My 18 month contract with Orange (UK) is just up so I'm back looking at what phones are on the market.
I've not seen anything to wow me like the N95 did when first released - have I missed anything ?
For me the N96/N85 are not the massive upgrades I'd hoped would be available.
Plus anyone know about an �20 charge for orange to unlock my phone for another provider !! - Is that normal when out of contract ?
Thanks
Nope, the N96 is supposed to be Nokias new flagship phone (and before anyone says its not, take a look here: http://www.nokia.co.uk/flagship ).
If you like touchscreen devices, its worth waiting to see what Nokias 'tube' will be like.
If not, Id say go with the N85, or just stick with your N95 and renew your contract for much less.
The charge for unlocking depends on the network. Some do unlocked handsets (Vodafone, O2), and some charge, and some do it for free after contract.
So yes, it will cost you �20 if thats what Orange say.
The N95 was really so revolutionary and packed with features that it will take quite a while to SIGNIFICANTLY improve on it I think. What else could you reasonably add to it to make it much better?
I'm happy with the N85 supporting WMV video files, RDS on the FM radio (so I can drive without constantly retuning) and setting the FM radio as an alarm clock tone. The smaller size, improved battery life and better quality screen are also welcome improvements.
The Samsung i8510!!!!!!
I'd just get the 8gig version instead of the 16gig one
If you are going to end up on a new contract with Orange, negotiate in that they unlock your old phone for nothing.
It shouldn't be a probably, specially if they know they have you roped in for another 12+ months.
chenko wrote:If you are going to end up on a new contract with Orange, negotiate in that they unlock your old phone for nothing.
It shouldn't be a probably, specially if they know they have you roped in for another 12+ months.
I get rubbish reception from Orange at home to the extent that the phone is unusable - I bought PAYG sim's for all the operators and the only ones that give reception are O2 and Vodafone.
Ring now I'm thinking O2 �20 simplicity with Web bolt on until something to wow me comes out.
i'm in the same situation as you mate, i've always thought i'd just go to the n96, but its not really inspiring me.
i had a play with an iphone the other day, and although its kinda a downgrade with camera etc, i'm seriously considering getting one due to the ease of use, and qwerty keyboard, and most importantly, the screen, which is massive, and really bright.
i've also been looking at the new nokia 5800 touchscreen....but i dont think its for me
i want to stay clear of windows mobiles, as i've always had bad experiences with these, so this rules out the htc diamond
i'd love a phone with a bigger screen, and possibly touch screen/qwerty keyboard
I'm definitively keeping my N95 until I get my hands on a 5800
ok, since my last post i've used a htc touch pro, running win mobile 6.1 and i was so impressed i'm now considering moving to one.
btw, the handsets i'm looking at in order of preference are
Htc touch hd
Xperia x1
Htc touch pro
I opted to keep the N95 with an O2 simplicity tariff until I'm impressed by something
Currently waiting to have a look at the 5800 , but also the Blackberry Storm looks interesting
I'm in the same boat as others here, currently have an N95 on Orange and contract expiring in December. I asked a similar question in another thread, so I'll just c&p what I said there:
Why not upgrade N95 to iPhone?
Sure, the camera's not up to much on iPhone, but to be honest I've always found the camera interface on the N95 slow and clunky, and the picture quality not quite good enough to be able to leave my proper camera at home. Likewise the satnav, not quite good enough to replace the dedicated unit that sits in my car, N95 screen is too small and the subscription for voice guidance is just an expensive hassle.
Don't get me wrong, I have loved the N95 for the year I've had it, and likewise the N80 for 18 months before that, but it seems to me that all the things that were such a revelation for me on a phone (web browsing, email, music and all kinds of useful apps and additions) are all done more smoothly on a great UI on the iPhone.
I know it's very likely that Nokia will come up with the goods and are (or at least have been) the true innovators in this field, but at present the Tube is basically an iClone with no great innovation, and tbh the N85 just looks like a slightly better version of that.
No doubt in a year or so's (possibly less) time, Nokia will come out with the next innovation that all the others copy, but at the moment surely all these phones do basically the same thing, and the choice is based on personal preference of looks and usability?
Or am I missing something completely that the iPhone lacks and other smartphones offer?
mstruve wrote:
I know it's very likely that Nokia will come up with the goods and are (or at least have been) the true innovators in this field, but at present the Tube is basically an iClone with no great innovation, and tbh the N85 just looks like a slightly better version of that.
Id suggest you actually use the 5800 (tube). Which benefits from a better camera, actualy option of satnav software (rather than just google maps), and a choice of input - standard phone keypad format, big landscape qwerty style, like the iphone, or stylus.
And for about half the price. Oh, and it will also ship with Comes with Music.
If you really prize an interface with different icons for a hefty price, then go for it.
I know the iphone for some might have style over the 5800, but I honestly cannot see why anyone would go for it over the 5800.
@ bartmanekul
Yeah I appreciate I haven't actually used the 5800, and it's a good point you make about the input options - that touchscreen keyboard on the iPhone seems like a terrible way of typing SMS.
