Sixty phones

3250 is here

2006-03-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

The first phone with Symbian 60, Third Edition, is now available.

N80: $905 pre-order at mobileplanet/expansys us

2006-03-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

That's a lot of dough.

Wifi Roaming on E61

2006-03-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Wow! I occassionally read the user manuals that get posted on the FCC site for upcoming phones. I just spotted the user manual for the E61. Page 69 blew my mind, man:

Email data roaming
Select Menu > Tools > Settings > Connection >
Access point groups.
Your device allows roaming between wireless access
technologies, such as WLAN and GPRS, for e-mail. For
example, you can start an e-mail session at home and
continue the session on your way to work. While your
session continues uninterrupted, your handheld device
switches from WLAN to GPRS and back to WLAN when
you arrive at your workplace.

This is big. First of all, there is a default setting that will cause the device to automatically to roam on wifi when gprs is absent. On WM5, you have to switch manually. That will give greater overall coverage (gprs + wifi) at lower costs and higher speeds.

This implies a seemless handoff. This big trick is not in the Windows Media 5 playbook right now, and could give Symbian a big boost in the OS race -- this function could save a lot of dough for corporate customers with international roamers who don't rack up extra charges roaming on gprs when they could be on low-cost wifi.

I assume this is a basic function of Symbian 9 and not unique to the E61.

Origami vs. N770

2006-02-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is going after the tablet internet device market that Nokia identified with the N770.

Interesting to see how Microsoft and Nokia are going head to head in several different areas -- on the mobile device os (Symbian vs. WM 5), push email (Nokia Business Center vs. Exchange Server), and now tablets. It's sad for me to say, but it's hard to see how Nokia can win any of these fights for a couple of reasons: first, Microsoft's natural advantage because of dominance on the desktop plus dominance in the email server market leading to easier transition for end user and IT staff; second, Microsoft's ruthless price competition -- basically giving away WM5 for free in order to get a foothold in mobile email; and third, getting quantity of devices to markets in more channels than Nokia can accomplish (witness the new WM5 quadband/wifi devices released simultaneously in both T-Mobile and Cingular retail outlets -- and where's the N61?).

They need to flood retail channels with Symbian devices in the US, fast, or risk being shut out. They are behind 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, to use a football analogy. While I haven't used Symbian 9, I'm confident it will be a better product. The question is, will most people in the US ever get to see it?

Big N80 news

2006-02-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

Friedbrains on Hofo, who always spots the S60 phones the SECOND they get Bluetooth certification posted, saw that 2 variants of the N80 got approved - one with 2100 band WCDMA and one with 1900 band. That means the US will likely see the phone sooner rather than later (before Cingular gets a dual 850/1900 WCDMA band phone to sell) and the whole world may see it by the end of March.

Nokia's Blackberry Killer - from Red Herring

2006-02-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

Article on 9300i and E61 in Red Herring.

Yahoo! Go? Yahoo! No! (from the Reg)

2006-02-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

This post by Andrew Orlowski is largely on target. I also found Yahoo! Go to be a massive memory suck that didn't do much that I couldn't already do with other services and utilities (push email - using the built in 6681 client and Seven Always on mail -check; Yahoo! news and info - using my wap browser - check; synchronization of my snaps with my desktop using Nokia PC suite - check). I liked the Yahoo! messenger software as well, but this can be done about as good as with IM Plus that also does other IM services as well. I do think that v2 of Yahoo! Go could be better if they listened to users and made it less intrusive regarding alerts and slimmed down the memory usage so it doesn't interfere with other apps.

(And by the way, email push on a more frequent basis would make that function more useful.)

Times article on Yahoo go phone

2006-02-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

The NYT covers the formal release of the Yahoo 6682 phone by Cingular/AT&T. (What's the deal with that -- are they still marketing as AT&T anywhere, or did they start doing it again?)

Skype calling on a 6680

2006-02-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

All About Symbian gets the scoop on Skype. As I've said, Wifi + Skype on an N80 will be very, very good to me. I hope it's available to all on Monday, because I'd still like to use the chat function over gprs.

Skype "coming soon" for S60?

2006-02-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Om Malik says 3GSM is buzzing with rumors about a Skype client for S60. After futzing around with the T-Mobile SDA and pondering the real use of wifi on a phone (it would be nice to be able to check email in weak reception areas by hooking onto a wifi net, and faster surfing would be a pleasant benefit), I realized that Skype would probably justify my main use of wifi on a phone. (Hopefully, the Skype client will work well on the new S60 wifi devices without memory errors and other such occurences.)

T-Mobile SDA - Thoughts

2006-02-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

I ambled over to the T-Mobile store during lunch hour today to see what the newest combination of US software behemoth Microsoft and Taiwanese company HTC cooked up. I found the device intriguing and wanted to check it out for three main reasons: it is a)a "smartphone; b) quad band; and c) wifi enabled.

Hardware: The phone is a lot thicker than I thought. The width is what I'd describe as chunky. It's still a heck of a lot smaller than the T-Mobile MDA/QTEK 9100, though. But it still is what I'd describe as pocketable, though less comfortable than my 6681.

The button layout is a real drawback. There's a set of softkeys on the top row that are tiny, a set of buttons for music playback underneath and a joystick in the middle. Below that is a conventional numerical layout. The problem is, the keypad has been shrunken to make room for the other less useful row of music buttons, making it hard to comfortably text on the phone. And I already think the 6630/6681 are verging on unusable for most people because of the small keys -- this device is much worse. I had a hard time texting quickly because of it.

The screen is beautiful -- much more clear and vibrant than the 6681, though smaller.

Software: I found the Windows mobile software to be pleasantly surprising. There was not a long a lag time between choosing functions as I find on the current (8) version of S60 phones. The home page is spare and neat; you can navigate the icons on the top row or hit the start button to go to a full screen of icons.

