fps), strobe flash; secondary VGA videocall camera

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v1.2 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps

Sony Ericsson W880i

2008-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

Enter the Music Lounge
The Sony Ericsson W880i is the slimmest(a meager 9.4 mm dimension) and the latest addition to the Walkman family. The device wields the power of 3G technology that includes a VGA camera for video calls within UMTS networks. With its advanced imaging features, the integrated 2.0 megapixel digital camera is an intelligent imaging device . This music phone is endowed with Walkman player v2.0 that further refines the sound and other features of its earlier versions. A standard kit includes a 1GB memory card further expandable up to a massive 8GB.

Weight : 71 g

Talktime : Up to 6 hrs 30 min

Standby : Up to 425 hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic

Camera : 2 MP

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared : No

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording :

3G : Yes

Sony Ericsson W880i Silver

2008-02-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Weight : 71 g

Talktime : Up to 6 hrs 30 min

Standby : Up to 425 hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic

Camera : 2 MP

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording :

3G : Yes

Sony Ericsson K810i

2008-02-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

Armed with a over the top multi megapixel camera, the Sony Ericsson K810i is a photographer's delight. High definition imaging is matched by equally advanced features that transform the camera phone into a full fledged digital photo studio. Get into video calling and faster mobile internet connectivity with 3G technology. Shoot high definition videos, enjoy mobile music, communicate or simply show it off – the Sony Ericsson K810i a game for anything you can imagine.

Weight : 115 g

Talktime : Up to 10 h

Standby : Up to 400 h

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3

Camera : 3.2 MP

MP3 : MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : video(QCIF)

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Sony Ericsson Z610i Blue

2008-02-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

It’s here to bewitch you.
The Sony Ericsson Z610i is a dazzling clamshell that is sleek, stylish and yet exquisitely solid. This swanky handset features a variety of miscellaneous applications and is one of the most preferred mid-range 3g devices. Use your phone as a modem, rip your music and make video calls – all at the push of a key. Watch out for the external display’s seductive hidden mirror effect.

Weight : 110g

Talktime : Up to 7 Hrs

Standby : Up to 400 Hrs

Colour Display : TFD, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphinic, MP3, AAC

Camera : 2 Megapixels

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : N/A

GPRS : Class 10

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes

Sony Ericsson K530i

2008-02-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Sony Ericsson K530i mobile phone comes with a solid candy bar shaped handset with a 262k color screen carrying a screen resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. The mobile phone has a 2 megapixel camera with a 2.5 zoom feature assuring sharp picture quality. The mobile phone also has the FM radio feature that assures perfect musical entertainment for the user. The mobile phone also provides the facilities like messaging, e-mailing and MMS services.

Weight : 93 g

Talktime : 9 Hours

Standby : 395 Hours

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video; secondary videocall camera

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared :

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Sony Ericsson K770i

2008-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson K770i is a camera enabled 3G mobile phone. The K770i's screen provides a right and colourful display of up to 262k colours with a screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. Sony Ericsson K770i, the Cyber-shot phone comes with a 16 Mbytes of built in memory which can be extended by adding a Micro™ (M2™) memory stick. Its integrated camera of 3.2 megapixel comes with features that include a photo light, auto focus & 3 x digital zoom. Key features: Screen : 262k TFT Colour Screen (240 x 320 Pixels) 3.2 Megapixel Camera, 3 x Digital Zoom Messaging : SMS, MMS, Email Media Player, FM Radio RDS MP3 & AAC Music Tones Connectivity: 3G, Bluetooth, Synchronisation PC, USB Network : GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900, UMTS 2100 Internet : Access NetFront™ Web Browser, RSS Feeds

Weight : 95 g

Talktime : Up to 10 h

Standby : Up to 400 h

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3

Camera : 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, LED flash, secondary VGA videocall camera

MP3 : MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Nokia E90 Communicator

2008-02-16T20:54:00.001-08:00

Power Performance
The Nokia E90 is essentially the amalgamation of all premium features and functionalities contemporary technology has to offer. A brilliant 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS receiver, 3G(HSDPA), WiFi, HSCSD, MS Office document support – the Nokia E90 has much more than you ever imagined. High end applications are backed by enviable hardware configuration – 330 MHz ARM processor, QWERTY keyboard, dual 16 million colour screen ... the list is long!

Weight : 210 g

Talktime : Up to 5Hrs

Standby : Up to 330Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3

Camera : 3.2 Mega pixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : Yes

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes

Nokia N95 8GB

2008-02-16T20:52:00.001-08:00

The new model N95 8GB mobile phone coming from Nokia with its attractive and stunning style had grabbed the attention of the mobile phone market. Coming with a length of 99mm, width of 53mm and thickness of 21mm, this handset weighs 128 grams making it a comfortable model to handle. The hand set has an internal dynamic memory of 100MB and enjoys a talk time of up to 210 minutes and standby time of 280 hours.

Weight : 120 g

Talktime : Up to 6Hrs 30Mins

Standby : Up to 220 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic, Monophonic, True Tones, MP3

Camera : 5 Megapixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : Yes

GPRS : Class 10

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes

Nokia 5200

2008-02-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

A Street-Smart phone for the smarter you!
A cool and compact design, appealing vibrant colours with sleek sliding outfit, that’s Nokia 5200. Cam recorder, video player allows you to shoot and watch. Let your hair down and go wild with some pulsating music. Browse, chat and talk – In your own style. With endless connectivity, expandable memory, colourful display and enhanced audio quality 5200 epitomises performance.

Weight : 104 g

Talktime : Up to 3 h 10 min

Standby : Up to 263 h

Colour Display : Yes

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : VGA

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : Yes

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

Nokia E65

2008-02-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Get Smart with it
Packaged in a stylish form, the Symbian OS enabled Nokia E65 matches the personality of a corporate honcho. It has a Personal Information Management System to expedite efficiency. One Touch Keys complete tasks while you focus on your work. Multiple messaging options to suit your requirement. Save as you talk with VoIP via WLAN. Music and Video Players for entertaining interludes. Imaging facility, voice applications and a host of advanced features.

Weight : 115 g

Talktime : Up to 6 Hrs

Standby : Up to 265 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3

Camera : 2 Mega pixel

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : Yes

GPRS : Class 32

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes

Nokia E61i

2008-02-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

The highly impressive Silver colored Nokia E61i is a perfect office assistant that minimizes your burden with its high-end features and applications. The stylish Nokia E61i has a QWERTY keyboard and 5-way scroll key to facilitate easy text and navigation. It has some exceptional features in the form of Symbian 9.1 operating system, Blackberry connectivity, integrated hands free, GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB support and Infrared. High-speed reliable results are offered with the powerful ARM 9 220 MHz processor of the Nokia E61i. It has dimensions of 117 x 70 x 13.9 mm and offers long-time talks with its powerful Li-Po 1500 mAh battery.

Weight : 150 g

Talktime : Up to 9 h

Standby : Up to 400 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic, Monophonic, MP3, True Tones

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(CIF)

MP3 : yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v1.2

Infrared : Yes

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : video(CIF)

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Nokia 5310 Xpress Music

2008-02-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

The latest 5310 Xpress Music mobile phone from Nokia comes with dedicated music keys and side volume keys that make it an attractive model. The integrated 2 mega pixel camera with 4 digital zooms supports the user in grabbing quality pictures with perfection. The Nokia phone comes with an excellent music player that can record all popular music formats. Also there is a FM radio ensuring the user of musical entertainment. The mobile phone has text messaging, audio messaging, and picture messaging facility.

Weight : 71 g

Talktime : Up to 5 h 20 min

Standby : Up to 300 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, MP4, WMA, AAC, video tones

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF)

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 32

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

Nokia 5610 Xpress Music

2008-02-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

The new 5610 Xpress Music mobile phone coming from Nokia is considered as one of the best mobile phone available in the market because of its superb technological qualities and attractive design. The model coming with a cutting edge, urban design, slide form factor, black high gloss front finish, along with scratch protection and aluminum side panels is really a stunning model. It has a music slider with instant mode switching between music players, FM RDS radio and phone idle mode along with a crystal clear sound, and music playback up to 22 hours. If the best mobile is your dream, then this model is the best one you can choose.

Weight : 111 g

Talktime : Up to 6h

Standby : Up to 320h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, MP4, WMA, AAC, video tones

Camera : 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, flash; secondary QVGA videocall camera

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Nokia 6301

2008-02-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

The new mobile handset coming from Nokia is a UMA enabled phone that ensures fast service accessing. The mobile handset arrives with a two mega pixel camera with 8x digital zoom and full screen viewfinder. It has attractive features like Stereo MP3 player and FM radio that can play popular music formats ensuring perfect musical entertainment. It also has additional features including macromedia Flash Lite 2.0, Nokia sensor, Nokia visual radio and MIDP 2.0 Java pre-installed games and applications.

Weight : 93 g

Talktime : Up to 3 h 30 min

Standby : Up to 310 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF)

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

Nokia 7900 Prism

2008-02-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

Nokia 7900 Prism is a sleek looking mobile phone that comes with an anodized aluminum back cover. The diamond-cut design of the Nokia 7900 Prism is laser-etched to perfection. An organic LED display supporting up to 16 million colors makes using the Nokia 7900 Prism a pleasurable one. A “living wallpaper” is another unique feature of this handset which changes throughout the day. With dual band 3G technology, web browsing and Internet downloads is fast and easy. This quad band GSM mobile phone also offers worldwide connectivity to its users. Nokia 7900 Prism integrated 2 mega-pixel digital camera and a 1 GB of internal memory makes the a great buy

Weight : 101 g

Talktime : Up to 3 h

Standby : Up to 240 h

Colour Display : OLED, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF), flash

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 32, 107 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Nokia N81 8GB

2008-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

Nokia N81 is a sleek and stylish handset with advanced options for enjoying music. With integrated stereo speakers, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and 8GB of internal memory, this mobile phone from brand Nokia is focused on music. 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity add that extra power to this integrated entertainment solution. Acquire the Nokia N81 and enjoy music of your choice. Or, maybe you would be more interested in buying games from the N-Gage games service. With Nokia N81, quite a lot is possible

Weight : 140 g

Talktime : Up to 4 h

Standby : Up to 410 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True Tones, MP3

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(VGA 15fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Nokia E51

2008-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

The attractive model from Nokia is a very highly specified handset with new features adding colour and glamour to it. The Nokia E51 model is a quad-band MHz phone with dual band UMTS 850/2100 MHz that makes it useful for business travelers. 240x320 pixel display in 16 million colours that is common to many other Nokia devices. The handset has a130MB of internal memory that is expandable with a microSD slot. It also carries facilities like Bluetooth and an FM radio along with a multimedia player that makes it a hi-tech set. .

Nokia E50

2008-02-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Defining capabilities. Redefining business
Presenting before you the latest business tool … the Nokia E50. With streamlined applications and power packed functionality, E50 enters modern business with class and poise. Make your communication more effective with advanced mobile PBX solutions or get going with messaging, e-mail and other office applications. The best in connectivity and security features to aide you in this competitive world. With host of fun-filled features it’s not only work with Nokia E50.

Weight : 104 g

Talktime : Up to 8 Hrs

Standby : Up to 240 Hrs

Colour Display : TFT, 256K colours

Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3, True Tones

Camera :

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes

Infrared : Yes

GPRS : Yes

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

Nokia 6086

2008-02-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

The new Nokia 6086 mobile phone has succeeded in grabbing the minds of users with attractive features like VGA camera, video recorder, video player and video streaming facility. The integrated music player that is capable of playing various popular music formats ensures perfect musical entertainment for the user. It is also possible for the user to send SMS, MMS messaging along with emails that makes the model really a hot cake in the mobile phone market.

Weight : 84 g

Talktime : Up to 5 h

Standby : Up to 240 h

Colour Display : CSTN, 256K colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC

Camera : VGA, 640x480 pixels, video(128 x 96 pixels)

MP3 : MP3/MP4/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA player

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G :

Nokia 6500 classic

2008-02-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

The 6500 Classic is a slim 3G phone incorporating many capabilities. It helps in the fast data transfers, multitasking capabilities & video streaming. The Bluetooth connectivity in the phone connects it to Bluetooth compatible personal computer, laptop, mobile phone, PDA or headset. Of its one Gbytes of built in memory, the Nokia 6500 Classic is ideal for storing all those treasured photos, messages, videos, and music. The phone supports quad band technology. Key features: 2 Inch QVGA LCD 16.7 Million Colour Screen (320 x 240 Pixels) 2 Megapixel Camera Flash Video Record (JPEG) Messaging: SMS, MMS Sound : Music Player (MP3, AAC & eAAC+) Connectivity: 3G, Bluetooth, Micro USB, EDGE, HSCSD Network : Quad Band Technology

Weight : 94 g

Talktime : Up to 5 h 30 min

Standby : Up to 300 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF), flash

MP3 : Yes

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 32, 53.6 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Nokia 8600 Luna

2008-02-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

Celestial Calling... An ambrosial incarnation with every inch pulsating with exuberance – the Nokia 8600 is impeccably moulded in a nearly opaque smoked glass and soft touch stainless steel. Propagating mystery with all the right elements- it soaks in a consummate moonlight to bring life to every single touch – whenever you use it. Based on Series 40 phone features, it works on the quadband GSM/EDGE networks. Slides cover its keypad to treasure all the action with its 2 megapixel camera - share it with your friends. It offers the latest with a micro-USB port. Refinement cannot get better than this.

Weight :

Talktime : Up to 3 h 40 min

Standby : Up to 240 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels

MP3 : MP3/AAC/AAC+ player

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

Video Recording : Video(QCIF)

3G :

Nokia 6500 Slide

2008-02-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

Nokia 6500 slide is a camera mobile phone that comes with an ergonomic keypad design. This mobile phone from Nokia is equipped with an integrated 3.2 megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Autofocus, dual LED flash and 8x digital zoom make the imaging options more powerful. With a stainless steel finish and capabilities to make or receive video calls, the Nokia 6500 Slide is quite the handset to acquire and use.

Nokia 6500 Slide

Weight : 125 g

Talktime : Up to 6h

Standby : Up to 310 h

Colour Display : TFT, 16M colors

Ringtones : Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3

Camera : 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 15fps), flash; secondary QCIF videocall camera

MP3 : MP3/AAC/AAC+ player

Bluetooth : Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared :

GPRS : Class 11, 53.6 kbps

Video Recording : Yes

3G : Yes, 384 kbps

Phone Preview: Nokia 7380 Fashion Phone

2008-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

I find it hard to believe that Nokia still releases these phones. I find it even harder to believe that people actually buy these phones. While I see phones like the "lipstick" fashion phone in every store in Chinatown, I've never actually seen anyone "try one on."

Full preview in extended entry.

The Nokia 7380 Fashion Phone

The 7380 is your typical, every-day oddball Series 40 900/1800/1900 triband phone. It doesn't even look like
a phone - more like those old 110-cartridge cameras they had in the 80's.

Beneath the shiny exterior houses a 2 megapixel camera (with flash), loudspeaker, fm radio, bluetooth, mp3 player, and...uh....that's all. Note that there's onboard music player software but only 52 megs of internal memory. No expansion slots here.

"Seeing the Nokia 7380 phone for the first time might make you wonder where the familiar keys are. How do you dial a number and how do you navigate through the various menus." - Nokia web site

Damn right! The buttons are definitely gonna take some gettin' used to. You see the outer ring of that stylin' circle design on the bottom of the phone? Those are your Left/Right selection, Send, and End Call keys.

The Nokia 7380 phone has a "revolutionary" screen design - when in standby mode, the screen transforms into a mirror finish display. So you can't really see the screen until you bring it out of standby mode. Ok, I admit it - I actually find this feature kinda cool.

Of course, it wouldn't be an oddball Nokia phone without their trademark oddball keypad. And in this case, the 7380 has no keypad. Yep, none to speak of. To type in numbers or characters, you'll need to use the "Navi spinner" aka Click Wheel technology and rotate the spinner to select stuff. If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then I think we can agree: this is extremely annoying.

