The Nokia Guide

Wanted: MSN Live Messenger for everyone and everywhere.

I have written about this before, but I’m going to write about as it’s something I wanted a for some time now: A MSN Live Messenger and Hotmail client for S60 and best of all it should be free. I speak for many forum users when I write about this: the countless topics asking for a MSN S60 client that actually works and is free. Each and every time an official S60 client pops up it later turns out that it will only work for a certain period until it either won’t work because yoru country or region is not supported or that they start asking a monthly fee for it.  It’s even hard to get as it’s OFFICIALY only available to some select European countries. I don’t have to pay for MSN Live Messenger on the PC, so why should I pay for it on the mobile version? Come on guys? Just put some ads and make the thing available for everyone and make it free. If that’s not possible at most I’m willing to pay a one-time fee, but seriously how many people are willing to pay a monthly fee for a service that’s free on the PC? Nokia strike a deal with Microsoft and roll this thing out for free for your Nseries users and make available to everyone,.

Nokia’s marketing sucks?

I don’t think I’ve heard anyone specifically say this, but I’m going to say it: I think Nokia’s marketing sucks. Maybe I might have been a bit harsh with the title, but in some ways it’s true. To pinpoint what I’m trying to say, I would describe their marketing as “sometimes ineffective”. Wikipedia describes Marketing as “ a societal process that is needed to discern consumers' wants; focusing on a product/service to those wants, and to mold the consumers toward the products/services. Essentially, marketing is the process of creating or reorganizing an organization to be successful in selling a product or service that people not only desire, but are willing to buy.” I especially want to stress on the words “mold the consumers toward the products/services” and “a product that people desire.” The Nseries products are very desirable with one of the most impressive feature list in a quality brand. If that’s the case, what’s the problem? Well, my problem is this: How are people going to be “molded towards the product” and how are people going to desire a product if they don’t know enough about it to want it? Nokia’s recent use of the word of mouth (through WOM world) to get the word out about what these devices can do and the power of S60 is very powerful and effective. If a product is good and people tell their friends about this is in my opinion the most effective way of marketing a product.

Why can’t I download Windows Live services from the Nokia site?

If you go to Nokia’s Windows Live page here, you are given all sorts of information regarding the benefits and features of the different Windows Live services. But when I actually want to download the services I’m greeted with instructions to download and install Windows Live using the Download! Application. I love the Download! app and think it’s a very handy addition to the Nseries, but the problem I have here is that the Windows Live services are only available in the Download! app of devices in specific countries like the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria. Why Nokia? I see no reason why mostly European countries are getting these services, while the rest of the world doesn’t. Can you imagine the horror if one day for example Microsoft makes Windows Live Messenger and Hotmail only available to countries in South America? The current situation with the Live services is just as ridiculous. The funny thing is that application is widely available on the net, yet they want to restrict it to certain countries. I live in the Caribbean, yet I have been using this supposedly “restricted to Europe and Asia” app from the N95 days and I’m still using it on my N95 8GB. Considering that Nokia is a global company I believe that products, application and services should be localized to aid the different needs of different regions and cultures, with the emphasis on aiding and not limiting functionality. It’s unfair that when it comes to hardware, APAC countries always get the extra goodies like cases, I think we found the software equivalent…..

Very very funny Nokia…

If you’ve owned Nseries devices before you’ll know that the S60 browser comes with several useful bookmarks like links to download video, apps etc. On the N81 8GB after firing up the browser I was greeted with a link to download apps, as usual I like to look around and see what neat little app I might find. To my surprise I’m greeted with what looks like “Nokia Sensor,” a type of social Bluetooth app developed by Nokia that up till today was stuck with support for only 2nd edition devices. So by now I’m all excited that Nokia Sensor has finally received 3^rd edition blessings. When I click the link my excitement turns into disappointment when I’m greeted by the following text: “Downloads are for supported devices only.”  Yes I know that! But why in the world would you put a S60 2^nd edition app for download on an S60 3^rd edition device, only to tell the user that “Downloads are for supported devices only”?  What about saying: “No download available at the moment” or something, but the need to “fill” up space with unsupported software is unnecessary and just short of an April fool’s joke. Somebody needs to get this fixed and quick! I’m sure they can find apps to fill this space with, how about Widsets and MSN Live?

