Looking for more carrying options for the new E71? Proporta has created a pretty nice carrying option in the form of the E71 flip-type Alu-leather case. Just like previous Alu-leather cases, this one features what  Shure call the “Screen Saver System”, basically a sheet of Aluminium to line the Case, protecting the device from crushing and impact shocks. As extras it also has a memory card holder and a magnetic vehicle mount.

Should be available pretty soon.

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain on Vimeo.

Golden Shellback is special coating that’s applied on electronic devices and is said to keep it safe from the elements. I can see something like this on future Nokia devices, but wouldn’t such a thing make cases obsolete? To give you a better idea of the product, this is what the official company website has to say;

“Golden Shellback coating is a unique coating that protects critical operational equipment against damage and loss of function caused by exposure to weather and moisture. It is ideal for application in the electronics industry.

Golden Shellback coating produces a vacuum deposited film that is nonflammable, has low toxicity and has the ability to weatherproof electronic devices and other surfaces. It contains no volatile organic combustibles (VOCs). The clear, nearly non-detectable, uniform film is insoluble in solvents. When applied to clean, moisture free surfaces, such as plastic, copper, aluminum, metal, ceramic, steel, tin or glass, the coating is transparent with excellent weather proofing and anti-corrosion properties.

Advantages

Golden Shellback coating has an excellent ability to repel oils, synthetic fluids, hazardous materials, dust, dirt and water based solutions. Low surface tension values, such as water and oils will bead and drain freely from coated surfaces. The process produces a uniform, continuous, near hermetic coating that resists rain and humidity. Electronics casually exposed to water continue to work even after exposure. The coating is readily applied and not generally considered to be removable. Repairs are made using abrasive methods. “

Via: Gizmodo

A quick check on the DNLA website revealed that the N78 joins devices like the N95, N95 8GB and N82 in being DNLA certified devices. DLNA-compatible devices serve two different functions: Server, Client or both. "Servers" distribute media such as image, music, or video files, and "clients" receive and play the media. Devices like N95 8GB, N82 and now N95 are classified as a Mobile Media Server, allowing you to make the content available to clients like the Sony PS3 and DNLA printers. If you’re wondering how exactly this certification can be put to use you can see how it can be connected to a Sony Playstation 3 to play music, show pictures and control your media, like in the video below. Pretty soon you’ll also be able print wirelessly via WIFI using DNLA certified printer.

Remember the N80’s cool (and handy) Blue notification light? Or what about the one on the N800? The recently released E71 has this same function, but with an added touch of class. The notification light actually serves a dual purpose. Once the phone has entered the power-saving mode it tells you that the phone is On by slowly flashing the notification light: it gradually turns the light On (once every 8 seconds) and gradually turns the light Off. If that wasn’t enough it also serves as well, a notification light. You can set it to notify you of new Missed calls, New Text messages, New SMS messages and New e-mails received. While none of this is really new to us here at The Nokia Guide, I have to say that the way it gradually turns on and off when in power-saving mode adds a touch of class and somehow a gives it an almost organic feel to it. Dare I even say a bit of personality? Have a look at the short video and let me know what you think.

The Nokia E71 is another handset supporting microSDHC, meaning that it can use microSD cards up to 32GB. Wondering how fast you can fill up those cards? The transfer speed is going to be key! Using the HD Tach storage benchmark using the included 2GB memory card and we got the following numbers (in MB/s):

Basically it speeds is about as fast as recent Nseries devices like the n95 8GB or even earlier devices like the N76. Only the Internet Tablets are faster at 5.1MB/s.

In many cases, after buying that brand new Nseries it far from over as a great deal of your budget when buying mobile devices goes to the accessories. But what if money was no object, what ultimate accessories should you get for your Nseries?

Playstation 3($399-$499): The Playstation is currently one of the best and cheapest Blu-ray players and one of the first supporting BD-Live.  Just like N95, N95 8GB, N78, N82, N96 it supports DNLA and UpnP which all comes down to wirelessly accessing files stored on the one of the devices mentioned above and displaying it on your large Plasma screen, like your pictures or videos. No need to worry about your music collection as that too can be wirelessly accessed and played on your Home Theater. I think this vid should do the trick.

Shure SE530PTH ($549.00): Simply put, the Shure SE530PTH is one of the best sounding In-Ear-Monitors (IEM) under $1000. In-Ear Monitor sit directly inside the ear canal and fully envelope it. IEM serve a double duty:  they also act as earplugs to block out environmental noise. This not only has its advantages when it comes to isolating the listener from outside noise, but it also has its implications when it comes to the volume needed for comfortable listening and of course performance, delivering much greater dynamic range, as compared to the average earphone/earbud. Equipped with two woofers and tweeter this things produces incredible sound and has become my personal earphone of choice when enjoying my tunes on my N95 8GB. It’s noise-blocking properties totally isolate you from the rest of the world, luckily it’s included Push-to-Hear module has a mic and transfer music ambient sound to your ears allowing you to make normal conversation without taking them off.