But then again, who cares? Lookin' slick with your Nokia 7380 Fashion phone should be your first priority.

The Nokia 7380 phone retails for 359 pounds - $640 US dollars.

Phone Preview: Nokia N71 Phone

2008-02-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marks the first day on The Nokia Phone Blog where I actually didn't get any chance to update. So today it looks like I'll have to do double duty.

First we'll take a look at the Nokia N71 phone, another triband/3G Nseries flip-phone.

The Nokia N71 Phone

The N71 is basicaly a smaller, lighter N90 with an additional camera for video conferencing, a crappier screen, and support for miniSD over MMC.

Form Factor: Flip
Bands: Triband 900/1800/1900/WCDMA 2100
Weight: 139g / 5 ounces / .30 pounds
Thickness: 25.8 mm thickness
SAR value: .36 W/kg ear, .19 W/kg body (more info on SAR values and cell phone radiation here)
Battery: 970 mah
Talk time: up to 4 hours
Camera: 2 megapixel w/ flash, interior VGA camera for videoconferencing
Interface: Symbian OS 9.1
Other Features: Bluetooth, loudspeaker, expandable miniSD, visual radio, mp3/video, push to talk

It's got your standard Symbian OS interface, and standard Symbian features - video, mp3, games, applications, etc. The displays aren't exactly something to write home about: the main screen is a 262k color screen at a resolution of 320x420 pixels. Actually, the internal screen is quite large, both pixel-wise and overall size-wise: it's 2.4 inches. Compare that to the Nokia N90 which has a 2.1 inch, 352x416 pixel display.

The "cool" feature on the Nokia N71 is the addition of a second VGA camera to complement the external 2 megapixel camera on the outside. Useful for videoconferencing or taking lousy quality pictures of yourself.

Other than that, there's no WLAN/wi-fi on this phone - it's one of the more "budget" phones on the Nseries line.

Retail price of the Nokia N71 phone: 400 euros / $492 USD

Phone Preview: Nokia N70 Phone

2008-02-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

While finishing my post yesterday I noticed I was missing a critical phone preview: the Nokia N70 phone. While it is by no means a new cell phone, it does have its moments - the N70 is the cheapest of the Nseries line, yet still retains most of the notable features of these phones. Read more in the extended entry.

The Nokia N70 Phone

Bands: Triband 900/1800/1900, WCDMA/3G
Weight: 126 grams / 4.44 ounces
Thickness: 24 mm
SAR value: .95 W/kg ear (more info on SAR values and cell phone radiation here)
Battery: BL-5C 970 mah
Talk time: up to 3.5 hours
Camera: 2 megapixel w/ flash
Interface: Symbian
Other Features: Bluetooth, dual cameras (2mp + .3mp), IR, loudspeaker, video calling, expandable RS-MMC, mp3/video, push to talk

The Nokia N70 phone was one of the first Nseries phones released by Nokia. It's a triband 900/1800/1900 mhz/WCDMA 3G phone with a candy bar form factor. The main display is a 176x208 pixel screen supporting up to 262,144 colors.

Like the Nokia N71 phone, the N70 has dual cameras: a main 2 megapixel camera located on the back of the phone (with a flash) and also a VGA, 0.3 megapixel camera on the front. The outer/main camera is accessed via a sliding mechanism which also serves as a lens cap. Very nice. The VGA camera is used for taking horrible quality pictures of yourself or for video calling. I think we'll choose the latter.

The N70 has support for expandable memory in the form of Reduced Size MultiMediaCards (RS-MMC). This is in contrast to the newer Nseries phones that require miniSD or microSD. RS-MMC really seems to be a dying breed of technology.

Like all smartphones equipped with the Symbian OS, the N70 can run numerous applications and games designed for this operating system. This includes SmartMovie (divx video player), and a whole lot of other programs. Note that due to the normal screen size on the N70 it is not as limited as the N90 in terms of application compatibility. You also don't get that bloatetd from Java applications. On the flip side, videos are just not as nice looking.

If you're looking for a cheap Nseries phone, look no further - they don't get any cheaper than the Nokia N70. The good news is Nokia has given the N70 a feature set comparable to the way-more-expensive N71 flip phone, and it's probably one of the better candy bar smartphones out there.

I could go on and on about the N70's lesser features (visual radio, active standby) but these are nothing new and/or exciting.

Phone Preview: Nokia 6111 Phone

2008-02-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 6111 phone is your standard S40 sliding form factor phone. Destined for more budget-conscious cell phone users, the 6111 does provide the usual gamut of S40 phone features and then some (Bluetooth, 1 megapixel camera). The bottom line is this is a cheap phone that actually has a halfway decent camera for you cheap bastards.

Thank you.

The Nokia 6111 Phone

In terms of looks, the Nokia 6111 phone definitely has its own sense of style. Available in three different color configurations (black face/silver body, grey/silver, and pink/silver (eww), Nokia is going balls-to-the-wall with making this cell phone look good.

Now personally, I'm not a big fan of slider type phones. Most of the time slider phones are just too small when closed - it's kind of like carrying around half a cell phone. I also don't see much of an advantage in covering the keypad, especially considering the phone display is more likely to be messed up. What're you gonna do, scratch your keypad?

With that said, let's look at some of the Nokia 6111's key features. We've got triband 900/1800/1900 mhz frequencies for use around the world (unless you're a Cingular 850 customer), a 128x160 pixel display with 262,144 colors, and a 700 mah battery that can last up to 3.5 hours of talk time.

There's also an integrated camera with a flash. The camera is not VGA - here we're treated to Nokia's 1 megapixel wonder camera on the back of the 6111. No lens cap or slider trick to cover up the camera.

Nokia did not add support for memory expansion cards, so you're stuck with the 19 mb internal memory. That's just too bad because the Nokia 6111 does include a video (3GPP or MPEG4)//mp3/aac player.

As mentioned before, the 6111 does include Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. It's good to see so many of Nokia's newer phones (especially the more budget ones) incorporating Bluetooth technology.

Other notable functions are an FM radio, dedicated Push to Talk key, infrared, USB port, and Java.

Phone Preview: Nokia 6270 Phone

2008-02-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day. My Nokia stock (NYSE: NOK) is up following a little stock market rebounding, I got my Nokia N71 phone, and I've got plenty of fresh content for at least a day or two.

While I'm still fooling around (testing) with my N71, we'll be looking at the Nokia 6270 phone. This is a quad-band, slider cell phone. It's got, among others, a 2 megapixel camera with flash, integrated stereo speakers (3D sound supported), and a very generous keypad - for a slider.

The Nokia 6270 Phone

Bands: Triband 850/900/1800/1900
Weight: 125 grams / 4.4 ounces
Thickness: 23 mm
Nokia 6270 SAR value: .74 W/kg ear (more info on SAR values and cell phone radiation here)
Battery: BL-5C 970 mah
Talk time: up to 5 hours
Camera: 2 megapixel w/ flash
Interface: Series 40 Third Edition

While the Nokia 6270 phone doesn't hold a candle to the likes of the Nokia N80 (the REAL slider phone), it still manages to pack some very decent features at a very decent price. Designed as a mid tier phone, the 6270 (unfortunately) uses the Series 40 Third Edition user interface. Guess if you're Nokia you can't make another Symbian slider phone without interfering with the N80. (by the way, read the Nokia N80 phone preview here)

It does have active standby, which, for those of you who don't know, is a very handy feature. Active standby places upcoming calendar/notes/to-do items and shortcuts on your Nokia phone's idle screen. You can add up to 4 or 5 shortcuts, and map your left and right selection keys to 2 more shortcuts.

Most slider phones have one annoying "feature" in common - a tiny keypad. After all, when the keypad is sliding out from under the phone you don't have a whole lot of space to use. Thankfully, the keypad on the Nokia 6270 phone is generous by any comparison. It's actually quite large.

Did I also mention that there's expandable memory? MiniSD, to be exact. It's amazing how this phone is turning more and more into an N40 - half an N80 phone. The whole package actually comes with a 128 mb stick of miniSD which is fairly generous (compared to other Nokia phones, but not other manufacturers' phones). My N71 just came with a 128 mb stick and come on - the difference in price is pretty large.

Other notable features are Bluetooth, nice sized 320x240 screen, FM radio, push to talk, infrared, and Java.

Which brings us to the retail price of the Nokia 6270 - it's $550 USD. Should be a lot cheaper on ebay.

First Impressions: Nokia N71 Phone

2008-02-15T06:43:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I officially received my Nokia N71 phone. I'll be working on a full review in the next few days (weeks?), but here are a couple first impressions.

The first thing you'll notice when picking up the N71 is that it has a sort of plasticky feel to it. Mine makes some "creaking noises" when shifting around, opening up the flip, etc. It feels cheaper than a razr, but we know that any Nseries phone will blow the razr out of the water any day.

I'm very satisfied with how the phone looks - Nokia has done a great job with their new line of flip phones (considering all they made were candy bar form factor phones in the past) and the N71 is no exception. The inside has a "brushed aluminum" look but to be honest most of it is plastic.

The Nokia N71 phone is definitely a little thicker than your average flip/clamshell type cell phone. It's not really that heavy (all that plastic does have a benefit), but it's at least two razrs stacked together.

There's a single dedicated button on the front of the phone for silencing calls - the thing is, you can't answer calls while the phone is closed. Being able to answer calls without opening the flip can be a lifesaver while driving and you don't have a Bluetooth headset (like me). Volume control has changed to the old style where you can't change the volume unless you're in the middle of a call (no dedicated volume keys). I'm not sure if this is a plus or not.

What I am not liking with the N71, and incidentally all Symbian 9.1 devices is software compatibility. Many of the Nokia's Nseries and Eseries lines of phones are using Symbian 9.1 (N80, N91, E60, E70, etc) and sadly, there's no backwards compatibility with previous versions of Symbian. Software developers will need to make Symbian 9.1 version specific applications and games from here on out for the 9.1 devices. As of now, there's a pathetic amount of 9.1 software available, and something like 75% of these are different Sudoku games. Ridiculous.

Nokia's strategy of using dual cameras on the Nokia N71 (and the other Nseries phones) is kind of a hit and miss. It's cool to have two cameras until you realize you can only take a self-portrait with the internal camera - in order words the 0.3 megapixel one. Having a camera positioned directly on the front definitely has its drawbacks. And I don't video-conference anyway.

The N71 has the best external speakers I have ever heard. Ever. The mp3 sound quality is amazing. I almost can't believe how clear these speakers are. I thought the N90 had impressive speakers, but the N71 definitely rips it apart in that respect.

Rounding out some of the odder aspects of the Nokia N71 is the placement of the power button (on the bottom of the top flip). It's a little unconventional, but it does look very cool.

Ok, I think that's it until my real review comes along.

Phone Preview: Nokia 6280 Phone

2008-02-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

All of the bloggers (including myself I suppose) are basically rehashing the same damn Nokia press release today: the Nokia N72 phone has started shipping. Well, that's nice. Read more about the Nokia N72 in the N72 phone preview. On with the 6280 phone preview!

The Nokia 6280 "low high-end" phone combines some great features (dual cameras reminiscent of Nseries phones) in a slider form factor.

Read more in the extended entry by clicking the text link below.

The Nokia 6280 Phone

Bands: Triband 900/1800/1900, WCDMA/3G
Weight: 115 grams / 4.07 ounces
Thickness: 21 mm
Nokia 6280 SAR value: .80 W/kg ear (more info on SAR values and cell phone radiation here)
Battery: BP-6M 970 mah
Talk time: up to 4 hours
Camera: 2 megapixel w/ flash, 0.3 megapixel
Interface: Series 40 3rd Edition
Other Features: Video calling, miniSD expandable, active standby, FM radio, Bluetooth, Loudspeaker

With a large 240x320 display supporting 262,144 colors, the Nokia 6280 phone is aiming to break the budget barrier set by its "predecessor", the Nokia 6270 phone. Well ok, not really. The 6280 has some better features but lacks the quadband access of the 6270. And it's a good bet we won't be seeing the Nokia 6280 in the 'States ever.

However, Nokia has produced a sliding phone with a pretty nice feature set here, starting with the dual cameras.

Dual cameras as in good camera, bad camera. A 2 megapixel camera with integrated flash rests under the top slide while the crappy 0.3 megapixel VGA camera on the front face can be used for video conferencing. Which brings me to an important topic: does anyone actually video-conference on their cell phones? I can't really see it being a highly in-demand feature. I mean, people aren't going to be protesting in the streets for video conferencing capabilities. It makes me wonder why we keep getting all these great new kickin' features on new high-end phones and yet the battery life still manages to suck it all up big time.

On the Nokia Europe features site for the Nokia 6280 phone, we see this cryptic comment:
"Note: The front VGA camera can only be used for video calls."

Wow. So it looks like you won't be taking pictures of yourself and your ridiculous friends in self-portrait mode after all.

Typical bells and whistles abound for the Nokia 6280. Series 40 3rd Edition which gives you active standby, expandable memory with miniSD which is just a nice touch period, and Bluetooth among others. MP3s, video, blah blah blah.

The Nokia 6280 phone retails for 375 euros ($479 US dollars).

Phone Preview: Nokia 2610 Phone

2008-02-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

Stocks are evil things. Take Nokia, for example (NYSE: NOK). The stocks officially down over 10% in the past 3 weeks. And the worst part is - there's no real reason for it, at least not directly related to the company. Nokia did get a new CEO though.

So, while I'm watching my NOK stock drop further and further, let's take a look at the Nokia 2610 phone. It was officially announced a couple of months ago to not a whole lot of acclaim. After all, it's another fairly low-end budget phone.

The Nokia 2610 Phone

Bands: Triband 900/1800 and 850/1900 configurations
Weight: 91 grams / 3.2 ounces
Thickness: 18 mm
SAR value: not available yet (more info on SAR values and cell phone radiation here)
Battery: BL-5B 970 mah
Talk time: up to 3 hours
Camera: uhh...no.
Interface: unknown.
Other Features: Loudspeaker, voice recorder, mp3 ringtones, expense manager, power organizer, coin flipping game

Taking a short look at the features, we see a lot of unknowns right now. That's okay, hopefully the blanks will be filled in by the time Nokia officially releases this phone.

The Nokia 2610 is your pretty standard, basic, normal, baseline "business phone." I use the term business phone extremely extremely loosely, because it barely fits into that class - it's just that some of the applications are definitely more business oriented ("expense manager," "power organizer?").

To me, the 2610 looks like a sleeker version of the Nokia 6030 phone. But of course it's not all about looks, it's what's under the hood that counts. And under the hood appears to be a Series 40 interface (sort of?). Unfortunately, Nokia's website isn't exactly too helpful here. All it says is "Menu screen with grid layout."

So among the typical Nokia budget phones the Nokia 2610 fits right in. I wouldn't exactly call it a cool phone to look forward to, but maybe it'll function as a good backup phone. What a boring preview, eh?

Siemens Bluetooth Car Kit HKW-700 $24.99

2008-02-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

Master of the one-day-one-deal sites, Woot.com, is selling this Siemens HKW-700 Bluetooth Car Kit for $19.99 + $4.99 shipping.

The HKW-700 plugs into your car's cigarette lighter and once it's paired for the very first time, it'll automatically connect to it as soon as you enter your car. The power of Bluetooth, baby.

Get the Siemens HKW-700 Bluetooth Car Kit for $24.99 shipped.

Other nice features include Full Duplex Sound (meaning you can talk and listen at the same time), a swiveling cigarette lighter plug, a nice little LCD screen to show who's calling (I think you might have to import your phonebook to do this, however), echo compensation, noise suppression, and a wired microphone.

Not sure if there's another microphone built-in to the device, or whether you're required to use the wired mic. Siemens did include a visor mount so you can clip it there, but seriously - who wants a wire going from your cigarette lighter to your sun visor? I sure don't. The HKW-700 also does not support Bluetooth 2.0, which means no Enhanced Data Rate.

In terms of price, this deal is hard to beat. Car Kits (especially Nokia ones) tend to be pretty expensive (generally over 50 bucks), there's an onboard LCD, and Siemens is a name brand. Sort of.