If that wasn’t enough if I go into Office folder to find Converter, Adobe PDF and ZIP. All very useful for the Office environment, but where is the Word, Excel and Power point reader? Sure, this is not en E-series device, but we have to remember that the N81 is by definition still a smartphone. Event tough it’s a music-first device, what’s a smartphone without its ability to at least read Word, PowerPoint and Excel files?

Auto-Rotate: Why Oh why?

Auto rotate is finally here and it’s hopefully here to stay! But the situation with this feature is not all good. Sure it’s a wonderful element to have as there are many way to implement this in apps and games and it’s one of those cool things to show off to family and friends, but analyzing the deal with auto-rotation I had ask myself why oh why Nokia?

Why Oh why…..

1)…does the N82 get auto-rotation yet no word about it making an appearance in the flagship N95? Stranger still is the fact that the N95 conveniently does have the accelerometer!

2)… didn’t Nokia implement auto-rotation from the start? This makes people think that this was one of those things that IPhone could do and the N95 couldn’t.

3)….doesn’t the auto-rotation work when you turn the N82 to the right?

4)….doesn’t Nokia use a transitional effect with the auto-rotation? Sure, the process of auto-rotating the screen happens very quickly, but it’s done abruptly and looks unfinished.

5)…does the auto-rotation slow down when I install certain apps or when I have many apps installed? It’s true that some apps or installing many apps on your device will eventually slow down the device but why would it have such a dramatic effect on this feature? Isn’t there a powerful 3D that is capable of impressive graphics, why not put it to use to accelerate the UI and the auto-rotation?

A plea to Nokia: include more accessories in the package

Remember the nice leather case that was included with the APAC N95? Or How about the pouch and strap included with the N93? Even the N91 included a desk stand.  It’s a fact that people like extras included in the package. Some people prefer these extras because somehow they think they are getting these for “free” when in reality they’re not, in some way or the other we are paying for them. But that’s not really the point is it? It’s not about getting things for free, it’s about convenience.  While some of us are blessed with a Nokia store right around the corner, most of us aren’t so lucky. Getting a case included in the box to protect your shiny new device sure beats hunting down overpriced cases on Ebay or online stores, not to mention the slow shipping times for us international buyers. By the time the case gets here my phone could have already developed a few scratches here and there.  Including a case should be the most basic of things included in a package, but in this day and age we’re past the basics. You just bought a device that can replace a camera, mp3-player, laptop, etc and it only comes with a case? That doesn’t right, does it? Such a multi-talented device should surely come with a few extras like a desk stand, strap, screen protectors, screen cleaners or how about a coupon for a free software that people actually use? On top of that why should certain regions get cases and certain accessories while other don’t? Nokia can you please explain me the logic behind the fact that the APAC region got N95’s with cases while the rest of the world didn’t? Certainly all those potential buyers in the mobile forums asking where they could get the APAC N95 because it included a case were from the Asia Pacific, right? Wrong. Those of us from the Americas or Europe would never want such a nice case, right? Wrong again.

Ok, now let’s analyze the things that are included in the package: memory card, battery, USB cable and headphones. USB and battery, I think you would agree that these are crucial, but what about the earphones and memory card. Let’s analyze these two accessories while keeping in mind how and to who the Nseries is targeted. I’m sure a 2 or even a 1GB card is enough for basic use, but isn’t the Nseries aimed at tech savvy users? Most of these users just end up buying bigger cards. In my case the standard memory card find its way back into the box never to be seen again. The headphones included with the Nseries suck, but the situation with these is a bit more complex. I know some people don’t care about audio quality and they sometimes listen to 1 or 2 songs, while others buy the most expensive Shure or Etymotic earphones. It doesn’t make sense to include an earphone that cost just as much as the phone itself, so I think it’s best to just keep these sucky earphones as I doubt they add much to the price. In the end I think Nokia should make two types of packages: a standard one that includes a case, strap, desk stand with USB and charging integrated, 4GB card (at least), coupon for a free software of choice from Handango or Epocware (or any other large software maker), cleaning cloth and most importantly a car charger or maybe an extra battery. The other package should be one of those limited edition or “Ultra” packages (with a higher price of course) that includes everything included with the standard package, but the memory card should be the biggest capacity available on the market, portable speakers, good quality headphones and a 6months subscription of voice guidance with Nokia maps, 100 songs free in the Nokia music store and just maybe a Bluetooth keyboard. What do you think should be included in future packages? What’s your opinion on the current situation?

