The Nokia Guide

Confirmed: N96 screen auto-rotation doesn’t work on the right

In a previous post I asked myself why “doesn’t the auto-rotation work when you turn the N82 to the right?” When you turn the N82 and other devices with the built-in accelerometer and auto-screen rotation to the left, the screen automatically adjust to the correct landscape position. But trying the same thing with device facing the right, it stays stuck in portrait mode.

You would think that after months, they would implement this on the newly released N96, but sadly this is not the case. It is now confirmed that currently, the screen auto-rotation does not work when you turn the N96 to the right, but it does work nicely when turned to the left. Hopefully, this is something a new firmware can fix and while they are at it, they should fix this on older devices.

Is this a useful feature for you? Or are you happy with having the screen rotation work only on the left?

The E71 and its Notification-light

Remember the N80’s cool (and handy) Blue notification light? Or what about the one on the N800? The recently released E71 has this same function, but with an added touch of class. The notification light actually serves a dual purpose. Once the phone has entered the power-saving mode it tells you that the phone is On by slowly flashing the notification light: it gradually turns the light On (once every 8 seconds) and gradually turns the light Off. If that wasn’t enough it also serves as well, a notification light. You can set it to notify you of new Missed calls, New Text messages, New SMS messages and New e-mails received. While none of this is really new to us here at The Nokia Guide, I have to say that the way it gradually turns on and off when in power-saving mode adds a touch of class and somehow a gives it an almost organic feel to it. Dare I even say a bit of personality? Have a look at the short video and let me know what you think.

Nokia E71: First Impressions

The Nokia E71 has arrived here at the Nokia Guide and having just a weekend to play with the new enterpriselicious QWERTY device so far, it’s not enough to write a full-blown Mega Review, but how about a few random thoughts and opinion based on my usage for now? The E71 arrived in a box similar to what we are used to with Nseries devices, except for two interesting things: a much much smaller box and using the color red as an “accent color”. Normally we are used to the grey, white and even pinkish Nseries, but red for the Eseries?! As you’ll soon see, it’s not only a part of the box that’s red.

The sample received was a  “Grey Steel”  E71-1 supporting Dual mode WCDMA (900/2100 HSDPA) and Quadband GSM (EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900MHz) with the v100.07.76 firmware. The standard retail package comes with:

·         Nokia E71

·         Nokia Battery (BP-4L)

·         Nokia Charger (AC-5)

·         Nokia connectivity cable (CA-101)

·         Nokia Headset (HS-47)

·         Nokia Eseries Lanyard

·         Nokia Eseries Pouch

·         User Guide, Quick Start Guide and other documentation

·         2GB microSD card

-Build-Quality is exceptional. Coming from something like N95 8GB, N95 or even the N82, the E71 stays true to Eseries tradition by delivering outstanding build quality that only gets better with the use of metals and the tight gaps between parts.  The E71 leaves the N95 and N95 8GB far behind when it comes to build quality.

-The textured metal on the back adds a surprising amount of grip, yet adds an interesting and sophisticated design element.

-The E71 has a layout that’s the closest thing to perfect I have ever seen from Nokia, everything from the QWERTY keyboard, the overall size, the space between the elements, the buttons, it all just works perfectly, if only they could make the screen bigger: 2.8 or even 3”. The Nseries definitely should get such a device with such a layout and QWERTY keyboard.

-The included 2.5 mm Nokia AV connector is a disappointment and believe me it’s a big one.  You truly appreciate the 3.5mm audio jack when a device lacks it. This is probably the biggest negative side of the E71.

-No TV-Out.  With full-office editing and viewing functions, having this would have been the ultimate “leave your notebook at home” feature. Doing presentations via a TV-out function would have been ideal for the business user.

-The E71’s keys remind me of the excellent N93 keys, only slightly smaller and not as “spongey”, with the same rounded shape pointing upwards. The keys on the E71 work really well and are a positive change from flat keys we’ve seen so far from the likes of the N78. N93i. Even though the keys on the N82, N95 and N95 8GB worked, they should have been like the N93 and W71. Every key on the E71 exudes a quality feel, including the solid feeling Naviwheel.

-The new Nokia Tune is an interesting change, but where’s the original one?

-The addition of a lanyard and a pouch is nice touch and Nokia should this every Eseries and Nseries device. Too bad the pouch doesn’t have a belt loop or clip.

