Nokia Beta Labs just released a new Photo Browser for the Nokia 5800. When I say "one of the nicest I've seen", I'm talking about on ANY mobile device, not just S60 Nokia phones. When I first read this news over at Symbian-Guru.com I was ecstatic as Nokia Beta Labs has been really pushing out some cool new S60 applications lately.

Nokia Photo Browser includes a new facial recognition technology. If there are a few people in the picture you can touch their face and the application zooms in on that person. You can then move the picture around to view other faces in the photo. Scrolling through thumbnails is extremely intuitive and fast - bringing more "eye candy" to the S60 5th Edition, something that is really needed.

Check out the video demonstration released by Labs...



According to Mika from Beta Labs...

Nokia Photo Browser is still prototype application and it has some limitations. We are developing new features and improving the usability continuously. If you have Nokia S60 5.0 phone with touch screen like Nokia XpressMusic 5800, give us feed back how we can further develop Photo Browser application. If you don’t have touch screen device yet, wait for a moment. We will release Photo Browser also for Series 60 3.x products soon.

Nokia Photo Browser will also work for the upcoming Nokia N97. I'm hoping this application entirely replaces the built in photo gallery. Support for S60 3rd Edition devices like the Nokia E71 and N85 is coming soon.

I haven't got a chance to try this out yet, but I'll install it on my fiance's 5800 tonight and let you guys know any gripes I might have. So far a big thumbs up to Nokia for getting us something pretty to show off and at the same time keeping the usability factor. Hopefully we'll continue seeing more applications like this in the near future.

Click here to download Nokia Photo Browser.

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As you all know I've been reviewing the Nokia 5800 for a few weeks now. One of the major reasons I haven't been extremely happy with the 5800 was the lack of Nokia Messaging, you know - the email client that Nokia has been working on, originally called Nokia Email. Having email on my mobile device is extremely important to me, and th build in 5800 email application just wasn't cutting it. Nokia Messaging is used on my Nokia E71 and N82 for all my Gmail and Ovi mail needs. Over the weekend I got my grubby hands on an alpha version of the Nokia Messaging application that the developers are currently working on for S60 5th edition devices like the Nokia 5800. So far the application is extremely stable and my email is being sent to my phone immediately, sometimes even faster than it hits the inbox on my PC.

Check out the screenshots and details…

Welcome Screen: All you need to do is input your email address and password. Nokia Messaging takes care of the rest. It managed to set up my Gmail and Ovi inbox without any problems.

Inbox: Below is a preview of how my inbox looks. You can see the Gmail logo in the top left. If you have other accounts set up like Yahoo, Ovi, etc. you just click that icon and it will list your other inboxes. Tap the Inbox icon in the top row and it will show you the other folders like Trash, Sent, and your IMAP folders. Tap the Date icon and you can also sort by Subject, Sender, Flag, Priority, Unread, and Attachments. At the bottom you can reply/forward, delete, and compose. To scroll through the list you can either drag the bar on the right side or put your finger anywhere on the message list and move it up and down. I prefer the second method as it works very well.

Message: Here is what it looks like when you view a specific message.  In the row of buttons on the bottom you can choose to reply/forward, delete, and flag your message. In the options menu you can mark unread, move, select text, call sender, and compose.

Compose: This is where you compose or reply to a message. The icons at the right allow you to send, attach, and add priority to your message. unfortunately I couldn’t get a screenshot of this in portrait view, the screenshot app will not let me. So here it is in landscape…

 Landscape Mode: As you see above Nokia Messaging also works great in landscape mode.

Extra Notes:

There are a few other notes that I’d like to mention before wrapping up this post. There is a Touch And Hold gesture that works when you highlight an email and hold your finger on the screen. A menu comes up with the following actions: Delete, Reply, Reply All, Forward, Mark Unread, Flag, and Move. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a screenshot of this because the screenshot application won’t capture it. This feature needs a little more work since it sometimes doesn’t bring up this shortcut menu, instead it thinks my finger is trying to scroll.  This actually happens across the board. Sometimes when trying to open a specific message by tapping it, the application thinks I’m scrolling and just moves the inbox up and down.  I’m sure this will be worked out when the first beta version is released, keep in mind my version is still alpha.

Before you ask - HTML is still not implemented in this version. I can assure you that the developers are working around the clock to bring this functionality.  UI design is also being polished, and home screen integration is on the to-do list.

Slightly Off Topic: For all other version of Nokia Messaging: HTML support is “coming soon”. I’ll let you know a soon as it’s available.

If you have any questions about Nokia Messaging for the 5800 feel free to ask! If you haven't tried out Nokia Messaging and you have a device other than the 5800 get it from http://email.nokia.com

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I was just browsing around Amazon.com and noticed that the Nokia N85 NAM and Nokia 5800 NAM versions are now available at discounted rates.

Nokia 5800 North American 3g Version $396.49


This has to be one of the hottest deals on the net right now. I've been using the Nokia 5800 for about a month now and so far the experience with Nokia's first S60 touch device has been very good.

• This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint.
• Unlocked quad-band GSM cell phone compatible with 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies and US 3G compatibility via 850/1900 UMTS/HSDPA plus GPRS/EDGE data capabilities
• Touchscreen multimedia phone with included 8 GB MicroSD card (expandable to 16 GB); 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth stereo music; Wi-Fi connectivity; GPS for turn-by-turn directions
• Up to 4.2 hours of talk time, up to 336 hours (14 days) of standby time
• What's in the Box: Handset, 8 GB MicroSD card, battery, charger, music headset, connectivity cable, video out cable, stylus, stand, user guide, quick start guide

Click here to see the deal.

