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New Nokia Phones With Full Color And MMS 155

Posted by Hemos from the with-still-crappy-interface dept.
scrm writes "Nokia have just launched six new phones at the Nokia Mobile Internet Conference. All phones have color and MMS. Interesting is the 6800 that is specially designed for text input, and the premium 8910i with titanium casing, Bluetooth and J2ME apps. Will this company ever stop? (Nokia's press release is here, but the server is being battered right now.)" I've still got a serious lust on for T68i - it's iSync compatible and all that fun.
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New Nokia Phones With Full Color And MMS

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  • New Nokia Phones With Full Color And MMS

    This is great news for today's trendy consumer since an empty phone without a pack of candy from MARS, Inc. just isn't the same.

  • 6800 (Score:2, Interesting)

    by e8johan ( 605347 )
    Ah, the name 6800 has a fond place in my heart. The first CPU I learned to hack asm for...

    Seriously speaking. It seems that Nokia has realized that if you build phones based on proper modules you can pump out a number of new models each quarter of a year, without too much fuzz.

    As for a dream phone, just wait until the P800 is released...
  • Now I don't know what to choose. I was just about to fork out for an Orange SPV [orange.co.uk], but now I'm sorely tempted by the new 8910i [nokia.com], which will still talk to my iPAQ.

    Decisions decisions. Sulk.

    • Don't go for the premium models!!! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by anonymous cupboard ( 446159 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:22AM (#4593858)
      There isn't a real lot to choose between the different offerrings from the major phone manufacturers. Nokia is now going for market differentiation with premium models in pretty housings. This isn't the diamond studded version, but the Ti alloy housing will seriously push the price upwards.

      Wait until the same functionality is available in a slightly heavier/bigger. It won't be top of the range (i.e., to show off to the rest of the world), but it will be one heck of a lot cheaper.

      That is unless you really want to show the rest of the worls that you are the best pimp/drug dealer/flat-head, etc.

      • There isn't a real lot to choose between the different offerrings from the major phone manufacturers. Nokia is now going for market differentiation with premium models in pretty housings. This isn't the diamond studded version, but the Ti alloy housing will seriously push the price upwards.


        I would agree, with one key exception... Nokia is not pushing Bluetooth anywhere near enough. Sony-Ericsson has it on almost all their mid range phones - Nokia has it on like two. One of them is the titanium thing, and you'd be nuts to spend that much on a phone IMO.

        -- james
    • As usual, the coolest of cool Nokia phones are only available to the European, Asian, and Japanese markets. I would definitely like to get the 8910i, however I live in the US and I am un-sure how/or if I could get that phone to work here. What service provider would I go through?

  • Run by engineers (Score:5, Informative)

    by bunyip ( 17018 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:13AM (#4593823)
    Will this company ever stop?

    I read an article a couple of months ago where they described the engineering culture at Nokia (I don't remember where, somebody please post a link if you know).

    In short, they worship geeks internally, not CYA lawyers, suits and the like.

    So, I don't believe they'll ever stop *and* that's a good thing!

    • Found the article (Score:5, Informative)

      by bunyip ( 17018 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:17AM (#4593841)
      Their engineering culture [business2.com] pretty guarantees that this innovation will keep going.
      • Their engineering culture pretty guarantees that this innovation will keep going.

        People said great things about Netscape's engineering-led culture [fastcompany.com] too. A culture where engineers can thrive is an advantage, but what matters at the end of the day is selling products. Nokia came out of nowhere to dominate the industry, just like Netscape in their day, but they're just as vulnerable as any other incumbent now. For example, even Nokia's engineers couldn't prevent the 3G debacle. If someone comes out with a working business model for ubiquitous 802.11b with VoIP, the game changes radically.
    • Isn't there a downside to this as well. Engineers can develop cool toys, but sometimes have a tone deaf ear for exactly what non-geek consumers want.

      Cell phones being so ubiquitous these days, you do need to reach out into the market for somebody who is never going to bother knowing, or caring, what is under the hood.

      • Engineers can develop cool toys, but sometimes have a tone deaf ear for exactly what non-geek consumers want.

        Given that Nokia sell some 160,000,000 mobile phones a year, I'd say they've probably got it about right...

    • Re:Run by engineers (Score:2, Informative)

      by thogard ( 43403 )
      I think they already lost the plot. Years ago they were working on good user interfaces and were much better than everyone else. It took Motorola years to get away from their "it started out as a "8 digit 7 segment display" mentality.

      Last year I bought the top of the line Nokia phone (8310). Its only slightly better than the older phones and its got lots of nasty bugs and stupid interface issues. For example if you send an SMS, the display mode goes back into editor. If you get distracted and don't know if you sent the message or not (or of the cell site rejected it for some reason), you can't tell if it was sent.

      You can't hook a data cable up to the phone. You have to use IRDA. When was the last time any computer except a laptop had IRDA? The last time I saw a new one was over 5 years ago.

      The problem this week is there is no local time offset. My phone company hasn't figured out day light savings started so my phone has the wrong time and keeps asking to update it. The problem is the message pops up at the wrong time and gets acked while I'm tring to make a call.

      No POP3 mailer with gprs? what were they thinking? I want my phone to always be connected using GPRS and check for new mail ever 30 minutes or so. It can't do that...

      You can't get to the main menu while on a call. Also some of the options hang up the call if your tring to get someone else number out of the phone while on a call.

