I've had my hands on the Nokia 5800 for a few days now and have gotten a ton of use out of it as my main device. Like I said in my previous article about the 5800 I've never used a touchscreen device before so this is turning out to be an extremely interesting experiment. It turns out that I've approached the way I use the home screen in entire different way then on my N82 or E71. This wasn't on purpose, just the way it works out because of a few likes and dislikes of the 5800 home screen.

Home Screen Themes

First off I'll show you the different home screen options that Symbian S60 5th Edition gives us. In the settings they are called Home Screen Themes.

Shortcuts Bar:



This is the same active standby home screen you get with S60 3rd edition phones like the N82, N95, etc. You can choose four shortcuts across the top and your calendar entries, music playback, and search are shown. I was pretty bummed to see only four shortcuts and such small calendar entry fonts. Seems like a huge waste of real estate with the enormous screen.

Contacts Bar:



This is like your "Fav-5" that T-Mobile has. You choose four of your favorite contacts to be show on the home screen. When you click on one you get the latest contact information you've had with them including calls, emails, texts, and their rss feeds. I like the idea and gave it a try, but just didn't find it useful to me.

Basic:



Just a plain and simple background. No shortcuts, calendar entries or notifications of any kind. Cool thing is you can choose an image and it will fill up the entire screen, unlike S60 3rd Edition which cuts off the image and looks awkward. I'm so thankful for this new full screen wallpaper on the 5800. Keep in mind you can also set a full screen wallpaper for the other two home screen options.

Hidden Shortcuts

With that said, the new S60 touch interface features a few hidden shortcuts that are very handy. These shortcuts are only made possible because of touch screen.

Tap the battery signal area:



As you can see you get a pop-out in the top right corner of the screen. It gives you the time, connection status, and new message notifications. Touch the time and it takes you to the alarm. Touch the message icon and it takes you to the new message or dials voicemail. Touch the connectivity and you got to the Connectivity application which controls the Network, WLAN, Bluetooth, USB, and all other connections. If you're bluetooth or WLAN is ON, it the pop-out will show the proper icons. Say you click the bluetooth icon, it takes you to the bluetooth settings. Very handy all around.

Touch the date or profile area:



A pop-out opens allowing you to go to your calendar application or change the current profile. I especially love the calendar shortcut.

Touch the time:

No need for an image here since there is no pop-out. If you touch the clock in the upper left corner you're taken to the clock application where you can modify the time, check world clocks, and set alarms. Another great shortcut.

Media Shortcuts Bar

Yet another set of shortcuts media bar. The actual touch button isn't on the screen, but right above it on the right side next to the XpressMusic label. Touch it and you get the following pop-out:



Here you can access the Music Player, Gallery, Share Online, Video Center, and the Web Browser. I've found this to be one of the most useful shortcut tools I've ever used on a mobile device. It would be even better if we can customize it, but right now it's not possible.

Summing Up All The Shorcuts, Not Including The Home Screen Themes

So just how many shortcuts do you get when just using the Basic home screen theme? Let's go back over it...

Music Player, Share Online, Video Center, Gallery, Web Browser, Clock, Connectivity options, Message/Voicemail Notifications, Calendar, Profiles, Clock/Alarm application, and Contacts.

I counted 12.

The Way I use The Home screen - Completely different

I didn't expect this to happen, but it has. I don't use the home screen as active standby any longer. No need for the shortcuts bar, search, music playback info,or latest calendar entries. The Basic home screen theme is what I have chosen to use which is completely different than my usage with my N82 and E71. Those 12 shortcuts that are still usable with the basic home screen theme and it's plenty for me. Having the ability to now use a photo as a full screen wallpaper - like I said earlier, is great. I love being greeting with my wallpaper of choice every time I unlock the device.

"What about your all your favorite application shortcuts?", you might ask. This is what I'll cover in the next article. The 5th edition menu is slightly more versatile than the 3rd edition menu, giving me more flexibility.

Stay tuned in a few days for the next segment of my Nokia 5800 review. Once again, let me know if you have any questions. I'll be answering questions from this and my previous article in the next part.

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The E71 that I received came with a document cut out and an adhesive tape as seen in the picture above. Of course, the tape screams to reform the pieces so i tried to do the "puzzle". And here's the final result (i did not continue until the end):

It's a manually unloaded document, to support the E71/E66 Campaign, The Unloader. This post is sooooo late and you might already know about it since the said campaign started monthssss before but I did not paid any attention to it. This time, I got really curious and gave it a shot. .

...

And it's fun!

Basically, the site helps you get rid of those boring work-related documents that you may have by unloading it digitally. Through a generated video, you can choose to burn them in flames, shred them to pieces or dip them in some tar and feathers. It may sound "boring" as well but what makes it enjoyable is that, you can actually see the uploaded document being unloaded on the video..

Try it during your free time, stretch out from work and have fun with those weary office documents. Unloading a document will also aid the planet, since Nokia will plant a tree in Brazil for every 100 document unloaded.

