[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by avi550m

Just two questions... is the lack of apps really such a letdown. (I used an ipod touch before, and frankly, did not use too many apps on it),

It depends on your usage. I don't find it a let down at all. I have some 96 apps installed on the phone and use around 10 apps regularly. All the basic needs are well covered.

and secondly, will a new version of Bada come out with improved functionality (will Samsung persist with bada and not let it die, unlike the fate which seems likely to befall Symbian).

That's upto Samsung to answer. They have already announced bada 2.0, so you should get at least that. I am pretty much satisfied with bada 1.0.2, where you will get bada 1.2 straightaway.

Android too will slowly become mature and there won't be too many upgrades in future. Don't just go by the version numbers. bada at 1.0 itself was good enough to give iOS and Android a run for money. Things like apps on SD card, music recognition, wifi tethering etc have been in bada 1.0 since day 1.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by avi550m

Hi Guys

Am in a conundrum about choosing a phone to replace my trusty but ageing Nokia E51. First I thought of android... the Optimus One seemed an obvious choice, but have heard too many niggling issued about it. At 11k, it is the cheapest option, though.
Then came the Blackberry Pearl 9100... love the keypad and the small touches (like the excellent audio quality, call/sms notification light and ambient light sensor) but given the Indian govt's stand on Blackberry, I don't know whether to take the risk or not.
Samsung Galaxy Ace is good... for overpriced for 15k (plus I heard its battery life is average at best).

The Wave 2 I think may be the best option. Granted, it is 2-3k over my budget (max 13k), but I need this phone to last reliably like my E51 (i.e. at least 2-3 years).

Apart from the lack of apps, (no Angry Birds?), the Wave 2 seems to fit me needs... Good Battery Life, amazing screen and build quality, reliability, excellent video and audio playback... I also need the phone to have good social networking skills, and internet browsing as well. I heard that the speaker (when making calls) is also loud, which is a relief in noisy Indian conditions. (unlike my E51 and the Optimus One).

Just two questions... is the lack of apps really such a letdown (I used an ipod touch before, and frankly, did not use too many apps on it), and secondly, will a new version of Bada come out with improved functionality (will Samsung persist with bada and not let it die, unlike the fate which seems likely to befall Symbian).

What niggling issues with the Optimus 1are you talking about?

As for BB, the uncertainity is about BB services like BB Messenger and Email. You may not want to defer buying a BB based just on that.

[avi550m]

My friends's two month old O1 has got the dust problem (dust accumulating under the screen), as has been reported on some forums. He sent it to LG service center, but the problem recurred two weeks later. TO be frank, thats the only thing which is stopping me. Plus the fact that the O1 price has now dropped to around 10-11k in the market. Is it strange that the o1 price has fallen so much (from 13.5k) for a popular model, while an HTC wildfire is still being charged around 13.5k in the shops, even though it is an older model.

Hmmm... but the Wave looks very tempting now, need to save some more

Originally Posted by Raccoon

What niggling issues with the Optimus 1are you talking about?

As for BB, the uncertainity is about BB services like BB Messenger and Email. You may not want to defer buying a BB based just on that.

[Raccoon]

^^^Yes, the dust issue seems to have been reported by way too many people. Have not personally experienced it yet. But then my ph does not operate in a dusty environment either, so who knows...

As for the price falling, I'm not sure if that is something you can hold against this model in particular. Probably LG is just being aggressive with the price to sell more units. Anyway, good for new customers. Bad for the old ones. HTC Wildfire is overpriced IMHO.

[yajaman99]

Are any Wave users on Airtel who have setup Exchange Mail facing issue with mails failing to download intermittently. If the phone is rebooted it will continue to work till the issue appears again.
Bada 1.0
F/w JH1_INU

[Gandhi]

Hi Friends,

People have figured out how to use NDrive for navigation in India. I have followed the procedure to download and installed NDrive application with India maps, but haven't tried the navigation so far. The maps seems to be less detailed than Ovi maps or Google maps.

