I know, I know, 32GB microSDHC cards aren’t even available yet and I’m already talking about SDXC. These next generation cards are supposed to revolutionize storage with capacities ranging from 32GB to 2TB and bus interface speeds from 104 MB/s up to 300 MB/s. Lucky for us, their will also be a mobile version in the form of the microSDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity). It’s been a few years since the launch of the N95, which is also one of the first Nokia smartphones to support microSDHC with capacities of up to 32GB. Shouldn’t Nokia be already thinking about the next generation?

With multi-megapixels Nseries devices approaching 10 Megapixels, possibly even surpassing that and the inevitable HD video recording, suddenly that 32GB of storage in your N900 or N97  doesn’t sound as impressive. Nokia’s own Comes with Music service is another way to quickly fill up your memory, OVI Maps and our ever present desire to carry anything and everything in our mobile devices are other reasons to look ahead to those 2TBs being promised with SDXC.

Another plus comes from the standard’s its fast bus interface. No need to get technical here, just think faster file transfers from your PC to you mobile. Also, in many electronic devices, including our smartphones, the storage system is almost always the weakest link. Adding a speedy storage system could make overall performance possibly a bit more responsive.

Who knows, when looking for your next Nokia you won’t only be checking  the specs to see whether it has Symbiam, MeeGo and QWERTY, but perhaps also whether it has microSDXC.

Is microSDHC enough or should Nokia quickly implement

An interesting post at the Symbian-Guru, showing 10 things Android does better than Symbian got me thinking. What struck me was that all of these things that Android indeed could do better than Symbian, were all things Maemo had already taken care of. Everything from the Browsing experience, multiple home screen and even notifications are advantages that Android may have over Symbian, but certainly not Maemo. In fact, all of these “new” features set to be introduced in the upcoming version of Symbian can be used right now using the N900 and Maemo.

After using Maemo on the Nokia N900, Symbian looks and feels outdated. Judging by the recent Symbian^3 and ^4 videos, fails to impress with just minor changes. Even Engadget seems to agree.

The N900/Maemo combo’s multi-tasking abilities could make any PC proud. Symbian in contrast feels leisurely when performance is concerned and is limited in multi-tasking. Unlike Symbian, Maemo is actually useable. The classic example is that of having multiple applications and browsers open and still having the ability to keep a Youtube video playing in the background and even having enough horsepower to show a preview of this video on the Dashboard! Unlike Symbian, the N900/Maemo combo never keeps you waiting and there isn’t really a limit to how many apps you can keep open with 1GB of RAM. For many PCs this is plenty enough, for a mobile device this is simply heaven. The best part is that performance never suffers, even with multiple apps or browser windows open.

Apps look great with next generation effects, even the system sounds are cool. There aren’t confusing soft keys, just point to where you want to go. Applications are also updated automatically and so far I’ve didn’t have the need to update the firmware using a PC. Sure, Maemo on a smartphone is fairly new and still needs a few fixes here and there.

We can also mention Maemo’s tightly integrated uploading features, Skype and Conversations. Features that Symbian doesn’t necessarily lacks, but isn’t as polished as Maemo.

Last but not least, we can mention Maemo’s crown jewel, its browser. Something that Symbian and in fact any other mobile device can match.

I can go on and on, but simply put: Maemo is in my opinion better than Symbian. For this reason I’ve simply stopped using current Symbian device, especially 5th edition based devices. One notable exception are the E72, E55 and E52. It’s sure going to take a lot to get me back to Symbian.

Do you agree? Is Maemo/MeeGo better than Symbian?

With its Tablet and Meamo roots, the N900 is closely related to the N810 and N800, both of which had a much larger 4.1” display. The N900 in contrast has a 3.5” display.

Considering its more powerful hardware and capable browser, I feel like the screen should be bigger. A 3.5”” is certainly big enough by smartphone standards, but is it enough for the N900? One thing to consider is that the N900 is now also a phone. At what point is the screen too large to comfortably be used  as a phone?

I think a browser-centric device such as the N900 should have at least a 4” display, as comfortable browsing for longer periods of time is only achievable on a much bigger display. While smartphone that are app-centric should go as high as 3.8”. What do you think? Should the N900’s screen be any bigger?

