Nokia USA Taking Pre-Orders for the N79 and N85

Those who want to get their orders in early for the N79 and N85 may now do so on Nokia USA's website.

Availability of the devices have not been listed, but you may preorder your device using your credit card and your card will not be charged until the device becomes available.

The Nokia N79 is priced at $479.80 and the N85 is priced at $588.90.

*Pre-orders are date and time stamped on receipt by Nokia, and will be
processed strictly in the order in which they are received. All
pre-orders are subject to availability. In some instances there may be
unforeseen delays in launching the pre-order product. In these
instances Nokia will make all reasonable attempts to inform you of the
delay. Any launch date displayed within the Onlne Shop is indicative
only and may change.

via: Symbian-Guru

Nokia Life Tools : Designed to Help Emerging Markets

Along with the announcement of Nokia's Mail on Ovi service, Nokia also announced its new %26quot;Nokia LifeTools%26quot; application for emerging markets. Now, while this application might not seem all that interesting to the everyday S60 or iPhone user, this little application is designed to help people in emerging markets, like farmers, to help and inform them on how to grow their crops, market agriculture prices, etc.

Nokia Life Tools is
a range of innovative agriculture information and education services
designed especially for rural and small town communities in emerging
markets.

Nokia
Life Tools helps overcome information constraints and provides farmers
and students with timely and relevant information. These services use
an icon-based, graphically rich user interface that comes complete with
tables and which can even display information simultaneously in two
languages. Behind this rich interface, SMS is used to deliver the
critical information to ensure that this service works wherever a
mobile phone does, without the hassles of additional settings or the
need for GPRS coverage.

Introducing Nokia Life Tools :

•- Nokia plans to introduce a range of services aimed at emerging markets under the name Nokia Life Tools in 2009.
•- Nokia Life Tools will focus on Agriculture information and Education services with Entertainment supplementing the offering.
•- The lead devices for the service are the Nokia 2323 classic and the Nokia 2330 classic.
•-
Nokia Life Tools helps overcome the information constraints and strives
to contribute towards empowering people with the right tools enabling
them make informed decisions.
•- Nokia Life Tools will inform, involve, empower and help bridge the digital divide in the emerging markets.

Nokia Life Tools – Agriculture :

Reliable and comprehensive information delivered regularly to your mobile device in one package.
Be
empowered with tailored information delivered in synch with the
cropping cycles. Get information on weather, agriculture tips %26amp;
techniques and market prices and improve productivity and earnings.

Nokia Life Tools – Education :

Simple courses on English and general knowledge. All in your local language.
Grow
and keep ahead! Boost your social standing and confidence with
educational services delivered directly to your mobile phone in your
local language.

Nokia Life Tools – Entertainment :

Fun and personalization at your fingertips
Cheer
up your day! Personalize your phones with the latest ringtones and
ringback tones , enjoy other trivia such as jokes, news and gossip,
while knowing what your day has in store with the astrology service.

Inform. Involve. Empower:
Delivering mobile services to bridge the digital divide :

In
emerging markets, there are severe infrastructural constraints.
Distances, cost and vast number of local languages add to the
complexity. However, access to mobility and services such as the
Internet can change people’s lives and now, with the expansion of
mobile coverage in smaller towns and rural areas, there is renewed hope
to deliver information relevant to people’s daily lives.
In-depth
research and Nokia’s consumer insights have shown that the Internet and
information services in infrastructure-constrained environments can
offer improved earning potential, learning and quality of life in
different ways to many.
Introducing Nokia Life Tools, a range of
innovative Agriculture information and Education services targeted to
non-urban consumers. Designed specifically for the emerging markets,
Nokia Life Tools helps overcome geographical, language and economic
barriers and provides services to the next generation of mobile users –
possibly the next billion! Nokia plans to launch the service starting
in India in the first half of 2009, and expanding across select
countries in Asia and Africa later in 2009.
By filling in the
information gaps in agriculture and education at the entry level of the
mobile device market, Nokia strives to contribute towards empowering
people with the right tools to make confident decisions in their daily
lives.
Access to this service also has a major impact on the local
economy. In areas where agriculture is the primary occupation, relevant
information delivered in sync with the cropping cycle of that season
can become a useful tool with significant potential to enhance
productivity and earnings. Nokia plans to conduct a limited scale pilot
in India before the end of 2008. Reuters Market Light is amongst the
content providers collaborating with Nokia in the pilot where regular
information on weather, prices of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides as
well as prevailing market prices is sent directly to the farmer’s
mobile device.
The information for the produce is customized to the farmer’s location and his choice of crops.
Knowledge
of a foreign language is always a confidence booster. However, the
ability to learn English – often perceived as the ‘language of
business’ and a necessary skill to progress – can be challenging in
remote locations. The Education services in Nokia Life Tools can help
improve English language skills and general knowledge. Exam
preparation, career tips and access to exam results are some of the
possibilities in the future.
Nokia Life Tools is not only about
productivity and empowerment but also about some fun. Entertainment is
only a click away with ringtones, daily horoscopes, local news and
trivia.
Simplicity and ubiquitous access are important to consumers.
This is why Nokia Life Tools uses an iconbased graphically rich user
interface that makes receiving this information a pleasure. The service
comes complete with tables and clever formatting, and can even display
information in two languages on the same screen.
Behind this rich
interface, SMS is used to deliver the critical information to ensure
that this service works wherever a mobile phone works, without the
hassles of any settings or need for GPRS coverage.

Compatible Handsets and Language support :

Nokia
plans to launch the service in the first half of 2009 with the Nokia
2323 classic and the Nokia 2330 classic as the lead devices in India,
and expand it across select countries in Asia and Africa later in 2009.

From
the Nokia press release, we know that, both these services are targeted
towards developing markets, as those users won't have their own
computer for email. LifeTools is also targeted at that same audience.

To find out more about the mentioned services please do check Nokia India's press release, or the launch page.

[Via ZomgitsCj]

Nokia Announces New Mail on Ovi Service

Nokia announced a new service for developing markets earlier this week, which is Nokia's new Mail on Ovi service. The initiative behind this service right now, is to bring and teach basic use of email to as many people in emerging markets.

Mail on Ovi,
which is enabled on Nokia Series 40 devices only for now, offers the
possibility to create an email account directly on your mobile phone
without having to use a personal computer, giving millions of users the
possibility to create their first internet identity and communicate in
new ways.

Mail
on Ovi brings people closer together. For many people, email is
probably the first thing they check in the morning and the last thing
they check at night. They usually do this on their personal computers
or laptops while at home or at work. Those with email-enabled mobile
devices are also able to access their accounts on the go. For many in
emerging markets, these seemingly normal activities – the ownership of
a personal computer and the ability to have an email account of their
own – have been seen as a luxury available only to others because of
cost and availability.

However, many people in these very same
emerging markets have Nokia devices, which unknown to them, are
email-optimized. Now – to help them along the path of digital
connectivity – Nokia has developed an email service. Mail on Ovi, which
could probably be their first step in discovering the mobile internet,
gives first-time email users the chance to set up an email account
(username@ovi.com) right on their mobile phone.