There wasn't a ton of built in apps. Pocket IE and Outlook, and an IM program. The IM software allows access to AOL, ICQ, Yahoo! -- and looked pretty cool (I assume MSN was there somewhere, but I didn't see it on first glance). The menu structure seemed basic and intuitive to me.

The biggest drawback other than the buttons was T9. I didn't like the implementation of text prediction -- the space bar is the pound key, and you get a drop down selection of words that you have to choose rather than being able to cycle through a selection with the * key. I don't know if this is a MS adaptation or the way it will be implemented by all T9 licensees in the future.

I couldn't get connected to either GPRS or to any of the available wifi networks to test the speed of the browser - I'm sure I was doing something wrong on a very basic level, so I can't really blame MS for it.

Conclusion: I think this would be a very successful phone with a larger keypad, but as it is, it just whets one's appetite for the MDA with a qwerty keypad. After playing with the SDA for a half hour, it is clear: I still prefer the layout of S60 and the finish on Nokia phones -- the HTC devices are fairly soulless and industrial to me. Not switching yet.

I probably was looking for a reason not to buy and found them, but Microsoft is gaining on Symbian with this device.

Nokia copies Ericsson; hooks up with Japanese phone maker

2006-02-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is fairly big news. Nokia is combining with Sanyo to create a new CDMA only joint venture. I find this interesting because when I was a Sprint subscriber, I really liked Sanyo phones. The combination of the two companies could create a really attractive product that might bring people to CDMA networks in the US and Canada who otherwise like the Nokia selection on GSM providers.

T-Mobile SDA "Outpaces" 6682

2006-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

This paragraph sticks in my craw:

"The SDA outpaces our previous Editors' Choice, the Nokia 6682 from Cingular. Though the 6682 is a fine phone, the SDA's Microsoft OS is glossier and more fun to use; the dedicated music buttons are welcome; and the Wi-Fi capability is truly amazing. We'd also give the SDA the nod over the RIM BlackBerry 7105t, which doesn't have any of the SDA's media capabilities."

Nokia probably has a superior product in the N80 - quadband slider with WIFI and a 3mp camera and Symbian 9 vs. the SDA's candybar with wifi, 1.3 mp cam and Windows mobile. But they've dropped the ball, getting beaten to market by a two-bit Taiwanese manufacturer. Jeez, even I'm tempted to pick up one of these dogs for a walk around the block... I want a quadband smartphone already, dammit. Is that really asking too much?

Sammy got a new S60

2006-02-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

Quad band flip with a 2 mp cam. Running on Symbian 8.1. Nothing cutting edge, but looks like a solid choice for those clamophiles among us.

SGH-D720 is here!

2006-02-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

I've always been dying to get a Samsung S60... they really know how to make fine phones even though their ui really is not up to par in my opinion (one step above Motos, though). If it was a quad-bander, I'd be in.

(This is not an ad or endorsement for Plemix).

Another sign of imminent arrival of S60 v3

2006-02-07T05:13:00.000-08:00

My Symbian is discounting current (meaning soon to be outdated) versions of S60 software by 25%.

N80 on Cingular?

2006-02-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

Mobilewhack.com claims to be in the know. I hope so.

According to Rich Brome at Phonescoop, it won't be the exact model that was approved -- Cingular wants a model that will run 850/1900 wcdma instead of the 2100 band wcdma model that the FCC approved.

For all of us who want to buy a grey market phone and don't care about wcdma for now, yesterday's announcement indicates this phone will be available in its current incarnation very soon despite Cingular's plans.

N80 info from the FCC

2006-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

I guess we will be seeing the N80 this quarter, after all. It received FCC approval today. See the links here.

The manual here. Lots of interesting info about setting up WLAN connections - the phone treats them like any old access point, and enables simultaneous voice/WLAN connections so you can browse away while chatting.

Thanks to Toolhead for the catch.

E70 Approved by FCC

2006-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Now all I need is for it to spread it's wings and fly on over to my pocket.

The manual is online here. Nothing beyond the usual S60 stuff, though.

Thanks to my symbian for the heads up.

Speed doesn't kill: 9300i review

2006-02-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Ewan at All About Symbian posts a 9300i review.

It's fairly positive, but yet again a nice device gets let down by having too slow a processor. Given the complaints about the N770, the N70, and the N90 in this area, I hope Nokia is starting to take notice that powerusers want speed on mobile devices as well as laptops and desktops. It will be a pity if the N80 ends up being slower than last generation devices such as the 6630/6681/6682.

S60 vs. WM5

2006-01-31T11:07:00.000-08:00

Two perspectives on which is better: one from Steve Litchfield at AAS and the other from palmsolo at geek.com

I am a fanboy of S60 and do think, like Steve, that its a better out of the box solution and more friendly to users than WM5. But I believe that for most users, WM5 is getting to be good enough, and that Microsoft is going to make huge inroads in '06 in the smartphone market vs Nokia/S60.

3250 pics

2006-01-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

I don't see a huge appeal - 2mp without a flash and standard S60 screen size -- but it's an attractive looking phone in these pics.

N90 in the flesh

2006-01-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

I also played with the N90 at CompUSA -- wonder of wonders, they had a live model on display.

What I thought was the biggest drawback of the N90 -- it's size -- really didn't bother me very much at all. The phone is not that much bigger than my 6681 in height and width... the depth is bigger, but not grotesquely so. The phone was completely comfortable to hold in my hand as well as up to my ear.

The phone had many positives. The first was the display -- it has to be seen to be believed. It is really a beauty, and the pictures you've seen only begin to do it justice. The photos from the camera render beautifully, the icons are razor sharp, and the lighting element is perfect. Nokia really needs to make this screen standard -- its on the quality of the nicest Sharp phones from Sprint which blow me away every time I see them.

