First day here at Nokia World 09, and it’s been quite an interesting past couple of hours.
While i’m still digesting the loads of information shoveled my way, along with finalizing coverage for both HWM and HardwareZone.com, I realized that somehow, large scale events like these always find a way to slap me in the face. Kick me in the nads. Throw a wet blanket over the fire. Break my heart. You get the idea.
Case in point? The Nokia N97 Mini. Why so? Part of the answer lies in the fact that i’m now using a Nokia N97. The full-sized one that comes with mode storage and a directional keypad. The picture below neatly illustrates the second part of the answer to the question.
On the left: a white Nokia N97 Mini. On the right: my personal Nokia N97. Almost 200MB of free phone memory on the Nokia N97 Mini, versus a smidge above 10MB on their slightly older (former) flagship device.
Damnit. Damnitdamnitdamnit. Why, Nokia, why do you do such things to me?
Anyone willing to trade a N97 Mini for my used, but very well kept N97?
This entry was written by , posted on September 3, 2009 at 12:34 AM, filed under Geek Toys, Opinion, Technology and tagged N97, N97 Mini, Nokia, Nokia World. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
What’s going to make or break the Nokia N97, or any other smartphone out there, for that matter, is data. Or rather, the availability of an always-on, live connection to the Internet. At least, that’s what I think will be the key driver of the N97’s success in a market already dominated by Apple’s iPhone, and under attack by the many Android-powered devices that are set and primed to be officially unleashed over the next couple of weeks.
Nokia’s clearly been preparing for the N97 for quite some time. From late last year when the N97 was first announced, to the hiccups over the recent Ovi Store launch, it’s clear that Nokia’s banking on content. The Ovi Store, as well as the other parts of the Ovi Initiative (Share, Files, Maps, Mail etc) are clear indicators that content is where its at, whether creating, sharing or consuming. New devices like the N97, as well as older devices like the 5800 XpressMusic are in turn platforms for users like you and me to create and consume that content, with Ovi coming in between to help with the sharing aspect of things. It’s not just about the apps, mind you, its also about content such as ring tones, mobile phone themes and wallpapers; content that is still very much a large part of the mobile ecosystem in countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Add carrier billing into the mix, and Nokia’s got the basis for a very attractive revenue stream.
For all that to happen however, efficient and reliable delivery networks need to be in place; namely 3G connectivity and its ilk. Whether you call it Broadband on Mobile or HSDPA, Nokia’s basically banking on the various telecommunications service providers to be able to provide those networks to the end user, whether downloading map data on Google Maps, keeping tabs on your Twitter account when away from your desktop or plain Internet access while chilling out at your favorite coffee joint.
To a certain extent, Singapore’s got the head start on the other countries in the region, what with SingTel, M1 and StarHub already having relatively affordable data plans available. Personally, I’ve been on a S$15 data plan from SingTel for the past year or so, getting about 1Mbps downstream, with 50GB of bandwidth thrown in. Thanks to the magic of Bluetooth tethering with my laptop, I’ve been able to get online from just about anywhere on the island. M1’s got a prepaid mobile broadband package going on too, charging S$18 for three days’ worth of unlimited data on the island. StarHub’s got something similar as well, dubbed MaxMobile Prepaid, which even comes with a USB mobile broadband modem for a relatively affordable price. Failing that, there’s always one of the many Wireless@SG hotspots available at any Starbucks outlet, for example.
Malaysia on the other hand, appears to have their own set of 3G services available; both Maxis and Celcom, for example, have been offering 3G data packages for quite some time now, though the much larger land mass means that coverage isn’t anywhere as comprehensive, with coverage mostly confined to the major cities throughout the country i.e. Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu etc. Common complains include frequently dropped calls and crappy and slow international links. This section on LowYat.net, one of the hottest internet communities in Malaysia, says it all.
The Nokia N97’s a device that’s clearly designed for the Internet. With the widescreen display and widgets that work best with an active data connection i.e. Facebook, weather, email etc, getting the most out of the device clearly requires that the user has access to some sort of connectivity, whether its 3G or WiFi. Take a picture with the 5MP camera and upload it onto Ovi.Share or Flickr. Open up Nokia Maps and look up the nearest ATM or the location of the nearest MRT station. Hit up the Nokia Music Store to purchase and download some tunes over the air. Load up Twitter and Facebook to check up on friends and family while taking that train ride back home. Doing a spot of internet banking while waiting for your lunch appointment to reach the restaurant. Getting in some emails while on the taxi. All these activities need some form of internet access, and unless you’re lucky enough to be around a reasonably fast WiFi access point whenever you need to get online, 3G is pretty much your next best bet.
Without data, a cutting-edge smartphone like the Nokia N97, or say, the new Android-powered HTC Magic won’t be any better than any other cheap mobile phone that does nothing more than making and receiving calls. The devices are already waiting in the wings, it’s going to be up to the service providers to give the end user a good enough reason to pick up a smartphone.
This entry was written by , posted on June 3, 2009 at 12:08 AM, filed under Opinion, Technology and tagged 3G, mobile broadband, N97. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Despite hanging in the air for close to half a year now since the initial announcement back in December, Nokia’s soon-to-be flagship Nseries device is due to be made available sometime in June this year, a little less than two weeks from now. The timing is no real coincidence, after all, Nokia did say they’d be releasing the phone in the tail end of the first half of 2009. What’s more, CommunicAsia is just around the corner, and it makes even more sense that Nokia would choose their Nokia Connection event to shout about the N97, ahead of the anticipated iPhone upgrade and other devices to be announced by competing mobile phone makers at CommunicAsia.
A couple of weeks back, I had the opportunity to check out a couple of prototype N97 devices courtesy of the chaps at Nokia. In short, the hardware was pretty much final, though the software was buggy as hell, suddenly restarting every now and then. (more…)
This entry was written by , posted on May 24, 2009 at 6:50 PM, filed under Geek Toys, Opinion, Technology and tagged Mobile, N97, Nokia. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.