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I really like the N900, so much that I decided to buy it. With so many smartphones passing through The Nokia Guide labs that doesn’t happen very often. The N900 may be a multi-tasking beast, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. There are a few software features missing or that need that a quick fix to make it just right. Luckily these are software related and can be added or easily fixed with a software update. So Nokia please take note and include these in your next firmware update.

1.Potrait Mode. This is probably the most requested feature for the N900. Currently it’s only able to work in Landscape mode, save for the phone features and some apps like gPodder. This feature would make the N900 a lot easier considering its dimensions. We’re hearing that this feature might be coming around Christmas. With Christmas just a few weeks away, this feature might be coming before the year even ends. Let’s hope this is true.

2.OVI Sync support. I’ve got my contacts, appointments,meetings and notes all synced in the clouds on OVI. But I can’t access them! OVI Sync currently doesn’t support the Nokia N900 and as a result there’s now way of backing up or accessing data stored on OVI using the N900. If you’re thinking of selling your previous smartphone, be sure to sync it with the N900 to get your data on your new device. It takes a bit for Nokia to support new devices, but eventually they do get it working. What’s the point of data stored in the clouds if you can’t access it.

3.Music Player Equalizer. The N900 has a great finger-friendly and beautiful Music Player, but strangely missing is one of the most basic features: the Equalizer.

4.OVI Store for Maemo. Launching the OVI store app show takes you to a website telling you that it’s “coming soon.” We know that it’s coming, but a stop place for you apps, ringtones, themes and games is essential for any modern mobile device.

5.Nokia Messaging support for more regions. The N900 actually supports Nokia Messaging, but not for all regions. Currently it only support the US. Those of us outside the US will need to manually add all of our separate email account, instead of a single account that manages all of your email accounts.

6.Facebook App. Both the N97 and N97 mini have a Facebook Widget and app. The N900 has a Facebook Widget that opens up the browser taking you to the full desktop version of Facebook. While the browser faithfully renders the Facebook site, a dedicated Facebook app is much  faster and easier to use.

7.Better Podcast supprt in the Music Player. On Symbian devices like the N97 the Music Player correctly identifies Podcasts and creates a Podcast folder. With the N900 there is no way this can be done other than using Playlist. What’s also missing is a resume feature, for Podcasts.

8.Support for more VoIP and IM Accounts. The N900 supports Skype, Google Talk and OVI Chat. I would like to see Live Messenger, Yahoo and other popular IM clients.

9.More Application memory. There’s a 2GB partition where all the software is installed. That’s just 2GB! Considering that many Maemo apps can be larger than 10MB, it’s easy to see that 2GB can fill up fast. This storage space should be set more around 4GB or at least be user selectable among 2, 4 or 6GB of space.

10.Rhapsody App. Remember that cool Rhapsody application on the N800 and N810 that allowed you stream an unlimited amount of music from their library? I absolutely loved that application, but it somehow got pulled from the N900.

What fixes and features would you like to see on the N900?

Nokia’s line of 7000 series are targeted towards the fashion-conscious consumer, favoring style with just a handful of extras. Stand-out design, lots of fashion details like a a cloth Nokia tag, phone jewelry, matching carrying case and box are all typical 7000 series characteristics. Just take a look at the L’Amour Collection that consisted of the 7360, 7373 and 7390. 

The same can be said about their earlier Art Deco Red and White 7260, 7270 and 7280 phones

and even the Prism series with the diamond-cut design of the  7070, 7500 and 7900 phones stayed true to this theme. Afterwards it all went downhill. Nokia’s latest entry in the fashion device market is the rather colorful but bland design of the Super Nova series. What is considered stylish or beautiful is pretty subjective, but in terms of design, the Super Nova series do not stand out, a tradition typical to the 7000 series. Take for example 7610 Super Nova. It could very well be a your typical Nokia with some crazy colors and mirror effects. What happened to Nokia’s 7000 series?Today Nokia released the 7230. Judging by the series and press release, it’s clear that style is plays an important role. Taken from the press release: “Share in style”, or “Being connected has never looked so good” and even “colorful looks”. Now let’s have a look at the 7230:

Does this look like a fashion device to you? If this is a fashion device, than Nokia can just quit here and now. After the solid Prism, L’Amour Collection  and Art Deco, is this what we get in 2009? Is this the best Nokia can make in a series that made devices like the legendary 7610?