The second striking thing about the phone was the build quality. The thing opens and closes with a snap, no rattles. The twisting element felt comfortable and sturdy -- it gave me confidence that the body would hold up to repeated use. The joystick on the side of the phone and the shutter button both had great response and were firmly set into the phone. And the keypad was fabulous -- it reminded me of the 6230 but was even better -- nicer tactile response and less movement. I assume there were some bad N90s floating around early on in the manufacturing process, but the one I played with was one of the finest Nokia phones I've ever held in terms of quality.

The camera was totally satifying in terms of the form and the function. The autofocus seemed to work fairly quickly - I didn't detect a significant lag between pushing the button and either the autofocus element working or the shutter. The pictures and videos looked marvelous on the phone's screen, at least.

The real drawbacks to me for this phone are twofold: the external display and the clamshell design. I found the display to be embarassingly bad - it was irritating to use as a viewfinder, and I'm sure I wouldn't like looking at it on a daily basis for tasks like reading messages. And as a longtime candybar afficionado, having to open and close the phone fifty times a day to write emails and text messages would be a drag.

I'd highly recommend this phone for someone who puts photography at the top of their feature list for buying phones. Don't let the size scare you away.

I was quoted a price of $499 with a one-year contract extension, $799 without one, at CompUSA. The system said this "special" was good through 5/31, which indicates a price drop at that time, given the N80 should be finally on the market by then.

Nokia 770 thoughts

2006-01-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

I hate to call something a review when I didn't have a chance to give it the once over for a few days, at the very least. So here are some of my thoughts about the Nokia 770 internet tablet.

I checked out the device at my local CompUSA (they finally have their Nokia display up and running). Along with a live 770, they also had a live N90 which I played around with, as well as a dummy 6170 and 6682.

The device feels wonderful in your hands -- it's just the right size for my large man hands. And the stylus -- though unusually flat -- also felt right while using it.

The screen was beautiful, and the build quality seemed very good. No creaking or rattling that I was able to find on the display model.

The device was connected to the in-store wifi network. I played around with the built-in browser for about ten minutes -- the feature I thought would be the big attraction of the device. Well, either because of the sluggish cpu, the lack of enough RAM, or the software itself, I found browsing to be a real disappointment. The speed is only slightly faster than what I would have expected if I had paired the device with my phone using bluetooth and EDGE.

Perhaps it was running the older OS version, and the speed would improve with an upgrade. But the device didn't grab my imagination during a brief run-through. I have a tough time seeing buying one until it gets a faster chip/OS -- it was definitely too slow for me to give up my Fujitsu Lifebook with a Pentium M chip, for sure. Given the fact that you are giving up screen real estate and a keyboard with the N770, the speed is a compromise not worth making for the portability.

It's currently on sale at CompUSA for $350.

More N80 tea leaves

2006-01-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

There's been a bunch of intelligence indicating that Nokia will not get this phone to market in 1Q. The Vodaphone 'coming soon' announcement. The fact that the 9.1 SDK just got released. And this post by alexandr3 on Mobile Review's Nokia forum.

Smudie's 6630 photos

2006-01-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for great photos from an S60 phone. This flickr blog shows the high quality pics you can get from a 6630 (I miss mine).

Seven Always-On Mail Review

2006-01-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Seven's internet edition of their push mail is a tremendous product. I honestly don't think I've encountered another must have piece of software like this in the three years I've been using S60 phones. This service turns your phone into a blackberry, essentially, and is not a carrier-dependent service. Some brief thoughts on the service:

1) Setup. Very simple process for pop/imap users -- nothing more than signing up, installing the .sis file from their website or from Handango, and entering your server info. I had a bit of a problem during the "test" phase when they see if your mail server is compatible -- it gave me an error message, yet when I signed in on the website to check the status of my account, it showed that the service was working fine. I think this had to do with the fact my server username is username@domain.net, not just username like most pop serviers.

They provide a thirty-day free trial use. The only drawback is that the software is not updated for any N-Series phone, including the N70 and N90, according to customer support. I have installed on my 6681 with no issues. They are working on an updated version for the N70, and say they will have a version for Symbian 9.1 ready in "mid spring."

2) Integration. The Seven app uses the built-in S60 email program, unlike other programs such as Profimail, which is a real plus for me. Profimail is a fine program, with some display advantages over the built-in client. However, there are little problems that the lack of integration causes, such as lack of vibration notification and softer font display than the built-in program provides, that make it unsuitable for my use. Seven mail shows up in your inbox, and the app automatically sets the settings in the built in client for use of the service.

3) Frequency of download. The service downloads mail to your phone from the server on average every four minutes. I find this to be perfectly adequate for my use, although sometimes the service can get a little sluggish and take up to ten or fifteen minutes. This has only happened to me a couple of times in the last sixty days I've used the service, so it's not a significant issue.

4) Dependability. I find this service to be as dependable as blackberry.net service - it's yet to go down. I'd say more dependable, but I haven't used blackberry.net in several years.

5) Display. This is one area where they can improve -- because it uses the built in email client, there is no html display of email content. But I can live with this because I'm happy with text display.

6) Attachments. Sending and receiving attachments works very well. Because of their use of data compression, I find that sending and downloading attachments is faster than performing these functions without Seven.

The only bad thing about the service is that it has become like a pair of 'golden handcuffs' for me when it comes to phone upgrading -- I won't buy a new phone until it is supported by Seven. This is probably a big plus - at least on my budget.

$49.95 per year at Handango.

Edit: I've also thrown open the door for opinions from Howard Forum users here.

Ipod: No compromise

2006-01-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Virgile, you are giving me a heart attack

2006-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Beautiful N80 pictures from Virgile at Planete Nokia. He seems to get the phones fairly close to launch date, so maybe we are going to see the N80 sooner than later (he seems to get the phones about a month before launch).

He also has pics of a bunch of 3 other new S60 releases:

- Nokia N91

- N71

- 3250

A Phone Like Me?

2006-01-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

I got a good laugh out of this quote from In-Stat "analyst" Bill Hughes.

