Sixty phones
news and opinions about Nokia Series 60 Symbian phones and other high-priced Finnish trinkets
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Ipod: No compromise
Mikko at the See into S60 blog writes that he considers music a more compelling application for mobiles than imaging. To me, he's dead wrong for several reasons.
1) Battery life. I have an Ipod Nano that lasts weeks - yes, weeks -- on a charge with fairly regular music listening. Listening to music on a mobile drains that charge down in a day when combined with normal phone and data usage. As long as phones are power eating beasts, I'm not going to make the problem worse by using my phone as a music device.
2) Design. The Ipod, unlike some other Apple products, is not successful just because of marketing hype. The Ipod is a well designed, elegantly engineered, rugged little machine. I've never had a loose button or a wiggly case in my four generation owning of Ipods. With the Nano, space has almost not become a factor in deciding whether to carry the device. Contrast this with the N91, a truly large and strange looking beast that looks like it is unwieldy to use (I hope to someday actually see one of these devices in person to make that decision, nearly one year after product announcement, but that's another issue). At least Nokia is starting to address the standard 3.5 mm jack issue in this phone, but it really needs to be across the board. As long as there is a proprietary pop port, Nokia is fatally hobbled in this area.
3) Software. Navigating through songs, albums, artists and playlists is clearer and easier with the no-nonsense Apple menu. Nokia still has a way to go at least with the current version of S60 - we'll see what 9.1 looks like but I doubt it will equal the Ipod.
I'll never carry my Canon digicam in my pocket 24/7. I will carry a Nano and a phone 24/7, at least until Nokia and Symbian produce a mobile that can provide a nearly equal music experience with no compromises. Until then, how bout producing a 3 mp phone with autofocus? SE has shown they can do it, and I refuse to believe that Finnish engineers and German lensmakers can't figure out how to do this in a compact form with a vibrate function. ¶ 7:47 AM
1) Battery life. I have an Ipod Nano that lasts weeks - yes, weeks -- on a charge with fairly regular music listening. Listening to music on a mobile drains that charge down in a day when combined with normal phone and data usage. As long as phones are power eating beasts, I'm not going to make the problem worse by using my phone as a music device.
2) Design. The Ipod, unlike some other Apple products, is not successful just because of marketing hype. The Ipod is a well designed, elegantly engineered, rugged little machine. I've never had a loose button or a wiggly case in my four generation owning of Ipods. With the Nano, space has almost not become a factor in deciding whether to carry the device. Contrast this with the N91, a truly large and strange looking beast that looks like it is unwieldy to use (I hope to someday actually see one of these devices in person to make that decision, nearly one year after product announcement, but that's another issue). At least Nokia is starting to address the standard 3.5 mm jack issue in this phone, but it really needs to be across the board. As long as there is a proprietary pop port, Nokia is fatally hobbled in this area.
3) Software. Navigating through songs, albums, artists and playlists is clearer and easier with the no-nonsense Apple menu. Nokia still has a way to go at least with the current version of S60 - we'll see what 9.1 looks like but I doubt it will equal the Ipod.
I'll never carry my Canon digicam in my pocket 24/7. I will carry a Nano and a phone 24/7, at least until Nokia and Symbian produce a mobile that can provide a nearly equal music experience with no compromises. Until then, how bout producing a 3 mp phone with autofocus? SE has shown they can do it, and I refuse to believe that Finnish engineers and German lensmakers can't figure out how to do this in a compact form with a vibrate function. ¶ 7:47 AM