      No call timers or call cost calulators. The phone has it but they allow the phone company to turn them off. Whats the reason for this? So I can't tell how much I use so I get a supprise bill? The next guy at work who delivers a supprise bill is going to find themself with no phone.

      You can't get a Nokai phone fixed. If there is any water damage, the local Nokia repair shop will charge you to say they can't fix it. Every other place will drop the board in a cleaning solution, replace the mics and speaker and send you out the door with a working phone. The local shop also said they would take "all care" to preserve the data in the phone and promply wiped it. That was a pain since the only way to back it up is with a PC that talks IRDA which I don't have.

      Nokia knows its money comes from the cell phone compaines and they've castrated my phone's features to sell out to Vodafone and the like. This is the last Nokia phone I'll buy for a long time. At work we've been getting Sony/Erricsons where are 1/2 the price with better features and they are better phones.

      Nokia hasn't been the leader in the market for at least a year and now it looks like they are tring to catch up.
    • Wired also have a good article from 1999 [wired.com] on the Nokia culture, as well as how they have affected Finland.

  • Nokia interfaces (Score:4, Interesting)

    by seldolivaw ( 179178 ) <me AT seldo DOT com> on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:14AM (#4593832) Homepage
    Every year, my contract expires, and it's the same story: I decide I want a new phone, and decide to try anything other than a nokia. I've tried Motorola, Samsung and the new Sony-Ericsson models, and I always come back to the nokia user interface. It has a few idiosyncrasies to be sure, but compared to every other phone I've used, Nokia is the easiest to use right off the bat. The one exception was the Mitsubishi Trium phones -- their interface was better, but unfortunately the hardware was awful.
    • I must confess that I think Ericsson's got Nokia beat on the UI, but my T-39m DEFINITELY just doesn't lock onto the mast as tenaciously as my girlfriends 8950.

      • Re:Nokia interfaces (Score:2, Interesting)

        by darien ( 180561 )
        I've got a T39m and I reckon it's absolutely bloody useless. Just immediately, off the top of my head, here are some of the reasons I despise it:
        • The UI is very, VERY slow. When I'm typing text I often get five or six words ahead and have to sit and wait for the phone to catch up. If I've made a mistake it's agonisingly slow to move the cursor around. GRR.

        • Text edit mode always displays a space on one side of the cursor, even when there really is none. If you move, the space disappears, often joining two words together. In predictive text mode there is no way to get back to the centre of the word - you have to just delete the word on the right. GRRR!

        • After the phone's message boxes are full, incoming messages are automatically saved to your SIM. Selecting "Delete All" doesn't delete these - you have to delete (and confirm the deletion of) each one by hand. GRRR.

        • If someone sends you a message and you want to save their number, you have to close the message, leave the Messages menu, go into the "Phone Book" menu, select "Add Contact," enter the person's name... and then, when asked for the number, select "Unsaved Numbers" and select which of the (undocumented) numbers on the list you want. Intuitive, hey?

        • If you want to set the time, the option is under menu 4 (option 7: time and date). If you want to set an alarm, the options are under menu 5 (option 3: calendar or 7: time). Intuitive, hey?

        • The phone remembers only the last time someone called you - unless they don't send their number, in which case the phone doesn't record the time. Huh?

        • If there's a text field on a WAP page, you HAVE to enter some text in it before you can proceed from the page - otherwise you get a (usually false) "you have to fill something in" message.

        • Sometimes you have to press a key twice for it to take effect. This includes while you're playing games, so you generally end up dying for no reason.
        This was my first non-Nokia phone. Never again. Ericsson have lost a customer for life. It's Nokia or nothing for me from now on.

        (The T68i isn't so slow, but its UI is just as brainless - so I'm told by a friend of mine who let the gimmicks sway him into getting one instead of a Nokia 8310, and has been lamenting his mistake ever since.)

  • Good job Hemos (Score:3, Funny)

    by Zayin ( 91850 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:15AM (#4593835)

    Nokia's press release is here, but the server is being battered right now.

    Yeah, let's post a link to the press release on Slashdot. That'll help.

  • Is anyone else down with the "Dieter from Sprockets" people on this page?

    Now is the time on Nokia *ahem* Sprockets when we dance...

    • Right, and dig the copy:

      A pure expression of cutting-edge luxury, the Nokia 8910i takes the magic of multimedia messaging and elegantly sheathes it in a skin of real titanium. Extending a design aesthetic based on flawless form and extraordinary material, the Nokia 8910i offers a range of premium features...

      Are they describing a phone or a condom?

  • Meaning that I've got little options to buy either of them ever. I'm still stuck with my shitty motorola t193. I'm thinking of a ericsson t39, though. Looks like a very nice not-bells-and-whistles-based phone.
    • and that is why I never got a T68, it's absolutely useless in my area (Raleigh-Durham). If I leave the city I would have no service, I have clients in Va and couldn't drive there and get reception, until the providers get their collective sh1t together no new phone for me...
      • The T68 is triband...The T68 reception may not be as good as other models, but there's no reason why you'll lose your service if you leave your area.
        • the T68i is a tri-band phone. However it only works on GSM networks. My wife just bought one about a month ago, and she loves it. I almost got one too, but decided to get a Sprint Vision phone (the Sanyo 4900, a bit big, but built like a brick outhouse) mainly for the fact that there is very limited GSM coverage right now in the US. So the trade off is mine works more in the states, but when we go to Europe or Asia, hers works.
    • it says on the nokias pages that the models
      Nokia 7250, 5100, 6100
      all has Operating frequency: GSM 900/1800/1900
      • He's talking about Nokia's new models, not the three triband models you list. Neither of the new models are triband. He never said that NO Nokia phones were triband.
        • Nokia released six phones today.. Those models where he mentioned where released today. Triband is really not so important, as rather few people travel all the time from and back to states. But for travellers it's nice to have a standards based phone that works in most of the countries in the world.
    • I own a t39.

