Symbian in Motion

Stealing a line from Nokia’s Press Release - N81 8GB comes with Music, as this is what this device was created to do. Play music and games. There were many blatant hints to what was special about the N81 8GB, take for instance: “Entertainment. The Next Episode” design on the packaging it arrived in, also the “a little hush please… the next episode is about to begin” and not forgetting the Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones. It is clear this is a Multimedia device designed to deliver Multimedia, which it does with ease.

N81 8GB and Bose

This could be described as a match made in heaven, although I’d put it more near a very successful marriage. The headphones and the N81 8GB work in tandem to deliver some of the best music I have heard not just from a handset, any portable music device. I would like to think when purchasing a Special Edition N81 8GB it comes bundled with the Bose Headphones, as I think these two items go hand in hand in respect to enjoying music on the go. I would like to think it was down to the N81 8GB which delivers the crisp sound and the deep thumping bass, but I would have to say it is the Bose headphones, and for good reason to, spending £270 on a pair of headphones you would expect them to deliver as such. Now don’t think that it’s just the headphones responsible for the great music, the handset has a part to play.

I tested them both with my N95 and the N81 8GB and although the N95 did give some quality feedback it wasn’t comparable with the results from the N81 8GB. The music was considerably louder, crisper and even if the N81 offers less bands on the E/Q settings than the N95, it delivers a punchier bass and crisp mids. As I’m a keen music enthusiast I had to have them up as loud as can be, and the results where, well, LOUD! The bass response is unbelievable I can’t stress this enough, my eardrums where vibrating with ecstasy but no pain as the active noise cancelling not only works with external sounds, but also keeps the sound always crisp even if it needs to reduce it by a few decibels.

Many of my friends and colleagues who also tested it out were amazed with the quality and shocked at the price! Let’s face it, not everyone is going to spend large amounts of money on headphones that sound great, they’re content with half decent sound coming from their music device. I think that’s where Nokia will find trouble in marketing the N81 8GB. Yes users want music, they also want gaming and if it comes from one device all the better, but at what price and how good is it? The N81 8Gb is not only going to compete with the iPhone in terms of Music and Games due to it’s 8GB internal storage, but also devices like the iPod Touch, Creative Zen, Sony Ericsson’s W Series, Samsung’s music orientated handsets with similar features to those of the N81 8GB and Motorola’s Z series. It will be an unpredictable battle and I think it will be close as many of the other devices have appealing features of their own. The “touch” of the iPhone and iPod give it advantage as well as a large screen and great UI to boot. The Sony Ericsson W series are small, easy to use and almost unnoticeable at times, all down to the great design of the handsets which make them very appealing and attractive. While all these competitors have their own unique edge and some (iPhone and iPod) have a great advantage, the N81 8GB has two things that make up for it; Symbian OS and N-Gage.

Gaming

One of the more appealing factors in favour for the N81 8GB is the integrated support of the N-Gage platform, not only from a software point of view but hardware too. Yes the dedicated game buttons on the top of the handset are a great addition.

The combination of the N-Gage platform and dedicated game buttons make this very much a lucrative prospect. Nokia made a hash of the original N-Gage release and has learnt from it quite well. Where the old platform failed due to not supporting it enough and having a dedicated hand held gaming device acting like a phone, the approach this time is quite the opposite. This is the way it should have been done. Hardcore gamers carry around gaming devices, whilst your average Joe carries his handset hoping to play the occasional game to kill time etc… The N-Gage 2nd around will appeal to these very exact genre but is not limited to them. The mobile gaming scene is pretty big and growing fast, as gaming can be an occasion, dedicated or random activity, having a handset which can do this instantly, without add-ons and fast is surely a winner.