Mail on Ovi - At A Glance

Available on Nokia Series 40 devices:
•- Showcased on Nokia 2323 classic and Nokia 2330 classic
•- Supported across all Nokia Series 40 devices currently shipping (with NSA**)

Mail on Ovi features:
•- 1 GB storage
•- Multi-layered spam %26amp; virus protection
•- Single sign-on with access to other Ovi Services
•- Nokia is the one point of contact for the service and the device

Out of the box mobile access to personal email:
•- Sending email is easy and safe
•- Communicate with family and friends
•- Stay connected and updated
•- Share information, jokes, news and updates
•- Share photos and attachment files
•- Forward important messages
•- Respond quickly when messages are urgent

Language support:
•-
Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Bengali, Filipino
(Filipino/Tagalog), French, German, Hindi, Portuguese (Brazil),
Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, UK English, US English

An Inbox for Everyone

•- Simple, intuitive email on Nokia Series 40 devices
•- Simple sign-up
•- Easy to use
•- Anytime, anywhere access
•- Mail on Ovi is free to set up*
•- Create a personal email account on your phone
•-
Account setup is integrated into the Nokia 2323 classic and Nokia 2330
classic. Integrated account setup is planned for more Nokia devices
•- Single sign-on compatibility with Ovi.Com
•- Access to a scalable, reliable and secure email service
•- Communicate flexibly
•- Connect to your social network
•- Share updates and information securely

Mail on Ovi is a secure and spam-free personal email service designed for Nokia Series 40 devices.
Mobile
phone users who have one or more of the 36 Mail on Ovi-optimized
devices can set up their email account for free with just a few pieces
of information, and start using the account right away. They can choose
to create a new Mail on Ovi account or activate email for an existing
Ovi sign-on profile.
Having email on a mobile device means consumers
can stay in touch with family and friends who are far away. They can
check in when they have time to catch up, respond quickly to urgent
matters, compose an email on the go, and send and receive images and
photos. Another benefit of Mail on Ovi is that it will be launched with
support for more than 10 languages and will eventually include more
than 85 languages.
Mail on Ovi is most likely to be the first time
many people experience email. So, it is very important that it is easy
to use and maintain. During the beta trial phase, Mail on Ovi can be
accessed through the messaging folder – an application that anyone with
a Nokia mobile phone will be familiar with.
For consumers who are
familiar with email and its benefits, Mail on Ovi offers the
opportunity for them to take the next step in email management and
utilization.
The next generation of email access is here. With Nokia’s Mail on Ovi, the world awaits.

Mail
on Ovi is easy to find, set-up and use, for immediate email access from
your mobile phone. A trial of Mail on Ovi will launch in a few select
markets by the end of November 2008. The global rollout of Mail on Ovi
will be available on all currently shipping Nokia Series 40 devices by
the end of 2008.

[via ZomgitsCj]

Another Hidden Nokia Application - Nokia Multiscanner

SymbianV3 reports the finding of a useful tool not shown on any of the Nokia sites... at least none that we are aware of. The Nokia Multiscanner.

According to my Symbian-Guru, the Nokia Multiscanner is a tool that's available to the E66 and E71 (although I can't find it on my E71).

The Multiscanner offers 2 functions... a card reader and a text scanner which converts The application works by using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to identify letters.

While the Card Reader seems cool I think I'm a bit more interested in the Text Scanner.

You can download Nokia Multiscanner from below. Let me know which device you have it working on.

Download Nokia Multiscanner

EDIT: Original Nokia Page, Detailed Review by Symbian-Life Blog

Free Traffic Info with Nokia's Mobile Millennium

So, what is Nokia's Mobile Millennium? Mobile Millennium offers free traffic information to GPS enabled Nokia’s and non Nokia devices. Unfortunately, the pilot is only available to users who drive between the San
Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe ski area, though all Bay Area
residents with smart phones or internet access will be able to receive
traffic information that includes probe data.

Mobile Millennium is a partnership between Nokia, NAVTEQ and UC Berkeley, based at the California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT), a deployment-focused research center at Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies. It is supported by te U.S. Department of Transportation's SafeTrip-21 Initiative and the California Department of Transportation.

Supported devices include:

BlackBerry Curve 8310 (AT%26amp;T)



BlackBerry Pearl 8110 (AT%26amp;T)



Nokia E71 (Unlocked)



Nokia N95 (Unlocked)



Nokia N96 (Unlocked)



Nokia E61i (Unlocked, with external GPS)

If you live in the suggested area please visit http://traffic.berkeley.edu/ to download the software.

via: Tech Radar

Nokia Flagship Store Drops N96 Price

After receiving many emails over the weekend I've confirmed that the price has dropped on the Nokia N96 at the flagship stores in the US. Originally announced at $842, the price has now been dropped to $776.

thanks to all who sent this in!

Nokia N96 Hits US Flagship Stores Early - Limited Quantities

The Nokia N96 was scheduled to hit the NY and Chicago Flagship stores November 7th, but limited quantities are available at both locations as of today. SWEET!!!!!

Retailed at $842 consumers can now get their hands on the popular Nseries device ahead of time.

Nokia NYC

5 E 57th Street

New York, NY 10022

(212) 758-1980

Nokia Chicago

543 North Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 670-2607

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor

It's almost rare that we get to see the %26quot;Cellphone King%26quot; speak at anything other than a Nokia related event. At the Chief Executives Club of Boston Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo discusses the future of technology and The Dawn of the 4th Screen.

It's a lengthy webcast (20 minutes) but who wouldn't want to hear what the CEO has to say.

via: Nokia Conversations

Building Your Own Phone From the Outside-In

As I was typing the post prior to this the thought came to me... why not create a service where users could create or build their own device. I mean consumers do it every day when purchasing computers, right?

In my theory, this is how it would work...

Consumers could chose their housing (lol not so much the color for those of you who were expecting me to scream pink)... but more so customization... isn't that one of the features that made people fall in love with Nokia years ago? Being a make-up artist for a few years I've learned that everything starts with a shell and you customize around it. Cars, wardrobes, computers, houses... why not phones!

Consumers would pick their shells, select a comfortable keypad, chose a screen size and function (ie: touch or standard) and add their splash of color or customization. For example, to return back to the 3395/3390 I remember when T-Mobile first offered the 3390. Customers were able to pick photos or their own for the housing at an extra price. OPTIONS OPTIONS OPTIONS!!!

We have seen devices come with or without cameras, ie: the E50. Not everyone needs a camera on their device and it ends up being just an added extra in price that doesn't get used to the advantage that the manufacturer would like. So let the consumer decide!

2 options are also available. Series 40 and of course S60. Imagine
having the same shell type for both systems. Therefore no one would
lack a comfort level.

Features are important. Bring back IR!!! Some users live for that!! I myself hardly use it, but when the time comes that I would like to have it, it's been removed.

Then finally, selecting the services that you want. Not everyone uses Mobile Email... don't ask me why, but it is a consumer choice not to do so. Also, many users who have access to the mobile web don't use it. Mostly because they have no need for it. My neighbors have had their cell phone service for years and have never accessed the mobile web... even though it is there and is available to them. Same thing with my in-laws... they have no need for it. So if users have no need for it, why force it on them?