      Great little phone. I've used it in the US and all over europe.

      It _isn't_ bells and whistle-less though.
      It has IR and Bluetooth - it will do WAP, act as a modem, POP mail for you and has crazy long battery life. .j

  • Still the problem... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by McFly69 ( 603543 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:18AM (#4593847) Homepage
    I still have the problem with there fonts/image quality. If they have decent have decent fonts/image quaility, the battery lasts not much longer than 12 hours. This is really sad. All the technology we are investing into makes these phones with more features and games (which take a hit on the battery), and not extending the battery life.
    • No kidding...

      and also offers an integrated stereo FM radio

      As if the battery life isn't short enough. Would anyone use this feature?

      Boss: Bob, we tried calling you but you never answered your cell. You missed a $500,000 contract

      Bob: Sorry boss, I drained my battery again listening to the radio.

      It's nice to have features on a phone, but it seems to me that they will be adding unnecessary bulk to most phones without extra value. I'd much prefer a phone that has battery for 3-4 days than a built-in radio. My current Motorola Startac POS only lasts about 1.5-2 days, maybe just 1 if I run into analog or low-reception areas.

      Toys are nice, but how about we improve the value as a phone first?

      p.s. Who (of users with high-tech phones) listens to radio nowadays? Mp3 would still have been overkill but perhaps more useful and likely less battery drain.

  • Sorry USers: (Score:2, Informative)

    by Joseph Vigneau ( 514 )
    According to the 8910i [nokia.com] page:
    • Operating frequency: EGSM 900/1800 networks in Europe, Africa and Asia

    Same with the 6800 and 2100, too...

  • The T68i five dimensional joystick makes drawing pictures in your phone easy.

    I can see it turning about three axis and moving along one of the axis (for clicks), giving four DOF. Where is the fifth dimension?

    • I think what the actually mean is, up/down/left/right/click. Which is really only two and a half dimensions.
    • I'm going to guess the 5 dimensions are up, down, left, right, and the center "button". Yeah I know that those are not dimensions, but I once had a 5-D mouse and those were the "dimensions" the manual raved about.
    • Time could be another dimension...
    • Where is the fifth dimension?

      A couple of the original members are still touring. You can hire them [delafont.com] for your next LAN party.
    • I read the same thing adn thought WTF do they mean by that.

      The only combination i thought that would give me 4 DOF (obviously not 5 dimensional movement, which i wouln't be able to produce and/or see) is left-right (1) up-down (2) in-out (3) twist ccw-cw(4)

      The out movement is really not that useful, you could use it to navigate a menu. like click goes deeper in the structure (normal click funcion) and pull goes back up. Tho i dont think many ppl would get used to that.

      But where is the 5th ? i really hope those marketing doids didn't mean 4 directions + click. That would really suck. (besides being incoherent)

  • Nokia stateside? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by autopr0n ( 534291 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:31AM (#4593891) Homepage Journal
    I'm a bit partial to Nokia, as most of their phones are pretty cool compared to sprint "branded" phones from Samsung and others. But most of these Nokias seem to be only available in Europe, Africa and Asia, not the US. Are there any cool, color J2ME supporting phones out there from Nokia that will work in the US? (having a camera is a big plus :)

    Other then that, does anyone have experience with these java supporting phones? Can you write your own games and upload them to the phone? Are there APIs for interacting with your phonebook, calendar, etc?

    IMO, having a phone that's programmable to do whatever I want is far cooler then being able to download little games from the phone company.

    • Re:Nokia stateside? (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      7250 (color, Java, camera and it's cool) is a triband phone so it will work in the US also.
    • seems that cellphone-wise the US is third world. available in africa but not in the US? sth. is backfiring here and i know what it is.

      on the other question: you can write your own applications, games, whatever and upload them to your phone. i can only speak for siemens phones but yes there are APIs to access almost everything of the phone, even vibration.

      someone still has to write a midlet that uses the IR port to use the phone as a tv remote :)
      • are APIs to access almost everything of the phone, even vibration.

        Since you're replying to "autopr0n", this probably is the most interesting functionality for him!
        Now I finally know why girls love to get SMSes. Sorry, I'll shut up now.

    • I have a Samsung S105 w/ Tmobile

      It supports j2me and this is what tmobile had to say

      As for J2ME downloads, we do not currently have our Java plaform up and running. In theory, you should be able to simply hyperlink to a .JAD file from a WML page and by following the SUN OTA recommended best practices, download the .JAR directly from the device using HTTP. Please note that this is not a supported feature just yet as we are still working on network infrastructure pieces. Try at your own risk.

      (You can find that on their developers forum)

      I wonder if I can use these nokia phones in the USA w/ Tmobile (who uses GPRS and GSM) because here in the US of A, Tmobile has next to no (2) Nokia phones supported. /. is being really weird slow for me right now, so if you check my post history (or scroll down) you should find my post and link to the s105 - I think it has a twin on the sprint network
    • Nokia hasn't successfully had a CDMA phone pass Verizon performance testing since the 5185.

