When we talked about why we like the Nokia N80, we digressed a little into the uses of cameraphones, and we'd like to point you to a post by 43folders which is an elaboration upon the idea that cameraphones are extremely useful as information reproduction devices.
There's still a problem afterwards, however, because now you have a huge mass of pictures ...
Update 26/11/2005: Corrected some grammatical errors and added model number information - the N80 which was approved in this FCC grant is the Nokia N80-3. Presumably the N80 with quadband + WCDMA 2100 will be the Nokia N80-1.
Nokia obviously wants -something- to be out by christmas (we hope).
The North American (WCDMA 1900) version of the delightful Nokia N80 has been FCC approved, surprisingly early for a phone meant to ship in Q1 2005. [The test report indicates that the test device (Nokia N80-3) is a five band (GSM850/900/1800/1900 and WCDMA1900) mobile phone with GPRS,EGPRS and Bluetooth. The europe/asia (WCDMA 2100) version was not tested, and will require a different FCC ID.]
We would like to suggest that this makes it likely that the North American N80 will be released extremely soon - but this is still uncertain: Maybe Nokia has just got into an FCC-approval groove, and are sending their prototypes in earlier than before. (Remember that the Nokia N71 has also been approved.) This probably does mean that they've gotten the hang of how to engineer the radios (for WCDMA + GSM) effectively, which is especially shocking because the N80 is the first quadband GSM + WCDMA 1900 device Nokia has produced.
Possibly the strangest thing about this is that the Nokia N91 has not yet been approved - Nokia must be really breaking their backs doing the WMA / PlaysForSure work; although we're uncertain why that would affect radio emission characteristics. Isn't that software?
Also, it might be that more approvals are required before the FCC allows sale of the phone. The test report published with this approval was a test to comply with the radio emissions requirements of Part 15B of the FCC rules, but tests required for compliance with Parts 22 and 24 of the FCC rules have not yet been approved by the FCC. We're not entirely certain about the specific requirements for FCC compliance though - feel free to educate us.
And US readers - please note the Cingular sign on the phone.
We think the Nokia N90 is a little bit of an under-performer; too large for the functionality it provides, particularly because rival phones seem to outperform it in terms of photo-taking even though it's key distinguishing feature is supposed to be a high quality camera lens. However, as stated previously, it is the most future-proof of the Symbian phones now available, due to it's high-resolution screen...
... and it takes pretty good videos. The following selection of videos might not be indicative, becuase they are, after all, promotional videos, but we enjoyed watching them, so here they are for your viewing pleasure...
We're not sure if the videos mean you should buy the phone though... do remember that quality will get even better as time passes - the Nokia 6280 is supposed to be able to capture VGA video at 15fps. And we should probably take this oppourtunity to tell you that the Nokia 7370, 6111, and 6270 have all recently passed bluetooth 2.0 + EDR qualification tests, that the Nokia 6111 is slated for release this week in certain countries, and that a bluetooth version of the wonderful Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse (which we use and love) is about to arrive.
[Thanks, Moby!]
Rumours have been swirling about for several days now, but yesterday Skype / RadioShack made it official:
they have entered into a joint partnership to distribute and sell Skype-certified hardware in over 3,500 Radio Shack stores.
Pundits have characterized this move as "risky", and we can't help but agree. However, we sympathise. The fact is that Skype really has very few options to monetize their technology. Even if their claims of 54 million active users are correct, there is no incentive for those customers to stay. There are other options available, and the only product which might really build loyalty is a Skype Starter Pack, priced at US$4.99, which includes Skype software, and 30 Skype Out minutes. All the other hardware will work as well with those aforementioned options...
This is not a bad idea, however, because it will increase Skype's brand visibility - but remember, whatever you buy at Radio Shack is not enough - you will need a computer and an internet connection...
Thanks to Moby, we have a new collection of photos, including shots of the Nokia 6111, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6280, Nokia 6708, Nokia 7370, Nokia E70 and the new Nokia S40 3rd Edition interface.
The S40 3rd Edition interface photos are potentially the most exciting, because they reveal the extent of the UI improvements Nokia engineers have been making behind the scenes. Other highlights include a screencap of the Nokia 6280 which shows that it can select VGA resolution for video capture (at 15 fps, this is a first for cameraphones - we think), the wide variety of font sizes available on the Nokia E70, and how the Nokia 6708 looks pretty in white.
We would also like to take this opportunity to note that the Nokia 6111 and 6280 seem to be ready to ship soon - they are no longer listed as "coming soon" on Nokia.com. Both these phones are intriguing, the 6111 because it is the smallest nokia for a long time, and the 6280 because it has S40 3rd Edition and a QVGA screen.
But while you're waiting - check out the photos.
The Nokia N80 is a whale of a phone, featuring a 3.0MP camera with WiFi, Symbian OS 9.1 and a yummilicious design. We think it's a good buy.
We're quite certain that we'll review it when it comes out (Ed: possibly one review per colour.) but for now, slake your gadget thirst with this collection of photos from mobilmania.cz.
Ewan Spence has had a look at the Nokia E60, one of (and arguably the most boring of) the E-Series of Nokia Symbian Business phones, and he likes it.
He draws particular attention to it's svelte figure and "rotate screen" otions, and also confirms that the phone will ship with WiFi (802.11g) support.
This is the first we've heard of a rotate screen option, and it's a great idea. The fact remains that a "widescreen" orientation makes alot of sense for reading text - and hopefully this will be supported by the majority of programs by the time S60 version 3 (Symbian 9.1) is launched.
We don't really recommend the phone, because of it's lack of a camera (and a camera is a good thing to have), but if you work somewhere which bans cameraphones...
[Image Credit: Mobique]
Update 2:15 GMT: Silicon Republic's editor has went back again to re-check facts, and if you look at the link now, they have editted their story, and now it states that the Nokia N70 is the Nseries phone which is due out in Ireland before Christmas, while the N91 is due out as expected in march 2006. Sorry guys.
Regular readers will know that we love the N91. It's not really our choice upgrade right now, primarily because the N80 really kicks ass, but it is a very strong contender, with a built-in 4GB hard disk, 3.5mm headphone plug, and Symbian 9.1 OS. (and it also is engineered so well that it can survive a drop test 300 times, even though the same drop test renders the ipod mini unusable after only 12 drops.)
The big news today, however, is that Nokia said that the N91 is expected to debut on Vodafone before Christmas in Ireland, as reported by Silicon Republic earlier today. We were so incredulous that we sent it's editor an e-mail to verify his source; and he said that Nokia made this claim during a press conference yesterday.
This gives us hope that the N91 will indeed be released in Europe/Asia before christmas, because Ireland is not usually the first place Nokia ships phones...
Maybe the work required to make it compatible with widest range of music platforms and be a true "jukebox" mobile phone is complete early.
[Image Credit: MobileBurn]