Now would this take away credit and such from a manufacturer's design team? Actually it wouldn't. It's your idea and creation in the hands of someone that can bring it to fruition. Would it be costly? Yeah, I suppose it would... but then again it was just an idea that was floating around in my mind. Would Nokia possibly consider it in the future? I don't see why not! I've seen many of my ideas that have gone from my mind to my blog to the users across the world... not taking credit for it, but it seems that many others around the world thought of the same great concept and it finally happened. (think back to the rants for a universal PC suite).

Not everything in my mind makes sense to all... but just imagine it... would you want to utilize a service like that to get your perfect device?

The Nokia 3395 and Why My Husband Thinks it Just Works

That's right, I said it... 3395. Wow, how many years ago was that?

To the Nokia novice, ie: my husband, the Nokia 3395 (US variant of the 3390) is as he puts it %26quot;The best phone that Nokia ever made%26quot;. Let me explain a bit... there is a percentage of people that accommodate the globe who just want a phone that rings. Nothing fancy, no camera, no multimedia, no bells and whistles... nothing like that. Just basic simplicity in a form factor that proves comfortable for the everyday user. Nokia had this... and I think they need to return to it.

My husband does construction. Phones get dropped on a daily basis. Up until recently I sent him off with my N95-3 to use. He understood the concept and even did me proud by showing the device to his co-workers and describing it as a %26quot;multimedia computer%26quot;. Lol yeah he did me proud... but is it what he needs in a device? Absolutely not.

Understanding his needs and usage I would put him in a Nokia 5100 because of its rugged grip and updated color screen. Now I know that these are %26quot;devices of old%26quot; ... but this is saying that Nokia is missing out on that certain percentage. Let's call them the %26quot;phone destroyers%26quot;.

Almost everyone on my husbands crew has a flip phone, and trust me... those flips are being held together by duct tape. It's pretty funny to see. But what is out there for the rugged terrain?

One of the areas where he beats me in bragging rights is the battery life. With normal calling and thats about it, the 3395 battery lasted for 3 days.... 3 DAYS without dying!!!! I don't need to state what the N95 did in comparison.

I have to admit myself... that this has been the most comfortable keypad in almost all the devices that I've used. And the device in hand comfort level is just comfy. It fits so nicely. My second choice for that of all time would have to be the 6600 (although I still don't know why it was nicknamed the Oprah phone).

I'm sure that there is something that could make the average user happy in Nokia's line-up. But from the hubby's perspective the 3395 and 5100 are his idea of %26quot;user friendly%26quot;. But I can say that at least there is something in the line-up, even though its a bit nostalgic. This is where I think Nokia should incorporate maybe something of a Lifestyle selection on its websites. Something that the user can choose on their own and maybe come close to the perfect device for their needs. I mean one question that no one asks is %26quot;what type of damage could you possibly do to your device on a day to day basis?%26quot;. Although I believe it to be a valid question. Take clothing for example... may people chose cotton because its breathable and comfortable in any condition. (Hmmm maybe I'll save that thought for a future post).

I've seen my husband go through 4 Helio phones... all of which are now no longer working. Even the N95-3 that I gave him has now returned with massive dust particles in the slider. I mean you can actually hear crunching noises when you attempt to slide the device open. I guess up to this point there hasn't been a phone made that my husband can't destroy, but I'll say this much... the 3395 has held up longer than anything else that I could give him!

To: Santa Claus, subject: Mobile smart phone

Dear Santa,

I have been cruising the web for a while now, on the lookout for a successor to my N82/N95 smartphones. In fact I having cruising all year looking for a new generation smartphone. Sadly I can find the ideal phone no-where. Please, please help me. While cruising I found a plethora of interesting features my next ultra functional and sub zero cool smartphone needs. But there is none that fits the description. Below is my wanna have feature list, please read it and help me find my perfect phone. That's all I ask for Christmas, your advice.

Sincerely,

Dirk Snoyt

The list:

OLED screen.They really are super readable. Actually they are so very readable that anyone within two meters with 20/20 vision looking at your phone from any angle can read your e-mail and see those shower pictures from your girlfriend. OLED's are great and power efficient, perhaps too great? Practicality: Undecided. Desirability: For sure. Deal breaker when absent: No

UDP: User data preservation. I have it on my N82, firmware upgrades without losing my configurations and software upgrades. A big time saver. Practicality: Very High. Desirability: Very. Dealbreaker: No.

Full Phone Encryption:Complete encryption of you phone data and memory card. Practicality: Extremely. Desirability: Gimmy Gimmy Gimmy now!Dealbreaker: Maybe. If another comparable phone has it, for sure.

FingerPrint scanner: No more unlocking with unlockcodes. Practicality: Perhaps useful. Desirability factor:If its for free. Dealbreaker: No

5MPixel AF with Zeiss lens: Need I say more? Nothing less than the Nokia Nseries standard. Practicality: Very High. Desirability: Extremely. Dealbreaker: Definitely!

640x480 video recording : Need I say more? Nothing less than the Nokia Nseries standard. Practicality: Very High. Desirability: Extremely. Dealbreaker: Sure!

Xenon flash: Selfevident. Once you had one in your phone, your addicted. Practicality: very. Desirability: very. Dealbreaker: Close, but no!

Finger touchscreen:Difficult question, it solely depends on the speed and quality of the interface, but yeah my next one should have it. I think. Practicality: Unknown. Desirability: You betcha. Dealbreaker: Definitely I am a geek...

large 640x360+ pixels, 3.0%26quot;+ widescreen: Yes, I want a bigger screen for webbrowser and photo (re)viewing and e-mail composition. Practicality: Extremely. Desirability: Extremely. Dealbreaker: YES! YES! and YES!

Compact size: As in nothing bigger than the Nokia Express Media 5800. Though a bit thicker is acceptabe. Practicality: Extremely. Desirability: Extremely. Dealbreaker: YES! YES! and YES! I am not a mule.

Sliding Mini-qwerty:Touchtyping is nice for short things, but it takes screenspace needed for serious message composition and editing. It also states: I am a serious person. Practicality: High. Desirability: Extremely. Dealbreaker: YES!

GPS and usable SatNav software: Could not live without it. Practicality: Ultra Extremely Desirability: Ultra Extremely. Dealbreaker: YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Decent support software: Asked me two years ago and I'd have said:huh? But to date? We are talking tools for blogging, flickr, youtube, Microsoft exchange push support, gmail support, backup and restore etc. Ahhh, location based search another one... Dealbreaker: YES!

Virtual surround support: So very cool when watching movies, through a headset or the builtin-stereo speakers, even better when using tv-out. Practicality: Cool! Desirability: Yeah! Dealbreaker: NO!

Wifi, bluetooth, 3G, mp3 player and so forth: I expect any of the used standard functions on my phone and meet an
angry customer. This includes java ME support and javascript and flash
support for my browser. Yes flash, Apple's socks be darned. Dealbreaker: YES!

Built-in auto-tazer. To zap anyone who is not me ;^)

The 3 remaining questions are: What Brand, Which model? And WHEN? Get a move on, Nokia, Samsung, ACME or even one of Santa's Christmas ingenious elves. I don't really care. Gimmy, gimmy, gimmy please!

image courtesy of AccessoryGeeks

A Look at Nokia Friend View

Nokia Betalabs has introduced Nokia Friend View which is a location and micro-blogging service that helps
you stay in touch with your close friends. It let’s you share where you
are and how you feel from home, work, or on the go. With Friend View it
is easy to meet up at only a moment’s notice.