The N8X series is confusing me

Let’s resume what we know about the Nseries. The N7X family is the entry-level of the Nseries line, the N9X is the high-end line. Typically Nokia uses model in the N9x family as flagship phones to pioneer new features. This was the case with the N90 (2 megapixels, autofocus, flip-twist design), N91(multi-gigabyte hard drive, high music quality,3.5mm audio jack), N92 (DVB-H mobile TV standard, flip-swivel design), N93 (flip-swivel design, VGA video quality, 3.3 megapixel, optical zooming) and N95 (GPS, dual slider, 5megapixel). It’s only later on that they pass this technology to more mainstream phones with the N7X designation. If the Nseries consisted of the N9X and N7X all would have been fine: your typical upper class and mainstream separation. There would still be some space for a “middle class” line in the form of the N8X. But this where I get confused: Do you remember the N80? That phone introduced several new features like 3 megapixel camera, macro mode and even UPnP and was considered a flagship device when it was introduced, yet why did it not get the N9X designation? Later on the N95, the spiritual successor of the N80, that also pioneers things like GPS does get a N9X name? Why? Recently things got even more confusing with the release of the N82. The N82’s feature set closely mimics the flagship N95 and N95 8GB and even offers better camera performance with a feature that even the flagship N95 8GB lacks: Xenon flash. Yet it doesn’t get a N9X name, again why? Its model number indicates a “middle class” device with a price and feature set that should be above the N7X series and just below of the N9X series, yet it offers something that even the flagship device can’t offer! Let’s say somebody new to the Nseries is looking to get the best cameraphone. Logical thinking would make you go for the N95 8GB, when in this case the N82 would be much better for that specific task. It doesn’t make any sense!

At the N82 launch we asked the product manager and Nokia rep about this and the answer we basically got was: the model number a device gets is dependant of the features, price and time of release. The price of the N82 is lower at introduction to the N95 8GB and N95 and seeing that it’s a middle class device that makes sense. The feature set of the N82 comes close to the flagship devices and in some cases offers better features. If the N82 had a larger screen there would be no reason to get the N95 8GB as the microSD slot would make it more convenient, not logical at all. The time of release also seems to indicate an inconsistency: the gap between the release of the N95 8GB and N82 wasn’t that big, yet the middle class device gets Xenon flash while the flagship doesn’t? This naming scheme is just confusing and I just can’t seem to find the logic between the N8X series.

We don’t need more shiny phones

If the N76, N81 and N93i are any indication of what’s to come in the future, well in that case I’m not looking forward to future phones. Let me explain why. Isn’t it enough that we have giant 2.4’’ and now even a 2.8” screen to wipe clean in Nokia’s line-up? Now we have to take care of the back, where it’s usually held by greasy hands. Personally I like to keep my phones looking spotless and let me tell you it’s not easy keeping a large screen looking that way. In the case of the N76 and N93i there’s not only a large screen to clean, but there’s also this unnecessary mirror that no matter what we do (even keeping it in a case) it manages to become dirty. Now recently I received the N81 for review and I love it, especially the audio quality! It’s aimed as a music and gaming device, but the thing is a giant finger print magnet, even the back. I wonder who had the bright idea of making a gaming device all glossy black. Gaming devices are supposed be tough and durable as they take a lot of abuse, same thing for MP3 players. Last thing you could want is a finish that makes scratches stand out and finger prints visible. I can understand that screen getting dirty is an inevitable reality, but why do we need mirrors and glossy backs? Another disadvantage is the fact that a glossy finishes usually doesn’t provide a lot of grip. Do we really need an expensive phones made out of a material that actually helps you to drop it? I agree that glossy phones with mirrors are all the rage and they do look stylish, but the only time they will look that good is in the factory, the store, right before you unbox it and the few seconds or minutes after you wipe it clean, just before you get it all dirty again. We need phones that look good, but that can still survive the real world and not just a store with a glass stand and bright lights. Here are a few suggestions:

1)Rubbery material: From my experience with the plum N95 (the sand version wasn’t the same), the rubbery material proved that it could provide some grip and hiding finger prints, while still looking good at the same time.

2) No mirrors! Sure they look good, but they will make your device slippery increasing the risk of you dropping the phone. Besides it’s almost impossible to keep clean.

