[thelightening]

Its a very bad response from the customer care of such a multinational company. They need to be more resposible for what blah blah they are saying over phones to customers !!

By the way raj , happy to hear that its atleast working now. By the way what model is your handset?

[raj_5004]

Its a SE Xperia X10.

[abhibh]

Since the day Hutch was taken over by Vodafone their services gone for a toss.

- They over charge post paid customers
- Their support is 3rd class
- You have to visit their vodafone store to get things done and wait in line for atleast 30 mins due to their system. And still its not guaranteed that your problem will be solved
- Their vodafone stores r small and can hardly accompany 10 people at the same time.
- They are targeting numbers (pre paid customers) where as hutch policy was pretty much different.

I have been with Hutch (now know as vodastupidphone) for past 5 + years and i can proudly say i am not a happy customer.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Ram

Have been talking about what would be the Nokia N8 for the past six months.
Here is the trail.
.....

Ram, something interesting for you.
A hands-on preview of Nokia N8 from TechTree.

Link: Techtree.com India > Reviews > Mobile Computing > Mobile Phones > Nokia N8 Hands-On Preview

[thelightening]

Guys, If we are forced to select one, which we will select from HTC Wildfire (Android/15k approx), Samsung Wave (Bada OS/17k) and why?

I need valuable suggestion to decide on this.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Ram, something interesting for you.
A hands-on preview of Nokia N8 from TechTree.

Link: Techtree.com India > Reviews > Mobile Computing > Mobile Phones > Nokia N8 Hands-On Preview

Thanks for the link Dry Ice.

There are lot of user-content bulletin-boards (UCBB) worldwide, that discuss mobile phones. Some of them discuss phones in as much detail or even more detail than our UCBB: team-BHP.com discusses motor cars.

As I enjoy closely following mobile phones, professionally and personally, I also learn from and contribute to some of them.

Many mobile phone UCBBs (especially some Russian ones) are superior in knowledge and more current than Andheri-based TechTree.com.

Some contributors even develop custom software for the phones.

In heavy artillery, the Nokia N8 beats Apple’s latest iPhone 4 and also many other Samsung and Motorola phones that run Google's Android.

Android is steadily maturing, breaking performance barriers and setting new standards everyday. Android applications are as feature-rich as PC applications. The number of companies jumping onto the Android bandwagon with open arms is so profuse, it's not funny.

In the past, we have seen days of proprietary lock-in.
Big giants pushed their weight around and forced technology on the masses. IBM, Microsoft, Apple and Nokia have all seen their seasons in the sun. Unfortunately for them, those (Berlin wall?) days are over.
With time and exposure, Android developers are now familiar with the code-base and development environment.

Still it remains to be seen how competitive Symbian^3 and its applications turn out to be, in the face of the new kids on the block -- Android and iOS.

[muni]

Originally Posted by thelightening

Guys, If we are forced to select one, which we will select from HTC Wildfire (Android/15k approx), Samsung Wave (Bada OS/17k) and why?

I need valuable suggestion to decide on this.

I did a few months of exploring android and other OS and finally settled for the Wave.

Samsung wave is better in all respects ( it can compete with mobiles amost 60% more its cost in terms of specs, build, features and performance) except for the OS and application store which again isnt much of a deal as the free NFS game that I got as free download with the wave is too good.

check GSM arena for the review which is pretty much neutral..

If you want to go the Android way ensure that the hardware specs are right for future OS versions i.e,gingerbread ( I doubt wildfire qualifies for future android versions)

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Ram

In heavy artillery, the Nokia N8 beats Apple’s latest iPhone 4 and also many other Samsung and Motorola phones that run Google's Android.

In my opinion, Nokia is a spent force now. Specifically in arena of Smpastphones.

They make great devices. I was amazed by "Navi Key" of 5110 in 1999 (Nokia 5110 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). That was my first phone, and have been using Nokia phones all along. Great example in Nokia N82.

And still NO OTHER device comes close to "Value for Money" to devices like 5230 or new C6. For 8k you get touch screen, music player, GPS, 3G, Webkit based browser and pretty much every feature.

But, Nokia is fighting a lone battle. I am not sure if my next phone is going to be a Nokia.

These are my frustrations:

1. Lack of Apps: Garmin is NOT going to be available on N8. My brokerage does not have app for Symbian. I have started doing outdoor activities again. Pedometer in my shoes can't sync with Symbian phones. My heart rate monitor does not sync with Nokia. Nokia sells its own and it costs more than $150. Every other monitor works with Android and iPhone.
2. Hard to develop Apps for: I am a software developer. My first reaction is, if an app is not available I can write it myself. Nokia does not make that job easy.