Last month a quick demo video of the service was presented by Brenda Castro and it quickly became interesting to me how Nokia is pushing forward on social connectivity.

The introduction video was given by buddy Stefan Constantinescu of Nokia Corporate Strategy (OMG Congrats!!!!!)

Now to be honest, I'm just in the beginning phase of playing around with it, but our Symbian Guru has given his update on the new service including the set-up.

Ovi Says Yes to Flixwagon!!!!

Both Ovi and Flixwagon users can now rejoice in the joining of services!!

Flixwagon has announced the share of integration between its service and Nokia's Ovi.

To set things up visit Flixwagon's site and login to your account. New users go ahead and sign up for a new one!

To start sharing live and stored videos from your mobile phone on Share on OVI here's what you need to do:

1. Download and install the latest Flixwagon application directly on your Symbian phone from here, or by signing up via our our website here. (FAQs)

Note: even
if you already have Flixwagon installed, you still need to upgrade to
the most recent version. Simply download the client from
m.flixwagon.com/nokia and insert your login details instead of
performing express registration.

2. On your computer, log-in to http://www.flixwagon.com
(using the login details you got via SMS, or those you entered via the
website), go to Settings/OVI, and enter your Share on OVI user name and
password. Choose whether to have automatic or manual uploads to Share
on OVI, and which Share on OVI channel/library to post your videos to.

Please note: Share on OVI requires separate sign-up and login from other OVI properties. To sign up for Share on OVI go to: http://share.ovi.com.

3.
Open the Flixwagon application on your phone and click broadcast. If
you set your preferences to automatic uploads, your public Flixwagon
videos will appear in Share on Ovi instantly (and all your videos will
also appear on Flixwagon.com). Remember, only public videos can be
shared on Ovi by default.

If you set to manual uploads:

1. from the mobile broadcasting screen go to: Options --%26gt; Advanced Options --%26gt; Upload Flix to OVI.

OR:

2. login to your account on Flixwagon.com, open the video page, and click the OVI logo to share.

Feel free to edit titles and tags, post chat messages, and more. You can also view videos directly from your mobile phone on http://share.ovi.com.

via: Flixwagon Blog

Android vs. S60 -- Introduction

I've had the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) for a few days now and I can safety say that Nokia and S60 are in serious trouble if they don't step it up. Android might be new and, yes, over-hyped but for good reason. The G1 is far from perfect but it is a first generation Android product and the first Linux based mobile device to gain such recognition and attention, perhaps more due to Google than Linux. Of course I know there have been Linux PDA's before, I've used a few, but not like this.

Let me say that I didn't expect to like Android. I was tired of the hype and kept saying and thinking, %26quot;Common people its just Linux, so what Google is making it.%26quot; Google may be making it but that's not the only thing what makes it a great device, or is it? I haven't drummed up the courage to flash my N810 with Android but I just might, now. My feeling is Android for the N810 isn't nearly as ready for prime time as it is on the G1. Let's get into the meat of what makes Android better and where S60 still edges it out.

There is so much customization and personalization available and built into the G1 right out of the box. A few examples:

Each contact has the option to send straight to Voicemail

Contact Groups - they come across when syncing (I hate PC Suite that doesn't do this)

Contact Favorites - This is much more than speed dial as it can be for email, sms or calls.

Simple contact editing - easily change info from Home to Work to Other with two taps, no more add the field then copy and paste -- not even Outlook does that much.

Contact to Map integration - Select a contact's address, bam it's coming up on the map. Nokia Maps is the other way around only and then hit and miss.

Sounds - device sounds and multimedia sounds have seperate controls

Email - Full HTML support

Seemless and Integrated Online Syncing - I realize Nokia has released the syncing of contacts, calendar and notes online but it's not automatic, not even on schedule. The best you can hope for is automatic Bluetooth syncing if so configured. There is no configuring for the G1, it just happens!

Screen customization - You decide which applications on on your home screen, as many or as few (up to 16 on each, left, center and right) as you want. Choose where each sits along with widgets.

Open Source - This is the biggest advantage Android as a platform has over any of the other OS's available today on mobile devices whether it be Nokia or Apple.

There are more of these examples, too many in fact. Of course there are things that S60 and Nokia excel over the G1. Here's a few of those examples:

Offline mapping - There is no offiline mapping. If you're not online you don't have mapping available.

Navigation - Google maps as great as it is at finding locations it doesn't have voice navigation or even turn by turn directions.

Camera - The camera on the G1 is one of the poorest I've seen in a while. In low light, which isn't all that low in my opinion, the camera is useless. In bright sunlight its usable but hardly acceptable for camera rated as a 3.2mp. I've seen iPhone 2mp images of far better quality. Nokia devices even at 2mp have great quality.

Audio - Currently no A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth), fix is expected soon for Android.

Outlook/Exchange - As poor as PC Suite might be at syncing Android doesn't support two-way syncing to either solution. Until there is support for Exchange including group policy and security tools Android won't ever catch on in the business world.

Bluetooh - DUN, OBEX. The G1 currently lacks all Bluetooth protocols other than Headset. Something is said to be fixed in future release but still a current flaw.

I struggle to find areas where S60 excels over the G1, something I wasn't expecting from a first generation device. The bottom line is Android is new and has so much undeveloped potential, as does S60 for that matter. Maybe Android won't over take S60, its still yet to be seen how much Android is going to be accepted over the long run. For a first release device Google did a lot right, more than they did wrong.

What are your thoughts? Is Android a real threat or another passing phase from a long list of other platforms?

New Games Announced for N-Gage

Ikona over at the Official N-gage blog has posted to inform us that several new N-Gage games were announced at the ongoing Nokia Games Summit, today. The new games are also mentioned in a new Nokia Press release.

The new games announced are :-

By Nokia :

Dance Fabulous : (in association with Digital Legends)

A
rythmn based dancing game where you create and customise your own
dancer character and then lead it through different levels of dance
moves.

More info and screenshots on AAN .

By EA Mobile :

- EA SPORTS FIFA 09
- MONOPOLY Here %26amp; Now: The World Edition
- Spore Origins
- Boom Blox
- Need For Speed Undercover
- Tomb Raider Underworld (in association with Edios)
- Pandemonium (in association with Edios)
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and
- The Sims 3

You can check out more about EA's announced titles over on the EA Mobile press release on their website.

By Gameloft :

- Asphalt 4: Elite Racing :

Asphalt
4: Elite Racing by Gameloft is also coming to N-Gage offering the
largest number of high-end cars ever in your mobile device: 28
prestigious dream cars and bikes including the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari
F430 Spider, Nissan GT-R and Ducati 1098. Enjoy the real-time
multiplayer mode to prove that you are the fastest!

From the press release.

- Real Football 2009 :

The
Real Football series has been the best rated mobile football simulation
game for the past five years. The 2009 edition allows players to choose
from 12 stadiums and six leagues featuring 200 separate teams, as well
five gaming modes ranging from the Leagues and Cups, to exhibition,
penalty kicks and training. The game also features a dynamic replay
system to give players control of how they view the action. New to Real
Football ‘09 are realistic player behaviours and a 360° gaming
experience utilising high-quality 3D graphics and realistic sound
effects.