"The basic trend I see in mobile phones is wanting the device to become more of a reflection of who you are," Hughes said. "Customizing the phone is very personal and represents who I am. The smartphone offers greater ability at personalization."

WTF? The reasons why I want an N80 has nothing to do with representing "who I am." I want a smartphone with wifi, with a slider, with a 3mp camera -- a phone jam packed with features. I want an enabler, not a mirror.

N80 coming "soon"

2006-01-25T19:16:00.000-08:00

Once again, a "first quarter" Nokia phone won't appear until a quarter later. Basically, whenever Nokia says a phone is coming out in any quarter, pick the last day of the quarter and add a month or so, and you might be in the ballpark of when in fact the phone will hit the market.

So Nokia. Phone is announced, massive excitement created, schedule slips, excitement ebbs. Yawn.

Save your memory - Opera Mini

2006-01-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

Just the perfect cure for out of memory messages caused by the full freight Opera browser. I've been using it on my 6681 and love it -- better than reqwireless ever was, and is really light on a low-onboard memory phone such as mine.

The Register speculated yesterday on whether this marks the beginning of the end for smartphones. I do agree that for me, at least, the big drivers for S60 usage are browsing and email (pop/push). One big reason has fallen by the wayside now that you can get content on most any java phone you'd like.

It will be interesting to see who is the first -- Yahoo! or Google -- to come out with a java push email client (Yahoo! appears to be in the lead with the Yahoo Go! software for Symbian 60). If that happens, it will really open up a lot of other phone options for me, especially since Nokia seems increasingly unable to move phones like the N91 to the market quickly enough to keep up with consumer expectations and Sony Ericsson competition.

My Symbian reviews N71 and Symbian 9.1

2006-01-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

The phone sounds pretty fine, although what's the deal with Nokia and teeny tiny keyboards made for small children?(6630, 6681, N70 and now N71). The new version of Symbian sounds fast and stable, and the backwards compatibility issue is no big surprise to me.

Vroom vroom

2006-01-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

750 mhz ARM processor for Symbian announced. I'd like one of those babies in my N80.

Great N80 and N92 pictures

2006-01-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

from Phone Arena at CES

S60 art

2006-01-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Great!

Cry for help.

2006-01-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd go public with my desire for an N90. Sure, it's as big as a Jetta, doesn't have vibrate, it is a flip, and it has the antenna where your hand belongs. But boy, are those pictures sweet. Just check out Michael from Mobile Burn's Flickr blog.

I'm trying to hold out for a N80, which should start being available within the next two months. But my name is 60, and I have a problem.

The Nokia Experience Let's Me Down @ Compusa

2006-01-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

Guess its about as ready for prime time as the Yahoo! go app. ;)

Yahoo - get real.

2006-01-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

I downloaded the Yahoo! app mentioned in my earlier post to no avail. I know it needs 2mb free memory on the phone, but I have most of my 6681 apps on the card and yet I still have something like 1.7mb free. Get real -- if I can't get it to work, what hope does the rest of humanity have. Smells like a rush job for CES to me.

Boo fuckin' hoo on you.

2006-01-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

Good things come to S60 users from Yahoo! (perhaps). I'm still trying to get it work on my 6681, but have gotten two 'out of memory' messages when trying to open it off my 512mb memory card.

E60, N80, and VOIP

2006-01-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Interesting interview with the Czech head of Nokia's operations there. He says the E60 and N80 will be showing up "early" in the year... hoping that means this month, not on March 31. Also, I like the discussion about VOIP... clearly, the WIFI functionality of these phones has been a sore spot with the incumbent GSM/WCDMA carriers who are about to see their lunch eaten by free skype calling.

Nokia Experience at CompUSA

2005-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Let's hope come March, it's the N80 experience at CompUSA. There's been quite a bit of chatter that Cingular removed the N80 from future inventory lists because Nokia wouldn't cripple wifi. Who knows if it is true; but this release shows that Nokia has an alternate retail distribution channel in the US for roll outs of pricey phones with advanced functions.

N70 for the US!

2005-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

Rich Brome at Phonescoop has some interesting news about the N70 (non-3g version): it's on the way to the US much like the N90 via independent (non-T-Mobile/Cingular) retail stores.

Free "Always-On" push email for S60 devices!

2005-11-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Seven is now providing free (for now) "Always-On" push email to Symbian Series 60 devices, including:

Nokia 6260

Nokia 6600/6620

Nokia 6630

Nokia 6670

Nokia 7610

Nokia 6680

Nokia 7710 (Series 90)

This is great news. You now have Blackberry-like functionality available on most S60 phones. While it doesn't work with my vanity domain hosted by a big commercial server/domain host, it works beautifully with my Yahoo! address. Handango is offering subscriptions to this for $45 per year (with their discount); I don't know if it's worth this much, but that depends on how much providers will end up charging for the same service, I guess.

Some nice photos from the N70

2005-11-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Keep that thing dry!

Czech T-Mobile Unveils Music Portal

2005-11-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

Works for EDGE-enabled Symbian phones. What about US?

N90 showing up in US retail establishments

2005-11-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Someone on Hofo saw it at Ritz Camera for $399 with new activations; another poster says Compusa will have it for $699 without a contract. Interesting to see the retail option open for sim free gsm phones in the US, finally.

Edit: available unlocked without a contract at Ritzcamera.com
http://nokian90-ritzcamera.letstalk.com/brands/n90/landing1.htm?landId=1&brandId=357&cmpId=328

Props to Tushar re: Opera Mini

2005-11-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I read so much I end up missing the truly big news. To give you an idea of how my bizarre information gathering habit works, I just happened to check technorati to see who was linking to Sixty Phones (blogger ego gratification). I clicked through a couple and came to Tushar Burman's blog. Apart from his great photography on Flickr, I also found this key piece of news: Opera Mini was available in India. Smart guy that I am, I figured this meant it was available in the US as well.

