Wednesday, April 29, 2009

HTC Touch HD in da house!

Yes, I finally did it! I bought a HTC Touch HD, a beast of a Windows Mobile device. But why?
I admit, I really like the Nokia 5800 Musci Express, which I've been using for the past three months, day and night. But slowly but surely I began to miss the WM operating system, which is so tweakable, and so easy to use (for me). So, when the Youch Diamond 2 was released, I began to think about going back to WM. The TD2 is a very good device, with everything on board to keep you happy for a long time. But, when I did take a good look at the device, I decided it wasn't that different from a TD, or, for that matter, the Nokia 5800.
Then, on a wednesday evening, I went to the Mediamarkt, and could compare several devices, like the Touch HD, the Diamond 2 and the Touch Cruise 2. I was immediately blown away by the screen of the Touch HD! Wow. And the TF3D performed very, very good.
But to be honest, the TD2 was also a very nice device. Still, I really liked the Touch HD with its 3,8" 800x4800 screen. The decision was made...
The next day I ordered it for 509 euro and got it on friday the 24th of april.



First impressions
- Again, the screen blows you away: gorgious!
- the device feel very sturdy, no creeking. That makes a world of differences with the Nokia 5800, which has a plastic feel and poor build quality.
- TF3D runs smoothly, now you can turn off or replace the tabs (I removed the stocks tab, don't need that).
- I read about issues with TomTom 6, that would not work. So I installed Route 66 Navigator 7 (yes, quite outdated) and it worked like a charm. So I have navigation throughout Europe on my HD.
Note: Nokia Maps is free and covers about the whole world. I installed it locally, so didn't need an online connection to use the maps. But... I really did not like the license policy of Nokia. I tried navigation for a month, it was ok, but I think the costs for navigation are way to high. For 90 or 100 euros I can buy navigation across Europe which I can use for many years. No map updates, but no navigation fees too.
- all the software I installed (memmaid, total commander. eWallet, listpro etc) works without any problems.
- battery duration cannot match that of the Nokia 5800, but is not as bad as the original battery of the Diamond. I think you can compare it to the extended battery of the TD. You can make it through one day, that's all I'm asking for.
- haptic feedback. I like it on the Nokia, I like it on the HD.
- bigger screen = bigger icons and list items = finger friendly.
- MicroSD instead of fixed 4GB (on TD), and, like the Nokia, it comes with an 8GB MicroSD card.
- better on/off button than the TD, but I really miss the on/off switch of the Nokia!
- 3.5mm headphone jack. No more ExtUSB hassle. Just plugin your favorite headphone and you're done.
- 5MP camera. No flash. Nice pictures, but then again: if you want quality pictures, use a real digital camera. No dedicated shutter button, which is bad. But tap on the screen to specify where the focus must be set.
- speaker: much louder than on the TD, but not as loud as on the Nokia.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Nokia 5800 defects?!?

It seems that the first serie of Nokia 5800 was flawed with a bad earspeaker. The people from MobileReview have discovered this issue, read here.
Lucky though, the new generation (from end january) does not have this issue, plus, Nokia admits the problem. So, if you have an issue with your 5800, you can go to a Nokia Care Point and they will repair it cost free. This also applies to the so called 'grey import'.
My Nokia 5800 was legally bought in the Netherlands, but it turns out, it was imported from Germany. This is 'grey import'. It really doesn't matter though, because the device language is 'Dutch' and I have full warranty by Dutch law. So if I encounter this issue, or any other problem, I will have it fixed under warranty.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

New firmware Nokia 5800

Yes, new firmware! Version 20.0.012. Installation over-the-air (OTA) went smooth, I didn't need to reboot or hard-reset. So far I feel there's not that much changed. Let's hope this version of the firmware is less buggy - although don't have any problems. Others seem to have issues with the new update. See here for more information about the 5800.

Oh yeah, yesterday I bought a brand new Ultra Clear Screen Protector for Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, on screenprotector.nl for 9 euro. I looks good (you hardly see it's there) and it protects the screen from dirt and scratches.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Issues

I have discovered some issues with the 5800 and Nokia software. Most of them are fixed though... I have firmware v11.0.008 and Dutch language.

- single tap vs. double tap: you get used to it, so not really an issue

- unable to install extra software, you get a license expired message: I've spend hours searching for a solution for this problem. Nokia Support told me to change the date back to 2008 or 2007, but that didn't work. So finally I found a solution which worked for me:
(1) backup your device
(2) dial *#7370# code and enter lock code ‘12345'. The device will HARD reset, so you lose everything (contacts, calendar, settings etc)
(3) start the device, and restore the backup.
After this was done, I could install GoogleMaps and other extra software, as it should be!

- sync problems between Windows PC and the 5800. I installed the software on the mini DVD, which include the Ovi Suite. Unfortenately, I could not get it to work. So finally I installed the latest Nokia PC suite. Using that software I was able to sync my Outlook contacts and calendar items, make backups and add music.

- adding music was clumsy (via the PC suite). So I ended up attaching the 5800 as USB drive, and then copying the music to the (preinstalled!) 8GB microSD card. Easy and you don't need all that bullshit software on your pc.

- testing the Nokia Maps app is not possible since I cannot get a proper license. That is, I have a license for Germany/Austria but not for The Netherlands. Although I bought the device in Holland, it comes from Germany I guess. So, it seems impossible to change the license to my country. If anyone knows a workaround? The only solution is to wait for the official release, but even Nokia Netherlands does not known when that is.

- not an issue but...every time I press on the screen a little vibration is felt. You can turn this off, but now you feel you have pressed something. Strangely though, I sometimes think there's something loose in the device because of this buzz.
It's all a matter of getting used to.

Conclusion
Now that I'm able to install extra software, have all my contact etc on my device plus all my music and some movies (wmv format) I'm feeling ok. The Symbian OS feels reliable and is easy to use. In the next weeks I'll do more test and see how it performs as my day to day device.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

So here it is, the brand new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The first S60 touch screen device!
I've been playing around with it for a few days, and I'm impressed. As you may know, I have been using PDA's and smartphones for years now (started in 1998 up today) so I know all about these clever devices. My latest touch device was the best so far, the HTC Touch Diamond. But now there's a new kid on the block. How about it?



Here are my thought...

I know touch, but I don't know Symbian. Never used it, so as a newby, how does it work out of the box? Well, to be honest, easy. First of all, this is a port from standard S60 to touch S60 (5th edition), aimed at the touch user, and you can feel it. Buttons and option are big and fingerfriendly. Every press results in a little buzz (can be turned off) and pressing the screen is easy. It is a touchscreen, so can also use a stylus.
All in all, navigation around is easy and reasonably logical, although you have to get used to the fact that some settings are hidden at different places.
Main drawback (but after a while you get used to it): normally you have to tap once to activate something, but in lists you must double tap. So it happens that you tap, wait, and then tap again to get something done. Luckily, the navigation is speedy, better than the Diamond (WinMo in general).
Other drawback: I cannot install any software, so, no GoogleMaps, no QuickOffice etc. I'm looking for a solution.
The GPS works ok, you get a quick fix with Nokia Maps. The media stuff is alright, the music player works fine, like the video's and images.

In the next blog I talk about the problems...