i am a long time windows smartphone user who has tried a few s60 phones in the past. i currently have a s620 and i also have the N95. i have to say that as a personal preference, i prefer using wm5 (and the wm6 test rom) as i like the way it handles the calendar and email applications. that being said, the N95 is one slick device. i really like the slide mechanism, even though i dont use the music controls all that much, but i love answering the phone by sliding it open. the reception is great, which is what most people say nokias have, but in my experience with other high end nokias, they generally are not as good as my htc smartphones. the os is very fast and stable and the buttons on the front are easy to use. i have bought and sold a few nokias within a few days because of poor button placement already, so this phone seems much easier to use.
i bought it for the gps as i am on the road during the day and am directionally challenged. i also like to have a good camera and music player with me, and i also wanted something that would sync well with outlook. this phone does all of this, but it is not all roses. the gps can take some time to aquire the signal when you are in a car. once you have a signal, though, the nav software works well. the camera does take nice pics,but it takes a little too long between takes. this is something i am sure will be improved upon in software updates. it does sync with outlook, but i use a hosted exchange server and nokias free software for exchange servers will not let you open or send emails. my calendar and contacts sync great, but my emails show up on my device but i cannot open them. i can only see the sender info and the subject line. i have had to install roadsync as i want access to my exchange mail. i am hopeful that nokia updates their software before my 30 day trial ends.
i really like the TV out feature. you can view your pics, videos, etc, from your tv.
i am trying to see if i can live without a qwerty keyboard and the slimness of the dash. i do find myself missing my dash, but i have decided to give this device a fair shake and try to use it as my main device for the next few weeks. the nice thing about using the exchange account is that i can just switch the sim card to whichever phone i feel like using and they will update all my info within a few minutes without having to plug in.
Re: Has Nokia Raised the Smartphone Benchmark with its N95?
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Originally Posted by Jason Patterson
Our Pocket Player product supports UPnP too; you can stream from any UPnP server on your LAN, stream to any UPnP players, and stream device-to-device.
That is cool. I wasn't aware of it. Not much of a music buff. But it is good to see UPnP being used. I should probably write another post on why Microsoft should have implemented UPnP as a core OS feature, like Bluetooth stack. It would have made the Windows Mobile platform a powerful platform for developers to work with an enhance. After all Microsoft was and is one of the most active members on the UPnP forum.
Folks, thanks for the response. I always was impressed with our readers, and now I am even more impressed. Wow, we have folks who really evaluate mobile gadgets regardless of the race, color, caste etc. :lol: I personally consider myself a Windows Mobile camp person. So it is good to see response from folks who tested multiple options.
I am also concerned that Nokia has taken the lead when it comes to smart phone OS. I am not talking about the market share, which Nokia always had when it comes to smart phones. But I am talking about the features and handset form-factors.
Microsoft and its partners have been slacking off. Microsoft has definitely lost the lead when it comes to software, not only from the WM Smartphone/Standard perspective but also from WM Pocket PC/Professional perspective. The browser, the user interface and the ability to package multiple applications as part of the core OS feature set.
Microsoft used to have the Exchange sync edge, but now that it has been licensed to Nokia. They no longer have the edge. I wouldn't be surprised if the N95 can handle Office 2007 documents even before Microsoft's WM 6 can.
i really like the TV out feature. you can view your pics, videos, etc, from your tv.
Nokia definitely put some thought into the N95. From a convergent device perspective, if you have a nice camera (I am not impressed with the samples on the Web, but the lens and resolution is impressive) then it is important to have the TV-out.
I wonder if you can watch Sling-Media via TV-out on a regular TV. ;-) Think about it, you are in a hotel during a business trip. Now you can watch the recordings on the hotel room TV instead of the small screen or laptop.
In case my Windows Mobile loyalist friends are worried that I am too impressed with N95 and planning to dump the WM world. No way. The N95 is bulky and has terrible battery life and also some email+software issues that Nokia needs to sort out before I can even think of getting one. ;-) By then I am hoping that the HTC Vox or Wings will be out. :-)
i forgot to mention one of the other things that i like is the pc suite that comes with the n95. i like being able to read and reply to sms messages from my pc while i am working on my pc. the suite comes with a backup feature as well and the home media server sets up in seconds. i too find the device to be a little bigger than i would have liked, but it does work well.
what really pisses me off about windows phones is that all of their info is leaked so far in advance of their release that i have finally gotten tired of waiting. i have wanted a device like the vox for as long as i have been using smartphones, as i use the phone quite a bit per day, and i also use the pim functions while on the go. i have been so anxious to get the vox for so long now and just as it is about to be released they leak info in the wings version. how can i feel good about my purchase when i know it is a matter of months before it is obsolete? and please dont speak to me about planned obsolensence, as i am a used car wholesaler and deal with it daily.
N95 is really nice device, but I doubt it will make me switch to Symbian, I'm just too used to WM and the additional SW on the platform is just great, much better (in both quantity and quality) on average than on Symbian.
Now, about Nokia overtaking the Microsoft, that just silly. Microsoft was never in the lead compared to Nokia. Even in the "glory days" of PocketPC Nokia easily outsold WM devices.
The reality is that Microsoft is pretty much in the same position as it was when they were fighting Palm - the underdog trying to unset the market leader and given the number of new WM devices coming to the market I think eventually they will... It will take them few years, but eventually they will.
Also while N95 multimedia features are great, I for one would love to see Microsoft integrating Cisco VoIP client on their phones (SIP would be nice too) so that they would be able to compete in Corporate environment against Nokia - their phones have this integrated...
I'm seriously tempted to upgrade to a N95. My N80 is getting a bit long in the tooth and I've heard that the N95 has much better battery life. It's not even that bulky, especially compared to my HTC Hermes. Just to annoy you North Americans, I thought that I'd point out that I can get one on a new contract for under $200 inc. tax.
It's also tempting to wait for the Vox, but only T-Mobile offer decent data rates in the UK and they don't sell any modern WM Smartphones.
I'm somewhat intrigued by the Nokia E61i. Seem to be a good second effort by Nokia.
I'm not very excited though about learning another OS...so a Dash maybe in my future...I just don't like that weird chrome piece on the front...so the HTC version might be better for me.
Re: Has Nokia Raised the Smartphone Benchmark with its N95?
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