3)Textured metals:  Metals (or at least something that looks like it) looks nice, but same story here as with the shiny mirrors. Having a textured or brushed metal effect looks nice, hides finger prints and adds some grip.

4) Easy to change outer shells: No matter what material you choose, some people will really give their phone a rough treatment and pretty soon it will look horrible. That’s why it would be nice if the outer shells are a bit easier to change, especially with clam shells.

5)And before I forget, please include lanyards in the package, like was the case with the N93.

What do you think? Are shiny phones a bad idea or do you prefer the stylish factor of mirrors and a glossy finish?

Do we really Need Coreplayer?

After all the hype and months of waiting, the much anticipated Coreplayer is finally here. But do we really need it? Do we even need a video player? Here are a few reasons against Coreplayer.
1)First of all, almost every power user I know already has Smartmovie, so do we really need another video player?
2) Phones like the N80 and older promised native MPEG4 playback, but fell short do to their inability to playback H.264 AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10), that’s why many users looked for players like Smartmovie. The situation has changed so much that current phones like the N93, N93i and N95 all can playback H.264 AVC without a problem. Add the fact that there are many free converters like SUPER that can easily convert just about any video into formats like H.264 AVC or even MPEG-4, H.263/3GPP and RealVideo 8/9/10. All of these formats are natively supported by the built-in Real Player.
3)The Real Player has gotten really good. I’ve noticed that it copes well with even 640x480 video. This is expected since the latest phones like N95 and N93 all capture VGA (640X480) video and it naturally supports this resolution. While the controls could be better, it offers all the basics like forward, rewind and pause.
4)Coreplayer is known for it’s support for many audio and video formats. But again Smartmovie has an included converter, making it able to convert and play any video you want. Obviously you need to convert the videos first, but it can atleast do. Also, as stated above, converters like Super are free and can convert just about any format out there. So why is Coreplayer so special?
5)After finally releasing Coreplayer we get to buy a BETA product? There isn’t even a way to try the app first before buying.

On the other side, players like Coreplayer and Smartmovie do offer a better experience and many more features, but I can’t argue with the fact that the built-in Real Player is free. Combined with Super it does what it needs to do: play videos! Only thing that can change my mind right now is native Windows Media Video and FLV Playback. In the mean time things aren’t looking so good for Coreplayer.

Update:Apparently a demo version will come, but Late Q1 of 08. And about the Windows Media support, the guys at Coreplayer are indicating that the first Beta 1 release will only support WMA. After Beta 1 they will add the WMV decoder. They are also noting that it’s very, very slow and that they plan on adding their own WMV decoder by version 1.3. As for the FLV support they are saying: “no player outside of Adobe Flash Player plays Flash unless Adobe has blessed/licensed it to them. While we internally DO support the Flash 'container' and the codecs within it (ON2, H.263, H.264/CoreAVC). We only have this available to our OEM customers that may have a direct license with Adobe and cannot release it in our consumer editions of CorePlayer Mobile or CorePlayer Professional.” This seems to solve a few things, but these are all “planned” things and we know how much these things take, especially if the delayed launch is any indication. It is starting to look better for them, but I will just have to wait and see. Until then Smartmovie is my choice.

S60 needs a better UI

For a long time I have used the S60 UI with the Symbian 0S at its core and I have to admit they are a powerful tool, but it’s just not easy to use and things are not logically placed. On top of that it looks “OK”, but no real eye-candy to speak of. While I can now use S60 based devices almost with my eyes closed I have to admit that it took some time to get there. Everyday I’m reminded by new S60 users that it’s not as intuitive as it should be: such simple tasks as multi-tasking are not even obvious to them at first. Recent mobile device like the Apple iPhone have shown that a UI can be simple and yet give the flexibility of having a fair amount of features inside. Now I’m pretty convinced that the S60/Symbian combo is far superior then anything on the market and yes even the iPhone’s UI, but there’s no denying that S60 lacks simplicity and ease of use. Now they have been making changes to UI by introducing Feature Pack 2, but this seems more of a small step then anything else. Does S60 not get it? Maybe they should just skip FP2 and go back to the drawing board. Maybe they should offer a UI system that can be changed based on the users skills, toning down on the options based on the user’s familiarity with S60. Again I have to say that S60 is superior but we need some changes in the direction of simplicity.
What do you guys think?