Opera Mini is tremendous. Forget Netfront, plain Opera, Reqwireless, etc. This is the real deal. I've only been using this slimmed down version of Opera that reformats pages using their servers for mobiles for a half hour or so, but I'm convinced this is the thing that finally makes mobile browsing worthwhile. First of all, it's fast -- faster than Reqwireless which also reformatted pages for phones. The layout is great -- nice borders, beautifully rendered. The scroll function is awesome -- you don't lose your place on the small screen (which always made the experience subpar for me. And unlike Opera, it doesn't give you any funky low memory messages, a specialty of S60+Opera, at least in my experience. I highly recommend for anyone with a S60 phone.

Looks like an N92 with a normal keypad to me

2005-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Via Engadget which grabbed it from this French-language blog.

Edit: with lens cover, 3x optical zoom too. Discussion at: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=774538

Moto to speed up releases of phones in '06. Whither Nokia?

2005-11-16T15:28:00.000-08:00

If only Nokia would do the same. I'm sick and tired of waiting three months or more for release of new handsets.

NEW YORK, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Motorola Inc. (MOT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , riding high on the success of its eye-catching Razr phone, is determined to stay on top in the design battle with rival cell phone makers next year, the head of its mobile devices division said on Tuesday.

"Motorola is hell-bent on making sure we have the hottest device in all form factors," Ron Garriques said in an interview.

He also said Motorola plans to rip a page out of Apple Computer Inc's (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) playbook and begin selling phones the day after announcing them -- rather than announcing them well in advance, as it has up to now.

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh74875_2005-11-16_02-15-44_n15546528_newsml

Symbian shipments increase 131% in Q3

2005-11-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

N90 coming to retail outlets in US

2005-11-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

Ritz Camera and Comp USA will be selling for $400 + new contract within a couple of weeks, according to the NY Times. Time to go play.

Cingular to get E61?

2005-11-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

This is no real shock, since Cingular gets all the best GSM phones first in the US

From the new Barron's:

"Fans such as Bernstein's Sagawa also are encouraged by Nokia's latest line of mobile e-mail phones for corporate workers, called the E series, and led by the E61.

Aimed at Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry, Palm's (PALM) Treo and Motorola's Q, the E Series devices are unparalleled, in the view of some fans. These products combine third-generation, or 3G, cellphone technology; Wi-Fi Internet connectivity; traditional QWERTY keyboards; Voice-over-Internet-Protocol; push-to-talk (think walkie-talkies) and e-mail. "There are no other products on the market that compete with these models' specifications," Sagawa maintains.

Nokia's stock, stalled for the past two years, could climb at least 15% -- and possibly much higher -- over the next year.He reports that Cingular plans to offer the E61, which is aimed squarely at the BlackBerry, early next year, at prices below that of BlackBerry devices that don't have 3G or Wi-Fi. "We expect these products to be strong contributors to Nokia's overall profitability," Sagawa says.

Phonescoop coverage of N71, N80, N92

2005-11-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Very thorough coverage from the Nokia Mobility Conference in Barcelona with a lot of photos of the new phone, plus first-hand previews.

Howard Forums Series 60 Wiki

2005-11-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Some great information about S60 software and devices from the Hofo community.

New S60 browser flash demo

2005-11-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Looks incredibly cool.

N92 pictures

2005-11-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

N71 and N80 pictures

2005-11-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

N71:

N80:

N80:

Too much S60 news today! 3 new phones, 1 new browser.

2005-11-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, never too much. But 3 new S60 phones and the announcement of a new browser, too.

N71: A new N series flip. Pics. Release.
N80: A new N series slider with WIFI. Pics. Release. More info on N80 on N Series page.
N92: A new N series whatchamacallit -- "TV goes mobile." Pics. Release.

The new open source web browser for S60 3rd edition based on the WebCore and JavaScriptCore components of Apple's Safari Web Kit: release

A new book on S60 phones

2005-10-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

From the brief description, it doesn't seem like there's a lot here that I don't know, but I might have to get it just for curiousity's sake.

Rebranded Series 60 website

2005-10-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

As All About Symbian pointed out, the Series 60 website has gotten a nice facelift. I agree with AAS: this is clearly an attempt to develop a known consumer brand.

One new feature: the Series 60, I mean s60, quiz.

6282: first sign of US UMTS phone

2005-10-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a Series 60, but it's still darn exciting that UMTS in the US is seemingly just around the corner. Props to Symplification for uncovering this one.

Nokia push email is on its way for Symbian Devices

2005-10-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Father of Symbian speaks

2005-10-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

In an Electronic Engineering Times interview. A lot of interesting thoughts on the Symbian OS and the future of technology.

Canalys: S60 selling big, 6600 still shipping!

2005-10-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Canalys released a report today on Q3 smartphone shipments. Of note: "Nokia maintained its huge lead, with year-on-year growth of 142% being almost twice the market average. Particularly successful were its 3G Symbian Series 60 based smart phones, including the Nokia 6680, 6630, N90 and N70, but older devices, such as the 6600, continued to contribute to shipments, particularly in developing regions. Nokia's overall global market share position remains supported by its strength in EMEA, which Canalys estimates accounted for just under 70% of the vendor's smart phone shipments in Q3."

N71?

2005-10-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Nokia is killing me with all these phones. A nice brushed aluminum flip that wasn't grotesquely large could be a massively huge seller for them. The kind of thing that could make me switch to Cingular when they roll out their UMTS network if they were to get this phone(did I really say that?).

6630 love

2005-10-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Great post by _Karim on Mobile Review forums about why the 6630 is perfect. Close, but no cigar, but neither is the 6681.

Gsmarena's N70 review is up

2005-10-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. I love this website and their reviews are always spot on. Get a load of this: "According to our test results, (N70) is also the best current mobile phone in the world. (Note: MobilMania has a complicated system for phone evaluation by assigning a rating in percents in eleven categories and then calculating the average rating. Nokia N70 is currently in the first place by rank from more than 200 evaluated handsets)." How long can I realistically hold out??