SoundCast Outcast ($699):  Most portable speaker sound horrible. The outcast is portable and features an 8” downward firing woofer, four 3” high frequency drivers in an omni-directional array, a 100 watt digital amplifier and the Soundcast receiver. The best thing about this is that it’s rechargeable, allowing you to take these anywhere you like, even outdoors due to speakers being weather proof. The Soundcast receiver allows you to keep your Nseries inside and wirelessly stream music to the Outcast outside! Finally a portable speaker that really sounds good.

Sandisk 16 GB microSDHC (No word on price): With an impending release of the N96 with its built-16GB of memory and the option of adding microSDHC cards, you could very soon be walking around with devices holding no less than 32GB’s of memory. Sorry N95 8GB and N81 GB users, you’re out of luck here.

Proporta’s “No Ordinary Designer Charger Kit” by Ted Baker:The Proporta Mobile Charger has become a de facto standard when it comes to mobile charging. Recently Proporta released a special edition black version of the Mobile Charger called the “No Ordinary Designer Charger Kit” by Ted Baker.  According to Wikipedia Ted Baker is “is a British clothing retail company, known for applying twists to their products, and has become a UK designer label through word of mouth rather than advertising.  It seems that the updated unit was Styled by Ted Baker London and features a new black and grey look. Hardware-wise the unit is exactly like the original except for the new black and grey look with the Ted Baker sign and a drawstring bag. The unit will sell for as much as the original version, which is around $ 49.95.If that wasn’t enough they also released the Ted Baker Six Pack which includes all of the above but adds the World AC Power and Car Power Supply (with USB) for $ 59.95.

What high-end accessory have you bought or are thinking of buying for your Nseries?

Ultimate Accessories for your Nseries part 1

Nokia tune is a selected passage from the solo guitar composition Gran Vals. Apparently: “In 1993 Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President of Nokia, brought the whole Gran Vals for Lauri Kivinen (now Head of Corporate Affairs) and together they selected the excerpt that became "Nokia tune"”.

Stefan was one of the first to break the news about the new Nokia Tune ringtone included with some of the newer devices like the E71 and N78. Do I like it? It’s OK I guess, but in some ways I prefer the previous Nokia Tune. The newer version starts abruptly and just isn’t recorded in a way to allow it to be loud enough, no matter how loud the built-in speakers are. Nokia doesn’t even include the older version in some of the newer devices like the E71. How about adding it back in newer firmware versions Nokia? Something so iconic and especially recognizable as the previous “Nokia Tune” should remain and even if it’s replaced with a newer version it should stay true to the original. In my opinion the newer version doesn’t do the Nokia Tune any justice. The ensemble in this Youtube vid seems to do a better job. What do you think? Do you like the new Nokia tune?

I recently found myself using what seems like one of the best S60 apps available: Joikuspot. Especially having unlimited 3G service, my N95 8GB, a notebook and of course Joikuspot means I can hop online at fairly high speeds anywhere where 3G is available on the island, which in my case means everywhere!

Recently I really have gotten into gaming and the media possibilities of the Playstation 3 and found myself going to friends with my PS3 and needing high speed internet access. One of the easiest solutions I turned to was the N95 8GB + Joikuspot +3G. The PS3 is able to detect WLAN connection and connect wireless, but no matter what I did it just didn’t want to see the Joikuspot connection.

After a bit of searching, it was clear what was wrong: Joikuspot on S60 based smartphones only supports the ad hoc mode, while devices like the PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and IPod Touch require WLAN in an infrastructure mode. To make sure this works all you need to do now is check if your device can get online via infrastructure mode.

In the end I’m left with one question, is this a limitation of Joikuspot or Symbian S60? The reason why this is unclear is because of these two phrases used on the Joikuspot FAQ section:

“E) Why doesn’t JoikuSpot work with Sony PSP or Nintendo DS?

Sony PSP and Nintendo DS require WLAN infrastructure mode. JoikuSpot does not support this yet.”

“D) Why does JoikuSpot appear as computer to computer (ad hoc) network?

Currently Symbian OS used in Nokia phones does not support WLAN infrastructure mode.”

A 3G-enabled Nseries, 3G service and joikuspot is a killer combination, but a whole lot of devices can be added if infrastructure mode can be added. Is this a limitation of Symbian S60 or Joikuspot? What do you think?