In my opinion, Nokia is facing battle on two fronts. On lower end, cheaper alternatives are nibbling away market-share of S40 devices. And on high-end, there are iPhones and Adroid.

One option for Nokia could be to dump Symbian and switch to Android for smart phones.

That would give us Nokia's reliability + Great OS to develop Apps on.

Android is what Nokia, Samsung etc wanted to create with Symbian.

[thelightening]

Originally Posted by muni

I did a few months of exploring android and other OS and finally settled for the Wave.

Samsung wave is better in all respects ( it can compete with mobiles amost 60% more its cost in terms of specs, build, features and performance) except for the OS and application store which again isnt much of a deal as the free NFS game that I got as free download with the wave is too good.

check GSM arena for the review which is pretty much neutral..

If you want to go the Android way ensure that the hardware specs are right for future OS versions i.e,gingerbread ( I doubt wildfire qualifies for future android versions)

I recently bought an x6 and was planning to sell this off, which will make a 3k hole in my pocket. Again if I buy this HTC wildfire, I am not sure, how it will be beneficial to me over the current x6. But I am too tempted toward the android OS too.

The local shopwala suggested Wave over wildfire Its features are very impressive too.. but now i am totally confused..

[NetfreakBombay]

To explore, Adnroid OS there is a cheaper option too.

There are quite a few iPad look-alikes that are available for 5 - 8k. There are android devices and have 7 - 10 inch touch screens. I bought one such device called Eken-M001.

Cost was 4.5k inclusive of shipping to Mumbai. (DealExtreme: $95.50 M001 7" Touch Screen TFT LCD Google Android 1.6 Tablet PC w/ WiFi (VIA MW8505/600MHz))

[Ram]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

In my opinion, Nokia is a spent force now. Specifically in arena of Smartphones.

Smartphones are Hardware plus Software.
And Nokia is still tops in Hardware Reliability.
For several years now, you can drop a Nokia to a concrete floor and pick it up unscathed in most cases.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Lack of Apps: Garmin is NOT going to be available on N8.

Check out
Garmin: Garmin Mobile XT for Symbian S60 3rd Edition Updates & Downloads

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Pedometer in my shoes can't sync with Symbian phones.

I use the accelerometer in my Nokia N82 as a pedometer with SportsTracker.

SportsTracker integrates the Nokia N82's

• GPS receiver
• Accelerometer as a pedometer
• logs your walking/jogging sessions
• and produces a .kml file for viewing in Google Earth.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

My heart rate monitor does not sync with Nokia. Nokia sells its own and it costs more than $150.

Check out
Nokia Sports Tracker Beta

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Hard to develop Apps for: I am a software developer. My first reaction is, if an app is not available I can write it myself. Nokia does not make that job easy.

I have been a Qt developer from 2002 onwards when Trolltech Norway was not part of Nokia. I had my own Medical informatics company and developed medical applications using Python, Qt and PostgreSQL.
Today Qt and Python are available to zillions of Symbian developers.

Then again, Symbian has more developer opportunities.
If you want to build an Android app, you need the Android SDK.
Symbian, on the other hand, lets you use native C++, Qt, Python, Web Runtime, Java, and a few others.

There are also millions more Symbian devices in use than there are Android devices – a great opportunity for a developer looking for the bigger market opportunity.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

In my opinion, Nokia is facing battle on two fronts. On lower end, cheaper alternatives are nibbling away market-share of S40 devices.

Who is challenging S40 feature-by-feature and rupee-for-rupee ?

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

And on high-end, there are iPhones and Android.

Android is a serious contender, I agree.
Apple IMHO is still a fancy touch-UI babe in the woods as far as the global GSM business is concerned -- an iPod that is a bad phone with weak signal reception.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

One option for Nokia could be to dump Symbian and switch to Android for smart phones.
That would give us Nokia's reliability + Great OS to develop Apps on.

That would be an interesting turn of the tables. I agree wholeheartedly.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Ram

Smartphones are Hardware plus Software.
And Nokia is still tops in Hardware Reliability.
For several years now, you can drop a Nokia to a concrete floor and pick it up unscathed in most cases.

Agree thats where Nokia shines.