      Their lack of CDMA experience is showing itself now - They STILL haven't been able to release a decent UMTS handset due to their lack of experience with CDMA.

      AT&T really is shooting themselves in the foot by moving to GSM - It has no upgrade path. GSM/GPRS is a dead end from which the only way out is an entirely new network (Note the European providers running out of money right and left because they have to buy additional spectrum and build an entire new network to upgrade to 3G, whereas CDMA2000 has a planned upgrade path that has full backwards compatibility with cdmaOne equipment and spectrum.)
  • I wounder if the day will ever come, when they forget to implement the "talk" function ;P

  • T68 (Score:3, Informative)

    by timothy_m_smith ( 222047 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:32AM (#4593897)
    I have the T68m, the original T68. The phone is a real beauty, but be aware that it has poor reception. I have T-mobile and a friend of mine has ATT and the T68i and neither one of us has been happy with it. However, the usability of the phone is great and I love the 5-way mouse.
    • I have the T68m (one for me, one for the wife) flashed to be a SONY Ericsson T68i and the reception is pretty decent. Have you had the firmware upgraded since you bought it?

      What about those "sticker antennae" cell phone boosters? All the SPAM I get about them seems to brag about the improvement. :)

    • Re:T68 (Score:1)

      by jpc ( 33615 )
      usable. I think not. It is a complete pain to use. I only use mine when I need triband.

      Nokia make much better user interfaces. And Benefon.

    • I have the t68i, just got it last week, actually. I'm using it with AT&T Wireless in Chicago. So far the reception isn't any worse than the Nokia 3360 I have with Cingular here. Actually, I get better reception in my downtown office tower than I do on the Nokia. Also works at home fine, and I live in the far Northwest suburbs.

      I know it depends on your market area, though. I've also heard that the newer firmware versions work better.

  • Nokia 6800 (Score:4, Funny)

    by wheany ( 460585 ) <wheany+sd@iki.fi> on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:33AM (#4593901) Homepage Journal
    Oh, oh, oh, I know a slogan: "It's even weirder, and cooler (than 5510)"

  • If you need a new phone soon... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:34AM (#4593909)
    Hold out for the 6650.
    It has 3G, GPRS, Bluetooth, MMS - and it looks and works really well.

  • Don't get the T68x (Score:5, Informative)

    by cdrudge ( 68377 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:39AM (#4593938) Homepage
    Don't bother wasting your time with the T68i or any of the earlier models in the same family. The reception is horrorable anywhere except right below the cell phone tower. Also, the screen leaves a bit to be desired.

    Instead, I would recommend the new Samsung S105 [amazon.com]. It doesn't have bluetooth like the T68x do, but it has MUCH better reception, a better screen, polyphonic ring tones, Tri-Mode GSM, and I think looks better (if you like flip phones). It's not perfect, but a big improvement over the T68x.
    • I would not put too much faith in any one reception report. I have owned the T68i (on AT&T) for just over one month. In my job, I travel around the East MA, NH, and CT areas and have been very satisfied with my coverage.

      What does satisfied mean here? It means the phone has performed as I expected it to. I KNEW AT&T GSM coverage is limited before I got the phone. When I am in an area that looks like it should be covered, I can use the phone. Otherwise, I can't. I expected as much. It works at home, in the office, and at my customer's offices.

      And I know the CPU is somewhat slow -- I much prefer this power efficient processer to the alternative. I can keep this phone going ~2x longer then my Nokia 8260.
      • From what I've experienced and read from other people, your experience is the exception to the norm. Check out this [howardforums.com], or any other articles at Howard Forums [howardforums.com], or any of these [google.com] articles. I know that you can probably do a search for "Model XYZ poor reception" and get back results, but it just seems like a majority of owners of T68x phones are not happy with them. Everyone has their preferences for phones and if you want to try it out, go for it. Make sure you can return it if it doesn't work out.

        I had the phone for about a week before taking it back. I work about 400 yards from the tower and I would contastly get dropped calls and poor reception even with a clear line of sight. Almost anywhere I drive I would get static, choppy sound, or dropped calls. The interface was ok in my option, but I didn't use it much due to the poor reception. It had excellent battery life and I was looking forward to using bluetooth. Oh well. I'm much better with my S105.

  • They announced a today gaming device also (Score:5, Informative)

    by nchip ( 28683 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:40AM (#4593943) Homepage
    Nokia and SEGA also announced the N-GAGE device [nokia.com], running symbian and series 60. Looks absolutely stunning [nokia.com].

    Still very sketchy with hardware details, except that games are distributed on memory cards. And the only clue that the device is a phone and not just gameboy killer is the dial/hangup buttons!

    The other press release [nokia.com] also reveals that it has bluetooth, rising some intresting possibilities to use this gadget.
  • I've still got a serious lust on for T68i - it's iSync compatible...

    Thank goodness it isn't nSync compatible... ;)

  • MP3 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nmg196 ( 184961 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:46AM (#4593967)
    I don't understand why Nokia haven't shoved a 128mb MP3 player on any of their phones?! It's a screamingly obvious thing to do - they already have decent batteries and audio circuitry and a screen all in the phone, so adding an MP3 player and a CF slot should be really cheap and easy.

