Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the N97’s sliding camera cover. Many have been reporting scratches that started appearing  on the lens cover. You can follow the discussion here and here.  It now appears that these scratches are being caused by the sliding camera design that doesn’t take into account that dust eventually finds its way into electronics.

Apparently there’s a small blue plastic part right underneath the sliding cover that holds a magnet. This magnet triggers a switch, which is what allows the slider to inform the phone that the camera application should be activated. Problem is that this blue part sits way too close to the clear lens cover. Debris that is stuck inside is the cause of these scratches.

In an article written a while back at AllAboutsymbian they did an experiment trying to find out if scratched lenses could have any effect on image quality. Their conclusion was that: “for 99.9% of ‘normal’ photos, you simply won’t notice any difference whatsoever between photos taken when your phone is new and those taken when it’s lived in your pocket for six months and has some battle scars on its (unprotected) camera glass.” From the results, it seemed that in cases where flash was involved or the sun was of at a specific angle, there were some noticeable (but not by much) differences. The results from the Nokia blog seem to support this: scratched areas on the clear lens cover are interfering with the light produced by the flash, affecting image quality. Mark did say that he wiped the lens cover clean. In some cases this can do more harm then good: there could be tiny particles on the glass surface and wiping them clean has the same effect as sandblasting glass. Remember those glass bathroom doors that have an almost foggy look to them? This is done by sandblasting, basically scratching the glass to create an effect.

So what can you do? SymbianGuru Ricky Cadden has received a few tips from Nokia Care, to prevent this from happening:

All of these tips make a lot of sense, but I feel that an important one is left out: use compressed air instead of a cleaning cloth to get rid of debris. As mentioned above, cleaning the clear lens cover with a cleaning cloth with debris on the clear lens cover may have the same effect as sandblasting. Luckily N86 8MP  users don’t seem to be affected by this. Do you know any tips that might prevent this from happening?

Image: Courtesy N97fanatics

1.Two devices in one: The E75 literally feels like two devices in one. One second you have a full QWERTY device, the other you have a compact candybar phone that fits much easily in your pocket and more comfortable to hold in your hand. Think of it as having an E71 that can transform into a much smaller E55. In fact, with the slider closed it could easily pass for the E55. With the slider open the E75 has an overwhelming amount of keys, but you quickly learn to focus on just the QWERTY  keys. Many people argue that QWERTY devices are bulky, not only for the thickness, but also because they are wide. The E75 easily solves this problem.

2.Beautiful design: It says a lot about the design when you have a business device that has no less then 68 keys, yet it still manages to have a classy beautiful design that’s also functional. The E75 is able to turn heads just like any Nseries, but with some serious Stainless steel goodness. The Red is not a color I would  have picked up, but it’s growing on me  and really stands out in a world of Silver and Black QWERTY devices. It’s one of those devices where you are constantly asked: “What phone is that?”

3.Great build quality: Keeping true to Eseries tradition, the E75 has amazing build quality. Everything from the stainless steel, to solid slider, to the heft of the device shows that it’s build like a tank. From what I’ve seen, the E75 also seems to be very resistant to scratches or dents.

4.3.5mm Audio jack and great audio quality: One of the things I missed on the E71 was a 3.5mm audio jack. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much. But the best thing is the fact that the E75 has a very clean audio output, easily driving my earphones. In certain situations you do wish that it had some volume headroom, but there is no denying that the audio output is impressive.

5.Not a finger print magnet: Yes, the E75 is shiny and yes the lady could easily use the back as mirror, yet it’s not a finger print magnet. I’m not sure if it’s the Red color,  or some magical coating, but the E75 never seems to attract finger prints like other shiny devices. Obviously it doesn’t remain spotless, but for some reasons it simply won’t show finger prints like other device. Finally a device with materials designed for the real word.

6.Really fast: The E75 is very responsive and never seem to leave you waiting, even with the Theme effects are on.With heavy multi-tasking the same responsiveness is maintained.

While studying for my upcoming Criminal law exams, I received an email message from Denirah. The message can be seen below. This coach is starting to think that this particular student might be getting a bit too comfortable with her E75!

How it was done.

I had previously shown Denirah the Geo-tagging capabilities of the E75’s camera and Sports Tracker. All she needed to do is get a GPS lock, fire up Sports Tracker and take her shots along the way. Knowing that her shots were Geo-tagged, when she emailed me the picture I uploaded the shot to Flickr. Flickr is able to read the EXIF data, revealing the exact coordinates of where the image was taken. This can be done by going viewing the “More properties” option in Flickr. In this case the picture was taken at GPS Latitude: 12 deg 7′ 1.00″ N/GPS Longitude: 68 deg 57′ 54.00″ W:

Sports Tracker is also able to export an KML file that can be read by Google Earth, showing me exactly how to get to that beach:

Some time ago I remember mentioning to Denirah (technophobe and sister)  that I would be doing a new art project with “Blue & Yellow” (The official colors of our National flag) as the theme for the project. To accomplish this I require lots and lots of inspiration which currently I don’t have. So, to my surprise, I got an email from Denirah with the subject: “Here’s some inspiration” and attached were 2 shots taken with her E75, containing some great inspirational material for the project. She was able to quickly take to shots and send them of to my E75. “The entire process from taking the two shots to sending them took me less than a minute” said Denirah when I called her thanking her for the pictures. On the other side she did wish that she could see a preview of the images when choosing an attachment in Nokia Messaging.