Link to Siemens Bluetooth Car Kit HKW-700 for $24.99

Nokia HF-300 Speakerphone

2008-02-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

Well, well. Only a couple of days after my comments about the lack of visor-mounted car kits, Nokia has announced the HF-300 Speakerphone. That would be a first from a company that previously produced only cigarette lighter-pluggable Bluetooth car kits.

A look at the Nokia HF-300 Speakerphone Bluetooth Car Kit.

No more cruising around with an ugly piece of plastic molded to your ear: Nokia's HF-300 is a combination loudspeaker and microphone in one device that you're supposed to hang on your car's sun visor. Like so:

It connects through Bluetooth (1.1) so it's compatible with any mobile phone.

The HF-300 also features a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) which removes background noises and echoes. In terms of battery life, this speakerphone is good for up to 20 hours of talk time, and has an automatic five-minute shutoff timer to save battery life.

While it's very similar to products by BlueAnt (the SuperTooth) and Siemens, the HF-300 does not have a fold-out microphone.

Expect the Nokia HF-300 Speakerphone sometime during the third quarter of 2007 - it'll be available globally for a pittance: 90 Euros ($122 US Dollars).

Or you could just buy the golf club.

Kingston 2GB MicroSD TransFlash Memory Card $19.99

2008-02-15T06:32:00.000-08:00

Unload that 128 megabyte MicroSD clunker you have stuck in your cell phone, and grab the Kingston 2 gigger for only $19.99 from Frys - no rebates! Free same-day shipping.

Comes with an SD adapter for use with card readers and the like.

Ah, the joy of plummeting memory card prices...

Link to Kingston 2GB MicroSD Memory Card for $19.99

Get the Kingston 2 gigabyte MicroSD card for only $19.99.

Cyber-Blue Bluetooth Headset $17.99

2008-02-15T06:29:00.002-08:00

Meritline is selling the Cyber-Blue Bluetooth Headset for $18 bucks with free shipping, if you're in the market for a cheap generic wireless headset that looks strangely similar to several Motorola ones out there.

Specs:

4 hours talk time
120 hours standby time
Bluetooth 1.2

Link to Cyber-Blue Bluetooth Headset for $17.99

Free Ringtone From AT&T

2008-02-15T06:29:00.001-08:00

Big Kahuna AT&T rarely gives out free stuff, so take advantage of this while you still can:

AT&T customers can get a free ringtone (up to $2.49 value) just by filling out an extremely short form consisting of your wireless phone number. You'll receive a coupon code that you can use at AT&T's MEdia Mall Shop.

Restrictions: you need to have a MEdia Net plan, which is probably a good thing 'cause the data transfers would cost you a fortune without one. Also one ringtone per customer. Offer ends December 31, 2007.

You also don't have to enter your own mobile number - I just tried entering in some garbage, and still got the free ringtone coupon code

Free Ringtone Courtesy of AT&T

Preview: Nokia BH-101 Headset

2008-02-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

This might be a first: Nokia is actually releasing a Bluetooth 2.0 headset with a retail price under 50 bucks. Not pounds, not Euros - US dollars, baby.

The Nokia BH-101: look ordinary and costs a meager $40.

Okay, it doesn't look anywhere near as cool as those OLED headsets (like the BH-902) that cost hefty chunks of change (like $150 chunks of change). It doesn't have a display. It does have, however, an extra-thick earhook.

It also supports Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate). But the kicker is - it only costs $40 dollars.

Battery life is decent, with the headset cranking out 8 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time.

The Nokia BH-101 will be available globally "for the Christmas season" for $40 USD (or 30 Euro). Can't get much cheaper than that.

Press Release

Nokia's Next Digital Pen?

2008-02-15T06:23:00.000-08:00

The newsletter that Nokia sends out is usually extremely backward when it comes to showcasing phones and technologies. But in the latest issue, they added a short "Nokia Newswire" section with this snippet...

These old-school digital pens are about to be replaced with the Real Deal.

"Write a text message with a pen!
Do you write faster with a pen than on a keypad? You may
soon be able to write a message on a notepad, easily
digitize it, and send the message to a mobile phone via
Bluetooth! To make it happen, technology is being developed
for a pen that enables you to write messages and capture
them with its built-in camera. So look out for texting pens!"

An improvement over the current crop of digital pens? Well, judging by the Nokia SU-1B and its many cousins never featured here, I'd have to give that an affirmative.

It's not that the SU-1B or the SU-27W or SU-XXX are bad devices - it's just that there are much better devices out there. Like the Nokia N800 tablet. Or the 770 Tablet. These don't require "digital paper" (last I checked, these were more than 30 bucks for one notepad), ink cartridges (the Nokia pens DO use standard ISO-blah-blah compliant ink refills), or an extremely large "baller" wallet for the pen (around $200 USD).

But a digital pen equipped with a camera - that sounds pretty cool. And if you could use a standard notepad, that would actually give people a reason to buy this new breed of pen - not only to use with their mobile phones, but also for, say, Bluetooth-equipped laptops.

Preview: Nokia 500 Auto Navigation

2008-02-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

Sometime in August, Nokia quietly announced the 500 Auto Navigation system - well before they announced the acquisition of Navteq (the digital map provider). The five-double-oh is a step up from its predecessor, the Nokia 330, with a bigger screen, more features, and perhaps most importantly, a lower retail price.

Nokia's 500 Auto Navigation system throws in some extra features.

Let's face it: the Nokia 330 Auto Navigation had its share of problems. Sure, Nokia added all kinds of useless multimedia whatsits like a video and music player, and a photo viewer. Too bad it was at the expense of something called Bluetooth. And with a price tag of 360 euros ($530 USD), it was just too much for (not enough).

So, the Nokia 500 Auto Nav attempts to fix this and other undocumented problems that cursed the 330. A quick glance shows a nice improvement in the viewing area: screen size has increased from a mere 3.5" fullscreen to a 4.3" widescreen. It's not a touch-screen, though - buttons are located under the display.

Nokia not only added Bluetooth to this GPS's feature list, they went all out in the process. The 500 allows you to browse contacts on your phone, send/receive calls, and just, you know, talk. Throw in DSP (digital signal processing), and you've already got yourself a pretty sweet hands-free unit. It's a nice touch that gives the 500 considerable edge over the competition (the Nuvis, TomToms, etc).

There's also an onboard FM transmitter that can broadcast tunes to your car's radio. Sweet.

Other features include the Traffic Message Channel Service (my guess is: not free), and of course the return of the photo viewer and video player.

A report on the 500 Auto Nav's battery life would have been nice, but unfortunately Nokia's not telling. They did mention, however, that the GPS unit will only be available in Europe sometime in Q4 2007, for the price of 300 euros. That's $440 US dollars, dude.

Nokia BH-100 Bluetooth Headset Deal: $12.99

2008-02-15T06:20:00.000-08:00

The BH-100: Nokia's most budget of budget headsets, now available at Radio Shack for the ridiculously low price of $12.99. Get free shipping if you choose the "ship to store" option. (recommended)

Sure, it's cheap, but not necessary a piece of crap headset. The BH-100 actually features 6.5 hours of battery life, interchangeable earloops, and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR. Honestly, any cheaper and you're in Generic Brand territory. And you don't want to be there.

I'm tempted to buy one just to review.

Nokia BH-100 Bluetooth Headset for $12.99

Get the Nokia BH-100 Bluetooth headset for only $12.99! Shipped!

Two New (Wired) Stereo Headsets: WH-600 and WH-700

2008-02-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

Nokia recently introduced two new combination headphones/headsets, possibly to make up for the lack of any real devices at Nokia World 2007. These are the wired kind, meaning they both feature a Nokia-fied 3.5mm plug that goes into your Nseries device.

The Nokia WH-600 and WH-700 are the two new wired headsets on the block.

The WH-600 looks to be based on the BH-604 Bluetooth headset, a ridiculously large set of headphones that had a mic tucked away in one of those monster ear pads. The ear pad size has been noticeably cut down to size, and are now roundish compared to the large oval 604's. Like Nokia's other wired headsets, the WH-600 comes has an attached remote capable of handling calls and changing the volume on-the-fly.

On the other hand, the Nokia WH-700 are the in-ear type of headphones, and come with three ear cups of various sizes. This headset also comes with an undetachable remote.

Both headphones share one annoying trait - they require an adapter to be used in standard 3.5mm music players (it is included though). The price, too, is a little bit of a turn-off: 65 Euros ($95 USD) for the WH-600, and 50 Euros ($73 USD) for the WH-700.

Expect these two devices in January of 2008.

Funky Attachable Stereo Bluetooth Headphones $20 After Rebate (Jabra BT8010)

2008-02-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

Fry's is selling the Jabra BT8010 Bluetooth headset for $39.99 - $19.99 rebate = $20 + shipping. But wait - it gets better:

The Jabra BT8010 is your typical smallish headset with one difference - it has a plug that allows you to connect another earpiece (included) turning it into a sweet pair of A2DP headphones. It even has an OLED display 'fer crying out loud! (and a DSP to reduce background noise)

Grab the Jabra BT8010 A2DP headphones/headset with detachable earpiece for $20.

I think the whole detachable earpiece design is really, really innovative. And so devilishly simple too that I'm surprised no one's ever thought of it.

Now let's talk about the negatives, all taken from reviews on Amazon (3.5 stars overall):

You can only move forward, pause/play, and stop - no repeating or going backwards in your track list
Sometimes disconnects, requiring a re-pairing
Hard plastic material that doesn't always fit securely on the ear

Looks like people either love it or hate it.

At any rate: Jabra BT8010 at Fry's

Nokia BH-200 Bluetooth Headset $18.99

2008-02-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

If you didn't get in on the Nokia BH-100 headset deal almost a month ago, now's your chance to grab a consolation prize.

Cellhut is selling the Nokia BH-200 Bluetooth headset for $18.99 shipped. Make sure you apply coupon code D2BNK to get the free shipping.

The BH-200 is an entry-level style headset weighing in at 15 grams. It supports Bluetooth spec 2.0 and earlier, and features a battery that lasts for about 5.5 hours (150 hours standby time). I believe the earloop is one of those hard rubber ones which you may or may not feel comfortable wearing.

Nokia BH-200 Bluetooth Headset $18.99

Latest Bluetooth headset deal: BH-200 for $18.99 shipped

Kyocera Bluetooth Audio Adapter $17 + Shipping

2008-02-15T06:06:00.000-08:00

Kyocera's online web store is selling the TXBTA10012B Bluetooth 3.5mm Audio Adapter (black) for $19.99 - 15% coupon = $17 + shipping. The 15% coupon in question can be obtained by signing up for an account on the site.

This adapter allows you to connect any audio device (mp3 player, stereo, computer, technically your cell phone too, etc) to a set of A2DP Bluetooth headphones/speakers. It plugs into the device's 3.5mm audio jack and has its own internal battery that's charged via USB.

This is a great deal as these audio adapters generally cost a lot more and look twice as bad.

Kyocera Bluetooth Audio Adapter $17 + Shipping

The Kyocera Bluetooth Audio Adapter: $17 + Shipping

Is the Nokia HF-6W Defective?

Damon from Damon's Laboratory reports that not one, not two, but three of his Nokia HF-6W devices - affectionately known as "the golf club" - are dead, with no sound coming from the speakers. Bad manufacturing or just bad luck?

Unfortunately, it looks like it might have to be the former: there are a number of posts on expansys and Nokia's own forums filled with users having problems with their HF-6Ws. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find ANY good reviews about this little handsfree speaker (but there's plenty of 1 and 2-star reviews). Looks like this device gets the official Nokia Phone Blog Seal of Disapproval.

My only experience I had with the device was a returned unit at Compusa a year ago that had its packaging ripped up and retaped. Hm...

Read all about it below.

Nokia HF-6W defect, no sound - Damons Laboratory

Avoid!

Get 50% off InvisibleSHIELD Products

The deal: until about the 17th of this month, you can get 50% off all InvisibleSHIELD products - protectors, shields, you name it.

InvisibleSHIELD makes some of the best screen protectors and full body shields out there. They're a little different from the Martin Fields type of protector in that the material is a little softer which gives it more of a rubbery feeling, but these babies can last.

Normally, the only downside is the price, but with the 50% off promo the InvisibleSHIELDS are a steal. Grab one for your Nseries phone and you'll be doing yourself a favor.

Read my original Nokia 6030 invisibleSHIELD review.

50% off InvisibleSHIELD Products

Found via SlickDeals

Emergency AA Cell Phone Charger $3.99

GoldenGadgets is selling this generically made "emergency AA cell phone charger" for only $3.99. You can drop in an AA alkaline battery, hook it up to your phone, and give you Nokia/Motorola/Samsung/Sony Ericsson/Blackberry device a much needed charge.

According to the specs, it takes anywhere between 1-3 hours to fully charge.

Comes with several charging tips, the charger (which looks like little more than a casing for the battery), and an el ghetto "HW" brand alkaline.

Emergency AA Cell Phone Charger for $3.99

Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth Headset $25.97 Shipped

2008-02-15T05:56:00.001-08:00

Get this tiny, well-reviewed Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth 2.0 headset for only $25.97 shipped from Amazon.

The stats: up to 4 hours talk time, weighs 9 grams, and comes with what I would term the coolest combination case and charger that I have ever seen.

Four-star reviews on Amazon.

Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth Headset $25.97 Shipped

The Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth Headset, now relegated to the Amazon Bargain Bin.

The Bluetooth Rearview Mirror: $76.10 Shipped

Now here's an interesting device: It's a car rearview mirror that happens to be crammed with a ridiculous set of features: Bluetooth, a detachable mono headset, a display in the center of the mirror that displays caller ID, a handsfree loudspeaker and microphone, and finally an FM transmitter built-in just for kicks. Whew.

It's powererd by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which lasts for up to 10 hours of talk time on one charge. DC cigarette lighter adapter included. The loudspeaker features all the standard run-o-the-mill functions: full duplex, noise/echo cancellation, and DSP.

The only drawback is that it costs a whopping $76.10, and it seems to be a generic made product. Good reviews though.

The Bluetooth Rearview Mirror: $76.10 Shipped

More Noname Phones To Hit the USA

2008-02-14T07:42:00.001-08:00

So you go to the nearest Cingular, T-mobile, Verizon, whatever store. Chances are pretty damn good that the phones there are made by one of the big guns: Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericssons, Samsung, etc. Maybe you'll see a really small and ugly Pantech phone.

According to an article in BusinessWeek, you just might start seeing a lot of generic crap new brands popping up at a wireless store near you. Among them: Alcatel, ZTE, and Haier. Hey, doesn't Haier make rice cookers?

Alcatel, of Alcatel-Lucent fame, is already a huge gun when it comes to expensive networking equipment. But then someone got greedy and decided, hey, let's do a complete 180 and make cell phones for Americans. So now, under a separate company called Cellatel (what a horrible name), Alcatel is doing just that.

Some of the newer Alcatel phones that will be hitting the US market

It turns out that the smaller players have an easier time getting cozy with wireless service providers, most likely because they're small. They can make concessions, and strike up potentially more lucrative deals for the service providers, all while getting their brand out there.

So competition is always good, unless you're holding shares of Motorola or something like that. I for one would love to see some kind of variety in the Cingular store for once, instead of the same 10 crap phones.

Source: "North America's Cell-Phone Land Grab" - Businessweek

Blackberry Curve

2008-02-14T07:40:00.000-08:00

Ater a rough fourth-quarter, Research in Motion bounced back with the release of a new device - the 8300 Curve.

With an appearance that looks pretty much like any other Blackberry out there, the combination media smartphone and PDA will still likely brainwash yet even more loyal followers to RIM's cause. Not to mention keeping them from the likes of Apple, Nokia and Motorola (and Samsung).

In terms of features, the Curve is one-part standard enterprise Blackberry fare with the push email and instant messaging and whatnot and one-part consumer smartphone. Unlike most Blackberry models, it has a 2 megapixel camera and Media Player which should handle all of your audio/video needs. The 8300 Curve also includes Blackberry Maps, which looks like a crappier version of Nokia's smart2go.