    Surely this is something more people than just me would be interested in?
    • The 5510 [nokia5510.co.uk] is your friend! Ok, only a 64Mb MP3 player, but also has an FM radio.
    • Try the 5510 [nokia.com] or the music player [nokia.com] .. all the music player needs is a phone with the 2.5mm style headset connector.
    • They already made a phone that played MP3's according to this article [business2.com] (linked to in a previous comment). And that phone failed.

      It doesn't say if it was 128MB or not, but the idea isn't completely ignored... although it might be for a while now after one failure.
    • "It seems to have happened with Nokia's 5510 MP3 phone, introduced last fall amid much trumpeting. The phone, which allows users to listen to FM radio and play MP3s, has proved too bulky and too expensive, and Nokia is quietly pulling it off the market. (Nokia officials concede that the phone is a disappointment but won't elaborate.)"

  • T68i - Dont believe the hype! (Score:5, Informative)

    by salimfadhley ( 565599 ) <ip AT stodge DOT org> on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:50AM (#4593977) Homepage Journal
    I've owned using a Sony t68i now for a few months - this has to be the most disapointing phone I have ever had the displeasure of using. I curse the day I ever allowed Orange (UK) to sell it to me.

    According to orange, more than 1/3 of the T68s and T68i's ever sent to Orange customers have been returned at least once. Orange no longer recomend the T68 family of phones to anybody who makes 400+ minutes of calls per miniute - it's not up to the job of being a business phone.

    First of all, the good points - this is a jewel of a phone. Tiny, pretty and colourful. It's designed with the looks to sucker in geeky types who like cute machines. Thats the good bit over.

    Unfortunately, this has to be the least reliable phone I have ever used. Before my T68i, I have owned bricks made by Motrola, and then less brick-like phones made by Nokia. Even my 1996 Motorolla MR1 flip-phone has better signal strength usability and reliability than the T68.

    The interface is pretty, but unfortunately the CPU and graphics chip are underpowered - the result is a strange laggy feeling where because the phone takes a fraction of a second to respond, it often leaves the user unsure as to if the button was pressed correctly... so the user ends up pressing the button again, and then fills the screen with redundant characters.

    If you allow somebody to sell you this phone, it's worth getting insurance with it (The same goes for the Nokia 8000 and 9000 series phones) - these all have very low MHBF (Mean Hours Before Failure) scores. I'm now on my 4th T68i - every few months I have to get it replaced.

    Faults have included, frequent crashes (Orange will admit off the record, that the T68 firmware was just not ready at the time it went to market). Transmission and reception failures - general poor call quiality and lack of reliability. Occaisionally I have had missing menu options, and sporadic and inexplicable freezes.

    Anyway, that should be enough to convince you - just dont buy this phone okay?
    • According to orange, more than 1/3 of the T68s and T68i's ever sent to Orange customers have been returned at least once. Orange no longer recomend the T68 family of phones to anybody who makes 400+ minutes of calls per miniute - it's not up to the job of being a business phone.


      Stop dropping the phone on the ground and surprise, the phone will work. I had a salesman try to pitch the same deal to me (T-Mobile Rep and ex-AT&T rep), and he eventually told me that most of the returns had to do with people dropping them and the SIM card would become loose. That caused the phone to fritz out. You are right about one thing, get insurance on it if you're prone to dropping it. I did.


      The interface is pretty, but unfortunately the CPU and graphics chip are underpowered - the result is a strange laggy feeling where because the phone takes a fraction of a second to respond, it often leaves the user unsure as to if the button was pressed correctly... so the user ends up pressing the button again, and then fills the screen with redundant characters.


      What FUD. What did you expect for a tiny phone with a 2" 256 color screen? You're not going to get the same snappy response as your video card in your computer. I'm happy with it. Sure, it lags, but I'm more happy with the fact that it has some kickin' battery life.


      Here's my experience: In the US, AT&T wireless has this phone for their new GSM/GPRS network. I've had Sprint PCS before, but was unhappy with their coverage and even with their signals within coverage areas. I didn't relize how many times I had to ask people to repeat themselves because the signal would dropout for a second or two. This new service (Cleveland, OH area) is much better. Sure the coverage isn't there (yet), but there are fewer dropouts with AT&T. Suprisingly, in the car, I have yet to get a dropout while driving. I can understand the other person quite clearly, unlike Sprint.

      • Stop dropping the phone on the ground and surprise, the phone will work. I had a salesman try to pitch the same deal to me (T-Mobile Rep and ex-AT&T rep), and he eventually told me that most of the returns had to do with people dropping them and the SIM card would become loose. That caused the phone to fritz out.
        Bull. I own a T68. I have yet to drop it at all. It has crashed, had garbled text, and behaved erratically at least twice a week since I got it. Dropping it is not the problem. Look at the SIM card! It held in so tight that you have to bend it to get it out. The SIM card, should it become loose during use, would not cause a problem with the phone. This is because the phone caches the SIM card information! Why do you think you have commands to "update from SIM" and "write to SIM"? Why do you think the phone takes so long to boot and you can't access your phone book in the first 30 seconds after it boots and finds your provider network?


        The interface is pretty, but unfortunately the CPU and graphics chip are underpowered - the result is a strange laggy feeling where because the phone takes a fraction of a second to respond, it often leaves the user unsure as to if the button was pressed correctly... so the user ends up pressing the button again, and then fills the screen with redundant characters.