Originally Posted by Ram

Check out
Garmin: Garmin Mobile XT for Symbian S60 3rd Edition Updates & Downloads

As this page mentions this only works with current Nokia device (S60 3rd Edition) .I confirmed with Garmin itself (Not customer care, actual dev team) this would be the last update for Symbian. Garmin is done with Symbian for now.

Originally Posted by Ram

I use the accelerometer in my Nokia N82 as a pedometer with SportsTracker.

I was an avid user of Sports Tracker. Sports Tracker is now history. Nokia shut it down couple of months back.

And Sports Tracker does not work with all Bluetooth Hear Rate monitors. It requires a specific monitor that costs 150$ (as compared to market price of $70).

If you run for 200 meters and compare Sports Tracker's pedometer with pedometer built into shoes, you can see that its quite inaccurate.

Originally Posted by Ram

Then again, Symbian has more developer opportunities.
If you want to build an Android app, you need the Android SDK.
Symbian, on the other hand, lets you use native C++, Qt, Python, Web Runtime, Java, and a few others.

I develop for all three platforms. iPhone, Android and Symbian. Only viable option for real apps is native C++. Thats the language most of the apps (E.g. Skype for Symbian/Sports Tracker / Google Maps) are written.

There are frameworks like Sencha / Phonegap that are trying to bridge this. But no mahor App uses it at this point.

I love the fact that I can run PHP/MySQQL/Apache on my N82. But thats for fun.

Originally Posted by Ram

There are also millions more Symbian devices in use than there are Android devices – a great opportunity for a developer looking for the bigger market opportunity.

There are more Symbian devices, but if you slice that data for for Smartphones, tables have already turned. Nokia's bread and butter is now cheaper S40 device.

Look at marketshare report for last quarter. For new shipments, Nokia is no longer the leader.

Originally Posted by Ram

Who is challenging S40 feature-by-feature and rupee-for-rupee ?

For that customer demography, this does not matter. These cheap phones are good enough for Voice/Text.

Originally Posted by Ram

Apple IMHO is still a fancy touch-UI babe in the woods as far as the global GSM business is concerned -- an iPod that is a bad phone with weak signal reception.

If you look at shipment reports Apple can't make enough of them. Inventory levels are near zero worldwide. There is more demand then supply.

Bottom line is, it does not matter if Nokia's phones are good or bad.

If enough people move away from it in next couple of quarters, then that will kill the ecosystem.

To me, that brings back the whole OS2 vs. Windows drama of 90s.

It was the OS with Ecosystem (Developers / Software / Hype ) that won, and better OS lost.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by Ram

Smartphones are Hardware plus Software.
And Nokia is still tops in Hardware Reliability.
For several years now, you can drop a Nokia to a concrete floor and pick it up unscathed in most cases.

I want to add that it's not only Nokia that is built to last. Most people have this belief that other phones are not solid enough to be used in a rough way. My 4 year old Sony Ericsson has fallen from all possible places - starting from a 3 feet high table to 1st floor to bike going at 70 KMPH - and has come out unscathed all the time .

I don't doubt the hardware reliability of Nokias, but it's not ONLY Nokia that does good in this department.

[SPARKled]

Sony Ericsson makes some real tough phons IMHO tougher than Nokia. All my Eriscsson and SE phones have lasted much longer than Nokias and I have extensively used both brands pretty extensively. The only problem with SE has been the Ericsson legacy charger and cable port which has been a problem in all of my owned Ericsson and SE phones. Infact the only reason that I have chnaged my SE/Ericsson phones was due to charging problems after about 1.5 to 2 years of use. I know a lot of SE users who too have faced the same port problems.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

Sony Ericsson makes some real tough phons IMHO tougher than Nokia. All my Eriscsson and SE phones have lasted much longer than Nokias and I have extensively used both brands pretty extensively. The only problem with SE has been the Ericsson legacy charger and cable port which has been a problem in all of my owned Ericsson and SE phones. Infact the only reason that I have chnaged my SE/Ericsson phones was due to charging problems after about 1.5 to 2 years of use. I know a lot of SE users who too have faced the same port problems.

Another die hard Sony Erricson fan here!. Being a proud owner of T-100, T-300, k510i, k700i(great phone), k750i, w800i,w-830i, k850i I could definitely say that SE just rocks.
And yes, the major problem I noticed in all of my phones charging problem. However, I align the charger, it would just fail to stay in 'charging mode'. Tried cleaning its ports/terminals, but then wouldn't last long.
Got tired and now using an n82.