CommWarrior not a significant issue

2005-10-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here's finally some quantification of the seriousness of the S60 CommWarrior virus issue... 200 messages per day. No biggie imo, given the universe of issues users might face.

Nokia N70-5 gets FCC approval

2005-10-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

The non-UMTS version does exist, says Uncle Sam @ the FCC. Being someone who really hates the ugly front camera of the 6680 and the N70-1, I say amen.

(Credit to Phonearena.com)

6630 and 668X to the rescue

2005-10-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Two S60 phones are a big seller for Nokia, according to this article.

Good + Series 60 = happiness

2005-10-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is definitely the best thing about the E series - compatibility with Good. I have been stuck using a Blackberry 850 (so old someone just asked me if I won it in a Cracker Jack box) as my work data device because the only alternative was a Treo or a windows mobile device. Now I can have a nice Nokia device and have work pay for it.

N80 to be announced in Barcelona Nov. 2?

2005-10-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

A new article in Fortune indicates that Nokia will be rolling out the N80 "next month" in Barcelona. Given there is a developer's conference coming up on Nov 2 in Barcelona, that's my guess for when we will see this "transformer-like N series" phone "featuring high-quality video and music capability will be announced.

(photo of rumored N80 originally published last month in Ubergizmo)

N90 and N70 video quality

2005-10-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

While some of the still pictures from the Nokia N90 are underimpressive (not consistently better than the Sony Ericsson K750i), the video I've seen is amazing. Here's a very funny ad for the N90 that claims to use video from the phone; here's a blog post from Blazers4ever showing terrific video - clear with no stutters or significant distortion.

Unbranded 6682 available again on Nokiausa.com

2005-10-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

They yanked the phone off the site to give Cingular a brief exclusive, but you are now able to order an unbranded 6682 for $499 from Nokia's US site as a non-Cingular subscriber.

My Nokia 6681 Review

2005-10-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Given the news this week of the E series phones, I really feel like a throwback writing about a Nokia 6681, which is so yesterday's news. But I followed my own advice, which is wait three months or one firmware update until buying a new Series 60 phone to let other people discover the bugs and kinks. As this phone was released in spring, it was definitely time to take the jump from my Nokia 6630.

These phones are very similar except for three areas: flash, form/slider, keypad, and active standby.

Flash: the flash is an excellent addition- it allows you to take serviceable photos in total darkness, and may help you while shooting in low light conditions where night mode just leaves you with a grainy mess. However, sometimes use of flash in mid-level conditions, such as under incandescent lighting indoors, will lead to an overexposed, bright yellow coloration of the photo. I think this varies by situation, and you just have to try using the flash setting in various conditions to see what works for you. But the bottom line is that it is a very useful feature. Here are three photos: no light, regular mode, no light, night mode, and no light, flash:

Form/slider: The physical form of the phone is excellent. I find it fits better in my hand than the 6630, and I get a better grip on the phone while talking (I've dropped my 6630 several times, and I'm convinced the shape has something to do with it). The sliding door is definitely on the flimsy side -- it is plastic and is not a tight fit when in the closed position. If you are a 10 on the obsessive compulsive scale when it comes to solid feeling phones, you probably won't like it. But I'm a seven and can deal with it. If Nokia had made this phone with an aluminum case, they would have solved this problem. But it does keep lint and other dirt off the lens (my exposed 6630 lens would get pretty skanky from day to day usage). Unlike others, I've never had the slider open up in my pocket -- it requires a little more resistance than the normal sliding around in a pants pocket to open it up. The functionality of the slider is excellent -- you open it up and the camera application almost instantly appears on the screen.

Keypad: I had a rough time with the 6630 keypad. I'm a fast T9 tapper but often hit the wrong keys on the 6630. I have normal size hands - not a fat fingered type. I found myself missing the keys on the 7610, which were firm plastic with a decent amount of resistance. The 6681 keypad is much like the 7610 in terms of tactile feel, but obviously laid out in a normal display. I like it much more than the 6630's keypad; I find I can type a lot faster and more accurately with the 6681 than the 6630; it's better than two of my other fave keypads, the 6600 and the 6310. Of course, do a search on Howard Forums and you'll find people who will differ.

Active standby: I'm just getting used to having a start page that has five icons for programs at the top, and your next appointments from calendar below that, and a list of uncompleted to dos below that. But it definitely presents greater ability to customize the look of your phone and it is a net plus.

Other comparisons 6681/6630:
- The signal strength is on par, maybe a bit better, than the 6630 and significantly better than the 6600; maybe almost as good as my 3650.
- The earpiece sound is very good -- cleaner than the 6630, but not quite as loud, though loud enough.
- The round directional pad is the best I've used on a S60 phone.
- Receiving call quality: there is tonal improvement over the 6630 -- callers sound less tinny to me.
- Sending call quality: sounds similar to the 6630 when I leave a recording on my work voicemail, potentially a little louder than the 6630.
- The picture quality: outdoors seems slightly better with the 6681 over the 6630. Sharper and slightly better colors, and night mode gives off less noise on the 6681.

Rating:
6681: 4.75/5. If the slider was tightly fitted to prevent any wiggle, it would have been a 5. Flash, lens protection, and keypad make it a worthy upgrade from the 6630, which remains an excellent phone in its own right. Advice for new buyers: for $40 US more, it's worth going for the 6681 over the 6630. For current 6630 owners: you won't regret the upgrade, but if you are cost conscious, try and hold out for the E70, which will give you wifi, 2mb camera, and a qwerty keyboard. For all other Series 60 owners pre-6630, go for it!

Three new Series 60 Devices!

2005-10-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

This is news. A traditional phone, a blackberry-like qwerty device, and a fold out keyboard running S60 instead of S40. All with wifi. And compatibility with Good email, finally. The Nokia innovation train rolls on! Release date is 1Q '06, meaning likely talking end of March - almost six months away. Glad I bought a 6681 to tide me over...

