Thoughts on Nseries

Dear Nokia,

Congratulations on the N97! It’s a very exciting product, but great devices alone don’t make you a leader.

So what is really needed for the Nseries brand to succeed? Here are my thoughts…

The iPhone SDK was worth the wait

Oh yeah, it was definitely worth the wait. The iPhone SDK is here and is even more exciting than I expected :)

Here’s a quick summary:
- iPhone SDK and emulator available now (beta)
- Intel-based Mac required
- Microsoft Exchange/ActiveSync support coming (oh hello there, RIM)
- IM client coming
- Sega games coming (Super Monkey Ball)
- EA games coming (Spore)
- Apps available on iTunes App Store (both on iPhone and Mac/PC)
- Developer fee of $99 to publish in iTunes App Store (includes support)
- Developer sets price (paid or free)
- Developer keeps 70% of profits
- Firmware 2.0 required to use iTune App Store (available in June)
- iFund: $100 Million Dollars VC fund for iPhone software startups

For more information check out this play-by-play and this other summary…

So, I’m very excited about the iPhone SDK and I’m going to play with it ASAP! I think it’s another major wakeup call for RIM, Nokia, Google/OHA and Microsoft.

What do you think?

The day Apple and Nokia became less relevant

Well maybe not – after all, I have a lot invested (financially, if not emotionally) in Apple and Nokia!

Google finally announced its phone mobile technology plan, and not surprisingly, both Apple and Nokia are absent from the OHA, along with Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, RIM, Palm, AT&T and Verizon…

Wait, do Microsoft and Palm even still matter?

This will be a world of OS X, Symbian, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry vs. Android – the old vs. the new, the past vs. the future, the closed vs. the open, the proprietary vs. the free, the desktop vs. the cloud.

It’s a great development for T-Mobile and Sprint, and a wake-up call for the other carriers and the music/film industry. And was HTC giving Microsoft the proverbial finger?

As much as 2007 was definitely a milestone year in mobile technology, 2008 will be very interesting.

Prepare to be assimilated :)

Tasty bits – 20

Apple iPhone news:
- Check out Steve Litchfield’s “iPhone rant” starting at 5:13 in this video. It’s spot on :)
- The iPhone, now FCC approved!
- The iPhone + prepaid users = love? I hope so.
- Google is supposedly working on additional iPhone applications…

Nokia E90 news:
- Here are an unboxing and a “hands on”
- The E90 multi-part review continues, followed by a one-day review

Nokia N75 news:
- Here are a practical review and a (slightly more) formal review

Nokia N95 news:
- A camera bug? Nah :)

OQO Model 02 news:
- Don’t miss this great video review…

LG KE850 (Prada) news:
- Here are a review and an article about the differences between the KE850 and the iPhone

Sony Ericsson P1i news:
- Enjoy this preview and this video overview!

In other news:
- The mobile Google Maps client now supports GPS
- The Meizu M8 (miniOne) features some cool specs
- How about an interesting comparison between several 3+ megapixel camera phones? Unfortunately, the impressive i-mobile 902 is not included.
- Microsoft is betting on Shift for future touch-based devices

Tasty bits – 16

Now that the Nokia N95 is in the wild, so are the pictures, the unboxing, a navigation review, a music review, and a camera review! In addition, here’s a video podcast about video editing, as well as info about GPS applications and the tilt sensor…

The OQO Model 02 is also in the wild – but where is mine?

Speaking of handtops, the Vulcan Flipstart is shipping.

Will you buy the Apple iPhone on June 11? I’m going to try :)

Apparently, the LG KE850 (Prada) is now available for free – check out this interface video…

Here are more pictures of the sexy Samsung F700!

It looks like Microsoft is trying to catch up to Nokia on the mobile web browser front.

Speaking of browsers, Opera Mobile for Windows Mobile Smartphone is now available for download – my Samsung i607 (BlackJack) is smiling :)

How about high-quality DRM-free music from the iTunes store? Well, it’s about time.

Tasty bits – 15

CTIA just started, bringing Symbian v9.5 along with more pictures of the Nokia E90….

