23 posts tagged “nseries”
I am finalizing a review of the Garmin StreetPilot c580 GPS device that uses MSN Direct and was actually quite close to forking over US$525 for the device. I then tried to think of what other ways I can use GPS without the Garmin unit. GPS navigation is OK on a smartphone, but really too small for in-car navigation. I am selling my Samsung Q1 so that isn't an option anymore. I then thought of the Nokia N800 and found the Maemo Mapper site thanks to Jonathan Greene.
I loaded it up on the N800 and tried connecting to my CoPilot Bluetooth GPS, but that GPS receiver apparently isn't supported as it wouldn't connect. I then used an old Nokia GPS receiver and that worked like a charm. I then saw that I was able to download Google and Virtual Earth maps, including satellite views and use them with the GPS. I was also able to connect the Nokia N95 via Bluetooth at the same time so I could dynamically download maps as I was out and about. I understand you can also preplan routes on the GPX Driving Directions site since I don't think you can do it on the device itself, unless you know the Lat/Long of your destination.
Check out some photos of the GPS program in action.
I tried transferring music to the Nokia N95 using both Yahoo! Music and Rhapsody and neither no longer works after the latest firmware upgrade. I tried Yahoo! with the N91 and it worked like a champ so I think there is something going on with the N95.
I did put in a new storage card since the firmware upgrade (2GB microSD) so that may be an issue too. However, I reformatted it in the N95 and it should work.
Anyone try Rhapsody or Yahoo! with an upgraded N95?
I just updated the firmware on the Nokia N95 and one of the first things I tested out was the camera capture sound issue. Prior to the update after you pressed the capture button the camera sound would not be made until about 2 seconds after and you never really knew if you took a photo at the right time. I think many people probably ended up taking photos of their feet with the existing firmware.
Now after upgrading there is a slight inadvertent sound when you focus (press half way) and then a consistent capture sound when you actually press the capture button. However, it still takes a couple seconds to save the photo, but the sound issue makes for a better camera experience.
Some other initial thoughts:
- The fonts in RoadSync email are HUGE now and I can't find anyway to reduce the size, even after selecting Small font in the Nokia settings. The font size is fine in SMS so something happened here.
- The Calendar actually launches in the view I selected (Month is my preference) now whereas before it never would go to Month view for me when launched.
- Overall, things seem a bit snappier than they were before.
This anchor is now deployed and serving to hold the buoy for the dive support platform. It was tied to a supply vessel here ready for deployment on site off the coast of North Carolina.
This dive chamber is being used for the deep dives required as part of the salvage case I am working on in NC. You can't be claustrophobic and get into this baby :)
We used to have these in Washington, but I haven't seen one for years and then found this one in Wilmington, NC on my way to the airport. I just though it was funny.
I swung by the Battleship North Carolina and saw it had this unique paint job. Man, that ship is quite a site!
I was tagged by Jonathan Greene from the atmaspheric endeavors blog about my Symbian history and I wanted to start off by letting readers know I started using mobile devices with the US Robotics Pilot 1000 back in 1997 and then moved through Palm OS, Windows Mobile/Pocket PC, Linux, and Symbian devices over the last 10 years and have skipped around to the operating system that works best for me at the time. I only dabbled in Linux with some cool Zaurus devices and I dropped the Palm OS last year since Windows Mobile and Symbian are so far out in front in terms of functionality and innovation. I am now using devices from just these two systems with more usage of Symbian the last 6 months.
When I moved from my ancient Qwest dial-up data service (connected to my Palm IIIx and IIIc via a cable) to T-Mobile back in 2003 I looked for a free mobile phone that could serve as a Bluetooth modem. The phone I ended up with was a Nokia 3650 that ran Series 60. Like probably 90% of the people who have S60 devices, I didn't explore much beyond the fact that it could work as a phone and a Bluetooth modem. However, being the geek that I am I soon discovered how powerful the S60 platform could be and started loading up applications like Opera on the 3650. I then picked up a Nokia 7610 that was a much sleeker device with some improvements in S60 over the 3650, including a very nice 2 megapixel camera. My middle daughter now uses the 7610 and loves it! The 3650 and 7610 served me well for a few years since I was pairing them with PDAs via Bluetooth and didn't make the converged device jump.
The next major milestone in my Symbian history was the email I received from Andy Abramson in regards to a new Nokia Nseries Blogger Relations program he was starting up and I jumped at the chance to try out some of the latest and greatest Symbian devices. I received a Nokia N90 to evaluate and was quite impressed with it as I posted in my Geek.com review. Wow, I just looked at the review and can't believe it has been almost a year and a half since I started with the Nseries program. I was VERY impressed with the N90 and like Jonathan said the camera form factor design was better on the N90 than on the N93 and N93i. I actually used the N90 on vacation in DisneyWorld and found it was taking better photos in some lighting conditions than my wife's 5 megapixel Canon camera. I carried the N90 around quite a bit as a mobile camera, but didn't use it as a main device due to the lack of vibration mode which was causing me to miss calls at work where silent phone mode is mandatory.
The Nseries program then sent out a N70, N91, N73, N93, N80ie, and just recently the Nokia N95. I used the N70 for almost 2 months exclusively and found it to be a good compromise in size and functionality and understand why it was one of the most popular Nokia models of all time. The N91 is an amazing digital audio player and I just wish it had a higher resolution display for better quality video playback. The N73 takes the N70 to the next level and is a very good phone that I personally would consider one of my all-time favorites. It doesn't have WiFi, but the camera is excellent and even though the keys may be small I have found it to be reliable with a good battery life and cool looks. The N93 takes excellent video and I am using it as my new video review device with the Nokia tripod. I have had firmware issues with the device off and on lately so it never really filled a daily device role for me like the N70 and N73 did. The N80ie has an amazing display and the VoIP support is outstanding. However, I have only been able to go half a day with the battery so I carried around an extra battery at all times with it. I am testing out some software for a Forum Nokia program on the N80ie and with a better battery life would have probably used it as a daily device.
The N95 arrived last week and after a week I have to say that this is the ultimate Nseries device I have tried out so far. I have lots more testing to do with it, but the camera is awesome, the music playing capability is superb, the GPS integration is a great addition, and it pulls in everything good about the N80ie (except for the higher resolution display). I am blessed to be able to test out these Nokia devices and look forward to trying out future devices.
I also purchased a Nokia E61 last year because I am a big fan of thumb keyboards and the only thing I really miss from the E61 is a camera. With three young daughters I take a lot of snapshots with my phone and look forward to possibly upgrading to the E61i. The Nokia E90 Communicator also has me excited since I almost pulled the trigger on a the 9300 last year and think a Communicator would be a nice business product. Nokia reminds me a lot of the Sony CLIE Palm OS devices (I owned several of these models) because of the innovation and aggressive new device release schedule. I hope to see S60 making more progress in the U.S. so that others can share in the joy that these devices bring to gadget freaks like me.
I should also point out that I tried a Sony Ericsson P990i UIQ device for about a month, but found it to be a bit too unresponsive compared to other devices on the market. It did have the best reception of any device I had tried to date, which has been surpassed now by the N95.
I think I am encouraged to tag others for their history, but everyone that I know who has a Symbian history seems to have already posted something. If you haven't yet posted your history, send me an email at palmsoloATgmailDOTcom and I'll update this post with a tag :)