        What FUD. What did you expect for a tiny phone with a 2" 256 color screen? You're not going to get the same snappy response as your video card in your computer. I'm happy with it. Sure, it lags, but I'm more happy with the fact that it has some kickin' battery life.
        Do you mean to tell me that you think the screen requires so much horsepower that you can't have a responsive UI? It's not FUD. It's true. The phone lags a lot more than it should. It's probably a bad design. Why can't you push any buttons until the informational pop-ups go away? You should at least be able to push the END key to make it go away. Keypresses should be stored and handled ASAP. It's bad.

        On the plus side, the phone does seem to do pretty well with reception. It's not perfect, but is so much better than any phone with Cingular when I had them.

        Unfortunately, the drawbacks are very numerous. Why do I have 10 static images that I can't delete and replace and only 1 image that I can? The ads show it being used to send pictures. Why would I only want to hold one picture? I know why. Because AT&T wants you to use their online WAP sites, which you have to pay for. Why do I want to pay for excruciatingly slow access to pictures??
      • Since you mention that you love your AT&T phone, I just had to throw my $0.02 in ...

        I've been a subscriber to AT&T for about 6 years now. I travel between Pittsburgh and Houston a lot. Pittsburgh's AT&T reception has traditionally been better.

        However, over the past year or so, reception has really been in the crapper. Can't place calls, connected calls get dropped, cutovers into others' conversations, it's been a mess. And don't even ask how bad it's been in Houston!

        I have a Nokia 8260, with which I'm largely happy. (My first died on a trip to Canada almost two years ago, but the replacement has been a trooper.)

        I'm now curious ... given that you love your reception, and you're GSM/GPRS, i wonder if it's a network thing? The 8260 is TDMA, so hmm...

        Would anyone out there know how AT&T's TDMA and GSM/GPRS networks compare, relative to each other with respect to signal strength? I have to admit, I'm pretty uninformed about the topic in general, and with respect to AT&T in particular.

        It would be interesting to note, though, given that all my friends with AT&T cell service are complaining as bitterly as I, regarding cell coverage...

    • I just got my phone last week and haven't noticed any issues. I'm on ATT Wirless in Chicago...

      What lag on the interface? Maybe I need something to compare it to, but I don't notice any interface lag at all, and the interface is easy to use and read, imho, of course.

      As for reception, it's fantastic for me in Chicago. I used to have Cingular here with a Nokia 3360, and the t68i with ATT has much better reception, even in this office tower where I usually get no signal or 1 bar on the old Nokia.

      Not sure if its just new firmware or what, but I love the phone so far...

  • Lock that communication down baby! (Score:4, Informative)

    by Mattygfunk1 ( 596840 ) on Monday November 04, 2002 @09:51AM (#4593981)
    The following feature is really undersold. IMO Nokia's innovation will have them the number one phone manufacturer for a long while to come.

    Equipped with secure mobile connectivity, employees can then access corporate information such as customer contracts and agreements using their mobile terminals over a secured VPN connected to their corporate network.

    -----
    Prints & framing Miss Katrina [katrinagalleries.com.au]

  • of mobile phones have been making lots of headway lately, and its nice to know that nokia is at the forefront of both technology, and user-friendliness.

    that being said, i have noticed that whilst the technology of new phones get better and more advanced the build quality has been plummeting. most, if not all handphones that have come out recently do not usually last more than a year of constant, everyday use. this is definitely in sharp contrast to the phones that motorola, ericsson, and other older players in the mobile phone business used to make.

    usually within a year, most handphones would already have failing LCDs, loose or cracked casings, non-responsive buttons, and all this for a phone that costs a few hundred when new.

    tired? go take a break. take out the old ericsson or motorola analog phone (or a first generation gsm model) you have stashed somewhere, and compare it with the tiny but fragile nokia/motorola/ericsson you have now. observe the cheap and brittle plastic now used, as opposed to the thick and strong bakelite-like material phones used to be made of. as i recall it, my old ericsson had its innards assembled on a metal chassis, which was then covered with a plastic casing, and it survived many many drops, kicks and falls and came out fine.

    i'm currently using a nokia 6150, and i refuse to lay down the cash to buy any of the new phones coming out. firstly, its because i don't actually need or use any of the new spiffy features that most phones come with but are redundant to most people. second but more importantly, i'm not going to pay for a phone that won't even last more than a year of daily use, and probably cost 1/100th of its street price to manufacture.

    now admittedly, this is due to a change in consumer habits, in that most people buying a new handphone change it within a year, so i don't really blame the mobile phone companies. however, i would definitely appreciate it if they at least gave those of us who buy phones to actually use and expect those phones to last, the option of doing so. i personally abhor people who throw away their old phones just because its no longer a new model and not in fashion, and go out to buy a new one. and before i forget, has anyone forgotten where all these phones go after we throw them away? yes, they fill up the landfills, further poluting the environment, for most countries that don't have strict recycling laws.

    nevermind if it doesn't have bluetooth, a built-in organizer, or any of the new-fangled features. just give me dual or tri band capability, sms, the basic functions like call-forwding, conference calls, and you have a happy and loyal customer. i don't need quick-swap faceplates and number pads because i don't see phones as a fasion accesory. i see them as a tool, so build them that way, thanks. and plain black would do, thank you. i don't need a translucent phone with a full led array flashing away and consuming the battery's power that goes off the first time you drop it.

    c'mon. lets see some REAL phones!
  • I've had the 6500...something I've had the 8860, I currently have the 8890, but I MUST HAVE the 8910i, or at the very least an 8910.
    That is the coolest phone - like the said, well, the 8890 is great, but let's fix everything that is wrong with it.