Several bloggers have received production versions of the Nokia N95, including Steve, Rafe, James, and Darla who got a custom pink one!

In addition, there are rumors that the N95 is going to be released officially by Nokia in the US.

Here is a promotional video and a design video of the beautifully sleek Nokia N76.

Samsung i607 (BlackJack) users (me) rejoice! An official Windows Mobile upgrade is now available…

I’ve mentioned before that 2007 will be the year of the touch-based device, and apparently Microsoft got the memo.

OS X update adds Bluetooth PAN

On Tuesday, Apple released the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update, which (amongst other things) adds support for Bluetooth PAN! Strangely, this profile was missing from OS X, despite Apple traditionally leading Bluetooth support.

So why does this matter to me? Like most devices running Windows Mobile 5.0 with AKU3, my Samsung i607 (BlackJack) does not support Bluetooth DUN, so until this OS X update, I was forced to connect via USB…

I’m happy to report that Bluetooth PAN in OS X works flawlessly with my BlackJack.

On a related note, I was asked why I’ve not mentioned the BlackJack here recently. Well there’s really not much to report… I tweaked the device to be useful to me and I’ve been using it on and off ever since.

I have replaced Windows Live Search with the native Windows Mobile version of the Google Maps client.

I originally picked up the BlackJack because I was looking for a US-compatible HSDPA smartphone. It is a good device overall, and Windows Mobile is better than I expected. Nonetheless, I still prefer Symbian!

The problem with Bluetooth PAN

Other than OS X not (yet) supporting Bluetooth PAN, the lack of Bluetooth DUN on my Samsung i607 (BlackJack) was not a major problem for me… Until yesterday.

I tried to share my Bluetooth PAN connection over WiFi in Windows XP (thus turning my OQO into a WiFi access point for a friend’s Mac) – but no, it’s just not possible! Yet it’s possible to share a Bluetooth DUN connection.

So Microsoft, what’s going on here?

Java solution and Windows Live Search

Thanks to a bit more help, I now have working Java solution for my Samsung i607 (BlackJack)! Java applications are no longer constantly prompting for permission to access the network… This makes the Google Maps Mobile and GMail Mobile actually useful :)

And speaking of Google, I recently installed the native (Windows Mobile) version of Windows Live Search, and I’m pretty impressed! Which begs the question: when is Google going to release a native (preferably Symbian) version of Google Maps Mobile? Because despite being a non-Microsoft person, I’m sorry to report that Windows Live Search walks all over Google Maps Mobile…

I don’t sync so

So I’ve been using my Samsung i607 (BlackJack) for several days now and I’m pretty impressed! You see, I’m primarily a Symbian & Mac person so I’ll admit being a little worried about purchasing a Windows Mobile device, especially since the ones I’d tested in the past generally appeared to sacrifice basic phone functionality (poor RF, audio and UI performance) without being particularly compelling “multimedia computers” (as an aside I think Nokia’s terminology is dead on).

Samsung hardware is generally pretty decent, and the i607 is quite nice. But surprisingly, Microsoft’s software is also pretty decent, and is quite stable, too! However, there’s one nagging problem with Windows Mobile… It’s called ActiveSync. Call me crazy, but in this day and age, how can you make a smartphone without support for Bluetooth DUN & OBEX? I know Microsoft likes promoting ActiveSync, but why Bluetooth PAN? Why not also support the existing industry standards?

So I ended up purchasing Missing Sync. It’s not particularly intuitive, but after some trial and error, I managed to sync over USB and Bluetooth. I also succeeded in getting DUN (over USB) setup on my Mac, and Bluetooth PAN setup on my OQO (Windows XP). Then I got the phone SIM unlocked and application unlocked. With a bit of help, I also got SlingPlayer working and the annoying startup/shutdown audio disabled. The only fix left is finding a way to stop Java applications from constantly prompting for permission to access the network.

Give this device a better camera, WiFi, and Symbian and I’d have my ideal smartphone – like blending the E61, N73 and adding tri-band HSDPA. Nokia, are you listening? In the meantime, if you’re looking for a decent Windows Mobile device, the BlackJack is it… But in the end, my N80 is not ready to be retired yet.