Now that's more than a good reason to destroy those boring documents that you do have!

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I'm FINALLY getting my grubby hands on the Nokia 5800 - the first S60 touchscreen device. The device is sitting on my doorstep waiting for me to come home and unbox it. Now before you read ANY of my thoughts on the 5800, know this... I have never used the Apple iPhone for more than five minutes. I have never been interested in touchscreen devices, despite the huge craze that has surrounded the technology ever since Apple exploded onto the scene. So my thoughts on this hot new device won't be comparing it to the iPhone - not one bit. Instead I will be putting it up against my oh so trusty N82 - my favorite S60 phone ever.

What I'm Excited About:

- Trying touchscreen for more than five minutes for the first time ever.
- Enjoying S60 on a HUGE, high resolution screen.
- The amazing music quality I've heard so much about. I have a 16gb card to make this the ultimate music device.
- Symbian S60 5th edition.
- The new contacts bar.
- The guitar pick (cheesy, but I'm a musician at heart).
- Trying out the camera (double LED vs single LED)
- Last but not least, all the attention it will get. When I WOM about Nokia & S60, the first question I get is, you know... Ooooh - is that touchscreen? YES!

What I'm Bummed About:

- Not having real buttons (maybe I will feel differently after a few weeks).
- Not having Xenon flash.
- Not having a huge 1500mah batter (my E71 I use during busy work days).
- Digging around the internet for 5th edition applications (maybe it won't be so hard).
- Still no Nokia Messaging support.

With that said, I'm very excited to pop in the sim card tonight and fire up Nokia's latest and greatest.

The review will come in stages, with many screenshots, photos, and comparisons.

Stay Tuned! And if you have any "warm up" questions you'd like me to answer, leave them below.

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Aaron has been writing on this blog for a few months now. I've never properly introduced him to all of you, a big whopping OOOOPS!on my part. I thought I did, but looking back through the archive it hasn't happened. Sorry dude! So far he's reviewed the N95, E66, and right now the Nokia E71.

Welcome, Aaron.

Aaron Vergara, Writer
contact: avergara08@gmail.com
Articles



Introduction:

Just a regular guy, 22 years old, from the Philippines. Currently, I’m a Computer Programmer and Analyst on an offshore software company here in Batangas.

I had early interest on electronic devices since I was 6 (if I remember it correctly). That time, I was into digital watches (setting date and time, alarms was really fun ^^) and brick games, lol. Then came cartridge games (family computer), nintendo stuffs (game boy) etc. To cut the story short, I was really into gaming. Still a gamer today but not that much (I think). I am currently hooked on online and network games (DOTA! Rules). Thankfully, I’ve never thought of spending hard cash on PlayStation, xbox and other gaming consoles, though I know how cool games can get there.

School days were fun. I hate geography though. Loved computer subjects in contrast. I also enjoyed musical instruments; guitar, flute, piano etc.

The first mobile device that made my eyes go green is the Nokia 5110. I was in high school, it was my classmate’s. Cool she was then when she raises her phone to get better signal reception, but now, do that and look absurd ^^. Snake was indeed an addicting game.

I was in college, freshman, when I had my own phone, the Nokia 3315. After 3 years with this sturdy device (oh god, feels like forever), I can never be happier when I bought the Nokia 5300. That’s the first buy I did when I got my first job as an IT Instructor. Certainly a great phone it is. I did not sleep that day when I bought it, I spent the whole night, playing with the phone, trying everything possible and reading the manual. And the following days were all about camera, games and application downloads. I am all over the phone and did not stop hailing the s40 platform until I find some weaknesses and its limitations.

Just a few months after, I found myself in search for a phone that sports a better camera and video capabilities. I learned about s60, and before Christmas of 2007, I met and fell in love (deeply) with the Nokia N82. Though the price exceeded my budget (for a Nokia 5610, which I originally planned to buy), all I was thinking was to get my hands on this superb device.

Now I can’t imagine myself without my N82. Thanks to Mike, who gave me the chance to share my experiences with the phone thru his blog.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading.

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Being spoiled by the imaging capabilities of my Nokia N82, I was not really looking forward to see "satisfactory" output from the E71's 3.2mp camera. Also, having trialled the E66 before which sports the same camera specs, I was not impressed with it so I thought the E71 would just be in the same level.

But last month changed the way I perceive the E71's camera. Me and two of my friends have agreed (while we're at it) to visit Manila Zoo and (like a child) I was excited to take pictures. But shoot! I forgot to bring my N82. I was really comfortable using the E71 that I failed to remember bringing my N82 for that picture-hungry trip. So I just took pictures with the E71 instead of going home without having my own set of shots.