To be honest I hadn't considered price, but it's not a big factor for me. I'm not loaded by any means, but I'm prepared to pay a bit extra for the right bit of kit. I will need to look into pricing in more detail though - I thought all these things were pretty much free once they tie you into a contract?
As for music - I use iTunes for my music/podcasts, so any 'Comes with Music' feature is outweighed by the simplicity of synchronisation with the iPhone (another downside I've found with the N95 is that the music software is awful compared to something like iTunes, but obviously they may have sorted this with the5800)
mstruve wrote:To be honest I hadn't considered price, but it's not a big factor for me. I'm not loaded by any means, but I'm prepared to pay a bit extra for the right bit of kit. I will need to look into pricing in more detail though - I thought all these things were pretty much free once they tie you into a contract?As for music - I use iTunes for my music/podcasts, so any 'Comes with Music' feature is outweighed by the simplicity of synchronisation with the iPhone (another downside I've found with the N95 is that the music software is awful compared to something like iTunes, but obviously they may have sorted this with the5800)
Hee hee hee, no no. Not at all.
The higher the cost of the handset, the higher the tariff. Otherwise you have to pay a charge upfront for the handset.
For example, the 6210N is available for free on a �25 a month contract. The N96 is only available for free on a �45 a month contract.
Over 18 months, thats �450, and �810 respectively. If you use an awful lot of minutes and texts, it can work out fine, but generally you do end up paying the true cost for the handset.
The iphone is only on �35 a month contracts, AND you have to pay for the phone, �200+ if I remember rightly.
By contrast, the 5800 is expected to be free on �35 or possibly even �30 a month contracts.
I do agree with what you say about paying for the right kit, otherwise you end up frustrated and most likely shelling out more.
But considering the specs and functionality of the 5800, I feel paying that much extra for the iphone would be so wrong.
Saying that, I havent actually used a tube, so cannot comment on how good the expirence is compared to the iphone.
But if I was in the market for a touchscreen device, I would definatly wait to at least try out the 5800. You just get so much more for the money.
I was in your same situation and there is nothing worth while at the moment (5800 is just not good enough) but it's coming out possibly by the end of November the HTC HD....have a look it is really cool and the HTC touch interface is really nice to use!
In my opinion nokia and symbian will have hard time to surprise the customers...
look what is coming next year at later first quarter 2010
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/20/intel-unveils-worlds-first-working-moorestown-mid/
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/page/tegra_600.html
....can't wait
Bartmanekul, You're absolutely right, I just went into O2 shop in town - iPhone 16GB (which is what I'd get) is �35 pm plus �169 for 600 mins and 500 texts. Thats expensive.
If I could get the 5800 for free on my current contract (�35 pm with Orange) and stay with Orange to boot, that would be very good.
I will also consider the N85, as I get the impression it's a little bit more "power-userish" than the 5800 (is this the case?). It's not touch screen but I really liked the look of it in that italian guy's review. And in another thread someone has convinced me to consider the HTC Touch HD too. All these seem to be coming out around the same time and at the time I'll be looking to upgrade.
Thanks for your help, I feel like I can make a more informed choice now.
pureheart wrote:I was in your same situation and there is nothing worth while at the moment (5800 is just not good enough) but it's coming out possibly by the end of November the HTC HD....have a look it is really cool and the HTC touch interface is really nice to use!
In my opinion nokia and symbian will have hard time to surprise the customers...
look what is coming next year at later first quarter 2010http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/20/intel-unveils-worlds-first-working-moorestown-mid/
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/page/tegra_600.html
....can't wait
What did you go for in the meantime? Yeah the HTC looks good, I will give it a try when I'm deciding.
Those other 2 you linked to look great too, one thing I might do is try to switch to a 12 month contract, as 18 months is too long to wait with the pace these things are developing!
No worries.
As for the N85...
Personally, Im going for it because of what most consider 'cosmetic' changes, which in reality couldnt be further from the truth.
I really value USB 2 transfer speeds.
I suspect the batterylife is going to be extremely good - FP2 + 1200 battery + OLED screen.
I have always wanted something with the N95 features, but without the bulk. For what it does, the N85 is so fantastically small.
Theres lots of other reason to like about the N85, but thats *my* main ones for liking it.
Theres a lot of other phones I was looking at, but WM is just not for a mobile phone. Too buggy, too slow.
If you want a PDA more than a phone, go WM, if you want a phone more than a PDA, go symbian. Imo, anyway.
Agree completely. The N95 is pretty much perfect for what I use it for, my main complaints being terrible battery life and a bit too bulky. If the N85 does the same things but smaller and a battery which lasts more than 24 hours on standby, then its ideal.
My main issue is that I might feel a little short-changed to be upgrading but not really getting an upgrade in terms of features, if the N85 basically does what the N95 does. Also, I can't be the only one who finds the menus in Symbian phones to be quite unintuitive - some options are really badly hidden away I find.