Press release

Photos

E60 specs(triband, edge, 3g, no camera, 30 meg internal memory)

E61 specs(quadband, edge, 3g, no camera, blackberry-style qwerty keyboard, 75 meg internal memory)

E70 specs(triband, edge, 3g, 2mp camera, fold out keyboard, 75 meg internal memory)

Nokia 3250: Series 60 with a twist

2005-09-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought that the innovation train on S60 devices had slowed, we see this new "music phone" from Nokia. Clearly, the twist is here to stay -- started with the 6260, again with the n90, and now with the 3250. It looks interesting, but I still am a traditionalist - a candybar kind of guy.

Update: This phone is already available on Mobilebee.com. It must have broken a Nokia record for fastest release from the date of announcement.

50 new Symbian products in development

2005-08-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

And seven licensees. More in the pipeline than at anytime in the last year. Clearly, there's more hardware innovation than ever using this platform, which is good for all of us freaks.

(thanks to My-Symbian)

Samsung to release S60 phones, finally

2005-08-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

I thought these phones were vaporware, but apparently the Samsung D720 slider and D730 flip S60 phones will actually see the light of day. This is pretty exciting - hopefully Samsung can produce a S60 phone that can compete with the best Nokias.

(thanks to Phonescoop)

Nokia 6681 pricewatch on Ebay

2005-08-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

It's falling like a rock... getting to the low $400s. It will be interesting to see what happens first: sub $400 pricing or the N70 gets released.

Looking to the last generation of S60 phones, the 6630 hit the $400 mark just around when the 6680/81 was released (the 6630 now can be had for an amazingly low price -- a little over $300 on Ebay or the mid $300s from retailers like myworldphone).

Sun sets on 6630 in Japan

2005-08-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Kinda makes you want to live in a country where the 6630 is so yesterday.

Mobile Burn's 6680 review: he likes it.

2005-08-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Jim Khang takes the 6680 for a ride and likes what he sees, other than the cramped keyboard, soft call volume, and no FM radio.

N90 shortage?

2005-08-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Sounds like bunk to me... probably has more to do with their limited manufacturing capacity than some great surge in buyers. And probably trying to cover up for the missed release date while trying to get some positive press now that it's available for a king's ransom.

All About Symbian on the shifting role of the mobile device

2005-08-08T06:22:00.000-07:00

New Nokia mobile search application for 6630, 6680, 6681

2005-08-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

This is a nice little app that is really just a Yahoo! interface for the phone. It's very fast and stripped down - it helps you get to the info you want a lot faster and easier than a Google Mobile search. Plus, it's integrated with the built-in xhtml browser very nicely. You can set your home area and change it when you search on the road, although I have yet to see how that affects the search results.

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE August 8, 2005

Nokia introduces mobile search to its smartphones

With the new mobile search application, search on the go is easier than ever

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today introduced a pioneering mobile search software solution that provides users with easy and fast access to leading search engines directly from their Nokia handset. The search application is a simple, convenient, and fast way for Nokia smartphone users to find and connect to any website as well as local search engines, whenever, wherever. The current service and content providers incorporated in the search application include Eniro, Fonecta, Medio Systems, Yahoo!, Yell.com, as well as digital map solution provider AtlasCT and digital map data provider NAVTEQ.

"Introducing the search application together with the leading search engine providers brings one of the world's most popular online activities - online search - to the fingertips of Nokia handset users," said Harry Santamäki, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Multimedia, Nokia. "With this extremely straightforward and easy to use application, users can now expand the use of online search services beyond their desktops. Furthermore, what better than to be able to connect directly and immediately to the business or service you were looking for. The search application is truly the next best thing to having all of the world's directories printed inside the mobile phone!"

The mobile search application is currently being piloted in the UK, Finland and Sweden. The application will be distributed in the standard sales packs of the Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681 and Nokia 6630 smartphones. Existing owners of these devices can download the search application for free from the Nokia website at www.nokia.com/mobilesearch.

With the search engines integrated and easily accessible in just one application, users of Nokia smartphones can search for anything on the web*, including websites, images, news and weather information, as well as mobile content, such as ring tones, games and wallpapers. Once something relevant, such as a website is found, the user can then immediately connect to see that site. In addition to Yahoo! Search services, users in the UK, Finland and Sweden also have access to local business and service information providers, namely Yell.com in the UK, Eniro and Fonecta in Finland, and Eniro in Sweden. UK users will also be able to conduct content-based searches via Medio Systems.

The local search engines enable searching for local services or businesses - anything from restaurants and hotels to taxi numbers or flower shops. Results of local searches display the relevant contact data, and the user can instantly, with the push of a button, call the given telephone number or save it to contacts. Moreover, with integrated mapping solutions from www.ABmaps.com portal by AtlasCT and digital map data from NAVTEQ, the results can be shown on a map, aiding users on the go to locate their destination. Users can also save and, for example, send the map as MMS to a friend.

When traveling between countries, the search application automatically offers to change to available local search engines. Users can also change the location setting manually, enabling a user to find the contact details, for example, of a hotel in another country in order to make a reservation for a future visit.

HML-6630-BK

2005-08-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

I just got this belt case for my 6630, and I highly recommend it. I'm not a big belt case guy, but after I massacred the case when dropping it out of my shirt pocket, I thought I should resort to some defensive action.

The phone fits snugly in the case, and vibrate can be felt easily when the phone is enclosed in it. Plemix carries it, but it can be found cheaper on ebay where I bought it from x1387 - one is listed for $11 plus shipping.

Bowling Master of your domain

2005-07-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

I try not to download games since I find it hard to exercise any self-restraint (I find them more addictive than text messaging). But I broke down and installed Bowling Master, a wonderful game from Mobirate. First class graphics, simple and fun. A great shareware product - try it and then buy it.