    The bummer is, not only can I not have it in the states now, I'm moving this summer and it doesn't look like the phone will work in that country either (Bermuda - they have a 1900 setup there, and the Nokia 8910/8910i is 900/1800 - waaaaah).

    My current phone (8890) should work, but WOW would I frickin love the 8910i.

  • Is it just me... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Gudlyf ( 544445 ) <.gudlyf. .at. .realistek.com.> on Monday November 04, 2002 @10:07AM (#4594009) Homepage Journal
    ...or do the guys on the top of the Nokia 8910i [nokia.com] page look like members of 'Sprockets' [google.com]?
  • These full color phones are awesome, but beware: There could be a lot of hidden costs.. For example, one of the nation wide networks that now has full-color phones, charges for the games that come on the phone. The charges vary from 2.95 for 3 months to 8.95 for 3 months, PER game. ouch!

  • Hmm, iSync? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by phil-trick ( 24853 )
    You can also sync the T68i with evolution thanks to multisync:

    http://multisync.sourceforge.net/

  • ...Nokia is the Blizzard of handphone companies... they really can do no wrong. It looks like they're finally moving over to tri-band models, so maybe we'll start seeing better phones in Yankland.

    I do wish Nokia would standardize SyncML across all of their phone models. That way we could see iSync compatibility, even if bluetooth is excluded. My understanding is that someone could write some lower-level driver to allow an infrared sync, so long as the phone supports SyncML.

    But even with all those features, what really sells me on Nokia phones is their aesthetics - you really just can't find better-looking phones out there, with the possible exception of the Moto v70. Handphones are status symbols in many parts of the world, and these new models will make heads turn.

  • I am really interested in leveraging bluetooth a lot more in my life -- the wireless headsets, car adapters, laptop synchronization. Once you start to get your mind rolling on the possibilities, bluetooth seems to open up a whole new world of choices. But there seems to be a complete dearth of phones available. Here is a short list of the ones I can find:

    This is about it for the phones I can find (except for the ones announced today). My question is this:
    Is this going to be the standard bluetooth ratio (e.g. 1 to 2 phones per manufacturer) or are more coming and this is just the tip of the iceberg? I am really interested in moving to the next phase of wireless, but it seems like bluetooth is a totally separate branch of modern cellphones. Will it be integrated or continue to be a separate branch?
    • The Nokia 6310i [nokia.com] is a triband Bluetooth phone which has gotten good reviews.

      As opposed to many of the Nokia phones, it is actually possible to buy this one.

      Unfortunately, as I understand it, it is not possible to use Voice Dialling with any currently available Bluetooth headset and Nokia phones, which definitely sucks.

    • The 7650. It has a big screen, 3.6M memory, you can download apps, IRC, browse the web, make your own apps, use MIDI ringtones, it has bluetooth, GPRS, IrDA.. and it's not TOO big though it's somewhat large. The user interface rocks. And it has a camera too :)
  • For happy surfing: both bluetooth and GPRS. Keep the phone in your pocket, when surfing the net with GPRS. Try that with infrared. Unfortunately, bluetooth is often missing on GPRS phones (even on the new 7250).

    You can download photographs to the 6100, which supports MMS. Cool. But even way cooler would be if digital cameras would come with bluetooth, so you can download a (downsized) picture straight from your camera into your bluetooth phone, and send them as an MMS.

    Multiplayer games, based on bluetooth.

    The ability to switch the phone in a mode where it does not send out any signals, but still allowing me to use all other functions such as calendar, alarm, stopwatch, calculator, games, and soon camera. Useful for in places where use of a mobile is not allowed such as planes.br>
  • In case anybody else doesn't know what this wonderful little bit of Marketriod is:

    MMS := MultiMedia Messaging Service.

    Folks, if you are going to use any abbreviations, acronyms, or technical terms that may not be in common use to the audience for which you are writing, it is considered good form to define them when they are first used.

    I had to add to the workload on the poor Nokia server to discover the meaning of that particular abbreviation.
    • Unless you have been living under a rock the last six months you should have known it. Any major cellphone service advertises MMS as "the next big thing" and usually the explanation on the abbreviation is somewhere on the ad in small letters.

      I still don't see the point of MMS, my opinion is that everyone will find it neat the first 2 months they have the phone, get surpised by the extra salty bills and never use it again. I might be wrong, of course.

  • These new phones from Nokia are always great - if you live in a country that Nokia releases them to. The new cell phone technology here in the US (where a majority of /.ers are from, remember) is severely lacking. Only just recently did AT&T switch over to a GSM system (well, it's coterminal with their existing TDMA network). We've still got a battle between CDMA, TDMA, GSM, and iDen networks here. And because of that (and for other reasons, doubtlessly) Nokia never releases these really cool phones here. Boo.
  • The rumors about the 9310 appear to be true... according to this article [bargainpda.com] Nokia is set to release their latest Communicator model (phone/PDA/mobile office) later today, with support for GPRS. See also on Google's news [google.com] for other articles on the 9310.

  • I've bought my girlfriend a Nokia 5510 recently. It's great and has a radio and MP3 player, but it doesn't support Ogg Vorbis [xiph.org] yet.

    If there's any insider from Nokia here, can he/she shed some light on future plans? Does Nokia plan adding OGG support to phones that currently support MP3 playback?