-Remember the red color on the box? This color is again repeated on the power button, lanyard and even the inside of the pouch. Red isn’t the accent color I would think of using when designing a business device, but it sure works well. This leads me to believe that the E71 and slider E66 are despite their business roots, they seem to have robbed a few ideas from Nokia L’Amour and Super Nova fashion devices.

-Despite the inclusion of a fairly decent (on paper atleast) 3.2 Megapixel Auto-Focus camera, the E71 falls behind other 3.2 MP devices like the N73 and N93 or even 2 Megapixel devices like the N70. The reason why the camera falls behind is due to the noisy sensor and poor dynamic range. This is expected from a business oriented devices, but this probably means that unlike devices like N82  that can double as a camera, the E71 should be left for emergencies only. In the case of the N82 you could leave the camera at home, in the case of the E71 you’ll probably need to carry more devices to cover the multimedia side of things.

-The breathing light is a cool, yet functional touch.

-The E71 is smaller in person than what I expected and let’s not forget how thing the device is, especially when you realize that the battery takes quite a bit of space.

-Speaking of batteries, the E71 battery life is quite impressive.

-Devices like the N76, N800 and even N93i screen were almost unreadable in direct sunlight, luckily just like the N95, N95 8GB and N93, the E71’s screen stays readable even in the brightest tropical sun.

-The E71 is a finger print magnet, especially the back. This is probably caused by the abundant use of metals and shiny surfaces. Just in case you were wondering the E71 should double as a signaling device in case of any emergency due to the shiny surfaces. Even when taking pictures of yourself, the back can be used as a giant mirror.

-The menu is very responsive and apps open up very quick.

What would you like to know about the E71? And if you were lucky enough to score an E71, what interesting things have you noticed?

Ultimate Audio accessory: Shure SE530PTH First Look

Every now and then a product comes a long that is just good at what it does. Sometimes it does one thing specifically and sometimes it’s many things at once. In other cases it does something totally new or in a new way, while in others it doesn’t do anything new but does it in such a manner that it still becomes famous. Such products become objects of desire and in some cases even reach an iconic status. We don’t have to search very far for such an example: The classic N95. It did many things at once and did them very well.  It sold in large quantities despite its relatively high price and without any doubt it will reach iconic status. But the product I’m talking about today is in many ways a complete opposite to the N95: it doesn’t do many things, in fact it only does one thing. I also doubt it will reach iconic status or sell in large numbers. But the reason why I think it deserves so much attention is because it does what it does so well, rivaling products twice its price.

Bliin: GPS gone social

  As I’m going to be part of the Nseries Urbanista, I was recently looking into different ways of informing my readers of my whereabouts.  A reader informed me about this cool service called Bliin, a type of real-time location-aware social network.  It basically allows you to follow other Bliin users in real-time as they move around, provided that they have the software running in the background on their cellphone or laptop. The mobile Bliin application is a Java-based app and honestly I hope that they come with a native Symbian S60 3^rd edition app soon, but for a Java app it works pretty well. The idea is that you can be at a certain spot of interest or you just want to let others know that you’ve been there, you would than share pictures, videos, sounds etc and tag it with the appropriate info. This way you can see who’s been in the area and what they have been doing. It also allows you to create “trips” which uses the GPS data to record a certain route and again tag it with the appropriate info. A real-world scenario would be that the native people of a vacation spot would use Bliin to record the route they take to reach a secluded beach and tourist could than look this up using the PC Bliin and follow the same route. The pocket Bliin also helps you to see who’s in the area. While using the software I did notice however that some features aren’t ready yet, but this ofcourse has to do with the fact that the software is still in BETA.

If a user doesn’t really want to let other knows of his or her location, they could just create an account and login into it,watch others move around and end enjoy the sights and sounds. The web based interface uses Google Maps to shows others as they move around. There’s also a mobile web interface and a PC app.

Bliin looks quite promising and it should be interesting to see how it will all work once more users join the network and more features become available. Again I do hope they are working on a native Symbian S60 app.

Go to the Bliin website and get your own account and software and let me know what you think.

