Nokia N80i First Impressions
I've been playing with the N80i a bit over the weekend and have been reasonably happy. The first thing I did (before even moving my SIM card to the new phone) was test the VOIP features. As a Mac user I did not use the Nokia CD, which I am assuming had the Gizmo Project software as I could not find it natively on my phone. However, a quick Google search revealed a web site where it was easily downloaded and installed to the phone. After literally 30 seconds of set-up (entering my Gizmo username/password) I was able to make phone calls over my home wireless network using VOIP. Sound quality was very good. As good as my hardwired $300 Polycom phone connected to my Voicepulse bridge. (Update: By going to my download folder and selecting Options/Update List, I was able to get the Gizmo client and a bunch of other add-ons)
Step two was to connect the phone to iSync and get my address book transfered. Ran into a bit of a problem with this one, but it was easily solved by modifying one of my plist files locally. If you would like a copy, just leave a comment and I'll post it for you. With the modification, iSync worked perfectly and my address book moved across complete with photos for contacts.
Cell phone voice quality seemed adequate and certainly on par with the Blackberry Pearl and Razr I had been using prior to this phone. No real issues yet on that front, but I'll report again once I've used it during the business week.
A few shortcomings:
- Proprietary charger and sync adapter. These days, I really expect my devices to charge and sync over mini-USB and to be able to trickle charge them via my computer's USB port.
- No 3.5mm headphone jack! That pretty much rules this out as a media device or me. I could buy the Nokia adapter for this purpose, but I probably won't.
This post makes me think that the N95 really may be the perfect phone as it addresses a lot of these shortcomings. However, the key question is whether the N95 will support the VOIP services like the N80i.
Update:
By request, here is my updated file (right click to download).
Just replace the file in this directory (make a back-up first!)
Proceed at your own risk!
Curse of the Blackberry Pearl
My Blackberry Pearl has started failing on me after only 45 days of use. The external speaker no longer works so the phone does not ring and the speakerphone does not work (nor does playing MP3 files without the headset).
I decided that I would move back to a two device configuration and get a really "good" phone and then carry the BB when I needed access to email (e.g. not when I am out to dinner with my wife). The Nokia N95 was at the top of my list, but with a $800 potential price tag and a release date yet to be determined, I looked elsewhere. One model that quickly rose to the top of my list was the Nokia N81i ("i" meaning Internet Edition). This phone has all the features I am looking for, plus one killer application in that it can use 802.11x networks to make SIP compliant VOIP calls. I am a huge VOIP fan and currently use Vonage, VoicePulse, Skype, iChat and Gizmo for a variety of purposes. My Vonage phone saved me so much money when I traveled to Japan that I invested in a wireless vonage phone. It works well, but is cheaply made and I've found I don't often carry it as it represents yet another device to charge and carry with me. The idea of having SIP compliant VOIP in my primary cell phone has a lot of appeal.
One interesting thing I discovered when I was searching the web for info on the N81i was the Nokia Blogger relations program. It turns out that Nokia sends bloggers phones to evaluate and then aggregates their comments on a central blog. This central blog is an essential resource as it saved me tons of time searching on Google and Technorati. To Nokia's credit they link to both the positive and negative reviews which helped establish instant credibility with me. So Nokia, if you or Andy Abramson are listening, send me some phones and I'll do a review from a heavy-user CEO perspective. Link--->
Wow...what a great presentation!
I don't care what side of the fence you fall on regarding this issue....this presentation by Larry Lessig is worth your time. Link--->
Disruptive technology
I'm not posting this because Saddam is dead. That is important, but being covered elsewhere. What I find interesting is how the presence of a cell phone camera disrupts all of the previously held conceptions of his hanging.
The grainy images are believed to have been filmed on a mobile phone. Unlike on the silent, official film showing a subdued Saddam Hussein, the execution is a charged, angry scene. In it people chant the name of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and tell Saddam Hussein to "go to hell", while the former leader mocks their bravery. Link--->
Living in a science fiction world
Interesting post by Warren Ellis today....
...I share a conviction with Steven Shaviro, whose most recent book was CONNECTED, that we live in a science fictional world. Not the one everyone expected, of course — no jetpacks. But good science fiction, challenging science fiction, is never about the future we expect. Sf has never been about predicting the future. It’s been about laying out a roadmap of possibilities, one dark street at a time, and applying that direction to the present condition... Link--->
If you don't get it, you don't get it.
Unabomber's Secret Code Cracked
A decade after the feds tracked him down, CBS 5 Investigates has uncovered exclusive new information about Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, including a secret code he developed, and the confessions revealed as the code is broken. Link--->