I did not took many pictures, as I was thinking the output quality will not be good enough for me. But when i transferred the pictures and reviewed them on my pc, I was very regretful. The result may not be N82-grade but they are more than acceptable, especially those that were taken in great lighting conditions. Here are a few samples:

I was really disappointed that I did not take as many pictures as I could. Evidently, I underestimated the E71 for its potential in imaging department. I'll know better next time :D

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I was excited when I received an E71 from the good guys of womworld last month. From several blogs and forums I frequent, almost every praise you will hear about this device usually revolves around it's excellent build quality. They say the body is rock solid. Zero creaks. Great keypad. And so on.. So I had high expectations.

After using the E71 for 2 weeks now, I must say that the build quality is, as they say, top of the line. Every good things people say about it is true, and they were not exaggerating. One will truly appreciate the overall feel of this device once he gets the chance to have it for everyday use. I'm loving it, and the experience just gets better as days pass by.

During the first week i had with the E66 and the N95 8gb, I noticed a few moving parts coupled with minimal creaks. Especially when you try to look for them. But this is not the case on the E71. After weeks of use, it's still as solid as when I took it out from the box.

The device is surprisingly thin, considering the powerhouse features packed inside it: GPS, WiFi and a 3.2MP cam. It's thinner than the iphone, and even than a pack of gum! I had no problems with the size of my N82, but boy, after using the E71, the N82 now feels a total brick and utterly bulky when held. It made me excited about the future of Nokia phones. Imagine a 5mp device as thin as this.

I was not a fan of qwerty layout for mobile phones. I thought I will find a hard time typing on the E71's keypad because the keys are small and it's, well, qwerty. I thought qwerty is for 10 fingers to be effective, so for mobile phones where we use only our thumbs, T9 is more suitable. But turns out I was wrong. It's really easy and VERY comfortable to type with. The dpad is well raised and feels great to use. The feedback that the keys give when you press them is wonderful. They seem to be compressed but my thumbs can distinguished the division of the keys without difficulty because of their raised design. At first, I had a hard time adjusting but after a day of use, I just loved it. I then always find myself looking forward to receive text messages and email so that I can use the keypad to type a reply, lol. I just love the buttons. Even the power button is a joy to push!

The keys are small, I never had problems with it, but for people with bigger thumbs, these keys might be troublesome.

Music experience with the E71 is not exceptional, but it's not bad either considering the massive storage space it can offer (8-16gb). The sound quality through wired headset is at par with the N82. The only bummer is the 2.5mm headset port, *sad*. On the other hand, the loudspeakers are placed on the top of the device and I was surprised that it actually sounds better than my N82's stereo speakers! Yes it does, the sound details are more crisp and clear and I appreciate listening more with it, despite it being mono only.

And the sweetest of them all, the 1500mah battery. With (my) normal usage, the longest time it lasted was almost three days! It's cool, you might think it's imba, but it's true. I can barely reach two days with my N82 or a day with heavy usage. With the E71, I never experienced trying to restrict myself from using the phone so much, worrying about the battery life nor do I had the need to apply battery-saving settings just to let it last for the day.

Regarding software, it has the same feature-rich contacts and calendar application as I have seen on the E66. Present as well is the remarkable standby screen having great shortcuts and customizations. Another nifty addition is the enhanced predictive text which suggests words as you type which you can select by simply pressing the space bar. It can also automatically correct misspelled inputs (works like MS Word's auto-correct feature).

With 3G, WLAN, and push email support, the E71 can effectively replace a netbook as an aid for your internet and messaging needs. I have to mention that despite the E71 having almost the same screen size as the N82, the internet experience is way better on the E71. Landscape orientation when surfing the net punches a big difference.

Overall, the device's firmware is very stable. So far, errors and hangs are nowhere to be seen.

If we are to talk about build quality among Nokia devices, I am quite sure that the E71 is IT, one of the frontrunners.. Multimedia capabilities is not excellent (because its not where the E71 is made for), but its not bad as well. I think it's more than enough for the device's target users, business professionals (who might even have separate devices for their multimedia needs). If camera, video, and music is not your main concern, you will never regret spending hard-earned cash for it.

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I received an email from womworld last Saturday about the Beautiful Connections campaign for the E71 and a mobile application (E71 BC) was attached for me to enjoy. I was one of the very few who got the said application a full "48 hours" before it is made available to the public on the campaign site.

The application is simple to use, and its purpose is to spice up your text messages and makes for a beautiful connection. It allows the user to input a maximum of 40 characters of text, then it presents a visualization of that text with random and colorful waves, lines and dots. The fun part is to watch how these lines and waves slowly grow all through out the screen during the presentation. Here's a video demo (may not be visible in some RSS readers):

I like it. The application easily put a smile on my face that saturday morning.The lesser number of characters inputted, the cleaner the presentation becomes. The spiced-up message can be sent via mms through the application itself. It can also be saved as a picture (.png) file. Here are a few samples I made:

It's a java application, specially created for the E71. I tried and it does not work well on a Nokia N82. It had problems on screen orientation and only numbers are accepted as input.

Download here.

UPDATE: The application is now available on the Beautiful Connections site. The site has also been renovated which now features webcam and mic visualizer. Head over to the site to learn more about the campaign.

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