The Nokia Guide Part of the N81 BETA-testing

This is a bit of news that I kind of forgot to share with you guys, but The Nokia Guide is going to be part of a 2 week BETA testing of Nokia’s upcoming gaming and music oriented smartphone: The N81. As you can see from my previous Mega Reviews I like to thoroughly test just about everything on these phones and I would like to do the same with the N81. I’ll be reporting my findings to you guys in an early first look of the N81. If you’re looking into getting the N81 for the holiday season feel free to ask me questions.  Just leave them in the comments section and I’ll try to answer these once I get my hands on the N81. I’m expecting the N81 pretty soon.

Taking a closer look at the new N76 search feature

I’ve had some time to play with the latest search feature on the N76 and basically it’s an update to the one found on many 3^rd edition devices like the N95, which also could be downloaded from the Nokia Mobile Search page. At first I thought that this feature ads some kind of text box where you could enter your search term from the standby screen, but it doesn’t. It’s basically just a shortcut to the updated search program. It sure would be handy if they would add a “search box” right on the standby screen, but I guess this is a step in the right direction.

The updated UI is exactly what we will see on the N81 and N95 8GB and has a side sliding animation that looks similar to the one found on the 5^th generation iPod. It’s divided into two main search areas: Internet and My content. The My Content allows you to search specifically in Music, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, E-mail Messages, Bookmarks, Images, Videos, Landmarks, Applications and Notes. You can search in any of these areas or you can just enter a text and it will automatically search for text entered and it will identify the files with the appropriate icon. You can see this by my search for the letter “A”.

 

What other features have been added? The N76 now sports the same Nokia Maps app from the N95, including the latest enhancements like the built-in world clock and updated look. In device manager there’s also a new Nokia firmware profile that might be new, but maybe I just didn’t notice it before. It’s interesting that the profile is editable and all the info in there is up for grabs. Maybe we can even use the profile settings to add FOTA on other Nokia devices.

So far so good: the phone seems stable and fast. No crashes as of yet. I really like the new search feature as it’s really handy. All I could ask for right now is the addition of a search field in the next release and that other phones get this update, including the classic N95. I’m still looking for the change log, so if you find it let me know.

Just in: Proporta’s Gadget Bag with USB Mobile Device Charger

With a mere 950mAH battery no wonder N95 owners are complaining about the battery life. Here’s a great solution that I’m reviewing very soon at Gadgetnutz. The guys from Proporta just send me their Gadget Bag and the USB Mobile Device Charger. The Gadgetbag is a great solution to carry and protect all your devices or accessories. It consists of individual compartments allowing you to keep each of your mobile devices separate or take just the compartment you need. All the sectional areas have a plastic opening, allowing headphones and charging cables to be fed through each section. This added feature allows you to charge your device whilst on the go with the Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger, or listen to your MP3 player whilst it is safely concealed and protected in the bag.

The Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger (USB Rechargeable Battery), charges from any standard USB port and stores an impressive 3400 mAH of power which is about three complete charges for the N95. Perfect for camping trips or when you’re on the road and no mobile charger in sight. It not only works with phones but also any USB powered mobile devices like iPod and digital cameras. You can also use the supplied adapters if your device doesn’t charge via the USB connection.
From my first inspection both the Gadgetbag and USB Mobile Device Charger look and feel well-made. The Gadgetbag is cleverly put together and especially the Mobile Charger will come in handy as I’ve had my N95’s battery die on with no charger to recharge. I will use them a bit more as I just got them and will report more in my final review. Is there something you would like to know or would you like me to include something in the review? Just leave me a comment? In the mean time here are a few pics of these must have accessories!

The N76 is in!

Yesterday I blogged about the N76 clone, well I got the real thing from Nokia for review. So far the build quality seems really good; even better then N93 or N95. It feels like metal when in fact it's mostly plastic, funny how the thinnest in the Nseries line would feel so well build, better then most I would say.
I kinda miss the WIFI, but all in all a very attractive phone. The keypad is better then what I expected; the selection does feel a bit cramped. I also found it interesting that just like the N73ME the music app cannot be closed, it wouldn't matter with the 40mb of free ram, and this thing is a multi-tasking beast. It strangely is more responsive and quicker then the N95 that’s supposed to have more capable hardware, maybe it has something to do with the higher clock speed. Last thing worth noting is how hard the battery is to get of. All in all I like it, and will be a good back up to the N95. Will post more about my first impression at www.gadgetnutz.com.