The Nokia E71 has arrived here at the Nokia Guide and having just a weekend to play with the new enterpriselicious QWERTY device so far, it’s not enough to write a full-blown Mega Review, but how about a few random thoughts and opinion based on my usage for now? The E71 arrived in a box similar to what we are used to with Nseries devices, except for two interesting things: a much much smaller box and using the color red as an “accent color”. Normally we are used to the grey, white and even pinkish Nseries, but red for the Eseries?! As you’ll soon see, it’s not only a part of the box that’s red.

The sample received was a  “Grey Steel”  E71-1 supporting Dual mode WCDMA (900/2100 HSDPA) and Quadband GSM (EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900MHz) with the v100.07.76 firmware. The standard retail package comes with:

·         Nokia E71

·         Nokia Battery (BP-4L)

·         Nokia Charger (AC-5)

·         Nokia connectivity cable (CA-101)

·         Nokia Headset (HS-47)

·         Nokia Eseries Lanyard

·         Nokia Eseries Pouch

·         User Guide, Quick Start Guide and other documentation

·         2GB microSD card

-Build-Quality is exceptional. Coming from something like N95 8GB, N95 or even the N82, the E71 stays true to Eseries tradition by delivering outstanding build quality that only gets better with the use of metals and the tight gaps between parts.  The E71 leaves the N95 and N95 8GB far behind when it comes to build quality.

-The textured metal on the back adds a surprising amount of grip, yet adds an interesting and sophisticated design element.

-The E71 has a layout that’s the closest thing to perfect I have ever seen from Nokia, everything from the QWERTY keyboard, the overall size, the space between the elements, the buttons, it all just works perfectly, if only they could make the screen bigger: 2.8 or even 3”. The Nseries definitely should get such a device with such a layout and QWERTY keyboard.

-The included 2.5 mm Nokia AV connector is a disappointment and believe me it’s a big one.  You truly appreciate the 3.5mm audio jack when a device lacks it. This is probably the biggest negative side of the E71.

-No TV-Out.  With full-office editing and viewing functions, having this would have been the ultimate “leave your notebook at home” feature. Doing presentations via a TV-out function would have been ideal for the business user.

-The E71’s keys remind me of the excellent N93 keys, only slightly smaller and not as “spongey”, with the same rounded shape pointing upwards. The keys on the E71 work really well and are a positive change from flat keys we’ve seen so far from the likes of the N78. N93i. Even though the keys on the N82, N95 and N95 8GB worked, they should have been like the N93 and W71. Every key on the E71 exudes a quality feel, including the solid feeling Naviwheel.

-The new Nokia Tune is an interesting change, but where’s the original one?

-The addition of a lanyard and a pouch is nice touch and Nokia should this every Eseries and Nseries device. Too bad the pouch doesn’t have a belt loop or clip.

-Remember the red color on the box? This color is again repeated on the power button, lanyard and even the inside of the pouch. Red isn’t the accent color I would think of using when designing a business device, but it sure works well. This leads me to believe that the E71 and slider E66 are despite their business roots, they seem to have robbed a few ideas from Nokia L’Amour and Super Nova fashion devices.

-Despite the inclusion of a fairly decent (on paper atleast) 3.2 Megapixel Auto-Focus camera, the E71 falls behind other 3.2 MP devices like the N73 and N93 or even 2 Megapixel devices like the N70. The reason why the camera falls behind is due to the noisy sensor and poor dynamic range. This is expected from a business oriented devices, but this probably means that unlike devices like N82  that can double as a camera, the E71 should be left for emergencies only. In the case of the N82 you could leave the camera at home, in the case of the E71 you’ll probably need to carry more devices to cover the multimedia side of things.

-The breathing light is a cool, yet functional touch.

-The E71 is smaller in person than what I expected and let’s not forget how thing the device is, especially when you realize that the battery takes quite a bit of space.

-Speaking of batteries, the E71 battery life is quite impressive.

-Devices like the N76, N800 and even N93i screen were almost unreadable in direct sunlight, luckily just like the N95, N95 8GB and N93, the E71’s screen stays readable even in the brightest tropical sun.

-The E71 is a finger print magnet, especially the back. This is probably caused by the abundant use of metals and shiny surfaces. Just in case you were wondering the E71 should double as a signaling device in case of any emergency due to the shiny surfaces. Even when taking pictures of yourself, the back can be used as a giant mirror.

-The menu is very responsive and apps open up very quick.

What would you like to know about the E71? And if you were lucky enough to score an E71, what interesting things have you noticed?

For a while now we’ve had the Nokia PC Suite and the not-so-popular Nseries PC Suite.  And now we can add OVI Suite, which seems to be replacing both the Nseries PC Suite and PC Suite. Symbian-Guru, Ricky Cadden has the details on the new software here. And if that wasn’t enough we can now add Dashwire 2.0 to mix which is set to release a special version for Symbian S60 based Nokia’s, set to launch this summer. What will you be using? PC Suite, Nseries PC Suite,Nokia OVI Suite or Dashwire?