Some people might also say that better UI and web browsing mechanism is purely cosmetic, but these are also things that I consider deal-breakers, and it might be that iPhone and HTC Touch are both better than the Nokias in this respect.
Interesting what you say about PDA vs mobile phone, and as you can probably gather I'm far more in the market for a mobile phone. That was the great thing about the N95, it really got that balance spot on. I do think the iPhone has taken that a step further though, and I'll be interested to see whether the new Symbians can compete. Your posts have made it seem like a far more even playing field though.
Bugginess on WM, that would be a major issue. Not the first time I've heard it either, but I just assumed they'd have solved this for the Touch HD.
Well, we don't have to mixed the past with the present...
If in the past the windows mobile devices were buggy it is not in the present...
more HTC has rewritten most of the user interface making it more usable...
more next year is coming out the new windows mobile 7 version that will really make the difference...
I don't see a lot of innovation in symbian at the moment...sadly
and I have used symbian from the first versions....
mstruve at the moment I've switched to simplicity with o2 and waiting for november and the HTC HD!
Ah, the UI argument 😉
I agree that some options are hard to find, but thats really not the fault of symbian.
The iphones UI seems much better, but the reality is thats only because its missing so many features.
You can look all those up elsewhere, but with all that missing they dont have to have as many icons and menus. And while symbian might have very deep down options in menus, thats because it offers so much customisation.
I have constantly asked for someone to create a better and more intuitive OS then Symbian while keeping all the options and features.
So far, no-one has stepped up to the challenge. 😊
The question you have to answer, is would you value the +s (better browsing, easier UI etc) more than the -s (lack of features, options, etc).
I'd say trial an iphone. Not just play with one for 10 mins, actually trial one. Because the shortcomings only become apperent when you try to customise it and do various other things (like copy and paste).
pureheart, I havent used any current WM devices, but I keep hearing that they are very buggy compared to Symbian devices, or to be more specific, nokias.
Not sure if this is true or not, its just what I constantly hear.
Well bartmanekul, I work and recently develop with windows mobile devices and there are no more buggy than my n95 v30 I can assure you.
The nice thing of WM with a device like the HTC HD is that is giving you the nice UI like the iphone and the power of tons of application like if you want symbian.
From my understanding, WM is bit more open to crashes, hence most devices have an easy to reach restart button! Also if you do have problems understanding the options and menu system in a Symbian phone then definently don't go near a WM phone!
Windows mobile 7 does look likes its going to be a top OS though.
Ah, the copy paste argument 😉
Just kidding, I know exactly what you mean. The customisability of the N95 (and all Symbians) is their best feature. You can change virtually everything on the phone, even if it does occasionally take half an hour to find where in the menus the option is.
As it is, I have to say that the missing features mentioned so far on the iPhone aren't important enough to outweigh the great UI (for example, I've never once copied and pasted on the N95!), web browsing, and fact that it does things like email and itunes syncing 'out of the box'. If I don't need the extra options, surely it's better that they're not there, clogging up the menus?
You mention "a better and more intuitive OS then Symbian while keeping all the options and features". This is what I was hoping WM might be.
In terms of trialing the iPhone, I already have an iPod touch so I have a fair idea of what I'll be getting, even if not in terms of using it as a phone. I agree though that ideally you need at least a week with these things to make a proper evaluation. Is this something O2 offer?
adz07 wrote: if you do have problems understanding the options and menu system in a Symbian phone then definently don't go near a WM phone!
He he. Oh dear!
It's not so much that the menus are hard to understand, more that they're badly organised. One example off the top of my head - Wifi options are in 3 different places - WLAN Wizard, Connectivity and Connection Options in the settings menu. All 3 (on the whole) do different things, but I can never remember which one does the particular thing I need.
But anyway, if WM is even worse (the opposite of what I expected tbh), then I think I will steer clear.
Well mstruve I think the problem here is that everyone is talking about WM as standard interface maybe confusing menu.....
But that is why HTC has rewritten the interface.....so it is very usable again....I suggest you to read more about the HTC Touch flow 3d and maybe try to use it and then you'll have a comparison term...go to some windows mobile forum also...
This would all fit in very well with my business idea. Oh well.
pureheart wrote:Well mstruve I think the problem here is that everyone is talking about WM as standard interface maybe confusing menu.....
But that is why HTC has rewritten the interface.....so it is very usable again....I suggest you to read more about the HTC Touch flow 3d and maybe try to use it and then you'll have a comparison term...go to some windows mobile forum also...
Do you have any links to this Touch flow 3d?
bartmanekul - what is your business idea?
A high end device rental service. A selection of highend much wanted devices, and charge for rental, weekly, monthly etc.
The biggest hurdle though is how you stop people walking away with the devices. Only surefire way is taking a deposit equal to the value of the device. And who wants to put a deposit down of say �400- �500 just to rent a N96?
Still, would be a very good service for people wanting to know what device is best for them. That way, they avoid entering into a lengthy contract with a netowrk, or having to buy it simfree and possibly not liking it.