Nokia N85 NAM for $379.99



As you can see, the regular price is $429. After an instant rebate the Nokia N85 comes to $379.99. This is the N85 version that works with North American 3g band on the AT&T network. Update: The rebate is a $50 rebate that must be mailed in or filled out online. Find the details under the "Rebates" area below the details in the image above.

Short description:

• Unlocked quad-band GSM cell phone compatible with 850/900/1800/1900 | 900/1800/1900 frequencies and US/International 3G compatibility via 850/1900/2100 UMTS/HSDPA plus EDGE data capabilities
• 5-megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss Optics; DVD-quality video capture (640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps)
• Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g); A-GPS for navigation with Nokia Maps app; Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity for both handsfree communication and stereo music streaming
• 2.6-inch OLED screen; 2-way slider design reveals keypad on one side and media controls on other
• Up to 6.9 hours of talk time, up to 360 hours (15 days) of standby time

Click here to see the deal.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Stay tuned for more articles soon to come.

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Nokia 5800 QWERTY Text Input

After using the Nokia 5800 for about a month I can honestly say that I’m not too happy with the qwerty text input. It’s not that it’s poorly implemented on Nokia’s first S60 touch smartphone – I have just come to the conclusion that I don’t like typing on a completely flat surface. Why? Because it requires my full attention and constant brain power just to make sure I hit the right letters. It’s not that I’m looking at it and the wrong keys are being pressed. That’s not the issue here. The problem is I’m so used to the raised keys on both the E71 and N82, so I don’t have to concentrate on typing. I’m a master at no-look texting when I’m in a hurry. Kind of like how Kobe throws a pass while faking out the D-man with his eyes and shoulders. On top of this, I’m not 100% comfortable with QWERTY keyboards – period. Even the Nokia E71 leaves me unhappy at times. I was raised on a T9 style keypad, and I don’t think I’ll ever be entirely comfortable without one. On the other hand, my fiancé loves the qwerty text input of the Nokia 5800 and has no problems with it at all. She prefers a qwerty device, so this is a plus for her. She doesn’t mind concentrating on the screen while typing. Turning the touch vibration settings up to 3 really helps give you that feedback you get when you push a real button as well.  So to conclude my thoughts on the qwerty method of the 5800 – I’m biased towards T9. Keep that in mind, and take it with a grain of salt if qwerty is your thing.

Nokia 5800 T9 Text Input

This method really hits the spot for me when it comes to pounding out short text messages. The numbers and letters are laid out just like a standard T9 keypad so I’m already loving that part. As you can see in the picture the buttons are extremely large, making it easy to type and without much effort. After a few days of using T9 on the 5800 you get used to where the buttons are at. I’m typing just as fast as I do on my Nokia N82, the only difference is I need to make sure to look a little bit more closely at what I’m typing to make sure there are no errors. Once again, turning the touch screen vibration setting to level 3 drastically improves the texting experience on the 5800. So far this is my favorite way to type.

Nokia 5800 Handwriting Text Input

This is perhaps one of the most interesting text input methods that the Symbian developers have come up with for S60 5th Edition. Using the stylus pen that comes with the device you can write out your message letter by letter, word by word. Using the calibration the 5800 can be “taught” your handwriting style making this input method very good for when you don’t feel like using your fingers. I find this method faster than qwerty, but slower than T9. That red box you see in the picture is where you write. If you can fit a whole word on there, then go for it. Or you can go letter by letter too. To make a space draw a dash from left to right. To backspace you draw a dash right to left. I’ve written very fast and sloppy and it seems that it’s about 90% accurate. If you teach it good and learn to trust it, this method can be very useful. With that said, I only use this method when I have time to pull out the stylus (which is stored hidden away within the phone) and have a long, thought out message to write.

Nokia 5800 Mini-QWERTY Text Input

This last method is just silly to me. I’ve only used it once, just to try it. It’s not worth it because the boxes are so tiny. I won’t even waste my time taking a picture of this. The mini-qwerty text input method can only be used with the stylus pen since the letters are so damn tiny.

Conclusion

As you’ve read, T9 is my favorite way to type on the Nokia 5800. But for other people like my fiancé and her friends, QWERTY works just fine. It all depends on taste, and again it’s not a matter of the implementation being bad – I simply can’t get used to it typing on a full keyboard style format. I’d rather have real buttons to type, and a touch screen for everything else. Does that ring a bell? Gosh I can’t wait to get my hands on Nokia N97.

If you have any questions about text input let me know. If you have any questions you’d like answered in my next article about a different 5800 topic – Just Ask!

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The only Symbian S60 touchscreen phone - the Nokia 5800, just receieved a significant firmware update. I've been using this phone for a few weeks now and my main complaint is the typing, especially in qwerty mode. My fiance has no problem typing, but my (not extremely large) fingers seem to keep hitting the wrong letters. T9 input is still my favorite, probably because I'm used to it the most coming from the N82. Thankfully it seems touch-screen input has been enhanced, along with a few other improvements...

This software release speeds up your phone with faster touch-screen input. In addition, this update brings faster internet data download times and new camcorder features such as second camera support allowing users to take multiple pictures one after another without needing to repress the picture taking button. Also included is "Geo-tagging", enabling you to add location information to your pictures. Other improvements include: improved e-mail experience, Application Updates feature and better in-device search experience. This software release is available through the Nokia Software Updater: www.nokia.com/softwareupdates.

I haven't forgot about the rest of my Nokia 5800 review. I'm still going to compare the 5800 to the Nokia N82, E71, and N97. I'm also going to write about the typing input, web browsing, and AMAZING music experience.

Do you have the Nokia 5800? Have you updated to the latest firmware version 20.0.012? If so, let us know your thoughts!

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