Starting up the N-Gage software takes you through a flashy intro scene before bringing you to the initial screen, where currently you have the choice to find out more, download the N-Gage application or try some Demo games. There are 3 Demo Games available, Space Impact Light, FIFA 07 and Asphalt Street Races 3. Clicking any one of the titles loads up the games and you are off. As the N81 8GB is designed for the N-Gage platform especially with it’s 2 dedicated game buttons, you start of in the landscape screen position. You do have the option to change back to the portrait, depending on the game itself, which could be appropriate for some games but I prefer the wide-screen experience personally. Playing all 3 games just demonstrates how easy and comfortable the layout and buttons are, instead of having your fingers cramped within the confines of the keypad, they are set free in more traditional gaming style, which is more comfortable and natural. The games are in 3D, play smoothly, are slightly easy to complete but they are demo’s and I’m sure there will be much more improved upon release. I’m personally looking forward to the actual re-release of the N-Gage, I just hope it lives up to what promises to be.

Final Word

The N81 8GB isn’t perfect, the button layout in and around the navi wheel isn’t the best, the features are not what you’d expect from a mid-range Nokia phone, the 2 Mega Pixel camera is a major draw back, as most mid-range handsets on the market have a minimum of 3.2 Mega Pixels. The lack of HSDPA is another major factor, I think it would have helped in encouraging users to download music on the go anywhere from the Nokia Music Store, and in the coming future perhaps even games from the N-Gage shop. The lack of GPS is not such a big deal, as it’s not commonly expected in handsets quite yet and as this isn’t a top-end handset I personally don’t think it would have much appeal to it.

The build quality and design is one I do like, it suites the rest of my electronic gear, from the Piano black Samsung Tv / Pc Screen, to my black PSP, it fits in without causing too much disturbance. The handset’s heavy metal casing around the body gives it a sturdy and smooth feel, unlike the plastic feel of the N95 with it’s bumps and buttons sticking out. From a design point of view I can’t fault it (bar the button layout).

The N81 8GB does what it’s targeted to do; it’s a Multimedia device aimed at a specific market. Like the N91 8GB when it was released, only it does more and promises more. I hope Nokia take note and support the N81 8GB, for the market it’s aimed at, it should be a hit.

This concludes my review of the N81 8GB Special Edition, whilst I had it I’ve personally enjoyed my experience, although I had different ideas at first. But it has changed my perspective on it. It just goes to show don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

You can read the previous posts on the N81 8GB by clicking through the links respectively.

N81 8GB Special Edition Part 2 - Getting Set and Familiar

Landed and Acclimatised - N81 8GB Special Edition Part 1

N81 8GB Special Edition Picture Special

N81 8GB Special Edition Landed

subscribe to comments made about this post

Note: This post is mirrored from my BGR post. Why? Because I really like this concept from a business standpoint and thought that you guys might want to check it out!

Added value, brand awareness, and customer loyalty are just a few of the concepts behind the latest business product offering from mobile developer Psiloc. SoftVariant is a brand new solution for Symbian devices that will automatically customize a S60 3rd Edition handset simply by inserting a memory card. Psiloc’s software will install applications, install and activate themes, create contact entries and contact groups, automatically add Wi-Fi hotspots and much more. Carriers, marketing firms and handset retailers are some of groups that will take particular interest in this solution. As a distributor, imagine being able to pack a cheap memory card with each handset you ship. When your customer inserts the card in their new device for the first time, SoftVariant will automatically install a few custom themes, add a few complimentary apps and automatically bookmark your company website and blog. The customer will appreciate the themes and apps, you will appreciate the word of mouth marketing and repeat business and the world will be a better place. Of course this is only one of a thousand potential uses for SoftVariant. It’s worth mentioning that in the wrong hands, this technology has the potential to be quite a nuisance. We can only hope that companies understand the concept of “less is more” and don’t do anything overly annoying that would have an adverse affect on recipients.

Learn more about their solution on Psiloc’s dedicated SoftVariant site.

subscribe to comments made about this post

Continuing with the N81 8GB review, this post will cover the setting up of the N81 8GB, getting it ready for usage, the UI and the Multimedia button.

