Hi all,
Maybe some of your opinions can help me to finally make a desicion. Since the N80 came out and I saw it the first time in a store I thought that would be my next mobile.
I decided to wait to see if my provider will make it available. By the time it was clear that this won�t happen and I would have to buy it unlocked I started to read first reviews. Most of them said "Great phone, BUT ..."
I decided to wait another few weeks to see how fast a firmware update will come out and to get a feeling what the experienced crowd has to say.
Okay, now I tried to read most of the messages here and guess what ... I still can�t make my mind up.
If it would cost EUR 250 I probably wouldn�t be that picky but for EUR 600 I definitely am.
I am a business user, so 80% of the time I use any phone as a phone, but
I would like to leave my TomTom Go at home since I use it only once or twice a week.
I would like to leave my Casio Exilim at home. Even I do need a camera once or twice a week, the N80 sample pictures I have seen would be more than enough.
I would like to get and write emails on the road using my business email address but also GoogleMail alias Gmail.
Do I really have to reacharge the phone every 4 or 5 hours?
Has anyone tried VOIP via WLAN?
What would be a serious alternative?
Thanks in advance
Tom
I'd buy an E60 instead, the N80's camera is crap, the E60 has stronger battery, more business functions.
Camera + Battery (good) - N73
Camera + Wi-Fi + Battery (so-so) - E70
Camera + Battery + Wi-Fi bulky - N93
That should be your alternatives.
E70 is good for writing, great battery, good reception, dedicated VOIP, Office-document editing, mediocre 2-MP camera and rather large in the pocket.
N80 has SIP not dedicated VOIP, OK 3-MP camera, average writing/texting, no Office-document editing, poor reception and does need charging every five hours (unless it's only on standby, of course) if it has v 3.xx firmware (but get v 4.xx, which fixes the BT headset dropping - don't know about battery life improvement yet ... I only flashed it yesterday).
If you want a proper, reliable all-rounder of a business phone - no question, get the E70.
But if you're after a funky phone for non-mission critical usage - and don't mind the recharging, think about the N80.
thanks, but I think the E60 has no camera at all and I want one so I dont have to carry a digital camera with me or in the car.
If you're not fussed about an OS, you could consider the Samsung D900 - 3-MP camera and good phone, but it sounds like you need a real smartphone ... and the D900 buttons are meant to be annoying.
tomkit66 wrote:
I am a business user, so 80% of the time I use any phone as a phone, but
As a phone looking phone, it's actually not bad. The v4 firmware has been the least crash prone of any of the Nokia Smartphones I've used.
tomkit66 wrote:
I would like to leave my TomTom Go at home since I use it only once or twice a week.
Well you'd still need GPS module if you wanted to use that functionality on the N80, but the software is available now so that's an option.
tomkit66 wrote:
I would like to leave my Casio Exilim at home. Even I do need a camera once or twice a week, the N80 sample pictures I have seen would be more than enough.
If your job isn't actually centred around photography then the N80 is a very capable camera. It's just not as hot as you might expect for 3MP, with that in mind it does the job.
tomkit66 wrote:
I would like to get and write emails on the road using my business email address but also GoogleMail alias Gmail.
Not a problem, GMail works fine on the N80 and your business mail account shouldn't be a problem either. IMAP and POP are supported nativily. If you have an Exchange server at work then you can use Mail for Exchange from the Nokia Business site (coupled with an Exchange SP2 server you can get true Push Email on the N80). The N80 will happily support multiple e-mail accounts on the one phone.
tomkit66 wrote:
Do I really have to reacharge the phone every 4 or 5 hours?
Depends what you're doing. If you spend a day using the WLAN connection (by which I mean activily browsing or downloading) with Bluetooth on and idling then you get about 8 hours out of the battery. If you're just using it to dip in the WLAN connection occasionally (or better yet you turn it off when you're out and about) then you can get a day and a half or possibly even two days. Charge it at night and you'll be fine, but then I've been doing that since my 7650.
tomkit66 wrote:
Has anyone tried VOIP via WLAN?
Only using the Skype passthrough program. It's ok but it's not really VOIP. I would be impressed if we see a full roll out of UMTS services by the end of the year. It might happen but don't bank on it.
tomkit66 wrote:
What would be a serious alternative?
If you can live without WLAN then the N73 has a better camera. If you can't then the N93 though that may be over kill. If email is your thing then either one of the Eseries or a more modern Windows Mobile device (they can use the same DirectPush technology as Mail for Exchange) such as an XDA or of course the originator of Push Email the Blackberry (though they're not really very smart phone-ish in comparison)
hmm not so sure about the E70 - no doubt a very powerful mobile but I am not sure about the flip keyboard and the overall size.
Just read something about the SE 320i ... never had windows based mobile though.
What would you say are the most annoying things regearding the N80? s it the battery, or because it is getting slow over time?
TIA
Tom
Battery I can cope with and I've not actually had any problems with slow downs since going over to v4.
The only thing that really irritates me about my N80 is the build quality. It just feels a bit plasticky.
Other than that I really like the N80. It may well be that that N80 is the right phone for you, but don't expect it to be the last phone you ever buy.
There are only four phones in the world today that are on a reasonable level of functions: Nokia N80, Nokia N93, SE P990 and HTC TyTN. That's it; forget about the rest. They either have a really bad camera (or no camera!) or no Wifi, or only a 240x240 pixel screen, or no 3G (!) etc. The four phones above differ in several ways but at least, they all have basic smart phone functions. Make your choice among these. (There will be a few more before the end of the year, but actually, not that many are announced. One of the few is Samsung SGH-i600, although the camera is only 1.3 MP.)
And no, you don't have to recharge the N80 every 4-5 hours. 😊 Once every 24 hours is good enough for normal/semi-intense use. (Of course, if you use, navigator software, it's another thing.)
elaverick wrote:Battery I can cope with and I've not actually had any problems with slow downs since going over to v4.
The only thing that really irritates me about my N80 is the build quality. It just feels a bit plasticky.
Other than that I really like the N80. It may well be that that N80 is the right phone for you, but don't expect it to be the last phone you ever buy.
Have you seen other N80? Do you think the build quality is bad in general or changes within different builds?
Oh no I am pretty sure that the N80 or any other mobile won�t be the last one. With the speed new things are added the user might switch every 12 months or even shorter time frames 😊
cmlewan wrote:There are only four phones in the world today that are on a reasonable level of functions: Nokia N80, Nokia N93, SE P990 and HTC TyTN. That's it; forget about the rest. They either have a really bad camera (or no camera!) or no Wifi, or only a 240x240 pixel screen, or no 3G (!) etc. The four phones above differ in several ways but at least, they all have basic smart phone functions. Make your choice among these. (There will be a few more before the end of the year, but actually, not that many are announced. One of the few is Samsung SGH-i600, although the camera is only 1.3 MP.)And no, you don't have to recharge the N80 every 4-5 hours. 😊 Once every 24 hours is good enough for normal/semi-intense use. (Of course, if you use, navigator software, it's another thing.)
Isn�t the HTC TyTN the same like the one T-Mobile has in stock and calls it T-Mobile MDA Vario II Edition?
I have to see that one in real...not sure if it�s too big and heavy. That�s what I like with the N80. It just feels right and the size and the weight is almost perfect for all the functions 😊