All in all, I started this preview hoping to find some breakthrough technology or innovative feature that would make the Curve standout as a consumer phone, but unfortunately it looks like YABB: yet another BlackBerry!

Verizon's Answer to the iPhone: LG Prada KE 850

2008-02-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's no unknown fact that the iPhone will debut on AT&T, which probably means mucho buckaroos and new subscribers for the wireless carrier. But what of Verizon, you might ask?

It turns out that the second-largest mobile phone service provider has been developing some new weapons phones that may just give the Apple phone a run for its money.

The LG Prada KE 850 Phone

It's really hard not to talk about its similarity in looks when it comes to the Prada vs. the iPhone. The only real difference I can see is that LG/Prada opted for a more rectangular look than the curvy iPodish style. Thickness (less than a half-inch) between the two phones is about the same, while it seems that the Prada is shorter (3.9 inches vs the iPhone's 4.5)

The KE 850 also features a touch-screen, 2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory, and video/music players.

I would love to see how the KE 850 stacks up against the iPhone, especially when it comes to the user interface. Apple is known for creating some of the best UI's around (so simple that even a caveman could use their products!), but LG certainly isn't. And we're still not sure how much influence Prada actually had on the device, at least other than looks and appearance.

The KE 850 is expected to retail for about $600, which puts it in about 100 bucks more than the smallest capacity iPhone. The GSM (triband 900/1800/1900) version of the Prada is actually available (albeit from ebay) as it has been released in the UK.

There's a good chance that the finished KE 850 for Verizon may be slightly different than the GSM version - the company has been pretty quiet about the entire project. From the article: "In reaction to all the iPhone attention AT&T is getting, Verizon COO Denny Strigl told USAToday Tuesday: 'We do have a very good response in the mill. You'll see that from us in the late summer.'"

Source: "Verizon Plots iPhone Killer" - TheStreet

Moto RAZR2 and Q9m Just Don't Cut It

2008-02-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

Motorola's staking a lot on its new (late) 2007 line of mobile phones. One writer (actually, I believe it's the same guy who writes all the Associated Press cell phone-related news, including that iPhone vs. N95 vs. Ocean article) tested out two upcoming Moto models - the RAZR2 and the Q9m - over a period of several weeks.

Here's the short summary: the RAZR2 and Q9m are a big improvement over the originals, but in his own words, "neither of the new phones feels like a winner."

AP Writer: The RAZR2 and Q9m aren't winners.

And now for the longer summary, if you don't want to read the entire article:

The RAZR2 is a larger, beefier version of the original RAZR - in terms of size and features.

According to guy (Peter Svensson), the outside touch-sensitive buttons are difficult to use, liable to be pushed in your pocket if you don't manually lock the phone, and not very intuitive (when the flip is closed, you can turn on the camera, but since the camera's on the front of the phone...well...you're stuck taking a picture of yourself). Video and music downloading features were unimpressive.

On the flip side, the better features of the new RAZR2 included CrystalTalk, which is supposed to filter out background noises, and the voice-activated dialing aspects.

Basically, for a $300 phone (with 2 year contract), there are better choices out there. Might as well spend the extra $100 for the iPhone. (my take, not his)

As for the Q9m, the new version of the MotoQ Blackjack/Blackberry-ish smartphone aimed at Verizon customers, well - it didn't fare that much better than the RAZR2. Positives included an excellent QWERTY keyboard, and uh...that's about it. However, the reviewer went into iPhone Comparison Mode and that was that.

Preview: LG Viewty KU990 Phone

2008-02-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

I rarely write about non-Nokia phones (something that I am seriously trying to change, honest). You can see this just by looking at the number of entries I've accumulated in the "Other Mobile Phones" category: a grand total of 12, and probably a third of those don't even belong there.

Meanwhile, I stumbled upon LG's latest press release for it's newest touch-screen phone: the Viewty. If you can get around the lousy name, the Viewty is actually quite an interesting device.

This is the picture of a 5.1 megapixel, 120 fps video recorder.

Operating Frequencies: Tri-band 900/1800/1900
Form Factor: Candy bar
Display: 3" 240x400 QVGA touch-screen, up to 262k million colors supported
Camera: 5.1 megapixel, autofocus, Xenon flash, image stabilization, 120 fps video recording
Interface: ??
Memory: 170 MB internal, external microSD cards
Battery: ??
SAR value: ?? W/kg on ear, ?? W/kg on body (more info on SAR values and cell phone radiation here)
Connectivity: EDGE, HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0
Special Features: DivX-certified, handwriting recognition, ridiculous camera
Weight: 112 grams / 3.95 ounces
Dimensions: 103.5 x 54.4 x 14.8 mm

Release Date: October 2007
Expected Cost: ?? Euros
Buy From: ??

The Viewty isn't your typical media smartphone.

The first tidbit that caught my eye in the press release was the "DiVX Certified" catchphrase. While DiVX (the company) provides a mobile version of its video player and codec for smartphones, it's nice to see the software built-in for once.

So what else is there? The ubiquitous touch-screen, of course. Three inches wide in this case. Not to take anything away from the iPhone, but LG had the touch-screen idea before Apple (see LG Prada).

But quite unlike the Prada, the Viewty comes standard with a 5.1 megapixel digital camera, complete with manual focus, image stabilization, and xenon flash. Oh yeah, it also does 120 fps video recording (DivX compressed?). Crazy.

Aside from that, we get some typical high-end connectivity options: EDGE, HSDPA, and Bluetooth 2.0. Sadly, the phone's tri-band (900/1800/1900) so don't expect it to be hitting the USA any time in the near future.

The LG Viewty will start shipping in mid-October, mainly to Europe.

Preview: Palm's Centro Smartphone

2008-02-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

Well, after getting home from the two days of revelry in Los Angeles that included a stint at a Nokia Nseries-themed mansion and a short tour around the city, all I can say is: it sucks to be back. Having wasted most of my day sleeping, I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to write up the full-length account of what actually went down in LA.

Until then, you'll just have to read up on my newly rehashed news, starting with: the Palm Centro phone.

The high point of Palm's new device is the price - at $99 bucks (with 2-year service agreement), this phone isn't going to be breaking the bank, a fact that the company is counting on.

"Palm Centro has the power of a broadband smartphone at the price of a standard 12-key phone," said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. "People looking to have all their contacts and calendar at the touch of a button, plus YouTube streaming videos and the Internet can now get it in a small, cool design with the trademark Palm ease of use. If you're thinking about stepping up to a smartphone, the Palm Centro should be your choice."

Oh yeah, you also get a touch-screen too.

Other features include a full QWERTY keyboard, 3G, instant messaging, some kind of camera, and a choice of two colors: red or black.

The Centro will be exclusive to Sprint Nextel for the first 90 days, after which no one seems to have any clue as to where it's going. Expect it sometime in the middle of October.

Modu: A Different Type of Phone (not a Nokia)

2008-02-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across today's Fortune article titled "New phone morphs into multiple devices," and my first thought was - whatever, phones like the N95 ARE multiple devices already - why bother with morphing? The subject of the article is a new device called the Modu - a completely different take on the multi-functional cell phone.

The Modu.

At first glance, the Modu is tiny (it's smaller than a credit card) and not really all that functional (it can only make basic phone calls). The trick here is that the device can be inserted into other devices (called jackets) that bring out other functions. For example, you could put the Modu into a GPS jacket to create a device that can send and receive calls and display text messages on screen, as well as get you places. Or you could pop it into a smartphone jacket if you needed to do some heavy emailing on the go.

Modu's website shows the Modu being inserted into a laptop for most likely wireless modem capabilities.

The basic Modu phone would cost around $300, while jackets would sell for $40-50.

I think it's a very cool idea, and from a business point of view it's quite interesting. If you add up the cost of the phone and a couple jackets, you're already looking at a sub-$500 phone - about the same price as a good smartphone. But a smartphone is limited in what it can do, while the Modu is (technically) infinitely expandable. It would definitely make upgrading less of a chore - all you'd have to do is buy a new jacket.

Of course, the main problem here is that the success of the Modu hinges on the success of its jackets.

Expect the Modu to hit the USA sometime in 2009.

New phone morphs into multiple devices - Fortune

Phone Review: Nokia N71 Phone (Part 1)

2008-02-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Today is Day One of my two-day long Nokia N71 phone review. As you may well know, the N71 is Nokia's second Nseries flip phone, with the first being the Nokia N90. However, you can't really compare the two phones - the N90 is just a killer camera phone with superb quality photos while the N71 is more of a jack-of-all-trades cell phone. The N71 has a lot of great features, but it doesn't have that one distinguishing feature that makes it stand out from the crowd. And I don't think that's necessarily a Bad Thing.

Read more in the extended entry. (a must read!)

The N71 Box

Impressive looking, of course, but nothing compared to Apple's Box Design Team.

Inside the Nokia N71 Box

Nokia usually provides lots of little goodies with their high-end Nseries phones. This time it looks like they're cutting back a little bit:

What's included: Pop-port to USB data cable, 128mb miniSD card, pop-port to 3.5mm jack converter, wired stereo headphones with remote, battery, charger, lots of manuals and booklets, and an "owner's card."

Let's be real here. The Nokia N90 phone box included everything here minus the 3.5mm jack converter and the miniSD card, but also came with a "STANDARD Nokia charger connector to mini Nseries charger connector," MMC card, MMC card reader, microfiber screen wipe, and carrying strap. The N71 box just feels lame in comparison.

The N71 Front Side

The front of the Nokia N71 phone houses the outer display, the 2 megapixel camera, and a single button located on the bottom center of the phone. What's this button you say? It's basically an all in one ok button, silence button, and snooze button. What irks me is that when you receive a text message, the outer display will show the confirmation but WON'T show you the actual message. You'll have to flip open the phone for that. Yet you still have to press this stupid button to close the text message notification. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

The Nokia N71 Camera

Speaking of the camera, let's take a look. Now, the only other serious 2 megapixel camera I've used is the Nokia N90, with its Carl Zeiss optics. Click on the thumbnails to open the full image.

These are the two best pictures I could come up with from both the Nokia N71 camera and the Nokia N90 camera. The top two are the N71, and the bottom two are the N90. You be the judge!

Video quality on the N71, unfortunately, is not that impressive. It doesn't even come close to the Nokia N90. (the N71 is choppier with a crappier frame rate to boot)

The bottom line on the N71 camera is that it's a great still image camera. Photos came out way better than I ever expected from a 2 megapixel camera WTIHOUT Carl Zeiss.

Let's finish up part 1 with...

The Power Button

Yeah, I couldn't figure this one out for the longest time. The power button is actually located on the BOTTOM of the flip. And it looks like a screw too so you can't really tell. Neat.

Read Part 2 of the Nokia N71 Review Here

Phone Review: Nokia N71 Phone (Part 2)

2008-02-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N71 Phone Review, Part 2. Split into a 2 day affair because I'm just lazy. Click on the image or the text link to read the rest of the review.

The Nokia N71 Screen/Display

The main display on the N71 is a high quality QVGA 2.4" screen. 320x240 pixels, supports up to 262,144 colors. It's larger than say the N90 or N80 screens but has a lower resolution. The pixel sizes on the N80 and N90 are far smaller than the ones on the N71 and even though the screen space is smaller, you can still fit more into that space.

Personally, I have no qualms about the display. I think the sheer size of it is visually impressive - the screen on the N90 was excellent but it's always easier to notice a larger display vs a smaller, very high resolution display.

There's supposed to be a light sensor on the Nokia N71 that checks how much light is hitting the phone and adjusts it accordingly, but to be honest I haven't noticed any difference when looking at the screen in broad daylight.

More Pictures of the Nokia N71 phone

In the side view you'll see the infrared/push to talk button and the left speaker (right speaker is located on the bottom). What I like about the push to talk button is, unlike Nokia's other phones, you can use it to turn on/off the loudspeaker. You may have noticed that Nokia normally maps the loudspeaker key to the End Call selection button, so when calling someone you can't just switch to loudspeaker right away, you have to wait until you're connected. It's very annoying in the car. Very thoughtful.

The speakers, as mentioned in the First Impressions N71 writeup, are very very impressive and some of the best speakers I have ever heard on a Nokia cell phone. (or any cell phone for that matter) Very clear audio. I could see the speakers being one reason for owning the N71 - especially coupled with the fact that miniSD media is super cheap. You've got a excellent MP3 player right here under your nose.

The top section of the Nokia N71 houses the power plug, the Pop-port connector, and the miniSD slot. Not much to say here, the N71 uses the modified small Nokia plug for charging. The package also includes a Pop-port to 3.5mm jack so you can plug in your favorite speakers or headphones.

Size and Weight

Here's some pics comparing the Nokia N71 phone to a couple of other Nokia models, namely the Nokia 6030 and the 5165. It gives you a good idea of how large the N71 is. Since most of the phone's plastic, it makes for a moderately lightweight phone that won't really drag deep into your pockets. At the same time, however, it's no RAZR. And to be honest, it can get quite thick for a flip phone.

Sound Quality, RF, Battery Life, and Other Usable Aspects

(Here's my disclaimer: I'm usually pretty bad at determining sound quality and RF, so take these as a very wide estimate)

The sound quality, consistent with other Nokia cell phones, is very clear. The earpiece tends to be a bit low at max volume, but I had absolutely no problem understanding any callers' voices.

I use the loudspeaker a lot, and I can safely say that the loudspeaker is definitely one of the better ones that I've heard. Volume is decent, and the actual quality is good to great. No problems here.

The Nokia N71 phone uses a 970 mah battery, which is rated at a maxiumum talk time of 4 hours. Today I did about 2 hours of talking, 20 minutes of MP3 playback through the louadspeaker, and about 20 minutes of Sudoku (that stupid puzzle game which comes standard on the N71). All things considered, my battery meter is still sitting pretty at 4 out of 7 bars. Yeah, the battery meter is generally not a good judge of battery life but since the battery hasn't been used much yet I think it's pretty close.

Software Compatibility

Symbian 9.1 still has a lot of problems with compatibility. Since you can't run older Symbian applications/games with 9.1, you're limited to the extremely small amount of software that is available right now. And trust me, there isn't much out there. At least not yet.

The good news is that software development will continue to run its course and we will see some new software packages designed for the N71 and other Symbian 9.1 phones soon enough. Until then, however, you'll have to suffer!

Conclusion

Without a doubt the Nokia N71 is an underrated, high quality cell phone. I think it's been overshadowed by the Nokia N90 and the upcoming N93 - however, with basically the same features (minus Carl Zeiss), the Nokia N71 delivers in almost every way. Sure, it can't take pictures/video like the Nokia N90, but considering it's a heck of a lot smaller and lighter, I think it's much more worth it.

It's a solid, feature-packed Nokia phone. This is one phone that you should really consider if you want a high quality flip phone (and double if you're thinking of buying an N90). I also think it's one of the phones that Nokia didn't go "Oops! Why'd we do that?" on.

The Nokia N80 Phone: First Impressions

2008-02-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

So I'm now the proud owner of a Nokia N80 phone. First thoughts and initial impressions inside.

First impressions of the Nokia N80 slider.

The N80 is an average sized slider phone. It's a little on the thick side, although the length is nearly perfect. Compare that to the N71 which is just a tad too big on the flip side. I think the Nokia N71 goes down from my ear to my chin. That was always a low point. I have to admit, the N80 seems plasticky at first, kind of like a toy. It doesn't have that really heavy, solid construction that the N90 did (which was more a curse than anything), but it also doesn't feel like everything in the phone is tightened up. Honestly, the plastic feels too similar to the plastic used in my Nokia 6030 phone - and the last thing I want to do is compare an Nseries with a $10 "beater" phone.

Holding the N80 (closed position) in one hand is a little awkward - the placement of the buttons, since it's a slider, is near the bottom. Which makes it quite painful to press, say the menu button, while trying to keep up a balancing act of NOT dropping a $450 dollar phone. Of course, the easy solution here is to slide down the keypad.

Which brings me to point number 3. The slide is WAY too loose and slippery. It almost feels like you could slide the phone open just by shaking it up and down. The N80 also does not have that satisfying click when closed.