Updating and Getting Set

Starting it up initially was smooth sailing, I was expecting the device to come up with the “insert simcard” message which used to plague the enjoyment of new handsets. But I’ve noticed as handsets have evolved and are now not just mobile handsets but almost multimedia devices this approach has changed. I was able to start-up up the N81 8GB without a SIM card inserted and enjoy the great S60 OS with the only restrictions being not having the ability to use any data services or change the profile from General. I didn’t want the experience to be interrupted by phone calls, SMS etc whilst familiarising myself with the menu and OS. The Menu is similar to all the other handsets in the S60 3rd FP1 family but has the new menu structure where there are sub-folders for Media, Utilities etc, thus making the main menu screens less frightening at first glance. I still believe there are too many pre-installed applications which I’ve never used and may never have the need to use. I wish Nokia can either have these in a sub-menu somewhere in the settings or utilities or plain remove access / visibility from the general user. Matthew of Symbianverse makes a very valid point of pointing out some of the issues in regards to this in his post on “A Waste of Space and Resources” which I believe highlights many of the applications I’m referring to here.

So after nosing around the menus I plugged it into the micro-USB port and connected up with Nokia PC Suite, which kindly informed me there was an update available for my device, that’s more like it! At first I was apprehensive about upgrading the firmware as I had already added 100 of Mp3s into it, transferred my Phonebook, Calender etc to it from my N95 using the Nokia Switch feature which is a cool and useful application to have. But after having it reboot at least 4 times trying to use Wi-Fi to access the internet and download applications and themes I decided to research what sort of features the new firmware added and bugs it fixed. It seems the V11.0.045 firmware is somewhat a critical update and also fixes Wi-Fi stability and other issues, so I opted to upgrade.

After going through the initial steps of connecting the phone, recognising, identifying the firmware, downloading all going smooth I ran into somewhat of a brick wall. When it came to actually installing the firmware the application kept on giving me the same error over and over (see picture below).

After repeating this several times it finally worked and I was a much relieved, the last thing I wanted to do was send it back to WOMWorld! After the upgrade finished and the phone had a reboot and was ready for use I was expecting all my information to have been erased as was the case with previous handsets and firmware upgrades. It seems Nokia has decided to implement “User Data Prevention” which is about time. I remember Symbian-Guru Ricky mentioning this a while back, it’s good to know Nokia does take note of bloggers opinions and implements useful features to make the S60 experience that much smoother. This was especially welcomed as transferring 6GB of music to the N81 8GB is no easy accomplishment, the micro-USB cable transfer speed is not the fastest and I wouldn’t want to go through the whole process again.

Next process was to get some cool applications and themes onto my device, no offence but the Nokia themes are kinda bog standard and boring. Besides there are many great themers around the world which make some great themes for S60 devices and it would be a shame not to use them.

User Interface

The speed and response of the actual UI on the N81 8GB is really fast, with almost immediate response to selection and menu loading. The V20 firmware upgrade for the N95 increased it’s response navigating through the menu, but even still the N81 8GB is much faster and smoother. Whilst the N95 taking 1/4 of a millisecond to respond to selection and loading the screens may not sound much, in general usage it is considerably faster. Now when I’m testing out applications on my N95, the difference is very much evident, this is annoying as I’m not a very patient person when it comes to waiting times with electronics. I will definitely miss the speed and response once I give this back, I hope Nokia updates the N95 to match this.

Multitasking on the N81 8GB is great as it has 77Mb of RAM with 40MB available after a reboot, taking into consideration the Music player is “always on” in the background, that is quite a lot. Although not as much as the N95 8GB it is sufficient enough and doesn’t cause any unnecessary reboots. I haven’t yet come across any applications closing due to low memory nor a soft reset since the upgrade to V11 firmware.

Dedicated Multimedia Button

The dedicated multimedia button is a great addition to the N81 8GB, the multimedia button adds that little extra touch that gives you quick access to the most constantly used features on the handset. The multimedia button brings up a menu which can be navigated using the “navi wheel” which works very similar to the iPod’s “Scroll Wheel”. This gives quick access to 6 menus in a scrolling style, which includes Music, Games, Gallery, Contacts, Internet and Maps, each having their own unique features and options. All of the Menus can be rearranged to suite your own individual needs, but it won’t allow to remove and replace with any other quick access of your choice, which is a shame as it could come in handy to have your most used applications ready for action at a touch of a button. Perhaps this is something for the future which can be implemented in a firmware upgrade.

