3UK MIFI update

I got to test 3UK's MIFI, mobile broadband wireless router.  I must have raved about it so much that my wife bought me one for Christmas.  When I was testing the MIFI, some of the things I did not test was how it worked with the DS or other hand held games. I will give that a go and see how it works.

My Nokia N86

I've had my N86 for a couple of weeks now.  Although I am pro Android, like the iPhone etc I still love N series phones.  I believe the N86 is the phone that is the natural successor to the N95.  As a photographer the first thing I want to put through it's paces is the 8mp camera.  Supposedly there are firmware updates coming that add face recognition etc.  I wish the N series had a built in raw mode, it's got the memory to deal with it now without adding memory. I am still not totally happy with the phones jpeg compression but it seems improved from the N95. I also plan to test the cameras low light sensitivity and see how noisy the images become.  One thing to note if you have the N86, you have to turn on certain options, like iso etc in the settings. Instead of categories actual iso setting would be nice.

Overall I am very happy with the phone, and there will be more to report in coming weeks.

My apologies

What will Nokia do and Why my new phone will be the Nokia N86 originally were one single  post. I was editing the first post and in my late night copy and pasting lost my bit on Nokia advice, so I had to rewrite it as a new post.

Thanks,

Fred W.

What will Nokia do?

Is the end of the N series phones from Nokia coming to an end? With the continual drumbeat of the iPhone and Android, will Nokia fall to the side as a "premium" phone?  I just got my N86, it's such a lovely phone I would hate to think of it as one of the last in the series.

Nokia has had great marketing that worked for the last 10 years. Make a line of phones for a wide range of people.  Well the kids that had Nokia candy bar phones have grown up and now have iPhones. Look at Apple and the iPhone, one phone and a thousands apps. Nokia can no longer have a thousand different phones (literary exaggeration, sorry) with no apps.

Nokia can no longer try the shotgun approach at marketing phones. They can no longer be all things to all people.  They have to attempt to focus their range of phones, some basic ones with social media apps, and some N Series type phones for power users, with lots of applications available, including social media.

Nokia coming out of the blue with a Maeomo powered N900, a very nice powerful phone, but most people will say what the heck is Maemo? (yes I know it's a powerful linux OS). And how many apps are available for the N900 out of the box? Can mobile networks provide branded apps for the phone?

Like the camera can do on my N86, Nokia needs to focus.

Why my new phone will be the Nokia N86

I've just upgraded to the Nokia N86.  I will receive the phone in a couple of days. But with all the handsets out there, why choose the N86?  First of all I find Nokia's N series  interface easy to use It also gives me access to settings and utilities within the phone so  I feel that I have direct control.

I like the iPhone, but I can't stand virtual keyboards. One, my fingers are too big, two, when you need to access the keyboard within a call, say phone banking or something it's a pain to use.

I also looked at the HTC Hero, which I also liked, but had the same problem with virtual keyboard. It's a lovely phone but with no bluetooth transfer or the ability to quit an app (yes I know it quits one when you start another) it does not have the control I want. Even though the Hero has a bigger screen I found web browsing as much of a strain as my eyes as the N95.

The iPhone is much better for web browsing and email,  But we are back to virtual keyboards. 

What drew me to the N86? I've had a bog standard N95 for almost 2 years and have loved the phone. It has held up well in the onslaught of new phones.  As camera phone, it has been  awesome, listening to podcasts, great. Where it falls down is with the web.  The screen is just too small and low res.

 The iPhone gives you a great web experience, but I am hoping my web browsing is much improved with the N86's OLED screen.

The N86's camera is also attractive. I know more megapixels does not automatically mean better images. And with an avid interest in photography, the camera phone will never replace a good DSLR. However the N95 was able to take decent (looked good on flickr) images. And with geotagging built in it added a new dimension to mobile photography.  Sharing images and locations.  I took a trip up the Thames and was taking geotagged photos as I went.  The results were exciting. You could see where I was and what I was seeing.

The N86 is supposed to have improvements such as a mechanical shutter (note to self, do not drop this phone). So I am looking forward to experimenting with the N86 camera. Another aspect of a camera phone is,  you always have it on you, I don't always drag a DSLR around with me.

Even though a great camera phone will not replace a good DSLR, "Being in the right place at the right time", "the decisive moment"  (from BBC Four's Genius of Photography) with a camera phone will always be better than not having a camera on hand.