From the press release.

Egads. So many announced games in one night ! The current line up of N-gage games is getting close to the first
generation N-gage's 56 games.

There
are no exact dates announced, about when these games will be released
but 2009 has been mentioned around. I'm really excited about Pandemonium, because I loved it on the original N-Gage. It was nice 2D styled platform gameplay with a 3D graphics twist.

I'm really glad to see that the future of N-gage is looking a little more brighter !

[Via ZomgitsCj]

"ONE" Now Out on N-gage

Probably, the most anticipated game on N-gage this year, ONE has launched today, according to the Official N-gage blog. I know a number of N-Gagers
who are overjoyed at the arrival of this game. I just tried out the
demo and it definitely looks like its going to be a hit for the N-Gage
platform. It's much better than the Original ONE on the last generation of N-gage.

ONE
for N-Gage, by Nokia Games Publishing, challenges its players to
confront their opponents in a unique environment where different
fighting techniques and styles are created by motion capture. ONE
features 3D animation and high-quality graphics with customizable
characters. It offers a head-to-head multiplayer experience in
Bluetooth gaming, allowing players to compete with each other and share
and compare their scores in the N-Gage Arena.

You can download the game directly through the showroom of the N-Gage application on your N-Gage compatible Nokia phone or from the game page if you prefer using your computer. Remember, you can play the demo before purchasing the full game. You can also check out the separate game site for ONE.

So what are you waiting for ? Head on over to the official ONE N-gage game page to download it and lets see if you're the ONE !

[Via ZomgitsCj]

The Messaging Tips & Tricks Edition

Messaging, SMS and MMS, is hands down the most used feature on my phone, so I thought I’d write up a few of the tips and trick I use the most. Of course there are others but these are a few I thought people might not know about and would find helpful. Please let me know how they work out for you.

Shortcodes

Those 4, 5, and 6 digits numbers
that aren’t phone numbers have become the staple of mobile messaging services
around the globe. If you’re like me, you create address book entries for them
also. Here’s a trip that will prevent you from sending MMS (a.k.a. picture
message) to shortcodes
accidently. Add the number in the pager field of a contact. If you create a picture
message Nokia (others may also) phones won’t show you contacts you aren’t able
to send the message type. For example: contacts with only email addresses won’t
appear when adding people to a SMS and those entries with a number in the pager
field only won’t appear either.

Personal Contacts

If you save a number
for a friend for IM services e.g. Yahoo
or AIM add the
assigned shortcode to the contact as a pager field. This way you can find the number
easily for the person but you can’t accidently send MMS to them using the IM
shortcode.
This same idea applies to Twitter.
Twitter uses code 40404 in the USA, There are a number of messaging services
for sending pictures which in return posts a link to the picture. All of these
services accept these pictures via an email address. Put Twitter’s shortcode in
the pager field and the email address under Twitter. Wow, one contact doing
double duty. Texts go to the shortcode and MMS go to the email address.

Setting defaults

One of the lesser known features
of Contacts is setting the default. What the default does is as it describes it
allows users to set the default phone number for texting, voice calls, video,
internet, email, MMS, PTT (Push to talk).
To use default do the following:
Open Contact %26gt; Select Options
(left soft key) %26gt; scroll to and select Defaults %26gt; Select defaults for
Phone, Video, Text, MMS, Email, Internet phone, and PTT as desired. Not every
default need be selected. Set the ones you want and skip the phone you don’t I
typically will set the text field for most everyone, because most everyone has
more than one number but lease the MMS unset so I can choose to send to their
phone or email.

Archiving SMS

PC Suite now offers the ability to
pull text off many devices but this tip will work regardless of phone, carrier
and without the need to install any software or even be near a computer.

Treasuremytext is a handy service
that allows you to forward any SMS to them for archiving. They have numbers in
several countries and the service is free. Forward any text and the message
immediately shows up on their site. I’ve been using my TMT account to save
memorable tweets, jokes and other messages I want to keep. Archived messages
can be public or private. TMT also gives you your own URL and an RSS feed for
your archived messages.

Quick MMS

While browsing the gallery within Nokia
S60 and S60 devices you find a picture you simply must post or share with a
friend: Hit Talk. Pressing the green talk button will bring up the send menu so
you can send via MMS, email, Bluetooth or Infrared or Post to Web. This quick
sending option also works while previewing a recently captured photograph and other
files, as allowed by DRM.

Outlook Contacts

One thing that has always bothered me, and quite a few others when I was Googling for a fix or hack, is Outlooks number formatting. When entering phone numbers as 10 digits or preceded with a + the number is formatted with ( ) and -. One way to avoid this is to enter the number USA numbers as eleven digits. Most wireless plans include nationwide long distance even if they don’t; many wireless carriers will call a 10 digit number with or without the 1 and charge long distance.

Here are the examples:

817-555-1212 becomes (817) 555-1212

+18175551212 becomes +1 (817) 555-1212

18175551212 stays 18175551212

Using this method you only need add the + to the mobile numbers of your contacts to ensure delivery to your foreign contacts, when traveling overseas and especially when using foreign carriers SIM.

Do you have more tips or tricks? Please share with us. Also let us know how these worked out for you.

New York and Chicago Gamers, Get Your Free Reset Generation N-Gage Code

Ikona over at the Official N-gage Blog is reporting that Nokia is having a promotion in the USA, where you can literally walk into your Nokia Flagship store (in New York and Chicago only though), and walk out with a free Reset Generation N-gage game code,along with other Reset Generation swag ! All you have to do, is play a short game of Reset Gen :

Get
your game on at U.S. Nokia Flagship stores and walk away with a free
N-Gage Activation Code for Reset Generation. Visit the stores in New York (between 28 Oct and 17 Nov) or Chicago
(between 29 Oct and 10 Nov) and challenge their N-Gage experts to a
“Quick Match” of Reset Generation to earn your free game. And be sure
to ask about our other Reset Generation gifts available with the
purchase of an N-Gage compatible device!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Reset Generation is one of the best N-gage games this gen. If you're in NY or Chicago,
you might as well head on over and head yourself a free game code for
it! It really is incredibly addictive and fun to play. You can also get
Reset Gen swag like CDs and T-Shirts too !



[via ZomgitsCj]

Replace Your Blackberry The S60 Way

For the past several weeks I’ve had the opportunity to give the Nokia E71 a real run for its money with regards to email. I’ve tried the built-in email client, Nokia Email and Mail for Exchange (MfE), although most S60 units will also work. I might have bothered with the now defunct Blackberry Connect Nokia offered for E Series devices except that it hasn’t seen an update for the longest time and Nokia has since announced it will be discontinued. Of all these the biggest bang for my money and as it turns out a darn good Blackberry replacement is MfE

Some users Blackberry die-hards may be sad for the loss of Blackberry for Nokia E Series but I’d argue it is actually a good thing for Nokia and S60 users. The Blackberry client has never been anything close to exceptional; Blackberry Messenger was only one way (when it worked at all) making it anything but a real Blackberry replacement. Worse yet the application only worked on E Series. With Blackberry Connect on its death bed, Nokia can focus on MfE and make the de facto push enterprise email solution for S60 devices.