Follow the procedure mentioned in the thread on badaforums.net here - NDRIVE OUT for BADA - Bada Apps & Games - Page 2

Here are some screenshots from my Wave -

[Newpunter]

I have just joined the Bada bandwagon with my Wave 575 ( actually it is a gift for my wife ). I have just received the phone but I like what i have seen so far. So a few questions to people who have been using Bada for sometime( sorry if the questions are too dumb or have been answered before ) :
1. Is Sygic + MMI navigation available for Bada yet ?
2. The version of the OS says 1.1 . What is the latest version of the OS available for this phone? Can I update it from my PC ?
3. I have installed Opera Mini on the phone and found that it is found only in the Games section. Is there any way i can create a shortcut on the desktop so that i can launch it immediately ?

Thanks.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by Newpunter

I have just joined the Bada bandwagon with my Wave 575 ( actually it is a gift for my wife ).

Welcome to the community. Check out Bada Forums and Samsung Wave Forum - Index. These are the two biggest forums for bada phones.

I have just received the phone but I like what i have seen so far. So a few questions to people who have been using Bada for sometime( sorry if the questions are too dumb or have been answered before ) :
1. Is Sygic + MMI navigation available for Bada yet ?

Not yet. Check out the NDrive option I have suggested above, if that works for you.

2. The version of the OS says 1.1 . What is the latest version of the OS available for this phone? Can I update it from my PC ?

IIRC, it is 1.2 for your phone. Install Kies from Samsungmobile.com and upgrade your firmware.

3. I have installed Opera Mini on the phone and found that it is found only in the Games section. Is there any way i can create a shortcut on the desktop so that i can launch it immediately ?

Thanks.

All the java apps go to Games folder, so right now there is no way to have Opera Mini on main Menu or the home screens.

[rajesh1868]

@ Gandhi, Thanks for the detail on Ndrive. Will be trying out

[Gandhi]

Time for a review of NDrive maps and navigation.

I tried the NDrive voice navigation from my home to office today morning. Here are my observations -

• GPS lock happened in about 3 minutes on cold start.
• Maps are very accurate. Small roads are also present on the maps. However, finding an address is a pain as not all the streets are named and numbered.
• Navigation is very accurate. Route re-calculation works really well, better than Ovi maps. I take a small short-cut during my trip, and it found it out once I was on the road, whereas Ovi maps would keep asking me to return back on the main road.
• Haven't researched for more options for voices, but default voice of a UK female is OK. It is too slow and sometimes irritating.
• During navigation, the map sometimes doesn't rotate itself and hence you need to carefully look at the map to see what direction you are going to.
• My wave became hot after half n hour of navigation. This wasn't alarming. It was about the same when charge the battery.
• Battery consumption during navigation is very less. I lost only about 5% of charge during half n hour of navigation (screen was ON all the time).

Verdict - Impressed. It will improve with time. I'll be happy with more detailed maps with proper naming and numbering.

[Newpunter]

I have used Ndrive before on my dedicated GPS and it is indeed very good. But I prefer Sygic with MMI. Sygic has a great interface and is quite fast in searching for POIs. I had read that they are working on a version for Bada. Hopefully, they will release the Bada version soon.

[Newpunter]

Just got a mail from Sygic that their app for Bada has been released and available through SamsungApps. The introductory price for the app is 10 Euro ( till 14th April ). The maps for india are not yet available though , but they have said that the maps are coming soon.

Sygic's GPS navigation for bada smartphones launched in Samsung Apps


Hopefully, the India maps are approved by Samsung before 14th Apr so that i can buy it at the special price which is a really good price .

[Gandhi]

Mobile Maps are in samsungapps since a week or two now. Probably you can ask them if you can purchase some other country's version and later just download India maps. If that is an option.

[Gandhi]

I just checked today morning and Sygic Mobile Maps for India is available now at 3000/-. Not sure why the discount price is not showing up on samsungapps.

[surd_biker]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

I just checked today morning and Sygic Mobile Maps for India is available now at 3000/-. Not sure why the discount price is not showing up on samsungapps.

Hmm 3K is pretty expensive . considering route 66 navigation is also available for 49USD. Wonder when the discounted price will be applicable for India?