High-end specs aren’t really what makes or breaks a fashion device. In some cases it can even help it (Like the N97 mini), but at least it should stand out or have a stylish design.

Do you agree?

e-Books readers are all the rage these days with big players like the Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook and Sony Reader Daily Edition joining what’s going to be a very competitive market. Mobile devices like the iPhone have embraced this trend by partnering with Amazon to bring a Kindle reader for the iPhone, allowing you to read your e-books and even synchronize your last page read between these devices. 

So where’s the reader for the Nokia N and Eseries? With big-screen devices like the N900 and even the Booklet 3G, you have to wonder why Nokia isn’t running around signing deals with Amazon, B&N or even Google (Yes even they are joining this market). Of course there’s Mobipocket’s reader, but as Ewan from Allaboutsymbian pointed out, there’s no specific touch screen additions. I can also point out that the interface looks dated, lacks support for popular e-book stores, it also lacks support for synchronization of your last page read and some kind of store to buy, download and manage your books. What’s even worse is that this application was last updated for 3rd edition devices, supporting devices like the N93.

There are a few eBook in Nokia’s OVI store, but these are mostly free books that have already entered the public domain. Where are the recent titles like Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol and Going Rogue by Sarah Palin?

Nokia might try to come up with a eBook store as part of OVI, but why re-invent the wheel? They can strike a deal with already established platforms and just create the necessary app, sharing the income with Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Seeing the popularity of eBook readers in the US, being compatible with these stores, these Nokia devices would also get much needed attention in the US Market. Nokia, we need a eBook reader and we need it now.

Update: This November, Amazon will release a Kindle app for the PC, which should make Kindle books and periodicals available for the Nokia Booklet

Here’s a list of features:

• Purchase, download, and read hundreds of thousands of books available in the Kindle Store
• Access your entire library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon’s servers for free
• Choose from over 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
• View notes and highlights marked on Kindle and Kindle DX
• Zoom in and out of text with a pinch of the fingers (Windows 7 users only)
• Turn pages with a finger swipe (available in a future release for Windows 7 users)

Today I will kick of a new series, bringing thoughts and ideas dedicated to the N97. The first part of this series will focus on the fact that a N97 cannot be restored to exact factory default conditions.

One of the first things I do when I get a new Nokia device is connect it via USB (Mass Memory) mode to my PC, and copy EVERYTHING installed on the included memory card. Why? Nokia has a habit of including extra applications on the memory card with no way of getting them back once they are gone! One good example of this was the Photo stitching application called Panoman that was included with the N82. If a user accidentally formatted their card or had upgraded to a higher capacity card without making a backup, there was no way of getting it back.

When I got my N97 it obviously didn’t include a memory card, so I did the next best thing: make a backup of the Mass Memory. The backup had about 260Mb+ worth of data. The phone memory was not accessible in Windows, making a backup impossible.

Problem with the N97 is that most of the extra’s, which mostly consists of widgets, are not stored on this Mass Memory, but in the Phone Memory. So when I did a hard reset or firmware upgrade, all of these extras were gone. One would think that reinstalling the firmware through Nokia Software Updater would restore EVERYTHING back to the way the device was when it came out of the factory, but sadly that  was not the case. If the application or widget is not included in the ROM, Nokia Software Updater will not restore. Strange things is that widgets such as Amazon, Accuweather and Facebook were wiped from the device, yet applications such as Boingo and Qik cannot be uninstalled as they are included in the ROM.

Same story with the Mass Memory. Included was a game called Rock Band Tour. Formatting the Mass Memory also deletes this game with no way of restoring. If it wasn’t for my backup, this game would have also been long gone. Jay from the My Nokia Blog also had the same issue. Even a backup of the phone memory didn’t work for him.

I love the fact that Symbian-based Nokia smartphones are highly customizable, but restoring them exactly to factory defaults should be just as easy. In this case it’s impossible. If Nokia does include extras, it should include them in the ROM.

Did you reset or upgrade the firmware on your N97, only to find out that some apps or widgets were wiped from the device?

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.

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?