The camera (3 megapixel) is quite impressive. The quality of the photos is just really outstanding. And having a little switch to toggle macro mode/landscape mode is nice, but I wish the switch opened/closed a lens cap instead. More on this at a later date, when I get really down and dirty with the N80 camera.

The screen, like the N90 display, is bright, sharp, and clear. Nothing much else to say about that.

There's also an ambient light sensor that's supposed to adjust to different light conditions but I haven't seen anything noticeable yet. Not to mention there's this blue LED light that blinks continuously once Sleep Mode is activated. Sleep mode basically turns off your screen completely (instead of just the backlight) and flashes a really annoying light every four seconds.

It only took two tries to get WLAN/wi-fi working, and Nokia's new browser software is up to par. It's very well done and there's a lot of options (zooming in on web pages, scrolling around, etc). Quite fast too.

While the Nokia N80 definitely has one of the better feature sets of the Nseries line, I can't help but feel like it's a cheaper phone than it really is. Give me a week and we'll see where I stand with this phone.

A Non-NPH Nokia N93i Review.

2008-02-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Fellow blogger and Nokia Phone Blog reader Alex Wrege mailed in to say that he's finished part 1 (and it looks like part 2 also) of his video review on the Nokia N93i. That's right, the Nokia N93i. The same Nokia N93i that 99.999999% of the Earth's population wishes they had in their hands right now.

Highlights:
"Also included is a hand strap or...yeah, I don't really know what you do with this...but I guess it's good to be included for those of you who like leather around your...wrists...or something."

"[referring to secondary VGA video conferencing camera] Of course here's also the video camera...or I don't know...joke?"

This guy is awesome.

Anyway, it's an excellent, very in-depth advance look at the N93i. Check it out.

Alex Wrege's Nokia N93i Video Review Part 1
Alex Wrege's Nokia N93i Video Review Part 2

20 Minutes with the Nokia N95 (First Impressions)

2008-02-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to play with the Nokia N95 for a bit yesterday. My first impressions, only three months late! (full review coming soon)

First impressions of the Nokia N95 phone.

The phone is much lighter than the Nokia N80, the N95's predecessor. It's a little wider, but the thinness more than makes up for this and it doesn't feel like a brick.

The slide's opening and closing mechanism is a huge improvement over the N80. It has that "spring" tactile feel to it that's similar to the LG Chocolate. Big plus.

GPS didn't work. The quick start guide says it needs to connect to three satellites to get a lock on a location, but trying everything in the book got me nothing but "cannot connect to satellite" errors. Disappointing!

The N95's camera is simply amazing. There's also zero lag when using the viewfinder display. Carl Zeiss optics ftw, as usual.

Menus are less laggier than before. That's not to say that there's no lag at all, but it's noticeably better than Nokia's other phones. I guess the 330 mhz processor actually counts for something.

Sound quality from the stereo speakers is quite good.

That guy was right: those dedicated music buttons are pretty much worthless. They're also annoying to press because the buttons aren't raised. I'll have to give up my plans to use them as gamepad buttons.

Sand looks like vomit. Just my opinion.

20 Minutes with the Nokia N76 (First Impressions)

2008-02-14T07:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to WOMWorld's Trial Program, I now have a shiny red N76 at my command, at least for the next 2 weeks anyway.

If you're a blogger (or a pretty well-known forum power user), you can sign up for the program and get the chance to test out/trial some newer Nseries phones. Check it out.

And now for my initial impressions of the Nokia N76. Full review coming soon.

My first impressions of the Nokia N76 phone: sleek and sweet

The N76 is definitely much thinner than expected. It's a tad bit slimmer than your typical RAZR V3 phone. It's also noticeably longer than the RAZR.

- I like the weight. It's heavy enough that it feels solid and has a nice heft, but light enough so that it's not a burden in your pocket. (the N80 is almost .7 ounces heavier)

- Build quality is excellent. The N76 feels like a million bucks - you don't get that plastic feel associated with cheaper phones.

- I'd have to call this Nokia's "densest" phone ever created - removing the back cover exposes the entire back housing, which is so tightly packed that Nokia barely found space to insert a SIM card.

- Speaking of which, the process of removing the SIM card is a little odd - you have to pull a yellow tag which is connected to a small piece that holds the SIM card. Problem is the piece is completely removable (it's not connected to the phone in any way). Losing one of these would not be fun.

- The flip opens and closes with a firm click. It's also pretty tight in terms of movement - you can't flip open the N76 with one hand very easily.

- Music sound quality is good, but the stereo speakers are not quite on par with the N95's.

- There's almost zero lag (post-processing?) after taking a picture. Wow. That's unheard of on any other Nokia phone I've used.

- You can't exit the Music Player. This has got to be a bug.

- The N76 keypad is responsive and provides pretty good feedback even though the buttons aren't raised. On the flip side, it's also easily smudged and covered with fingerprints. Can't win 'em all.

- That idle mode blinking blue light is inobtrusively hidden by the mirrored surface (front flip), in contrast to the N80 where it was in-your-face and just flat out annoying.

- The dedicated music buttons are actually useful, since they also control the camera options as well as the music player when the flip's closed.

(read the original N76 preview here)

Other Reviews: iPhone vs. N95 vs. Ocean, iPhone wins?

2008-02-14T07:11:00.000-08:00

An Associated Press writer "reviewed" the iPhone, N95, and Ocean (Helio) - all at the same time. The result is the article titled "Review: Apple's IPhone Takes Other Luxury Cell Phones to School".

The bottom line of the guy's argument is that the iPhone is incredibly easy to use, while the N95's user interface is horrendous. And any mention of the Ocean seems to have been done as an afterthought. Actually, why the Ocean is even included in the review is beyond me. I definitely wouldn't call it a luxury phone.

While I'd totally agree that the Symbian UI isn't even close to Apple's interface, I can't help but feel that comparing the iPhone and N95 is like comparing Apples to Oranges. It's like putting Tiger Woods next to Roger Federer and saying that one is the better athlete.

I consider the iPhone a winner in terms of style and usability, but not features. The N95 is no looker but manages to pack 3G, A2DP, an open operating system (Symbian), video recording, and GPS - all features missing from the iPhone - into a device that's unlocked for use with any GSM provider.

Check out the AP review below for the whole iPhone/N95/Ocean battle:

AP: Review: Rival Phones No Match for IPhone

Review: Nokia N76 Phone

2008-02-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

The Nseries line is known for fully-featured mobile phones that just happen to ignore normal size restraints. Handsets such as the N90, N93, and N80 set the bar with impressive feature sets but took some criticism for being just way too BIG.

With the N76, Nokia's aiming to get into the thin market, one that's been long dominated by the RAZR. Touted as a music smartphone, the N76 combines the Symbian operating system with stereo speakers and a 2 megapixel camera in a device that's actually thinner than the RAZR.

So how does it fare? More inside.

Review: Nokia's N76, a music phone with a slim profile.

First, a big thanks to WOMWORLD for providing the N76 pictured here. You too can demo new Nokia devices by signing up for their Nseries trial program! The only requirements are an established blog or forum membership. Or you can just be famous like me. Just kidding.

Skip to the end of the review if you just want to check out the summary.

The N76 is Nokia's seventh Nseries flip phone, and at 13.7 mm, it's also the thinnest of the set. In terms of weight, it's got some heft. (115 grams - about 4 ounces) The profile is a definite advantage - the phone slips easily into a pocket, but it's also heavy enough so that you just know when you're carrying it around.

Nokia really crammed everything together into the N76. Having a thin phone this densely packed means you'll have to go through some minor inconveniences - such as removing the entire back cover if you want to change the battery or SIM card. The N76's method of securing the SIM card is also a little weird - you need to pull out a little yellow cradle that is not connected to the N76 is any way. So don't drop it in a sewer or something.

Aside from that, the N76 is built like a champ. It doesn't have that plasticky feeling you get with less expensive phones (N75, 5300).

I found the camera to take, well, pretty average pictures. The 2 megapixel CMOS sensor isn't going to knock anybody's socks off - colors are a little muted, and there's definitely some noise (first picture was not taken by the N76 camera):

What WAS surprising was the lack of any real "post-processing" lag that occurs after taking a picture. Total lag time: about 1-2 seconds after hitting the shutter button. Compare that to the N95 which has a lag of about 6-7 seconds, which would be pretty unacceptable if it were an actual digital camera. The bottom line is that the N76 can take some pretty quick shots if the need arises.

Nokia is marketing the N76 as a music phone, but the handset is actually rather hit-or-miss in this area. I liked the dedicated music buttons and the ability to move through menus and playlists with the flip completely closed. Instead of having raised buttons, Nokia opted to keep them flat and slightly less tactile than normal, so you won't have a random-keypress-that-started-playing-my-embarrassing-music type of moment. The stereo speakers were okay, but spaced too close together to really get any kind of benefit from stereo sound. However, music sounded excellent with a pair of normal headphones.

Nokia oddly neglected to put in one "small" feature into its slim music phone: A2DP (the Bluetooth profile that allows stereo sound). This was a major oversight considering almost every self-proclaimed "music phone" these days comes standard with the Bluetooth profile.

A more minor "Huh?" problem occurred with the placement of the headphone jack - it's located at the top of the phone, which means the flip can't open all the way if something's plugged in.

You also can't quit the Music player application once you've opened it. I'm not quite sure why, although the N75 has the same problem.

Sound quality and signal strength were very Nokia-ish - that is to say, very good. Voices came across clearly. I did have an issue with the N76's loudspeaker - the maximum volume was much lower than what I would've liked.

The BL-4B battery is rated for up to 3 hours of talk time, and my informal estimate was around three and a half hours of talk time. The battery lasted over 8 hours with the music player continually cranking out random songs, which was a nice surprise.

Summary

In the end, the Nokia N76 isn't the greatest music phone out there with the lack of A2DP and some other minor bugs, but it's still a well-built, lightweight flip phone.

The Good

Slim profile
Camera takes really quick pictures
Build quality

The Bad

No A2DP (on a music phone?)
Can't fully open flip when headphones are plugged in
Maximum battery life could be better

The Vertu Ascent Ti Reviewed (but not by me)

2008-02-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to alert reader Rick for this one: Head on over to Sybarites, a site dedicated to reviewing the finer things in life - which is a nice way of saying the things you'll *probably* never see in your lifetime, unless you make it as a famous rapper or something - for their exclusive review of the Vertu Ascent Ti.

Compared to previous phones in the Vertu line, the Ascent Ti actually has a very impressive feature set: 3G, 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, 4 gigabytes of internal storage, stereo speakers, and access to the "Vertu Fortress", an underground bunker that can store your personal information. It's also handmade with a nice, hearty mix of sapphire glass, leather, and titanium.

Oh yeah, you also get a complimentary year of Vertu Concierge service.

Sybarites' Exclusive Vertu Ascent Ti Review

The handcrafted Vertu Ascent Ti.

Nokia N81 Reviewed, Verdict: Not Recommended

2008-02-14T07:05:00.000-08:00

Stefan at IntoMobile wrote up an in-depth review of the Nokia N81 slider (8GB version). He's got a hell of a lot of gripes with the phone, but his bottom line is don't buy it, it ain't worth the price.

The Nokia N81 8GB ain't all that it's cracked up to be, at least according to IntoMobile.

So what's the problem with the phone?

"The device as a whole feels like a cheap Chinese toy that kills small children due to excessive lead contamination. It creaks, it rattles and it is not the Nokia you grew up with."

...that, a cramped keypad, a crappy camera, a useless navi-wheel, slow wi-fi, and a high price tag pretty much sums up everything.

Now the N81 I played with at the Nokia LA Event didn't have a loose slider and it certainly wasn't rattling. But this guy's experience doesn't really surprise me, after going through the Nokia Flagship Store in NYC a couple of months ago and finding that more than a third of the phones N95s there had slider problems. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the one N95 that I sent to the official Nokia Repair Center for slider repair came back in the form of a replacement model with, guess what - another loose slider. I eventually lucked out with a completely solid N95 slider. Too bad it took 3 tries on ebay.

So anyway, I really hope that the N81 doesn't go the way of the N95, at least in terms of mechanical problems and what I'd deem as manufacturing flaws.

Okay, I just wanted to get that out. As for the rest of the problems, well, all I can say is the N81's (probably) guilty as charged.

If you're an optimist, look on the bright side: Stefan reports that the battery is actually pretty good, the sound quality is "fantastic", and there's plenty of memory to mess around with.

Review: Nokia N81 8 GB, too much money for too little hardware - IntoMobile

The Two Day Review: Nokia N81 2GB

2008-02-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've been carrying around a Nokia N81 (2GB expandable memory version) for a couple of days. It's small, it's sleek, and it's a Nokia smartphone - so it must be a winner, right?

Inside: firsthand impressions of the "phone that feels like a Chinese toy that kills small children due to excessive lead contamination." According to IntoMobile, anyway.

A two day review of the Nokia N81 2GB.

1. Build quality could definitely be better. Hitting some of the buttons on certain areas makes the phone, for want of a better word, creak. The back cover also tends to make squeaking noises when any sort of pressure is placed on it. As for the slide - on my N81 it's slightly loose, but the slider spring motion is really satisfying.

2. It's heavy. Noticeably heavier than the original N95 - 4.9 ounces vs 4.2.

3. Activities that are normally processor-intensive on other Nokia phones (scrolling through menus and opening up applications) are super quick on the N81, thanks to a faster cpu

4. The N81's sound quality is quite amazing. I don't think I've ever heard a better set of speakers on a phone before.

5. The navi-wheel is, for the most part, annoying. I find that it's very hard to get any kind of consistent movement when scrolling around music playlists, unlike those iPod click wheels. It's not so bad when browsing the Gallery or Multimedia menu though.

6. Gaming. I have a couple games on the phone, and none of them make use of the dedicated buttons nor do they let you change the default keymapping. This isn't exactly a problem with the N81 specifically, it's more of a complaint to game programmers, but it's really annoying that I have these nice buttons and they're useless. Also, being able to change into landscape mode without having to use rotateMe or some other application would be nice. Can someone tell me why the N95 has the accelerometer and the N81 doesn't?

7. Okay, the keypad is a little hit-or-miss. Hitting the call/end keys, which have been thoughtfully squished onto the sides is a chore. And I have pretty thin fingers too. I imagine someone with somewhat pudgy fingers having a nightmare with the keypad.

On the other hand, the dedicated music buttons don't interfere with normal phone operation and are quite handy, in stark contrast to the N95's dedicated music slide mode. And the new multimedia key gets a thumbs up for speed and placement.

8. One small subtle feature - the dedicated keys light up and function as zoom in/zoom out buttons in the Gallery. It's surprisingly intuitive combined with the navi-wheel in Gallery mode.

That's it for now. Expect a full review with the next week or two.

A N82 vs. N95 vs. Z5fd Photo Comparison

2008-02-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

Here's some photos I dug out from my trip to Miami, taken with three different cameras: a Nokia N82, Nokia N95, and FujiFilm Z5fd. You probably already know that the N82/N95 are 5 megapixel CMOS cameras with Carl Zeiss optics, but the Z5fd is a relative unknown 6 megapixel ultraportable with a SuperCCD sensor.

A photo comparison between the Nokia N95/N82 and FujiFilm Z5fd.

As expected, pictures taken by the N82 and N95 cameras were noticeably similar, although the N95's flash added an annoying slight bluish tint to all my photos. In the end, it seemed like the N82 took more true-to-life pictures than either of the other two cameras, especially judging by the Miami skyline picture. While the Z5fd took just "okay" pictures, the camera did have one cool feature that I wish other cameras would implement - the ability to take two quick shots, one with flash and one without.

Ah, it's too bad that the N82 is a candy bar. If Nokia made a comparable flip phone I'd jump on that in a second.

How-To: Super Nintendo/Nintendo/Genesis Games On Your Nokia Phone

2008-02-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

If you've been craving the obsolete games of yesteryear, you'll be happy to learn that there are several programs that let you play old console games on your Nokia cell phone (called emulators). Actually, you can run these programs on most Symbian phones, but compatibility is always an issue with non-Nokias.

