The Curse of Silence

I've just heard about a potential virus effecting S60 phones, dubbed 'The Curse of Silence' This is sent in the form of an SMS and it stops further functionality of SMS and MMS on the infected phone.

Has anyone received this? Apparently the only way to restore the phone is a factory reset.

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I Broke My Phone!

Unbelievable, after all that time deciding and finally choosing the Nokia N82, I've broken the camera! The lens cover does not activate the camera when opened; I cannot activate it through the menu either, as the sensors think the cover is still closed. All that opens is the front facing camera.

I've had to send my phone away for repair, and if I'm lucky it will be back by the weekend. Having just recently sold a few old phones on Ebay, all I have left now is the Nokia 6600!! Now, when this phone launched (Four years ago? Five?) I loved it, an excellent handset for its time. Problem is, that time isn't now. Oh, how spoiled we have become with mobile technology.

So, the 6600. No WiFi, no HSDPA, poor quality screen, no decent music playback, poor camera (but at least it works!) and so on.

How will I cope?

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A Christmas Gift from Nokia

One weeks free navigation for Nokia Maps is on offer from Nokia, just click on this page and enter your mobile number. Could be useful for that long trip to grannies for lunch, if the motorway gets closed, I suppose? Or finding your way home on New Years Eve?

Merry Christmas, all.

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I Choose The N82

I've been giving some serious thought to which phone I should buy next. I've not been using Nseries for a while, I've been off using handsets from Sony Ericsson and Samsung, fine handsets in their own right, I guess, but not for me.

Recently I've been using an E51, which is a great handset, but I was getting itchy for something new. As it turns out, my choice is anything but. I was thinking of going retro, with either the N80 or the N73, but although the appeal was there, I decided it wasn't worth it. I left myself with a choice between the N82, or getting one of the really nice Eseries phones, either the E66 or E71.

The E71 is a fantastic handset, a friend recently nominated it his 'handset of the year'. One of the major pluses of the E71 is the reported battery times. It has always been one of the important points for me, on any phone, is the quality of the battery. But finally, with this phone, I am just not sure the QWERTY keypad is for me. Very fickle I know, but sometimes it comes down to the minor points when choosing a phone.

The E66 is a good alternative to the E71, with a more standard form factor. Reviews are quite harsh when commenting on the battery life with this phone, but it is still overall a fine looking handset, with plenty to offer. The build quality on the E66 and E71 also feels top drawer, really solid and feel like they are built to last.

Thing is, after a lot of thought and some useful suggestions in the comments a few posts back, I decided the phone I'm gonna stick with is the N82. I picked one up the other day to use whilst deciding what phone to get, and I guess that has influenced me. Ever since the first day I used the N82 I have been impressed with its all-round feature set. Quality in all areas, camera, GPS, Web, Email, acceptable size, with an acceptable battery life too. The keypad can become frustrating, especially when composing long emails, but that is not enough to detract from the quality of the phone.

I had looked at newer Nseries phones, like the N96, but I am not liking that phone. Too buggy, (Yeah, I know I can update when new firmware releases, but still, poor showing from Nokia with that phone) and the build quality is just so cheap and plastic. The Eseries phones are streets ahead in this regard.

So, N82 it is. But I honestly feel with the better media features now on Eseries phones, and a superior build quality, active standby screen plugins, etc, my next purchase may be Eseries.

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Nokia, what HAVE you done?

Ok, so I've been away from the Nseries market for a while, so there are lots of updates that are old news to some that I'm only just finding out for myself. A lot changes in a few months, it would seem. In my deliberations on a new phone and checking for a good deal, I managed to pick up an N82 cheap, second hand but in excellent condition. Just needed a new screen cover. At least whilst deciding where I'm going to go long term, either E or N, I can remind myself just how good the N82 really is.

However, after updating the phone to the latest firmware, I am not sure I can deal with that Homescreen! What a mess!

It is a long term bugbear of mine, the fact that Eseries phones have the option to add or remove items on the Homescreen with the plugins, and Nseries cannot. It is so silly. I like the active standby shortcuts, I don't like lines and lines and lines of text all over the place.

Like I said, this may not be news to some, but I am left with a real dilemma now. Do I hate the Homescreen that much I would buy a different handset because of it? As much as it seems petty, I just might.