From an imaging point-of-view, the E75 produced some great shots, despite being a business and messaging focused device. Challenge 3 is on the way..

White smartphones are a hot topic these days and many manufacturers are joining in on the fun by releasing the familiar Black, but now also a White version. Nokia is also keeping up with this trend, just look at recent device like the N97, N86, E71, even the E75 will soon be sporting a White version. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that White things get dirty quiet easily and so will White smartphones. Just take a look at recent issues with the White N97 right here.

When I read about the White HTC Hero, I found it interesting that only the White version had a Teflon coating. Teflon as you may or may not know is known for its non-stick properties, where water-containing substances nor oil (aka; dirty hands and fingers) don’t stick to the object with the coating applied, perfect for White smartphones. Maybe Nokia should apply this to upcoming White device.

Would you like a device with a non-stick surface, where dirt and oils are repelled?

News is coming in that Nokia had filed a trademark application for “Cseries” back in April of this year. It’s anybody’s guess what this Cseries is going to mean for Nokia. One thing is for sure, the number in the Nseries are quickly running up, even faster when you consider that we won’t be seeing a N74, N84 or N94, as this is seen as bad luck in some Asian countries. Is this maybe the series to be used for the new Maemo-based device? Or a replacement for the Nseries? Or how about a series solely dedicated to imaging device, something like Sony Ericsson’s Cybershot?

What do you think this Cseries could be?

Via: BGR & Puhelinvertailu

Files on OVI, Nokia’s service that allows you access files on your computer from any remote PC (via Web browser) or mobile device, used to cost:

- 10GB Monthly: €6.99
- 10GB Annual: €49.99
- 30GB Monthly: €12.99
- 30GB Annual: €99.99

but as of today, the service is now completely free!. If you currently have a paid subscription, you will receive a refund for the remaining portion of your subscription. Why make it free? Nokia says that: “On-the-go file access is a basic component of a complete mobile lifestyle offering. Providing Ovi Files for free enables Nokia to connect more people to Ovi and accelerate the creation of even more advanced Files and Ovi features.”

The 5800 XpressMusic has been  out for a while now and  with all its success you’d expect it to get the full Nokia treatment, like Nokia Internet Radio or viNe. But one of the biggest omissions is N-Gage support. The N97, basically a souped-up version of  5800 has N-Gage support, so why not support it on the 5800? Even E75, a business device (!) has N-Gage while, the 5800 XM, device all about entertainment doesn’t? Doesn’t make sense to me. With so many 5800 XM units out there, not supporting means locking a big share of Nokia users. Would you like to see N-Gage support on the 5800 XpressMusic?

Digital Photography Review, one of the best digital camera sources on the net, recently took a look at the Nokia N86 8MP and found some interesting good and bad points about the camera.

 These guys review plenty of cameras and despite some pretty fast dedicated digital cameras out there, they found the autofocus on the N86 8MP “admirably fast.”

They also suspect that the N86 8MP uses some heavy-duty noise reduction, based on the fact that it produced images around the 1.2MB mark. Your typical 8 megapixel digital camera produces images of about 3.5MB. This indicates that some heavy compression is being applied, which might not be good for image quality. On the other side, the smaller size is perfect for uploading on a mobile device.

 The Nokia rep also mentioned that they “choose to prioritise vibrancy of colour, even though we may have compromised other areas to offer that vibrancy. We’ve conducted extensive benchmarking and have found that punchy, vibrant colour is something that people prioritise highly”   The idea about (digital) photography is all about striving to capture an image as close as possible to reality. Making the image more pleasing instead of more realistic is a step in the wrong direction if you ask us. Fidelity with neutral colors should be the way to go.

But the most interesting bit they mention, is that because the N86 8MP uses digital zoom, it basically up-samples all zoomed in images back to 8MP. They call the results “rather interesting.” They mentioned that using the 3X zoom “has a devastating effect on the camera’s resolution.” Which is not good for the end results. The basic rule here is you shouldn’t use the N86 8MP’s digital zoom. Cropping the image in your favorite image editor is a better solution. One thing worth noting is that because the N86 captures more data with its 8 Megapixel sensor, it allows more room to crop images.

As for a high-end imaging device with optical zoom, it looks like we’ll be waiting a bit longer as the Nokia rep mentions that “we need the technology to develop a bit further before we can offer them all together.”

Devin’s Opinion: Based on Dpreview’s view on the device, it might seem like the N86 8MP isn’t performing well. I think it all depends by which standards you judge the device. I feel that the N86 8MP was judged by dedicated digital camera standards and rightly so, since it was reviewed by a digital camera review site and because the N86 8MP was created to replace or at least fill in for a dedicated camera. I  do agree with the points given by Dpreview, which indicates that Nokia isn’t quite there yet, but the gap is closing. The N86 8MP currently  represents one of the best imaging devices currently on the market, not only for fast operation, but also lens quality, low light performance and fairly good fidelity, even though Nokia mentions that the device prioritizes vibrant colours.

The Nokia N97 has a built in compass to show you which direction you’re heading. One downside is that each time the Compass should be calibrated before use. According to Nokia, it should be calibrated by rotating the device around all axes in a continuous movement until the calibration indicator changes its colour to green. Mark from The Nokia Blog demonstrates how it should be done:

 But Norman John from the Symbian World has found an easier and faster way to do it. The video below shows the faster way to do it.