Music - The music sub-menu has the all familiar “Now Playing” which shows what is playing or was played last, so if you were listening to a specific play list it will continue from the last song played. The “Music” shows all the songs in your library currently, “Podcasts” also shows the number of podcasts currently available, “Playlists” show the number of playlists you have set up, there are 4 predefined playlists - NokiaN81Mix, Most Played, Recently Played and Recently Added, so no surprises there. The “Shuffle All Songs” does exactly that.

Games - The games menu has three options available, “Discover N-Gage”, “Try N-Gage games”, and “Install N-Gage” respectively. I would like to think this will change once the N-Gage platform is released and purchased games will be displayed here for quick access, if not it would be pretty disappointing as it’s an ideal solution for quick access to your favourite N-Gage games.

Gallery - Here we have 3 simple options which are all self explanatory and do as the titles suggest, “Last Captured”, “Slide Show” and “Albums”. I’m still not a fan of the general Gallery structure on the N Series so far. I’m not sure why Nokia stick to the feature of showing every picture and video on your device rather than having a more intelligent set-up where the user can choose which items to show instead of your whole gallery popping up by default. A sub-menu like the Music menu where there are options of Albums, Folders, Pictures, Videos or All would be a much better option. This would allow the user to choose and narrow it down to show only those desired. An option to lock specific folder would also be useful, most Samsung’s come with this feature by default, this is something Nokia should really look. I get tons of request on Mobile9 asking for this exact feature, but have to refer them to other 3rd party applications which is not ideal as they take up precious system resources.

Contacts & Internet - Both of these menu’s can have up to 5 of your contacts and favourite urls. Whilst on the Contacts menu you can add or remove the 5 contacts you’d like quick access to, the Internet menu lists the first 5 of urls in your bookmarks, so you’ll have to re-arrange your bookmarks to change the order or urls displayed in this menu, which is rather strange. It would make more sense to add your favourite urls either from your bookmarks or manually input them for quick access to them.

Maps - The Maps menu lists the last 5 accessed landmarks, point-of-interests, or addresses. Again it would be great to be able to manually add your own landmarks for quick access.

This concludes the Getting Set and Familiar with episode with the N81 8GB, I apologise for not covering the actual listening to Music and playing Games, that will definitely come next episode. I didn’t envisage this post to become so big! Next post I will let you know if the N81 8GB succeeds at becoming a great Music and Gaming device.

You can read the previous posts on the N81 8GB by clicking through the links respectively.

Landed and Acclimatised - N81 8GB Special Edition Part 1

N81 8GB Special Edition Picture Special

N81 8GB Special Edition Landed

subscribe to comments made about this post

Sebastian Jedruszkiewicz has updated emTube to version 1.0.8. The code has been optimised for a faster experience on most phones. One of the new added options is the ability to view by ID, just enter the ID or url into the box to stream the video. There is also a new “Saved Videos” feature which lists all the videos saved or downloaded for quick access.

The full list of changes can be found below:

Changelog:

• New: Added “Saved videos” feature, all videos saved/downloaded from youtube are visible there. It also allows to delete or rename videos.
• New: Added “view by ID” option, an url to a youtube video or just an ID of a video can be entered and video will be played.
• New: Added Arabic, Danish, Slovak, Romanian and Polish translations.
• Fixed: Thumbnail images were not loaded in some rare circumstances.
• Fixed: Unmute (key ‘4′) wasn’t working as expected.
• Fixed: Changed the audio mute icon on navipane, black wasn’t visible on some skins.
• Fixed: Display code has been optimized, emTube should be a bit faster on most phones.
• Fixed: Optimized video downloading, shouldn’t slow down video playback that much anymore.

The updated version can be found on the emTube homepage, make sure to uninstall the previous version before attempting to install the latest version.

subscribe to comments made about this post

It’s been 5 days since the N81 8GB Special Edition landed, and ever since then I’ve been busy making the most of it. I’ve had a few requests to review some specific features and I’ll try do my best in trying to answer them.