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Decisions, decisions.

So, I've been looking into getting another phone, after my foray into the world of the non smartphone, as I mentioned in the post below.

I had been tempted to go retro.The idea of reliving 'the good old days' with an N80 or an N73 was very tempting. The N73 was always my favourite phone, the all round balance of features and performance was spot on, for a phone of it's time. However, I'm spoiled with phones these days that include WiFi, GPS and HSDPA. It's also a contributing reason to why I decided not to go for the N80, as tempting as it was. Poor camera, no GPS, no HSDPA, and I think the mists of time are clouding memories of a really poor battery, too.

So, I'm left with four options, either I stick with my Nokia E51, look for an E71, E66 or go for the N82. The Eseries are strong contenders, and apart from the N82 I can't see any Nseries worth having. Maybe the N95 8GB could slip in as a contender, giving me 5 to choose from.

Decisions, decisions.

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We're back..... Sort of.

It's been a long while since I had anything to add to this blog. In the time I've 'been away' I have tried many phones. (Such is the life of a mobile geek, just when you think you are happy with a handset, another comes along to entice you away!) Chiefly among the handsets I've used has been the Sony Ericsson C905 and the Samsung Tocco. Nice phone in their own right, but it takes a lot to please me, and they just didn't make the grade. So, I find myself right now at a bit of a loose end. I want a new phone, but what should I get? I've narrowed my choice down to 6.

I could go retro, and pick up a Nokia N80. It's not something I've been hankering for, I was just in a shop the other day that sells second hand phones, and I saw an N80 on display. Amongst the memories of dire battery life, I also recalled the quality of that handset. Seriously. Poor camera apart, the N80 could hold its own against many of the phones on the market today, despite being around two years old.

If I'm going to go retro, why not go back to the phone I had when I started this blog? The Nokia N73 has lawys been a favourite of mine, one of the best handsets for balance of features ever. Quality camera, NSeries functionality, and an excellent battery life. Again for slightly nostalgic reasons, the N73 is a consideration.

Alternatively, I could go for a Nokia N82. There's nothing nostalgic in this option, the N82 simply remains my favourite phone of all time, I'm still not 100% sure why I traded it in. I guess I just wanted to see what else was out there, but there's nothing I've used that comes close to the near perfection, in my opinion, of the N82. At the moment, despite my nostalgic dreaming, the N82 remains favourite.

Unless...

I go to the dark side! Actually, I'm kind of already there, and it isn't that dark, to be honest. I'm referring to the Eseries, so nothing too drastic. But, I'm supposed to be an Nseries fan, I shouldn't be harping on about Eseries phones, surely? Well, it's not really the multimedia things that get me going, it's the functionality of S60. And there are some options on the Eseries, namely homescreen plugins (yup, I'm still banging that drum!) that you just don't get with Nseries phones.

I've looked at the E71. Functionality wise, this phone is top drawer. It has all the connection options covered, isn't as ugly as the E61 was, feels well made, looks good, and apparently has a battery that like, goes forever! This phone is a strong contender for my next purchase, but there is one drawback. That QWERTY keypad, I'm just not sure that is for me.

So, I could consider the E66. Now this is a smart looking phone, and it actually looks like a phone, too! Nice slide design, all the features of the E71, still feels well built, I could see myself using this phone and being happy to do so. I'm unsure about the battery with this one though, some reports have been less than promising. But I'm still tempted.

My last option is just to stay with what I've got. Kinda boring, really, it's so much nicer to be choosing something new, when quite honestly I have a perfectly adequate phone already. Currently I use the E51. Nice slim phone, with HSDPA, WiFi, excellent S60 functionality, good battery life, fits nicely in the pocket and it just works. No claims are made about anything spectacular, but it just gets the job done.

Although Nseries has always been 'my thing' none of the new stuff appeals. I think the fact I'm even reminiscing of the old stuff is indicative of the recent releases. The N78 is not particularly nice, and the N79 seems to be an N78 rehash with a better keypad. As for the N96, it's a right dogs dinner, it just feels nasty in the hand, cheap plastic rubbish. And I don't do touchscreen phones. I always felt I didn't, my experience with the Tocco (nice enough phone for what it is, just not for me) proved as much.

So, decisions, decisions.

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