So here's a little breakdown of the emulator scene...

A Side Note About Controls

Let's face it - cell phone keypads don't exactly make the greatest controllers out there. To remedy this, you'll need to either change the default configurations, or buy a bluetooth gamepad controller.

These things have dropped down in price significantly, but the downside is you'll get less battery life since it requires bluetooth.

With that in mind, let's get to it!

Super Nintendo

Ah, one of the greatest systems to grace the gaming world. If you're expecting full speed SNES games with sound, you're going to have to look elsewhere (like investing in a REAL portable console). So far, the only known Super Nintendo emulator is called VSun. (you've probably also heard me mention it a couple of times before) The speed isn't bad. Without sound, many Super Nintendo games run at about 25 fps (frames per second). With sound, expect something like 10-15 fps. Bottom line: if you don't mind losing the oofs, unhhhs, and other grunts from Street Fighter 2, you should be satisfied. Bigger games like Chrono Trigger run fairly well too.

VSun is available as a trial on the Vampent web site. Vampent is the company that makes many of these emulators. Unforrtunately they're based in China, they tend not to update their emulators (considering most of their emulators aren't really finished), and generally they suck at customer support.

I bought vSun thinking that it would only get better - but I haven't seen any updates since I've bought it so...yeah. I don't recommend buying their emulators. Trust me, if you look hard enough you can find it "somewhere else."

Nintendo

There's a couple decent Nintendo emulators. Vampent again takes the #1 spot with their vNes emulator. This is a practically perfect emulator with full speed and excellent sound. I really can't complain - before I got my N90 I used to pass the time attempting to play Contra on my Nokia 6260 (which is one of the worst phones to play games on emulator-wise) . Sadly, I couldn't even pass the third level...

Other emulators include YewNES and NesGam, but vNes is clearly superior to both.

Sega Genesis

I've never liked the Genesis system. Mostly because it was a crappy version of SNES with horrible colors and horrible sound yet it was so POPULAR. Good thing everyone agrees with me - there's only one emulator and it's sort of in an alpha stage. It's called PicoDrive, and if you can't respect the system, respect the creator - the original programmer was the same guy who made the Capcom CPS2 FinalBurn emulator.

Sound is horrific when it actually does work (and most of the time it doesn't), but PicoDrive plays pretty well without it.

There are a couple Original GameBoy, GameBoy Color, and GameBoy Advance emulators out there too. Note: they're all made by our infamous Vampent. (check out vBoy and vBag)

Installation

Here's what you need to start playing:

Data cable, IR/Bluetooth connection, or Memory Card Reader
The emulator software
Rom files

If you download a trial version or buy it or you just buy it off the mean streets of Chinatown, you're going to have a .sis file. A .sis file is similar to a PC .exe file - it's a Symbian executable install file.

You'll need either a USB data cable, infra-red or Bluetooth adapter, or my personal favorite, USB card reader/writer. Data cables are too proprietary and Bluetooth and IR are just plain SLOW. I would opt for the USB reader. Newegg.com has some cheap ones, or you can buy a SanDisk for a little less than $20 bucks at a local Best Buy. If you have a Symbian phone, you'll need a decent sized memory card anyway for mp3s or games or what not.

Once you get the .sis files transferred (any directory is fine, I usually put it in an APPS or OTHER folder), run File Manager on your phone (for Nokia cell phones) or the equivalent and select the .sis file in the appropriate directory. Your phone will probably tell you that the software is untrusted or something silmilar, just say yes to the prompt.

Now that you've got the software installed, you'll need some rom files. These are the console games themselves in their simplest form.

Roms for emulators come in the following file formats:

SNES - .smc
Genesis - .sms, .smd
Nintendo - .nes

You can find these files using your favorite P2P sharing program or on various rom sites around the web.

Certain emulators use certain directories for rom files. Vampent creates their own directory (aptly named Vampent) in the root directory of wherever it was installed. Just put the correct rom files in the correct rom folders (for vSun I think it's the sfcroms folder).

Now go to your application menu and run the emulator

How-To: Unlocking the Nokia 6030 Phone via DCT4 Calculator

2008-02-14T06:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a handy dandy set of instructions on how to unlock that Nokia 6030 phone you have lying around.

We'll be using the NokiaFREE Unlock Codes Calculator program for the unlock.

First download The Nokia Unlock Codes Calculator v3.10.

Save it, open it up, and run setup. Install wherever!

Load up the Nokia Unlock Codes Calculator program.

The first thing you need to do is go to options! Go to options and check off the "Expert Mode" box located in the second box. This will open up some more options for you.

Now let's get started with the fun stuff. Type in *#06# on your 6030 (or look under the battery) to get your IMEI and enter it in the correct box.

Enter U.S.A. for the next box, and then CINGULAR - Pacific Bell Wireless in the box after that.

MCC+MNC should read 31017000.

Make sure the box under MCC+MNC reads ASIC 2, and change the V2 option to ONE.

Double check your numbers and click calculate!

You should have a series of unlock codes for the Nokia 6030 in the right hand box. They look like this:

#pw+xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx+x# (note: x = some number)

Enter this on your 6030 using the # and * keys where necessary. For the p's, the w's, and the +'s press the * key.

After you hit the final # key your Nokia 6030 should say "Phone Restriction Off" and you're done! Congrats!

How-To: Videos and Movies on Your Nokia Cell Phone

2008-02-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

Nokia Cell Phone Videos and Movies: A Short Guide Using SmartMovie

Today's how-to: how to get divx/avi/movie file onto your Nokia cell phone! Symbian OS required.

The first (and only) program you'll need is called SmartMovie. Designed by Lonely Cat Games, SmartMovie doesn't have much of an equal for the smartphone video market...

You can download a demo from the website that lets you use the program with some little annoyances - the word "Demo" on the top of the screen and some greyed out images.

Once you download the SmartMovie software, you'll also need a codec. Codecs contain encoding and decoding routines that uncompress video on-the-fly (while you're watching it). All 3.10 and above versions of SmartMovie support 2 codecs: CoreMP4 and XviD.

The SmartMovie software contains the phone executable and the Windows software that lets you compress movies to fit on your Nokia cell phone.

Run the setup.exe file to install the SmartMovie converter onto your pc. Once it's installed, run the program!

Inside SmartMovie

The first thing you'll want to do is open up the Preferences menu on the menu bar. Here you'll get a nice little box with a couple options on it - the most important option you need is the "Target device type and screen" box. Click on the selection box and choose the correct screen size/device type (for N90 it would be "Series60 high-res 352x416"). Then click close.

Now that you're done messing with settings, it's time to open up your video clip file. Click open or do a File->Open and browse to your video clip file which should be in divx, xvid, or in some other common readable format.

SmartMovie Settings

This is what you could call the bread and butter of SmartMovie. Also the biggest pain in the *beep* as everything is trial and error: you'll have to experiment with various settings to find the best combination of codec and codec options for your Nokia cell phone.

I usually uncheck the "Reduce Frames" checkbox, change the encoder to "XviD Encoder," and set the bitrate to 512 kbps. It works well for lower resolution Nokia cell phones such as the Nokia 6260. However, Nseries phones that have higher resolution screens require a bit more processing power because you need to decompress a larger image (which slows things down). So you'll need to lower the bitrate to probably something like 256 or 320 kbps. I haven't found a good combination for my N90 phone that I'm happy with yet but I'll update this as I test out some more stuff. (I still have yet to test out the CoreMP4 encoder)

On the other hand, Lonely Cat Games recommends checking the "Reduce Frames" checkbox and setting the framerate to something lower like 160 kbps. It's entirely up to you.

Click the "Convert" button to start the conversion. For a 1 minute clip on my computer, it takes about 15 seconds.

Once your movie clip is done encoding, transfer it to your Nokia cell phone via any of your favorite methods. I find it a lot easier to just use an MMC card reader or writer and just copy the files to a video directory on the MMC. SmartMovie will scan your entire MMC card anyway so it doesn't matter what folder it's in.

Let's fire up SmartMovie!

Browse to the folder where you installed SmartMovie (if you can't find it, it's probably in a directory called "My Own" and give it a whirl.

Choose the option to "Scan for movie files" and SmartMovie will provide a list of compatible AVI files. Pick your movie and you're golden!

You can change options like brightness, time remaining/elapsed display, and a couple other things in the settings menu.

How-To: Using Your Nokia Phone as a Modem

2008-02-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Originally this was supposed to be a new phone preview, but alas - there are no new phones (other than that rumored e62i which I do have to write about soon, more about that at a later time). So instead I'm going to write up a quick how-to on getting your Nokia phone set up to connect to your laptop.

Learn to tether your phone to your laptop.

First, you have to make sure that your phone supports some type of data transfer, whether it's GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA/3G or whatever. Every smartphone that Nokia sells (at least the Nseries line) supports some kind of packet data.

Next, you'll need some kind of connectivity between your device and the laptop. Bluetooth and IR (infra-red) both work, but you might want to use a standard USB cable for speed (not to mention saving previous battery life). Infra-red generally sucks, as the IR ports on both devices need to be facing each other and in fairly close proximity. Don't forget to install the Nokia PC Suite if you have a Nokia phone as this is required to get your connection working.

After you've successfully determined that your cell phone will indeed work as a modem, you need to correctly provision your account through your service provider. Cingular, T-mobile, Verizon, etc. Basically this means that you need to have the wireless internet feature applied to your account. Here's a quick rundown with Cingular, my current service provider:

Cingular offers 3 types of wireless internet for different devices (and at drastically different prices too). MEdia Net, Smartphone Connect, and Laptop Connect. The obvious train of thought would be the laptop connect, considering it is by far the most expensive plan of the bunch, would have the most bandwidth available. Not so. To be honest, all three (even the lowly MEdia net plans) allow the same bandwidth usage. HOWEVER, you're "expected" to use only a certain amount of bandwidth depending on your device - and Cingular knows exactly what phone you're using and how much bandwidth you're taking up.

Bottom line for Cingular is if you're looking to download a lot of "stuff," don't get the MEdia Net plan because Cingular has been known to remove customers from the plan without warning (allowable under their Terms of Service). If you're careful or planning on doing only moderate web surfing, you can just get an unlimited MEdia net plan and "tether" it to your laptop as another wireless Internet connection.

Now back to the tutorial. Once you've gotten past this potential obstacle, congratulations! You're pretty much there. All you need to do is connect your phone to the laptop via your own connectivity method (USB cable, Bluetooth, IR, remember?), run the Nokia PC Suite software, select the "Connect to the Internet" option, and finally click CONNECT.

If all goes well, your phone should be providing a wireless connection. One note: you can receive calls while connected to the Internet. However, once you pick up a call (or initiate a call), your connection will be interrupted (put on pause, sort of) until you hang up.

Hopefully this helps out some people who've been having problems trying to get wireless internet on their laptops.

How-To: Firmware Upgrade Your Nokia N80 to N80ie

2008-02-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

It took me a good long time getting the firmware update on my stock Nokia N80 phone. Hopefully this will help those poor, pitiful people who are having trouble getting up to speed to the N80 Internet Edition.

This tutorial should also apply to other Nseries phones such as the N93 but I have not tested the method on these devices so try them at your own risk!

Here's the short version of the steps:

1) Install NSS
2) Change Product Code on Phone
3) Backup
4) Install NSU
5) Update Firmware

More in the long entry. And I mean REALLY long.

First, a word about the N80 Internet Edition. Nokia has stated that the N80ie is exactly the same hardware as the "normal" N80 - which means the changes are purely in the firmware and the extra software that's included. Not only that, but a regular firmware update on a stock N80 will produce an N80ie!

Basically, a little rundown of what you'll get with the Internet Edition:

VoIP/SIP support (lets you make calls over WLAN)
better WLAN support
several new internet applications (Search, Download!, Lifeblog)
some bug fixes

If you've decided that it's worth the effort to upgrade, then let's begin.

Here's what you need:

USB Cable, the CA-53 that came in the N80 box works fine
Nemesis Service Suite (NSS) - if you have a branded N80 OR you want to change the region
Nokia Software Updater
Nokia PC Suite - for backing up the content already stored on your phone

Step 0

Do you already have a Nokia N80 Internet Edition? Check to see if you have an Internet folder, or the Internet Tel./Search/Download!/Lifeblog applications already installed, if you do, then you already have an N80ie. You can still skip to step 3 to update your firmware, though.

Step 1

You need to determine whether you have a branded or unbranded N80. This means that if you got your N80 from a phone carrier or provider then you'll need to change the Product Code of the phone to something else - this is due to the fact that the official Nokia updater program does not allow you to update the firmware if it detects a branded N80. Also, if you'd like to change the region of your phone to something else - say, from Europe to APAC, keep following Step 2. Otherwise, If your phone isn't branded and you do not want to change the region, go to Step 3.

Step 2: Turning Your Branded N80 into an Unbranded One

One piece of software that you'll need is Nemesis Service Suite, better known as NSS. This software was made for certain professional unlocking/flashing boxes, but you can use a simple USB cable also. The download link's above there somewhere.

Install NSS. Very straightforward installation, just be on the lookout for two things: first, answer "Virtual USB Device" when the install program asks you what services you'll be using after installation. Next, answer 'NO' when asked if you want to install virtual USB drivers.

Plug in your USB cable into your N80 and select PC Suite mode.

Run the program. You'll see two main icons in the top right corner. Click the top/right-most one:

The program will hum for a bit, and then spit out some jargon about Testing Interfaces and Testing Directories. Ignore this. Click the Phone Info tab that will appear on the top. Now you'll need to click the Read button under the "Production Data Edit" section.

The status bar on the bottom will display "Reading values..." Now this is the critical point. If everything went well, you'll see several values filled into the Product Data Edit fields. If you received an "Error!" message, check out the troubleshooting section (to be added at a future date, like tomorrow).

I'll assume that if you got to this point, there should be a number in the "Product Code:" field. The product code is different for each region, so you need to select the region that you want to convert your N80 firmware to. The choice of region will also affect included languages - if you need support for Chinese characters, for example, choose one of the APAC regions like Hong Kong or Taiwan. Below is the list of Product Codes for each region, and the type of N80 (metallic silver or pearl black). As far as I know the color type has no effect on anything.

N80 Internet Edition Rm-92 APAC (Asian Pacific countries)

0539367 HONG KONG Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539857 TAIWAN Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539858 APAC 1 Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0539859 APAC 1 Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539910 THAILAND Pearl Black Internet Edition
0540588 AUSTRALIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540589 INDIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540654 NEW ZEALAND Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540779 PHILIPPINES Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540782 INDONESIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540783 THAILAND Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540839 APAC 1 Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0540841 THAILAND Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0540843 AUSTRALIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0540845 NEW ZEALAND Pearl Black Internet Edition
0540859 INDONESIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0540860 PHILIPPINES Pearl Black Internet Edition
0540861 INDIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0540862 PHILIPPINES Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0540863 INDIA Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0540864 AUSTRALIA Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0540865 NEW ZEALAND Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0540866 INDONESIA Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0541538 TAIWAN Smooth Stainless Internet Edition
0541542 HONG KONG Smooth Stainless Internet Edition

N80 Internet Edition Rm-92 EMEA (Europe)

0539362 ALPS Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540868 ALPS Pearl Black Internet Edition
0542289 BALKANS Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0543252 BALKANS Pearl Black Internet Edition
0541428 BALTIAN Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0541440 BALTIAN Pearl Black Internet Edition
0542808 CIS, BULGARIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542811 CIS, BULGARIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0538301 EURO 1 Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0539363 EURO 1 Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539548 EURO 2 Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0539712 EURO 2 Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539473 EURO 3 Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0544109 EURO 3 Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539646 FRANCE Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0540867 FRANCE Pearl Black Internet Edition
0542814 GREECE, CYPRUS Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542816 GREECE, CYPRUS Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539672 GULF Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542489 GULF Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539673 ISRAEL Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0514757 ISRAEL Pearl Black Internet Edition
0542487 LEBANON Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542488 LEBANON Pearl Black Internet Edition
0514753 MOLDAVIA, BELARUS Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0514755 MOLDAVIA, BELARUS Pearl Black Internet Edition
0514751 ROMANIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0514752 ROMANIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539652 RUSSIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542699 RUSSIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539648 SCANDINAVIA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0541439 SCANDINAVIA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0542490 SOUTH AFRICA Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542525 SOUTH AFRICA Pearl Black Internet Edition
0539897 TURKEY Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0541690 TURKEY Pearl Black Internet Edition
0542703 UKRAINE Patina Bronze Internet Edition
0542810 UKRAINE Pearl Black Internet Edition

A warning here: once you've selected a Product Code and updated the firmware, you won't be able to change it until a newer firmware arrives.

