I'm weak. I was planning on holding out to buy a 6681 on release. But my weakness for a 1.3 mp camera got the best of me. I was thinking of getting a 3230 if I couldn't hold out.

I didn't buy the new 3230 because of three reasons. First, the software on S60 phones often needs a firmware upgrade to address the bugs, and this often takes a couple of months. Second, it has an older Symbian 60 version installed (no automatic pop/imap polling, according to what I've read). Third, the word on the keyboard is mixed.

What about just holding out for the 6681, clearly the latest and greatest S60 offering? Given the fact that the 6680, the 3g antecedent, is "released" but still not widely available, I assume it's going to be at least mid April until we start seeing the 6681, if not later. And as I said, I'm weak.

So... I just pulled the paypal trigger on a 6630. Sure, it's fugly. But its been out for around five months, so you have to figure the bugs have been exterminated. And all I really want is the cam, which by all reviews is the best on any S60 phone, even rivalling the S700i, according to some people. Plus, its settled down to the mid-500's us; I'm sure the 6681 will set you back 700 us on release (and I'm NOT switching to Cingular for the 6682, thank you.)  ¶ 7:21 AM 0 comments

  Panasonic X800 is out! I can't believe it -- a new Symbian 60 phone from a non-Nokia manufacturer. Maybe we'll even see the Samsung S60 phone at the rate this is going!  ¶ 3:11 PM 0 comments

  6680 is shipping Lookie how fast they got this phone to market (a matter of weeks from announcement to shipping)...

It would be great if this represented a new way for Nokia to do business -- getting product out the door soon after they whet our appetite, but I bet not. I'm sure this has everything to do with the hunger by operators to get people moved over to new 3g networks, so they are demanding new product, fast. Whereas in the US, it's the s.o.s. GSM network (one could make the argument new handsets could be used to attract [T-Mobile US] users to [Cingular's] higher speed edge services), so no need to rush with new handsets. But the basic fact is it's a lot more fun for mobile addicts on the other side of the pond right now.


NOKIA PRESS RELEASE March 21, 2005

Nokia 6680 3G imaging smartphone starts shipping


Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced that it has started deliveries of the Nokia 6680, introduced just one month ago at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France. Optimized for visual sharing, the Nokia 6680 imaging smartphone boasts a wide array of features including two integrated cameras, a flash, the Nokia XpressPrint printing solution, an active slide for easy camera activation and a bright screen of up to 262,144 colors. The device will be available in markets across Europe, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

"The Nokia 6680 enables the full benefit of high-speed 3G networks to be enjoyed with a wide range of multimedia services, including video, email, music downloads and Internet browsing," says Joe Coles, director of imaging product marketing at Nokia. "We are very pleased with the fantastic demand for the Nokia 6680, and expect it to be widely available in all the major 3G markets around the world."

The Nokia 6680 is the ideal work tool combining compelling smartphone features, including a personal organizer, video streaming and Internet browser, with a range of 3G-enabled features such as two-way video calls*, video sharing* and push email. Based on the leading Series 60 Platform, the Nokia 6680 can be easily customized to meet the needs of today's mobile workforce.  ¶ 6:05 AM 0 comments

  Nice to see someone else bitching about the product cycle for once! As much as I hate all-cap screaming on the internet, WHERE THE HELL ARE MY NEW S60 PHONES?  ¶ 6:08 PM 0 comments

  Howard's Nokia 6682 video Howard Chui shows off some of the media capabilities of the upcoming 6682. I assume this, coupled with its appearance on the "expected soon" page of Nokia USA, means that Cingular will be rolling this out in the US within the next month.  ¶ 8:51 AM 0 comments

  GSM Arena 3230 review - whats the deal, Nokia? It's overall a positive review, and it sounds like a very nice phone that would be a popular item for a low-cost carrier like T-Mobile US. The main drawbacks are the keypad and function keys, which aren't as responsive as the reviewer would like, and the funky software. From the review: "At the same time Nokia 3230 gives us plenty of reasons to complain. The tested version turned out to be full of errors; hence Nokia 3230' overall evaluation will depend to a great extent on the quality of the final version of its software. And since the phone is already in the distributors' pricelists, its developers may have to quicken their step."

I've raised this issue several times -- why don't Nokia 60 phones ever come out with stable software upon release. I'm personally at the point where no matter how much I'm salivating over a new phone, I'll wait until there is a firmware upgrade before buying. How can you be expected to drop $500 or more on a phone on the grey market in the US, where its tough to get a firmware upgrade, on a phone that's still not ready for prime time? (To be fair, Nokia isn't alone -- just read about new SE releases which have equal or worse problems with software bugs.)

My advice to Nokia: slow down on the software upgrade cycle and focus more on the hardware people want: fast EDGE, higher quality (not higher megapixel necessarily) camera modules, usable keypads, good sound quality, and better styles. Nokia still hasn't perfected the phone hardware, so why the crazy rush to more Symbian upgrades? The software upgrade cycle just causes the release of new products to be complicated by immature and inferior firmware versions and garners second-rate reviews of products that deserve better (eventually).  ¶ 8:12 AM 1 comments

  3230 is out! The 3230 is available at plemix.com for $509. I'd love to snag one, but the 6681 is going to be right around the corner, and I'd rather wait and drop an extra $100 and get an led light and the sliding cover over the lens. The 3230 will be dropping like a rock, and should be a very affordable entry level symbian phone. I wonder how long the 3650 is going to stay around for... I assume its days are numbered.  ¶ 12:37 PM 0 comments

  Virgin Radio on your phone! This rocks! It works very well on my 6600 over my unlimited T-Mobile US GPRS internet access point. The sound quality is quite good -- Led Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused came through loud and clear with no distortion. My only criticism: it would have been nice to display the band and title of the song being played on your phone.

One other thing I noticed: it seems like it puts some stress on the processor. When you are using another app, the music breaks up a bit. I listened quite a bit today, and it ran down the battery a little faster but not drastically.  ¶ 12:18 PM 0 comments