The Nokia Guide

Weather and moisture proof gadgets on the way!

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain on Vimeo.

Golden Shellback is special coating that’s applied on electronic devices and is said to keep it safe from the elements. I can see something like this on future Nokia devices, but wouldn’t such a thing make cases obsolete? To give you a better idea of the product, this is what the official company website has to say;

“Golden Shellback coating is a unique coating that protects critical operational equipment against damage and loss of function caused by exposure to weather and moisture. It is ideal for application in the electronics industry.

Golden Shellback coating produces a vacuum deposited film that is nonflammable, has low toxicity and has the ability to weatherproof electronic devices and other surfaces. It contains no volatile organic combustibles (VOCs). The clear, nearly non-detectable, uniform film is insoluble in solvents. When applied to clean, moisture free surfaces, such as plastic, copper, aluminum, metal, ceramic, steel, tin or glass, the coating is transparent with excellent weather proofing and anti-corrosion properties.

Advantages

Golden Shellback coating has an excellent ability to repel oils, synthetic fluids, hazardous materials, dust, dirt and water based solutions. Low surface tension values, such as water and oils will bead and drain freely from coated surfaces. The process produces a uniform, continuous, near hermetic coating that resists rain and humidity. Electronics casually exposed to water continue to work even after exposure. The coating is readily applied and not generally considered to be removable. Repairs are made using abrasive methods. “

Via: Gizmodo

Proporta Mobile Charger restyled by Ted Baker

The Proporta Mobile Charger has become a de facto standard when it comes to mobile charging. When I reviewed the unit it was clear why it has become the current standard: there just wasn’t much to complain about here. Proporta later on released a smaller and improved version of the charger called the Mobile Device Charger Micro (albeit with a lower a capacity), which I reviewed here.  Recently Proporta released a special edition black version of the Mobile Charger called the “No Ordinary Designer Charger Kit” by Ted Baker.  According to Wikipedia Ted Baker is “is a British clothing retail company, known for applying twists to their products, and has become a UK designer label through word of mouth rather than advertising.  It seems that the updated unit was Styled by Ted Baker London and features a new black and grey look. Hardware-wise the unit is exactly like the original except for the new black and grey look with the Ted Baker sign and a drawstring bag. The unit will sell for as much as the original version, which is around $ 49.95.

If that wasn’t enough they also released the Ted Baker Six Pack which includes all of the above but adds the World AC Power and Car Power Supply (with USB) for $ 59.95.

 

When does a N76 cost $3100?

When it’s part of the Givori Serendipity collection of course! You have a choice of either the N76 or the Nokia 8800 arte, but for the price I say stick with the smartphone. The Serendipity collection is made up of fifty devices, each handcrafted and no two phones are said to be alike. The serendipity collection was crafted by international jewelry designer Givori. Another interesting detail is that each device feature vintage 1930's and 1940's intaglio Czech stones sprinkled with tiny specks of Aventurine gold. No pics are available for the N76 serendipity, only the 8800 arte version., but that should be enough to give you an idea what to expect. With all the diamonds and other high-price stones I doubt the N76 serendipity is going to look as thin as the orginal.

Source: LuxuryLaunches

New Nokia Activity Monitor: Counts your steps. Accelerometer Inside.

In case you missed it, Nokia released the Activity Monitor. I almost missed it myself as I saw the screenshots and thought it was just the Sports Tracker app as the design looks pretty similar. I guess this is good as you should feel right at home when using this one.  I’ve just installed it, so I can’t comment yet; I will give it a try during the day and report back. For now, the accompanied text explains what it’s all about.

“The Nokia Activity Monitor displays charts and statistics, in real-time, about your movements while walking or running. It counts the number of steps, and determines the distance covered and the energy expenditure. Summaries are stored in a diary so that you can compare your activity level on different days, and over longer periods of time. Your steps are detected by analysing the output from the accelerometer in an S60 smart phone. It is most accurate when you attach the phone to your belt, or upper arm, and it also works well if carry your phone in a pocket of your clothing. It might underestimate the number of steps if you keep the phone in a bag that you hold in your hand (as opposed to over your shoulder), and the most difficult case is when you hold the phone in your hand. Inevitably, false steps are detected sometimes, for example when you are cycling or driving."

Another N95, another N95 case

I always like to look at accessories before getting a new phone as that always takes a good junk of the final amount. Well, I’m planning on getting the N95 8GB pretty soon and was looking for new accessories and I noticed that Nokia was offering a case that looked like the CP-191 for the N95. Initially I didn’t think much of it, but only after looking closely did I notice that it’s a different case called the CP-235. It’s an all-black wallet-type case that look like a cross between the APAC case included with the classic N95 and the CP-191. As it plus it has access to all the some buttons, but just like the CP-191 it has no belt-clip. I just might end up getting this, bur only wish it has some kind of belt clip. Have a look at the CP-235 and let me know what you think. Should I get?