Be sure to copy down the Product Code that's already filled in the field. This is just in case something goes wrong. Once you've chosen a Product Code from the list above, enter it into the box and tick the "Enable" box. Then click Write.

NSS will update the product code on your phone in a matter of seconds. It should be about 1-2 seconds if I remember correctly.

Congratulations, you've finished Step 2!

Step 3

Now it's a cakewalk.

If you want to backup your phone memory contents (which includes Contacts, Calendar entries, etc) you need to install Nokia PC Suite. Install, run, and backup as needed.

Once that's done, install the Nokia Software Updater, run the software and follow the prompts. The software will automatically detect your phone model and the region and after a good long wait will tell you if an update is available. Note! You may need to retry several times before the software finds a compatible firmware!

Finally, follow the prompts to get the firmware loaded on your phone. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR PHONE, USB CABLE, OR ANYTHING NEARBY! Leave the room while waiting for the firmware update to complete. Read a book. Eat a hot dog. Whatever. You do not want to mess something up while upgrading, as this will royally screw up your phone.

After the dust has settled and the NSU has finished updating your phone, you should be in the clear. Congrats, you've just gone through a mind-numbing experience.

Troubleshooting Section - updated May 10, 2007

Here's some problems and solutions that I've found after

Help! I can't get NSS to recognize my Nokia N80!

This seems to be the main problem users are having. NSS is a fickle program, and getting your phone recognized by the program might take some additional steps.

Some things you can try:

Change USB ports - Certain USB ports (usually ports located on the front or the top of your pc) might have problems when your N80 is connected. I personally had a problem with NSS not recognizing my phone (it was plugged into the rear, right-hand USB port) until I switched it to the USB port on the left.
Uninstall anything Nokia related (PC Suite, Updater, etc), reboot, and then do a fresh install of NSS
Make sure you choose the "Virtual USB Port" option when prompted and say "No" when asked if you want to install USB drivers at the end of the installation for NSS
If you're verified everything, install NSS on a different computer and try again from there

My N80 is stuck in offline mode!
I had this problem after messing around with the Nokia flashing software. To fix this eternal Offline Mode problem, fire up NSS and click the Phone Info tab on the top of the program. On the bottom right, you should see "Power Mode" and some radio boxes for "Local", "Test", and "Normal" modes. Select "Normal" and click the Change button.

NSS reads my N80 information, but the Read Production Data option doesn't do anything!
Can't help you with this....yet. I just experienced this problem on another PC and I'm trying to work it out. Stay tuned!

This troubleshooting guide is a work in progress, so after I get home today I'll see if I can work out some of the problems.

How-To: Buy a phone off eBay for the lowest price

2008-02-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

It's a well-known fact that shopping on eBay will (almost always) give you the cheapest/market price for mobile phones.

So here's my list of handy tips that'll help you score any mobile phone - whether it's a Nokia or anything else - for cheaper than what everyone else is paying, not to mention some helpful hints when dealing on the 'bay.

How to buy a phone off ebay, the Nokia Phone Blog way!

1. Bid on auctions ending on major holidays. July 4th, New Years, Christmas. Prices tend to be a lot lower on these dates since a good majority of people are out of their homes - which means they're NOT on ebay! Take advantage of this little-known fact, know what phone you want to buy in advance, and go in for the kill. You should be able to pick up at least a 10% (and sometimes as much as 25%) discount with this method.

2. If #1 doesn't apply, never bid on auctions ending at night. In other words, any time from 3pm-11pm PDT (3pm is 6pm EST), since this is when most people are online and have free time. Also, try to bid on auctions ending on Thursday, Fridays, or Saturdays. I believe the absolute best time for buyers is early afternoon on Friday. There are good opportunities to buy during very early morning hours (1am-5am) but auctions rarely end at these times.

3. Research before you buy. Market research, that is. A simple "Completed Items" search will tell you what you need to know - find out the lowest selling prices in the past 30 days and set a maximum target price for yourself somewhere at that level or slightly higher, depending on how much you're willing to spend. When bidding on auctions, don't bid any higher than the price you set.

Always factor in the shipping cost when making estimates for phones - some unscrupulous sellers like to jack up the shipping thinking that they'll make more. That brings us to...

4. Auctions with high shipping rates usually end noticeably lower than auctions with "normal" shipping costs. Personally, my feeling is that seeing ridiculous shipping costs just turns a lot of people off to an auction, regardless of what the actual bid is at.

5. Check out the seller first. When doing an estimate, only look at the auctions with 99% or better feedback sellers. After that, check sellers to make sure they've sold cell phones in the past and have at least 20 positive feedback or higher, depending on your risk tolerance level.

6. Watch out for Buy It Now auctions. These are tricky. Generally Buy It Now auctions are worthless, since sellers intentionally set the prices higher - using the BIN option is more of a convenience than anything. However, very very occasionally you'll find an honest, ignorant (!) seller that set the Buy It Now auction a little too low. To find these, do a search for your phone and check off the "Buy It Now items" box under "Show only...". Then sort by minimum price.

7. Don't pre-order a phone. Ever. "Pre-ordering" a phone is not only expensive and a waste of time, it's not even guaranteed to ship on release date for a number of reasons (you're not dealing with Nokia here!). Case in point: the Nokia N95 was selling for upwards of $1000-1100 bucks a month before it came out. Of course, when the N95 was released the actual phone was available for $750. Sorry, but mobile phones will never be out of stock everywhere unlike certain game consoles.

8. Always pay by credit card. Don't pay by bank transfer or check if you can help it. A credit card lets you do a quick chargeback in case the seller screws you over. You might be able to get your bank to reverse a transfer, but it's a lot more annoying - not to mention that Paypal is generally useless when it comes to this sort of thing. Better to rely on your credit card company's motto of "get the money back first, ask questions later" technique.

How-To: Speed Up Your Nokia N95 or S60 Phone

2008-02-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

Let's face it: Symbian ain't exactly the fastest OS in existence. In fact, it can get pretty damn slow. So, direct from the Nokia Phone Blog, are some handy tips to fine-tune your Nokia N95 (or any other S60 phone) for speed without going completely insane.

Learn some fascinating new methods to speed up your Nokia S60 phone.

Set your log duration to 1 day. Works wonders! Normally, the call log list defaults to 30 days, but that's completely unnecessary, at least from our speed point of view.
The method: Open up the Log application, hit options (left softkey), and select the Settings option. Change the Log duration to (optimally) 1 day, or you can try 10 days. Either way, it should give you a noticeable speed increase.
Use the Edit key to select multiple entries. Here's a little known tip that I found out quite accidentally: when browsing a list of markable items, hold down the Edit key and use the directional keys to mark (check) multiple items quick and easily. Really handy when you want to delete a lot of text messages, for example, or when you want to add pictures to an album. Unfortunately, due to the way it was programmed, the Edit key doesn't individually mark an item when pressed once - you need to keep it held down and just use the arrow keys to select items.
Use keypad shortcuts when browsing the Menu. Whether your Menu is in grid or list mode, you can use the numerical keypad to quickly jump to an item. It's easy to see with the grid option enabled - each key corresponds to the item that's on the menu (12 items, 12 keys). So if you wanted to open the application in the bottom right corner, just hit the # (pound) key. Note that accessing menu items with this method actually executes the application or folder, instead of just selecting the item.
On a similar note, some phones have Icon Animation on by default - this adds a 3D "twisting" effect to your Theme icons. It doesn't work with custom application icons, and is generally pretty useless. Turn it off by hitting the menu key -> Options -> Icon Animation.
Go through text messages faster with Nokia Conversation. Conversation is an interface extension cooked up in Nokia's Beta labs that lets you read text messages by sender, instead of some huge jumbo list of texts. Another benefit: you can also delete by sender, which is great for cutting people out of your life!
Once you've installed the Nokia Contacts Support Services Package and Nokia Conversation, you can access the extension by going to Contacts and hitting the
right arrow key.

Download Nokia Conversation
Keypad shortcuts work on the Clock application too. This will probably save you a grand total of one, maybe two keystrokes. In the pre-installed Clock application, typing in a number key at the default screen creates a new Alarm with the hour already filled in.
That's all.
The multimedia menu: disable everything. There's a wealth of useless options when it comes to the Multimedia Menu. Custom background images, imgae effects, "menu sounds", and start-up animation. Shut everything off for maximum speed. The background image option should be set to Graphics -> Themes, which should just display the current theme's default background instead of loading another one.
Honestly though, the multimedia menu always seems to be one of the slowest things ever.
Finally, keep your phone's firmware updated! All right, that was a cheap one. But seriously, sometimes Nokia actually improves the user interface a bit - take the latest N95 firmware, for example, which speeds up the Gallery by removing the mean bug that caused the gallery menu to appear for a second or two before (slowly) sliding off the screen.

Got some good tips on saving time with your Nokia N95, S60, or Symbian phone? Share them in the comments section!

Nokia to Release iPhone-clone?

2008-02-14T06:31:00.000-08:00

Engadget reports that a Nokia iPhone-type, Symbian-running handset may be released early next year. Of course, they got the information from Taiwan-based DigiTimes, who got the information from blah blah blah.

According to the same source, several other Taiwanese phone makers Asustek, BenQ, Compal, and Arima Communications will be developing even more iPhone clones.

The phone that has all but disappeared: the Nokia Aeon.

This information is, of course, still in the rumor-monger stage but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it were true. Nokia seems to have a penchant for showing up late when it comes to the hottest trends. I think it's gone something like this:

Late to Flip Phone Party
Late to Slider Phone Party
Late to Thin Phone Party

and now...

Late to iPhone Party

Not that I'm saying Nokia's done a bad job once they've joined the party. The results pretty much speak for themselves - N95, N93i, N76...

Flashback to one year ago: whatever happened to the Aeon, the touch-screen, razor-thin handset that was being cooked up in the R&D labs?

Nokia N81 Reviewed, Verdict: Not Recommended

2008-02-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N81 8GB ain't all that it's cracked up to be, at least according to Int

So what's the problem with the phone?

"The device as a whole feels like a cheap Chinese toy that kills small children due to excessive lead contamination. It creaks, it rattles and it is not the Nokia you grew up with."

...that, a cramped keypad, a crappy camera, a useless navi-wheel, slow wi-fi, and a high price tag pretty much sums up everything.

So anyway, I really hope that the N81 doesn't go the way of the N95, at least in terms of mechanical problems and what I'd deem as manufacturing flaws.

Okay, I just wanted to get that out. As for the rest of the problems, well, all I can say is the N81's (probably) guilty as charged.

If you're an optimist, look on the bright side: Stefan reports that the battery is actually pretty good, the sound quality is "fantastic", and there's plenty of memory to mess around with.

Another Fakie Nokia Hits the Market (N800)

2008-02-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

For only $125.95, you can get yourself a brand spanking new Nokia N800...clone, that is. Described only as "Dual Band PMP Cell Phone", this ridiculous mimicry of Nokia's internet tablet is now a fully-fledged mobile phone with a 3.2" touch-screen and 1.3 megapixel camera. Made in China, of course.

At least this time around, the manufacturers weren't ballsy enough to slap a "NOKLA" logo on it.

My advice: a hundred bucks more gets you the real McCoy and a lot less lead.

Preview: Nokia N78 Phone

2008-02-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

Nokia released a whole slew of new phones (four of them to be exact, the N96 among them) and also unveiled the Touch UI and a couple other odds and ends that had to do with Ovi. So let's take a look at the newest member of the Nseries product line: the N78.

In a nutshell, the N78 is a middle-tier candy bar with A-GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera (+Carl Zeiss), WLAN, HSDPA 3G, and - get this - an integrated FM transmitter. More inside.

Nokia N78: affordable candy bar complete with funky keypad

Looks like this will be Nokia's first phone that prominently features the (formerly Beta Labs) Location Tagger, software that allows you to "geotag" or add location-based GPS coordinates to your images. The N78 handles this automatically and allows you to view your images on an onboard map. It's a nifty addition although relatively minor.

One little design "feature" that might strike you is the keypad - it's funky. Since it's a little hard to tell from the picture above, here's a zoom-in shot:

Basically a series of horizontal lines with no obvious gaps in between. Sure it looks cool but the jury's out on how functional it is. And it also appears that Nokia isn't going to stop with this "squish the Call/End buttons to the sides" ridiculousness any time soon, if the N96 and N78 are anything to go by. The good news is the C button is no longer right next to the End key so there won't be any more annoying accidental keypresses a la N81.

While the press release did not highlight how much internal memory would be inside the N78, it did crow about its support for up to 8 gig microSD cards so take that as you will.

Finally, the N78 is equipped with an FM transmitter (not to be confused with radio, mind you) that lets you transmit audio to any device that can pick up FM stations (car radio, boombox, etc). I've only seen this on mp3 players, but never on a mobile phone. Interesting addition.

Oh yeah - prices. The Nokia N78 phone will retail for 350 Euro, about $500 bucks (USD) by today's exchange rates. Expect it sometime in the second quarter of '08

Preview: Nokia 6210 Navigator

2008-02-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

What a coincidence. The same time last year, I was writing about the new Nokia 6110 Navigator, a kind of drab grey/black two-tone midrange model with an integrated GPS.

Fast forward to today, and the 6210 Navigator is just the latest in a series of phone announcements from somewhere deep within Barcelona. It's been madly upgraded, both in looks and features, and is now a serious GPS phone - and not a phone that just happens to have a GPS.

No more getting lost in the woods with the 6210 Navigator

While still a midrange slider, the 6210 Navigator is bursting with new tech. Notable features:

A-GPS - assisted GPS.

Accelerometer and integrated compass - Allows the 6210 to detect if you're changing direction and adjusts the map orientation accordingly. The compass is, well, a compass.

Maps 2.0 - Nokia's Map software, take 3 (remember smart2go?): now features the Walk option. But the best part about the software is that navigation and voice guidance is completely free with the purchase of the 6210. Everyone else still has to pay up the wazoo (or spring for the 3-day trial). City guides are not free.

3.2 megapixel camera - a nice upgrade from last year's 2 megger.

The 6210 still runs Symbian and supports HSDPA.

There's just one downside to all this GPS madness: the 6210 Navigator won't be available until the third quarter of 2008 at an estimated cost of 300 Euros.

More Concept Devices: Remade

2008-02-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

Nokia's updated their R&D page with a new concept buzzword and device: Remade.

"Remade is a concept that explores potential new ideas for the future, and is part of Nokia’s ongoing work looking at how it can help people make more sustainable choices."

Return of the bio-phone?

Of course, Nokia's concept devices haven't made it into the consumer market yet, so we're not holding our breath. (remember the Nokia Aeon?)

But wow - that is one fine looking device.

Judging by the name, this Remade phone is probably another one of Nokia's Bio-Phones, constructed of environmentally-friendly materials, etc.

There isn't a whole lot of information floating around about Remade - it appears that Nokia was content to release a couple "teaser" pics and that's it. The central hinge indicates It's a flip phone, but there's no outer display and the main display looks to be a little on the small side. The keypad does have that cool brushed-aluminum feel though.

A closer look at the top and bottom parts of the device.

Phone Preview: Nokia 7390 Phone

2008-02-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

Today Nokia announced three (okay, technically four) new phones: the Nokia 7390, 7373, 7360, and 8800 (Sirocco edition). If you've been keeping up with more recent models, then you might know that the 73xx series of phones is Nokia's fashion line (also called the "L'amour" collection...ugh).