Mail for Exchange (MfE) on the other hand, works on both N and E series and gives users a very real alliterative to the expensive Blackberry solution. Those not familiar with the Blackberry solution may not realize in the corporate world Blackberry is anything but cheap especially compared to the consumer version. Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) not only requires Microsoft Exchange but also the BES licensing and software to go along with it. For the handsets many wireless carriers will also require a costlier data plan, some even go so far as to block BES without these plans. Blackberry Internet Server (BIS), the typical used as the consumer version of BES except it too requires an often times higher data plan. BIS also doesn’t give the syncing of contacts, calendar or tasks BES offers. Consumers opting for the BES solution will pay a premium, somewhere between $10 and $50 depending on the provider, on top of hosted Exchange services, somewhere between $5 and $50 on average for a basic or mid-range plan. Users opting for MfE can save money on both the BB data plans and the costly BES licensing (whether hosted or in-house).

MfE offers the same push email, contact, calendar and tasks syncing BB does without the higher BB cost, not to mention a wider variety of devices. BB may offer some good devices, no doubt their hardware is some of the best in the industry but they aren’t always the best in many other areas. Not to say S60 or Nokia is perfect either, both platforms could benefit from improvements and changes. I do think S60 offers many more alternatives and options RIM isn’t likely to offer. The BB software library is large but not nearly as extensive and arguably as appealing to developers as S60. For example Handango offers 4,786 titles for BB and 11,958 for Symbian, minus ~1,000 for UIQ.

If you haven’t yet tried MfE I’d highly recommend giving it a try. Two hosted Exchange solutions I’ve tried lately and would recommend are Mailstreet and ITSolutionsNow. Mailstreet has a special for a 2GB and 4GB mailbox for $9.99 and $14.99 plus $2 each for Activesync ($9.99 setup) and/or Spam filtering per month. ITSolutionsNow offers unlimited storage, Activesync, Anti-spam plus a 100MB Sharepoint site included for $9.99 per month. Mailstreet offers a free 30 day trial (Activesync or Spam filter not included) while ITSolutionsNow does not. I’ve been using ITSolutionsNow for nearly a month without a single problem, living up to their 99.9% uptime guarantee. Hosted Exchange is best with your own domain which GoDaddy happens to have on sale for $1.99US using code 199test at check out, if you’re renewing GeekBrief has codes GB1, GB2 and GB3 which offer various savings depending on what you’re buying. I believe the 199test code is only good for new .com domains for 1 year and does not include privacy or any other additional services. If you try out MfE come back and let us know how it goes.

Win a HTC Touch Pro from Omio

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with Matt and Ernest from Omio.com. I was really impressed with them and their website. Omio.com is a state of the art deal comparison site with a social twist.

Ernest told me about a competition they'd setup to win a HTC touch pro. Though because the sites relatively new and they're still focusing on development, the response so far isn't great. First thing I thought was, I want it!

I figured you lot would probably want one too. They're a really cool bunch of guys and I figured we could join in the fun and help make their first competition be a bigger success.

To enter simply submit a review for your favorite phone. The best review will win the HTC phone, simple as that.

Once you've submitted your review on the Omio website, let them know it's a competition entry by posting a link to your review in their HTC Competition Thread.

For more info, check out HTC Touch Pro competition.

Good luck

Creating a More Personal Out of Box Experience

One thing that many many many Nokia users fail to do upon receiving their new devices is read the manual. It's really quite funny. I remember a few years back on Howard Forums when people would ask device specific questions there would always be that response... RTFM (Read The F*#@ing). Yes a bit rude, but I guess to the point. Lol but who wants to read the manual... and why don't they?

Also over the years new services, products have been introduced. Can all the consumers keep up with this? Or do they even bother?

In receipt of my N96 I checked out all the brochures and such in the box. Free N-Gage code for Tetris, info on Ovi, user manual... and other stuff that I didn't bother to check out. How many others never read their paper extras? Maybe this could be changed by offering a more personal %26quot;out of box%26quot; experience for the user.

There is no question that most users like to be walked into a process. Sort of like holding hands until one gets the hang of something. Let's start with a basic plan.

Including a welcome or thank you card with a special code that the consumer would use to register their new purchase thus entering their IMEI number in for warranty support. (BTW are we still having an issue with that?) Also, offering the user the option to register the device from the device itself.

On the %26quot;thank you%26quot; page once a consumer registers, specific services for their device can be listed and introduced. This would be the introduction of Ovi, Maps, NGage, MOSH, Nokia Music Store and others and a useful How To guide as well as a downloadable user manual. Also displaying icons and This would help to educate the consumer on what is available for their device and what they can get out of it.

A follow-up method. Sort of like a Nokia Tune-up. This would include helpful links to other sites (not trying to push mine here) but places like MMC Forums for themes, Nokia Betalabs... any site that would fine tune or enhance the devices capabilities.

Community notices. I think I have subscribed to Nokia email newletters in almost every country. Lol that's how I ended up getting all of those cool downloads which I happily have stored on MOSH. So far Nokia has done a great job at this so I don't see a need for a change in this matter.

Now I know this idea and theory can be fine tuned... but I think it would be great AND it would get rid of the amounts of non-read literature that is placed in the boxes. I mean we have to admit... hardly anyone reads the manual unless something goes wrong.

But what do you think of the idea?

Creating a More Personal Out of Box Experience

One thing that many many many Nokia users fail to do upon receiving their new devices is read the manual. It's really quite funny. I remember a few years back on Howard Forums when people would ask device specific questions there would always be that response... RTFM (Read The F*#@ing). Yes a bit rude, but I guess to the point. Lol but who wants to read the manual... and why don't they?

Also over the years new services, products have been introduced. Can all the consumers keep up with this? Or do they even bother?

In receipt of my N96 I checked out all the brochures and such in the box. Free N-Gage code for Tetris, info on Ovi, user manual... and other stuff that I didn't bother to check out. How many others never read their paper extras? Maybe this could be changed by offering a more personal %26quot;out of box%26quot; experience for the user.

There is no question that most users like to be walked into a process. Sort of like holding hands until one gets the hang of something. Let's start with a basic plan.

Including a welcome or thank you card with a special code that the consumer would use to register their new purchase thus entering their IMEI number in for warranty support. (BTW are we still having an issue with that?) Also, offering the user the option to register the device from the device itself.

On the %26quot;thank you%26quot; page once a consumer registers, specific services for their device can be listed and introduced. This would be the introduction of Ovi, Maps, NGage, MOSH, Nokia Music Store and others and a useful How To guide as well as a downloadable user manual. Also displaying icons and This would help to educate the consumer on what is available for their device and what they can get out of it.

A follow-up method. Sort of like a Nokia Tune-up. This would include helpful links to other sites (not trying to push mine here) but places like MMC Forums for themes, Nokia Betalabs... any site that would fine tune or enhance the devices capabilities.

Community notices. I think I have subscribed to Nokia email newletters in almost every country. Lol that's how I ended up getting all of those cool downloads which I happily have stored on MOSH. So far Nokia has done a great job at this so I don't see a need for a change in this matter.