    • I asked Siemens the same question. Not that I care about the music, but I care about Ogg, and the answer was that this stuff is done in highly specialized chipsets, and therefore, the key to this is to make sure chipset manufacturers adopt Ogg.

      Other than that, I'll buy Siemens ME45 the next time there is some money on my account. It should be able to take some rough treatment, and it has an internal calendar that uses vCalendar, so it should integrate pretty easily with KOrganizer.

  • I recently upgraded to the Samsung S-105

    http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/prod/hhco mm erce/telecommunications/sgh_s105_specs.jsp

    So far, I am really enjoying it -- other then that no one else has MMS and the J2ME isnt really supported yet. (Infact, a lot of the advertised features of this phone are not supported yet, including the data cable listed on the box!) So far the color screen has been nothing more then an oh neat. Same thing with the polyphonic ring tones (other that finally when somoene is discovering ring tones I can just shut them up). It may be nicer when more of my friends have TMobile and MMS and the camera accessories.

    My bitch with all these new features is they all take up bandwidth, and at least with my provider, they arent real clear on that. For example, I have 300 messages per month for $2.99 plus one meg of download. This is all fine and dandy except they didnt tell me that sending an MMS costs bandwidth (as aposed to just a message count).
  • Nokia's press release is here, but the server is being battered right now.

    Slashdotted before the article was even posted. Amazing!

    -JDF
  • I just shimmied over to Nokia's website and looked at the featureset for each phone. Glancing at the Nokia 7250's featureset, this jumped out right at me:

    Key features: Visually provocative design, integrated camera, high-resolution color display, downloadable applications via Java(TM) technology, advanced MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), polyphonic (MIDI) ringing tones, stereo FM radio with handsfree speaker option, Digital Right Management (DRM), SyncML

    I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means. If it does, I am staying away from this phone like the plague.

  • ... notice that you can't use one in the states. It's the only fone in that lineup worth half a damn (since it's the only one with bluetooth) and it's not triband.

    Spose my T68 will be fine for a little while longer :)

    Also, does that bottom part pop out ala Matrix, or is it a wussy pulldown?
  • I just bought a Sony Ericsson T300 [sonyericsson.com]. It's a wonderful phone. Basically the only thing that the T68i does that this doesn't is Bluetooth. For my $149 (Only $99 after rebate) I got a triple-band GSM phone with great reception, incredible battery life (Lithium-Polymer; 7.5 hours of talk, 300 hours standby), GPRS acces, both POP3 and IMAP4 support, AIM, WAP, two-way SMS, MMS, a 640x480 color digital camera, headset (which I'll never use, but some people can't live without them), 256 color display, IR port that can communicate with other phones or handheld devices, 500 contact memory (8 fields per contact), four built-in games (you can download more for free), and the really important thing to me - it's small. I was going to go for a smaller Samsung or Motorola flip phone, but the combination of price, GPRS, and battery life made me get this model instead. I will probably get the USB cable and pray for iSync compatibility. Otherwise, I can always send emails with attached vCards to keep my laptop's address book in sync with the phone. Also, the menu is very easy to navigate on this phone.

    A friend of mine bought a T68i last month and returned it within a week. He said that it works wonderfully with iSync, but the Bluetooth totally drained the battery, and he was getting about 1 hour of talk time, and at most 15 hours standby. A guy from T-Mobile said that he's heard of this issue on the original T68 and early T68is, so it's possible that AT&T Wireless just had older boxes sitting around, but it was enough to make me not want one. In the short time I've had the T300, it's been phenomenal. The sound quality is great, the reception is good, even indoors, and I really only have one complaint: the interchangable faceplates are not available yet, so for now I'm stuck with dark green when I really want blue.
  • I've been a Nokia bunnie for the last 5 years (I've been using mobiles for 8 years) and upgraded to a T68i instead.

    When I decided to upgrade, I wanted infra-red, bluetooth, colour screen, GPRS, etc and good battery life - the camera bit is nice, but not essential. I was deliberating upon a 7650 or the T68i. The T68i has miles better battery life (I get about 5 - 6 days out of it), it's smaller, and the interface I find is quite usable. Sure, it's not the 7650, but that won't fit in my pocket so nicely and was 100ukp more expensive for the upgrade.

    When you start using bluetooth more, you realise how cool it really is. I now exchange images/date with people often. It seems to have caught on.

    In my mind, Nokia has brought out a deluge of new phones too late. By announcing 30 (as some articles say) new phones in the course of the year, are they not running the risk of severe problems ? I would have thought that the idea of keeping a fairly small product range was the way to keep brand identity and profits up. In this situation the distinction between the 72xx and the 76xx and the 8xxx range, etc.. gets lost. They used to have distinct target audiences - I've sorta lost the plot now. Over diversification, I believe is the term, isn't it ?

    I'm happy with my T68i. Some people have niggles, but I can only go on experience.... I'd recommend it, apart from the fact that all my mates have one now... :-)

    M.
  • Sure, sure, so it supports J2ME Java Apps. But how long until there's support for MIDP2 in these apps, or, hell, even MMAPI? Nokia UI API doesn't cut it; as a developer for these devices, I can say that we need the ability to play arbitrary waveform data across the speakers, and we need it now, for all devices, regardless of manufacturer.

    Java is just the thing to run on mobile devices, but if Sun doesn't get its act together and start pursuing the manufacturers to put in sound support (and other goodies, like full screen games), the market is going to die while BREW and other initiatives surge ahead.

    Jouster

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