The Nokia 7390 Phone at a Glance

Operating Frequencies: Triband 900/1800/1900, WCDMA 2100
Form Factor: Flip
Display: QVGA 240x320 resolution, 16.7 million colors supported
Camera: 3 megapixel w/ auto focus, flash, secondary videoconferencing camera
Interface: Series 40
Memory: expandable microSD up to 2GB
Battery: BP-5M (900 mAh), up to 3 hours talk time, 9.2 days standby time
SAR value: 0.26 W/kg on ear, 0.29 W/kg on body
Other Features: Stereo speakers, Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio, loudspeaker, Bluetooth, infrared
Weight: 115 grams / 4.1 ounces
Thickness: 19 mm
Casing: ??
Colors: Black, Pink

Release Date: Q3 2006
Expected Cost: 450 Euros ($576 USD)
Buy From: Amazon.com

Now I haven't exactly been the greatest supporter of the Nokia Fashion Series. I think most of them are ridiculously ugly and highly dysfunctional. Generally they lack many of the higher-end features (decent camera, Symbian, etc) even though they sell at a premium to phones with similar options. Of course, like Nokia's Vertu line of extremely overpriced phones, the look is everything - and they're banking on that fact to sell these phones.

Enter the Nokia 7390 phone, Nokia's first real 3G fashion handset. I have to give props to Nokia's design team on this one - I think it's a great looking phone. It isn't over-elegant or overly-stylish. But looks aren't everything of course.

The 7390 is a flip phone and comes equipped with a 3 megapixel camera (autofocus and integrated flash included), one-touch music player, and video calling capability. I'm not 100% sure of the camera - as you can see in the picture below, there's a camera for video calling but it'd be rather odd to put a 3 megapixel on the inside flip - what're you gonna do, take pictures of yourself all day? And sadly Nokia's information on this is sorely lacking.

There will be two versions of the 7390: a black "masculine" version and a girlie girl pink edition.

Unfortunately, there's a pretty steep price to pay to make a fashion statement: the Nokia 7390 phone is expected to cost 450 Euros (that's $576 USD, by the way). It doesn't seem like there will be Symbian, Bluetooth, or any other advanced features, so again you're paying top dollar for the looks. Is it worth it? Stay tuned for more information on the Nokia 7390...(means no)

The Nokia 7390 should start shipping this fall.

Nokia 7500 Prism Phone

2008-02-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

Who would've thought you could design a phone with just a bunch of triangles? Only Nokia, and only the Nokia 7500 Prism. See the whole preview below.

Meet the Nokia 7500 Prism.

Operating Frequencies: Triband 900/1800/1900 and 850/1800/1900
Form Factor: Candy bar
Display: 240x320 resolution, 16.7 million colors supported
Camera: 2 megapixel w/ flash
Interface: Series 40
Memory: 30MB onboard, expandable microSD up to 2GB
Battery: BL-4B (700 mAh), up to 2.8 hours talk time, 10.4 days standby time

Other Features: Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio, loudspeaker, Bluetooth 2.0, EDGE/HSCSD
Weight: 83 grams / 2.9 ounces
Thickness: 14.4 mm
Casing: ??
Colors: Black, Pink, Blue

Release Date: Q3 2007
Expected Cost: ?? Euros ($?? USD)

The Prism is really aptly named. While the shape is traditional Nokia candybar, the front and back covers are adorned with triangular cutouts which is sure to set it apart from every other "normal" cell phone out there.

There's the full complement of S40 features onboard including Java 2.0, FM radio, mp3 ringtones, and Bluetooth (2.0). Camera is the standard 2 megapixel with a flash and 8X digital zoom, and a dedicated camera button. Additionally, the 7500 Prism supports up to 2 gigabytes of microSD expandable memory. Nokia's chosen to fill up some of the 30 megabytes of internal memory with a couple games (Sudoku, Tower Bloxx, Snake III, Music Guess) as well as five as-yet-unknown music tracks and "organic screensavers." Your guess is as good as mine.

The retail package comes with 2 interchangeable side covers, a Prism headset, pouch, and phone strap.

Nokia's Hong Kong site lists the 7500 Prism as planned for third quarter release, so you'll just have to keep salivating over those triangles 'till then.

Preview: Nokia 6301 UMA Phone

2008-02-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Take the Nokia 6300, add in a dash of wi-fi, sprinkle with a slight color change, and presto! It's the Nokia 6301 UMA phone.

The short summary: Nokia's newest thin candy bar provides a "seamless transition" when fielding calls over GSM or WLAN.

It's the 6301, aka the 6300 with some orange thrown in.

The Nokia 6301 UMA Phone at a Glance

Operating Frequencies: Tri-band 900/1800/1900
Form Factor: Candy bar
Display: 2" 240x320 QVGA, 16.7 million colors supported
Camera: 2 megapixel
Interface: Series 40
Memory: 30 MB internal, external microSD cards
Battery: BL-4C 860 mAh
SAR value: ?? W/kg on ear, ?? W/kg on body (
Connectivity: EDGE, HSCSD, WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0
Special Features: UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access)
Weight: 93 grams / 3.28 ounces
Dimensions: 106.8 x 43.8 x 13.1 mm

Release Date: Q4 2007
Expected Cost: 230 Euros ($322 USD)
Buy From: ??

The at-a-glance really gives a good picture of the Nokia 6301. It's a mid-tier candy bar, with an impressive 13.1 mm thickness and a stainless steel casing. It's also one of the cheaper models that gives you the UMA option - which is just an easy way of saying you won't get cut off if your phone switches from GSM to WLAN or vice-versa.

UMA's a nice feature, but using the WLAN radio drains battery faster than just a simple GSM-only phone call. And with a talk time of 3.5 hours, I'm not sure if the 6301 will be that landline-replacement that Nokia wants it to be.

Nokia also managed to play it cheap by piggybacking on the looks of the 6300 phone. That's not to say it's a bad move, as I'm sure this cut quite a few costs . 230 Euro for a WLAN-enabled thin candy bar before the tax/subsidies seems to me a very attractive price.

Is this phone a big deal? Right now, probably not, especially if you live here in the States. Since the 6301's a tri-band phone (900/1800/1900) and UMA just isn't that prevalent over here, there's a good chance we may never see this handset.

Preview: Nokia N810 Internet Tablet

2008-02-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

And it's a stunner. Folks, meet the newest version in Nokia's internet tablet series: the N810 - a touch-screen device that brings a slide-out keyboard and integrated GPS to the table.

Nokia's fondness for tablets and the tableteer means that there isn't a whole lot that has deviated from the series. Like its predecessors, the N810 is not quite a laptop replacement, but more of a pocket-sized Internet device that does more than your mobile phone (but less than the PC). Think of it as a PSP for the mature, sophisticated crowd, rather than little kiddies who like to write unintelligible messages like: "1 r0x0r3d j00r b0x3rz r0flc0pter kekeke".

The Nokia N810 tablet: sliding keyboard + gps included.

The slide-out keyboard is a surprising addition to the device, considering that there were TWO on-screen keyboards (one used with the stylus, and one for finger-presses) on the N800. Looks like Nokia ditched the styli in favor of a keyboard and directional key combo. While it's too early to say whether the keyboard's a hit or miss, I'm definitely not looking forward to stretching out either thumb to hit some of those central keys.

A GPS, on the other hand, is a nice touch. Nokia previously released two navigation kits for the 770 and N800 that included a additional Bluetooth GPS - so an onboard GPS and maybe a nice car stand would make the N810 fairly competitive against the other big boys in the portable navigation device field. It's just the right size, anyway.

For the new tablet, we've got a new OS tablet edition: the still Linux-based IT OS2008. Let's hope that installing 2k7 applications doesn't require random libraries this time around. Nokia did mention that the N800 is upgradeable to the new operating system, but neglected to mention anything about the 770 tablet.

Other than that, the features are still very Nokia tablety-ish. Integrated VGA camera (no longer popping out the side of the device), VoIP, large screen (4.13 inches), and more included applications than you can shake a stick at.

The Nokia N810 internet tablet will start shipping in mid-November, for an expected retail price of - get this - $479 US dollars.

Preview: Nokia N78 Phone

2008-02-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

In a nutshell, the N78 is a middle-tier candy bar with A-GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera (+Carl Zeiss), WLAN, HSDPA 3G, and - get this - an integrated FM transmitter. More inside.

Looks like this will be Nokia's first phone that prominently features the (formerly Beta Labs) p, software that allows you to "geotag" or add location-based GPS coordinates to your images. The N78 handles this automatically and allows you to view your images on an onboard map. It's a nifty addition although relatively minor.

One little design "feature" that might strike you is the keypad - it's funky. Since it's a little hard to tell from the picture above, here's a zoom-in shot:

While the press release did not highlight how much internal memory would be inside the N78, it did crow about its support for up to 8 gig microSD cards so take that as you will.

Oh yeah - prices. The Nokia N78 phone will retail for 350 Euro, about $500 bucks (USD) by today's exchange rates. Expect it sometime in the second quarter of '08.

Preview: Nokia 6210 Navigator

2008-02-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

What a coincidence. The same time last year, I was writing about the new Nokia 6110 Navigator, a kind of drab grey/black two-tone midrange model with an integrated GPS.

While still a midrange slider, the 6210 Navigator is bursting with new tech. Notable features:

A-GPS - assisted GPS.

Accelerometer and integrated compass - Allows the 6210 to detect if you're changing direction and adjusts the map orientation accordingly. The compass is, well, a compass.

3.2 megapixel camera - a nice upgrade from last year's 2 megger.

The 6210 still runs Symbian and supports HSDPA.

There's just one downside to all this GPS madness: the 6210 Navigator won't be available until the third quarter of 2008 at an estimated cost of 300 Euros.

fMSX 3.2 and Virtual GB 3.3 Released

2008-02-14T05:26:00.000-08:00

There's two newly updated emulators for Symbian 9.1 phones: fMSX 3.2 and Virtual GameBoy 3.3.

fMSX emulates MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ cartridge files. I've never heard of MSX, nor was I even alive during the MSX boom, but apparently it's a type of computer similar to an Atari or Commodore. One interesting note: the idea was conceived by a Microsoft Japan exec.

Virtual GameBoy doesn't emulate Nintendo's horrible "Virtual Boy" console, it's an emulator for the original GameBoy and GameBoy Color. Note that unlike fMSX, this one's a trial version so you'll need to buy it if you want to be able to save game states. I should add that the original GameBoy is/was an awesome console, with one of the largest game libraries available.

Link to fMSX 3.2 Download Page
Link to Virtual GameBoy 3.3 Download Page

Nokia + Microsoft Live = Perfect Together?

2008-02-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nokia and Microsoft announced a partnership to bring DRM to Series 60 devices. Now there's another agreement in the works - this time, Microsoft will release the Windows Live service suite that includes Hotmail, Messenger, Contacts, Search and Spaces on compatible Series 40 and 60 handsets. Looks like the start of a beautiful relationship.

Most of the services are pretty self explanatory, although new to the Microsoft lineup is the Spaces application, which allows you to share photo directly from the gallery. (kind of like Vox or Flickr)

What's the catch? For the most part, nothing - unless you want to use Windows Live Messenger for more than 30 days. Then you'll have to fork over an unspecified amount of currency to continue using the instant messaging service.

"Initially the service will be available as a free trial and then customers in select markets wishing to continue using the service may be asked to pay a monthly fee."

The service suite is available for several S60 phones right now, using the Download! application found on the N73, N76, N80, N93i, and N95.

Windows Live on Nokia Devices

Nokia Updates Maps Application (smart2go)

2008-02-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

Looks like the name "smart2go" is on its way out. Now known as Nokia Maps, you can download the first-ever, long-awaited update to the software mapping application. And the corresponding MapLoader for Windows.

New changes include a data download counter, GPS status indicator, and a potential free three-day trial of the subscription service (allows voice navigation and city guides). You also get "NOKIA Maps" in big, bold lettering during the loading screen now as an added bonus.

On a more serious note, there's a couple of really useful improvements to Nokia Maps v2. Highways and routes are now marked on the map, and the Maps interface is cleaner, better-looking, and dare I say it - faster.

As always, maps for the 150 or so countries are free, as is the software. However, if you want to buy a license for the navigation feature, it'll cost you upwards of $124 for a one-year license and $13.77 for 30 days (US only). Prices differ based on area - UK/Ireland is a little cheaper.

Nokia Maps and MapLoader Update

Mobile Phone Software,Game Review: Virtua Tennis Mobile

2008-02-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, SEGA is still alive and kicking. And they're still publishing (or should I say licensing) a lot of their older games for use on, of course, mobile phones.

The Virtua Tennis franchise has been around for quite awhile, at least since the dawn of the Dreamcast. (anyone remember the Dreamcast?) For its time, it was an impressive game in terms of graphics and gameplay.

GLU mobile created and produced the mobile version, so you can blame them if you don't like it.

Virtua Tennis Mobile

The mobile version starts out with some nice logos of SEGA and GLU. Nothing too impressive. The main menu consists of some boxes and text, and...nothing more.

Since this game is strictly geared for single player, it's focused on improving your tennis pro (by buying new equipment or doing the Training mode). Training mode has you hitting an infinite amount of balls by some unknown dude. It's nothing like the good old Dreamcast Virtua Tennis Serve Bowling, or that picking-up-the-cans game.

Your character has experience levels and stats like Power, Speed, Angle, etc. Kinda like an RPG.

The actual game has a couple different modes at play here. First, you get a standard Tournament Miode which has you playing against certain races of people - seriously. Your choices, when you first start out, are:

Asian.
English.
African.

We can only imagine what comes after that.

VS CPU mode is also available, but it's basically Tournament mode with one opponent. It's definitely NOT multiplayer mode over Bluetooth. This game isn't THAT complex.

So how's the gameplay? It's actually a little..weird. Players move VERY slowly, and maneuvering around the courts while hitting the ball on a phone keypad is definitely one of the tougher aspects of the game. If your phone doesn't allow you to hit simultaneous buttons, then you might have a Serious Problem on your hands.

Collision detection is virtually non-existent in this game. The ball could hit you in the nuts and you'd still be able to magically execute a cross court forehand out of nowhere. Amazing.

All in all though, it's not a bad little game. It does a good job of wasting time, and isn't TOO ridiculously difficult to play (ala Lumines Mobile). Virtua Tennis will keep you occupied for the ten minutes you're spending on line, or on the toilet, or whatever.

Tags: games, glu, java, software

Software Review: Mobipocket eBook Reader

2008-02-14T05:04:00.000-08:00

Many newer Nokia phones (N80, N73, etc) come with an application called Mobireader. I more or less ignored it until yesterday, when I "spent" (aka wasted) 2 hours of my stinking time converting html files into little eBooks. I'm happy to report that I have officially mastered Kindergarten eBook Conversion.

Mobireader is a very simple application with a lot going for it - it allows you to view eBooks in a wide variety of formats, it has a lot of options, and it's free. I think the company (mobipocket) is kinda hoping that you'll splurge on tons of eBooks which translates into lots of profits for them. Good thing you don't have to.

After fiddling with the software and downloading the new versions (download links below), I succeeded in converting and transferring some eBooks to my Nokia N80. The Mobireader application is pretty decent and has the features that you can expect from an eBook reader: table of contents support, bookmarks, auto-scroll mode, text size/font/color options, select/copy/paste, fullscreen and landscape mode, even sending eBooks to another phone. Very robust.

The quality of the text is also very good. However, if you don't have a high resolution screen (for example, the N71 phone) I can't vouch for the results. On my Nokia N80, the letters are quite crisp and easy to read. I spent about 20 minutes reading an eBook last night with no problems, although I found the auto-scroll function to be worthless. (you can't change the scroll rate) It's good to put that high-res screen to good use finally.

Another high point of the whole software package is the eBook converter. Although it's a pain in the to use (and buggy as boop too), once you get it down the conversion is painless. Did that make any sense?

You can take any Word, HTML, PDF or some other text file and turn it into an eBook, with the ability to add pictures, a table of contents, and other fun stuff.

I'm definitely going to put up a tutorial one of these days.

Mobipocket Creator (eBook conversion software)
Mobireader Series 60 Symbian 9.1 (third edition)
Mobireader Series 60 Symbian <9.1