Now I know this idea and theory can be fine tuned... but I think it would be great AND it would get rid of the amounts of non-read literature that is placed in the boxes. I mean we have to admit... hardly anyone reads the manual unless something goes wrong.

But what do you think of the idea?

A Look Into the Nokia E63

Taken from the pages of Nokia Conversations we look into the realm of the Nokia E63 with details given by it's product manager, Mikko Aro.

New N-Gage Game Announced : Mega Monsters

The Official N-gage blog announced a new First Party game from Nokia Publishing today, which is being developed by a company called Firemint in Australia : %26quot; Mega Monsters %26quot;.

Mega
Monsters features rich 3D graphics with a fully destructible
environment where players can destroy anything in their path. While on
the rampage, players must ensure their Mega Monster destroys selected
targets and can pick up dozens of special items, including clothing and
other items, to add character to their creature. Each Mega Monster
develops its abilities, powers and appearance as it progresses through
different missions, and can also gain new powers by hooking up with
other Mega Monsters

The result of a mad scientist
combining his supply of adorable animals, a borrowed gene splicer and a
surplus government nuclear reactor, each Mega Monster provides an evil
blend of cute and killer. With the intuitive one thumb control, players
direct the Mega Monster of their choice to do what monsters do best -
destroy!

%26quot;Mega
Monsters is made for those of us who love monsters and who like nothing
more than stomping through buildings and crunching a few tanks and
helicopters along the way,%26quot; said Dr Mark Ollila, Director, Games
Publishing, Nokia. %26quot;The 3D graphics and fully destructible environment
let you set your inner monster loose and smash through city after city.
Exciting game personalization options help create a cruch-tastic game
that will be hard to put down. Mega Monsters is going to be the biggest
monster smash on mobile.%26quot;





Players
can stomp and smash through a series of existing city environment or
they can create their own map and challenge others to beat it by
uploading it to the N-Gage Arena. Players can also customize their game
by taking a photo to use on an in-game billboard.





The game is expected to be out sometime in 2009.

Sounds like a fun game. I like that users can create and upload their own maps to challenge other users on the N-gage Arena. Looks like it'll be a really cool.

[Via ZomgitsCj]

New N-Gage Game Announced : Mega Monsters

The Official N-gage blog announced a new First Party game from Nokia Publishing today, which is being developed by a company called Firemint in Australia : %26quot; Mega Monsters %26quot;.

Mega
Monsters features rich 3D graphics with a fully destructible
environment where players can destroy anything in their path. While on
the rampage, players must ensure their Mega Monster destroys selected
targets and can pick up dozens of special items, including clothing and
other items, to add character to their creature. Each Mega Monster
develops its abilities, powers and appearance as it progresses through
different missions, and can also gain new powers by hooking up with
other Mega Monsters

The result of a mad scientist
combining his supply of adorable animals, a borrowed gene splicer and a
surplus government nuclear reactor, each Mega Monster provides an evil
blend of cute and killer. With the intuitive one thumb control, players
direct the Mega Monster of their choice to do what monsters do best -
destroy!

%26quot;Mega
Monsters is made for those of us who love monsters and who like nothing
more than stomping through buildings and crunching a few tanks and
helicopters along the way,%26quot; said Dr Mark Ollila, Director, Games
Publishing, Nokia. %26quot;The 3D graphics and fully destructible environment
let you set your inner monster loose and smash through city after city.
Exciting game personalization options help create a cruch-tastic game
that will be hard to put down. Mega Monsters is going to be the biggest
monster smash on mobile.%26quot;





Players
can stomp and smash through a series of existing city environment or
they can create their own map and challenge others to beat it by
uploading it to the N-Gage Arena. Players can also customize their game
by taking a photo to use on an in-game billboard.





The game is expected to be out sometime in 2009.

Sounds like a fun game. I like that users can create and upload their own maps to challenge other users on the N-gage Arena. Looks like it'll be a really cool.

[Via ZomgitsCj]

N78 and 6210 Navigator Now Supported by N-gage

The Official N-gage Blog just posted to let us know that the Nokia N78 and 6210 Navigator phone models are now N-gage compatible and supported by the N-gage application.

N78 users can download the N-gage client here.

6210 Navigator users can download their version of the N-gage client here.

W00t ! More devices to add to the N-gage family. Still no word on N93 and N73 support though.

[Via ZomgitsCj]

The Creative Mind of a 9 Year Old

For almost a year my oldest son has been experimenting with my N90. At this point I can honestly tell what direction he is going in when it comes to mobile phone usage. He's a photographer. Everytime there is a family event he either uses the N90 or borrows my device to sneak away and capture images.

In this creepy video he uses the N90 in negative setting to create what his calls his %26quot;spook video%26quot;.

Lol since he shows such an interest in photography and understands how to use an Nseries device to create images and videos I should get him his own Ovi page. Now to figure out what device to get him for Christmas, although he wants the N93i because it was in the Transformers movie, lol.

Feeling Festive? - Christmas Themes

Mid November and the run up to Christmas has long started, at least in the UK. All the towns and shopping centers (malls) have had their lights turned on by celebrities and everywhere is looking nice and festive.

Am I the only one who still has an advent calendar? Though I did buy one for all my friends too, most of which thought I was nuts, nothing new there?

Anyway, I'm hoping you're all feeling as festive as I am and if not then perhaps these themes will help get you in to the spirit. Or cause mutterings of Bah Humbug!

Please feel free to join in the Christmas Themes competition with the chance to win $300.

Credit to Lucap, Pandahetic and Aviman.

Christmas lights Theme

Christmas Tree Theme

Nokia Christmas Theme

Christmas Greetings Theme

S60 MeF Vs. G1 Google Apps

In our society of instant gratification nothing can come fast enough, email certainly is no exception. Not that long ago I ran down email on the S60 platform from Mail for Exchange, Nokia Email and built-in client. Now we're looking at MeF Vs. Google's Apps. I felt it was only fair that if Exchange was setup as its own domain, so too should Google: hence Google Apps.

Setup

Those unfamiliar with Google Apps, it is Google's free or premium service for Gmail, Documents, Calendar, Sites and iGoogle for a domain of your choosing. For this test both domains were set to the same DNS (Dynamic Name Servers) with the appropriate MX and CName changes for several days to ensure 100% propagation around the Internet.

Email

I sent email from Gmail, my work address, a regular pop3 on the same server (using a third domain) hosting DNS for both domains. For the record both domains were .com TLDs (Top Level Domain) and neither was setup using a sub-domain (i.e. something.somewhere.com) for this test.

Gmail and Gmail on Google Apps are push services when setup on the G1. MfE on the other if not used in a persistent state is not a push email solution. MfE has a slight advantage here in that it can be set for interval checking for changes, good if you're trying to conserver battery power. The G1's service is either automatic or manual in its syncing methods.

Through all methods of sending email the messages would arrive within moments of each other, meaning the time frame was so small it is nearly impossible to time. The email was stored on the server and the handset as was the state of the message and if you read the message online the handset will reflect that and vice versa in both instances. For email delivery and status it's clearly a tie.