Firstly lets get the physical done on the N81 8GB. The full technical specification can be found on the Nokia N81 8GB page, there is no point in repeating old news, what I’d like to do is highlight the more interesting features and some that are lacking. There are 4 indications that make it clear Nokia aimed this at a different market than the N95. the inclusion of 8GB Internal Storage, dedicated buttons for Gaming, Music & Video control (including the multimedia button) and the automatic screen orientation in certain menus. There is no point comparing this device with the N95, they are two different models aimed at two different types of consumers. Where the N95 is aimed at the high end of the market throwing punches in each and every direction, the N81 8GB was made for two reasons; N-Gage gaming and Music / Video playback. The lack of integrated GPS, HSDPA, and inclusion of a 2 Mega Pixel camera is clear evidence it should not in any way tread on the toes of it’s all singing and dancing bigger brother, and rightly so!

Build Quality, Buttons and Battery

The two things that stand out immediately are the shiny glossy front and how heavy the actual device is. The heaviness is due to the use of metal around the main body frame. This gives it a nice ergonomic feel as it’s smooth all the round and feels very solid, although the same cannot be said about the back cover. It’s a very thin plastic cover and pretty flimsy to remove and reattach. The device overall fit’s nicely in my hand. It’s aesthetically pleasing to look at and feels great in your hands. As it also does not have a camera lens protector it doesn’t catch on your pockets when taking it in or out. I would still like to have seen a camera lens protector, but as it’s a 2Mega Pixel camera I doubt it’s worth it.

Coming round to the front, it looks great. I’ve personally had reservations about the button layout and the actual design, in pictures it looks very busy and confusing, although in my hand (especially with the key lights off) it isn’t very busy at all. The buttons are decently spaced out although there are a few annoyances when using the device, mainly to do with the “c” and “answer / reject” buttons. The “c” button is annoying and isn’t placed well, even on the N95 it isn’t placed well, I found my self hitting the “reject” button rather than the “c” when inputting text. The problem gets worse on the N81, there are another 2 extra buttons; “play / pause” and the “multimedia key”. In all honesty I’ve never found myself hitting the multimedia key by accident, nor the “play / pause” button, but I have consistently hit the “c” button every time when trying to hit any of the other buttons around it. I’m not sure what the reason is behind where it is, but it needs to be sorted. Placing it under the navi wheel would be a better option in my opinion.

Moving onto the answer / reject buttons; this is very strange, they are placed on either side, right on the edge of the device making them hard to actually press without catching another button or risking dropping the device, and I can say that has almost happened many times. One other thing that may need looking at in the future is the feedback of some of the buttons, pressing the soft keys you get a tiny bit of feedback, this is strange as it feels like it’s stuck and sometimes I’ve found myself pressing it again only to confirm something I didn’t want to. Considering that the N81 will be used for gaming and the navi wheel as a makeshift “d-pad” I can see that the emphasis has been put on these buttons rather than the actual everyday use buttons. From a gamers point of view it’s great. The navi wheel and the gaming buttons working together is seamless, it’s similar to the old NES control pad in terms of a directional button and 2 action buttons. I’ve played the demo’s available on the N-Gage application and have no qualms about this configuration working great.

What’s become evident in recent months is to have any sort of multimedia device you need the power behind to run it. This was one significant problem with the N95 and still hasn’t been solved. Nokia obviously has learnt the lessons and provided a larger capacity battery for the N81, and rightly so. I can report that it is very good, yes very good. I’ve had it on constantly for a day and a half playing music, using Wi-Fi, playing games, installing and downloading applications and I’m glad to say, it passes the test. This is one key element if you are touting a music and gaming device, it needs power. The issue has been remedied with the BP-6MT 1050mAH battery on the N81 8GB, I just wish something would be released for the N95 too!

In my next post I’ll be covering the UI, Music and Gaming, so look forward to that shortly.

subscribe to comments made about this post