Are you always on the move, to the extent that you don't have time to charge your beloved Nokia phone? Or are you, being the power user that you are, always depleting the batteries of your N82 / N95? Or do you simply find the short battery life on the N82 / N95 really annoying? In all these cases, there's a quick and cheap solution to this - a mobile charger for your Nokia smart phone powered by AA batteries.
Although there are many options, this one from Energizer is rather eyecatching - it's going for a retail price of HK$168 (14 Euros, GBP 11, US$22) at large electronics retail outlets around Hong Kong (Fortress, Broadway...the likes of Dixons in the UK). What makes this better than Nokia's DC-8 is that an adapter cable at the top of the unit allows one to charge virtually all phones. Included as part of the pack include an adapter cable for Samsung and Old Nokia phones; a separate pack includes cables for Sony Ericssons, LG's, and Motorolas.
It's also great for travellers and backpackers, who don't have easy access to power plugs in the midst of their adventure. All they need to do is stock up on AA battery cells which can be easily obtained in all parts of the world. And if everyone in your party uses a different brand, all you need are different adapter cables - no need for individual chargers for everyone.
Don't expect it to charge your phone as fast as it does with a normal charger connected to a power socket - it's much slower. While I can probably get a full charge on my N82 in roughly just over an hour, it takes at least twice the time using this gadget; but at least you can still charge your phone while you're backpacking.
The unit gets slightly hot while the charging takes place; no, not scalding hot, but just nice and warm on a cold winter's day. Just ensure that you're not baking the charger under the sun and everything should be fine.
It's available on Amazon for all interested readers.
Recently a video of Google's OS Android running on the Nokia N95 has surfaced; would this mean that it's also possible to get Android running on other Symbian smartphones?
With the iPhone's release, more and more people are now aware of how a 'good' interface could be on the mobile phone. The Symbian S60 platform is extremely versatile and powerful; but if you asked any average user, they wouldn't be able to customise or change things as much as they wanted to as the options are nested deep within the different menus.
Google's Android is reminiscent of the iPhone's simple but effective interface where everything can just be accessed via a few clicks rather than being nested within menu after menu - perhaps this will see a change in Nokia's S60 platform, such as creating a overlying application like HTC's TouchFLO technology which allows everything to be accessed in a few clicks (on the WM platform)?
If Android could be allowed to run alongside the Symbian S60 platform (i.e. "dual-booting" the mobile phone) I would definitely be in favour of it; after all, the S60 platform has a huge number of applications, is extremely powerful (and relatively more complex to use), while the Android platform can make up the shortcomings of the S60 platform (such as browsing experience compared to the iPhone, and ease of use of the platform).
What's your take on the matter?
It doesn't matter if you have no idea how to create your own, personalised themes for your Nokia N82, as long as you have the images you want for the background. OwnSkin is an online tool which allows users to upload their images to create their own personal theme. It's fairly easy to use, and virtually every aspect of the theme can be edited, from the battery icon colours, to individual icons lying in the main menu.
The process only relies on the user clicking on each part of the theme that they want to change and from then on they can choose the colour, the image that be used to replace the icon, etc. It's extremely nifty and intuitive. When you're all done, the theme can be downloaded to the PC or either sent to your phone by providing your telephone number.
The online tool comes free of charge (which is quite a steal, as it's extremely customisable), so why not try it out now via this link.
After several weeks to months of use of your brand new N82, you might be finding that accessing your memory stick is no longer as fast as it used to be when you just got your phone. If you regularly take photos, transfer videos and music on and off your phone, this is a particularly frustrating issue.
A solution to the issue would be to defragment the external memory of which you store all these files every few weeks to a few months, depending on how often you delete and replace files on the memory stick. Defragmentation sorts the data on the external memory in to a sequential order, thus improving read performance of the external memory as data is now grouped together in chunks.
It's also beneficial to check the external memory for errors to ensure that your memory stick doesn't have any problems or bad clusters/sectors which may cause data on the memory to screw up or go missing / end up corrupted.
This can be done in Windows XP by going to My Computer (after connecting your phone as a USB Mass Storage Device, or by taking the memory stick out and putting it in a card reader), right clicking on the external microSDHC card, going to Properties >> Tools >> Error Checking or Defragment.