N90 Gsmarena review is up

2005-07-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

No big surprises. But a big heavy phone that is uncomfortable to hold in one's pocket is not very practical for daily use. I think I'm going to hold out for the "America's" version of the N70. At least that phone won't tear a hole in my pocket, both in terms of weight and cost.

The verdict is still out on whether it has vibration: some people on the user forum claim a version in Singapore has it, while others swear the final production model will not.

7.6 million Symbian devices shipped in Q2 '05!

2005-07-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Going like hotcakes. And a 214.8% year over year increase since Q2 '04. I'd say Nokia is very happy with this news, even if their margins overall are shrinking.

Source: The Register

Nokia to jettison Symbian?

2005-07-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

A very interesting article by Arcchart, a London-based wireless consulting firm, about some of the reasons Nokia could dump Symbian in favor of Linux. It doesn't seem too farfetched to me at all; another option would be replacing Symbian with S40 version 3. This upgraded os will have many of the same multimedia capabilities as Symbian, but won't require Nokia to pay a $5/phone license fee to Symbian.

My-symbian.com review of the N90

2005-07-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Another review of the pre-production model. I don't find those pictures so great to justify lugging around this brick, but I hold out hope out hope the phone that hits the market will be higher quality.

Nokia 6682 on Nokiausa.com! = $599

2005-07-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo. Nokia bypasses Cingular and T-Mobile, offering this great phone in an "Americas" version direct to consumers. I hope this is the start of a real trend for us GSM connoisseurs!

Edit: They seem to have sold out of the initial batch of 6682s for now. I assume it will reappear on the site, assuming this wasn't some sort of one-off test marketing campaign to see how unlocked high profile phones sell direct on nokiausa.com.

Opera 8 for Series 60 is released

2005-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

I found this to be a major improvement over the previous version, which always caused memory errors in my 6600 and 6630. This seems to be a robust and stable piece of software, which renders html pages absolutely beautifully. And the scroll down feature is really speedy -- you can get to the bottom story on the front page of www.nytimes.com in seconds rather than (what it seems like sometimes on the built in 6630 browser) in minutes.

I only have two complaints. First, it doesn't wrap lines on certain wap pages, like Yahoo!. And second, it is significantly slower than Netfront. I'll keep playing with the settings and see if I can speed it up.

N90 available

2005-07-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

On www.no-air-time.com -- $845. Can't wait to read the reviews!

Update: they now say on their website shipping 7/22. Getting closer.

Virtual Radio rocks

2005-07-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I missed this app. I just read a news article about how it won an Nokia Orange 3G Series 60 challenge developers award, which caught my eye.

It's spectacular. I found none of the connection problems I experience from Virgin Radio, and there's now a ton of content. And it's very reasonably priced -- $8.90.

I'm currently getting EDGE speeds, so your performance on GPRS may vary. However, the user reviews on my-symbian were very positive.

If you need reminding, it reminds you of why Series 60 is such a great platform.

PC Mag 6682 review

2005-06-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

I keep reading "GSM providers" in the US will carry this. I wonder if this will actually go to T-Mobile US as well as Cachingular at some point down the road, as T-Mo is starting to carry more and more 850 phones.

N90 Delayed until July

2005-06-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Whoopsie. At least they aren't rushing a bug infested phone out the door to make some artificial deadline.

6630 navigation pack

2005-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is sort of interesting... but the separate GPS unit doesn't seem very appealing to me... who needs one more piece of junk.

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE June 20, 2005

The Nokia 6630 Navigation Pack - a complete mobile navigation solution

Espoo, Finland - Nokia and Wayfinder Systems today announced the availability of the Nokia 6630 Navigation Pack, a compact smartphone-based package that enables people to find their way and explore locations while on the move. The navigation pack consists of a Nokia 6630 smartphone, a Nokia Wireless GPS Module and the Wayfinder Navigator(TM) application.

"Location based services are among the top consumer choices for new mobile applications," said Kirsi Kokko, Director, Smartphone and Business Solutions, Multimedia, Nokia. "With the Nokia 6630 Navigation Pack, we wanted to address this demand with a highly advanced, portable package combining the benefits of a smartphone and navigation. When not using navigation based services, people can enjoy the same device for productivity purposes, taking pictures or video, surfing the Internet or listening to music."
"The Wayfinder Navigator(TM) application on the Nokia 6630 brings the ultimate navigation solution to the consumer," said Jonas Sellergren, VP Product Management, Wayfinder Systems. "The Wayfinder Navigator(TM) in a Nokia smartphone delivers a complete navigation experience that previously has been found primarily built into cars. Wayfinder Navigator(TM) is the perfect travel companion, the ideal tool for people on the move."

The Nokia Navigation Pack puts the world into people's pockets: when connected to the Nokia Wireless GPS Module, users can directly from the Nokia 6630 smartphone see their position and the easiest route to their destination on a digital map, provided by Tele Atlas. Once installed with the automatic settings configuration tool, Wayfinder's extensive map selection - which currently covers Western Europe, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Greece* - is ready for use.

The application also guides users with turn-by-turn voice instructions, and allows searching for street addresses, restaurants and other points of interest. Furthermore, locations or points of interest can be shared by forwarding maps via MMS or email. The Nokia 6630 Navigation Pack does not require fixed installations, making it possible for people to use it whenever and wherever they like.

The Wayfinder Navigator(TM) application on the Nokia 6630 smartphone's Reduced Size MultiMediaCard (MMC) offers a 6-month period of navigation including automatic map updates. After the free period, users can extend the service directly from the Nokia 6630 smartphone or via www.MyWayfinder.com. In order to access the Internet and download routes, maps and information from the Wayfinder server, users need a GPRS** subscription.

In some markets, the navigation pack will also be available with the Nokia 6670 smartphone. The Nokia 6630 and 6670 Navigation Packs are available in Western Europe, with more areas to follow later on this year.

*Please check www.wayfinder.com for current map coverage.
**To check the availability and cost of the service, contact your network operator or service provider.