Google takes it a step further and gives users the ability to assign Labels (remember Gmail uses Labels (tags) to emails from the handset, the one limitation is the Labels must already exist. Going even further Android allows Labels to be synchronized to the handset at three levels: Sync All, Sync Recent or not at all. Emails can allow be marked as Spam or Spam moved back to the Inbox.

Winner: G1

Contacts

Both services offer near instant contact syncing over the air (OTA). Changes made on either the handset or online (Gmail or OWA) were quickly seen in the opposing location. Where Google sets itself apart from Exchange is the ability to sync groups. On the G1 contacts are visible by groups. In fact Android has the option to select which groups to sync or not to sync. I have a number of contacts I may want to keep in my address book but not necessarily on my handset. With Exchange you are forced to create sub-contact folders which become invisible to the handset. With Google I can select or deselect any group at anytime, right from the handset. Additionally once a Gmail account is paired with a handset Google creates a group within contacts called Starred in Android, think of it as favorites list for contacts or starred items in GReader.

Exchange does offer one additional option for contacts, the global address book. The global address book from the handset I found more cumbersome and less useful because it is not stored locally, cached or synced, in the handset. Instead the Global Address book is stored solely online and is only search-able, not browse-able. Google Apps doesn't offer such a tool in any fashion. For Google App users of 200 users or less the best you can hopeful is its automatic addition of all users within the domain to your own address book. Google Apps users with 200+ or 200+ requested email addresses will only see this feature if you email or someone else within the domain.

Winner: G1

Calendars

Once again both services are equal in their basic functions, as both do sync calendar entries back and forth as designed however like Contacts Google goes above and beyond with multiple calendars. Saying that Google allows multiple calendars is selling it short. Not only can you have multiple calendar, you can have multiple calendars from multiple sources. On my G1 I have my own calendars, separated by categories (birthdays, kids, etc.) along with my wife's Google calendar plus a public calendar. Google offers a number of public calendars created and shared by users the world over. Like Contacts these calendars are sync-able to the handset or not and can be added or removed from the handset at will. Neither Exchange or Google allows for invitation from the handset however, Google does allow you to select which calendar to add the event; meaning it would be possible to have events show up on a pre-established shared calendar, accomplishing the same task.

Winner: G1

Through this entire test I continue to be impressed with the G1's ability to match and exceed many of the things I have been living with on S60. I'm beginning to see issues I've been living with on S60 that I didn't realize I was living with and took as the way things had to be or were. Watching the Android Market (Apps Store) and the flurry of applications being made available, most of them free, I worry for Nokia and other handset offerings. In the two weeks I have had the G1 I only HAD to reboot the device twice and have it crash once. I have yet to see a memory full or other type of message. I did begin to see slowness once I reached 850 SMS/MMS. I truly have had few complaints about the unit thus far. I am still truly stunned that this is a first release device.

For those interested I wrote a brief summary detailing the differences between Google Apps and regular Google services on my new blog Techti.me

Matthew

S60 MeF Vs. G1 Google Apps

In our society of instant gratification nothing can come fast enough, email certainly is no exception. Not that long ago I ran down email on the S60 platform from Mail for Exchange, Nokia Email and built-in client. Now we're looking at MeF Vs. Google's Apps. I felt it was only fair that if Exchange was setup as its own domain, so too should Google: hence Google Apps.

Setup

Those unfamiliar with Google Apps, it is Google's free or premium service for Gmail, Documents, Calendar, Sites and iGoogle for a domain of your choosing. For this test both domains were set to the same DNS (Dynamic Name Servers) with the appropriate MX and CName changes for several days to ensure 100% propagation around the Internet.

Email

I sent email from Gmail, my work address, a regular pop3 on the same server (using a third domain) hosting DNS for both domains. For the record both domains were .com TLDs (Top Level Domain) and neither was setup using a sub-domain (i.e. something.somewhere.com) for this test.

Gmail and Gmail on Google Apps are push services when setup on the G1. MfE on the other if not used in a persistent state is not a push email solution. MfE has a slight advantage here in that it can be set for interval checking for changes, good if you're trying to conserver battery power. The G1's service is either automatic or manual in its syncing methods.

Through all methods of sending email the messages would arrive within moments of each other, meaning the time frame was so small it is nearly impossible to time. The email was stored on the server and the handset as was the state of the message and if you read the message online the handset will reflect that and vice versa in both instances. For email delivery and status it's clearly a tie.

Google takes it a step further and gives users the ability to assign Labels (remember Gmail uses Labels (tags) to emails from the handset, the one limitation is the Labels must already exist. Going even further Android allows Labels to be synchronized to the handset at three levels: Sync All, Sync Recent or not at all. Emails can allow be marked as Spam or Spam moved back to the Inbox.

Winner: G1

Contacts

Both services offer near instant contact syncing over the air (OTA). Changes made on either the handset or online (Gmail or OWA) were quickly seen in the opposing location. Where Google sets itself apart from Exchange is the ability to sync groups. On the G1 contacts are visible by groups. In fact Android has the option to select which groups to sync or not to sync. I have a number of contacts I may want to keep in my address book but not necessarily on my handset. With Exchange you are forced to create sub-contact folders which become invisible to the handset. With Google I can select or deselect any group at anytime, right from the handset. Additionally once a Gmail account is paired with a handset Google creates a group within contacts called Starred in Android, think of it as favorites list for contacts or starred items in GReader.

Exchange does offer one additional option for contacts, the global address book. The global address book from the handset I found more cumbersome and less useful because it is not stored locally, cached or synced, in the handset. Instead the Global Address book is stored solely online and is only search-able, not browse-able. Google Apps doesn't offer such a tool in any fashion. For Google App users of 200 users or less the best you can hopeful is its automatic addition of all users within the domain to your own address book. Google Apps users with 200+ or 200+ requested email addresses will only see this feature if you email or someone else within the domain.

Winner: G1

Calendars

Once again both services are equal in their basic functions, as both do sync calendar entries back and forth as designed however like Contacts Google goes above and beyond with multiple calendars. Saying that Google allows multiple calendars is selling it short. Not only can you have multiple calendar, you can have multiple calendars from multiple sources. On my G1 I have my own calendars, separated by categories (birthdays, kids, etc.) along with my wife's Google calendar plus a public calendar. Google offers a number of public calendars created and shared by users the world over. Like Contacts these calendars are sync-able to the handset or not and can be added or removed from the handset at will. Neither Exchange or Google allows for invitation from the handset however, Google does allow you to select which calendar to add the event; meaning it would be possible to have events show up on a pre-established shared calendar, accomplishing the same task.

Winner: G1

Through this entire test I continue to be impressed with the G1's ability to match and exceed many of the things I have been living with on S60. I'm beginning to see issues I've been living with on S60 that I didn't realize I was living with and took as the way things had to be or were. Watching the Android Market (Apps Store) and the flurry of applications being made available, most of them free, I worry for Nokia and other handset offerings. In the two weeks I have had the G1 I only HAD to reboot the device twice and have it crash once. I have yet to see a memory full or other type of message. I did begin to see slowness once I reached 850 SMS/MMS. I truly have had few complaints about the unit thus far. I am still truly stunned that this is a first release device.

For those interested I wrote a brief summary detailing the differences between Google Apps and regular Google services on my new blog Techti.me

Matthew