The Nokia N96's announcement prompted many in to a dilemma: should I get my phone now? Or should I wait? It's hardly an easy choice, considering that many of us want the newest and the best the mobile phone world has to offer - and right now it seems that the N96 is "the special one" that we've all been waiting for. Or is it? And how does it compare with the N82, which is "the special one so far"?
So here's a first look on the N96 vs. the N82 based on the announcements Nokia has made on the phone and the overall experience on the N82.
Form factor:
So from the above diagram, we can see that the N96 is slightly shorter, slightly fatter, slightly thicker. Similar to the N81 when you put it next to the N82.
If you're still in doubt the best way is probably to see the N81 and the N82 in person. That way you can get a feel of what the N96 size is like.
It's also a two-way slider, similar to the N95 - so it's really up to personal preference on whether you like a candybar phone or a slider. With sliding phones, there's always the potential problem that the springs are too loose or wear and tear over time, so any potential buyers should take notice.
Camera: The N82 is the current king of all camera phones - it's got a powerful xenon flash, and a 5 Megapixel autofocus Carl Zeiss Lens. The N96 will have a similar lens, but without the xenon flash. Yep, the N82 still tops the N96 here.
Storage: The N96 boasts 16GB of flash memory built right in to the phone; on the other hand the N82 only has a paltry 100MB, making it a battle between the size of a bowling ball and a pea. And the N96 allows for external microSDHC storage - so if you insert the largest memory stick currently available, 8GB, that brings the total capacity of the phone to 24GB. If you're a music lover then the N96 is the one for you.
Navigation: Being another of Nokia's flagship products, it definitely doesn't miss out on an internal GPS. Bundled along with the phone is Nokia Maps 2.0, currently in beta for the N82. I'd call this a tie.
Screen Size: 2.8" TFT screen for the N96 against the 2.4" TFT screen on the N82. The N95 8GB also sports a 2.8" screen - compare the size of that with the puny one on the N82...
The N96 is the sure winner in this case.
Mobile TV: An integrated DVB-H receiver for mobile television. Although it's already a de facto standard for Japanese phones, this is definitely a welcome addition to Nokia's portfolio. On the other hand, the N82 has to make do with a data plan and a Slingbox to get your TV streamed to your phone.
Connection: Yep, the Nokia N96 finally has USB 2.0 High Speed USB, with speeds of up to 480Mbps. The Nokia N82 only makes do with USB 1.1 speeds, thanks to older hardware.
Bands: The N96 supports Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), EDGE, and Dual Band UMTS (900/2100). So the Americas is out of this one - no 3G for potential users in the USA. The same goes for the N82, although it only runs on 3G/HSDPA 2100. The N96 is definitely future proofed - many European countries are considering using the 900Mhz spectrum for WCDMA/HSDPA, so it's only a matter of time before the N96 takes advantage of that.
Music Quality: The N96 contains a DSP chip for improved audio playback quality, so audiophiles should sit up and take notice. There is no DSP chip on the N82 or the N95.
Battery: Horrible. The N96 only sports a 950mAh battery, as opposed to the N82's 1050mAh battery. And couple that with a larger screen and even more features; you're be looking at something with an even shorter standby time than the N82.
So there we go. I'd love to hear your opinions on this, so please feel free to comment.
If you've been curious and delved around on the N82 and other Nokia N-series phones, you've might have realised that you can stream music from the phone to another device on your 'Home Network' - one that supports UPnP protocol, mind you; and you can also stream music from your PC to your phone via the same 'Home Network'. (Just take a look under Tools >> Connect >> Home Media).
So what is this UPnP? It stands for Universal Plug and Play, and basically it's a networking standard to allow different devices to connect to each other and implement data sharing, streaming, etc.
So first of all - streaming from your PC to your phone
Ewan Spence from AllAboutSymbian has just written up a guide on linking your PC's media library to your N-series device, so it's worth taking a look. I will be looking at the Mac side of things for Mac users to stream from their iTunes library to their N-series phone in the meantime, so stay with me!
Streaming from your phone to a UPnP compatible device
Unfortunately I currently don't have a compatible UPnP device, nor do I have the funds to purchase one. However, do expect a guide on this over the summer, when I'll get something with the money earned from my summer job.
