My contract is due for renewal, and I have to make a choice on a phone.
Two years ago, the pinnacle, was indeed the Nokia N95. That was the phone for me, that gave me Carl Zeiss optics (not that great really, and frankly I don't think more mega pixels means better picture), 8 Gig memory card from O2, TV Out, runs TomTom, stores my music, does video recording.
Now I can use Nokia Sports Tracker, Google Maps, YouTube... it's pretty nice. Battered, dropped a few times, but nice.
So now I have to make a decision.
I've been thinking about the Apple iPhone, Nokia 5800, Nokia N97, Nokia E75, Nokia N86, Samsung i8910 or something completely different like a Google Android phone, such as, is it the HTC Magic?
What is important to me? GPS Navigation. Fairly decent memory (8 Gig or much larger), Ease of Use, Im not bothered about touch screen to be honest - but I do want one for some reason), Music Playback, Video Recording, Installable Apps etc....
I like my Nokia Sports Tracker which shows me which routes and speed etc I took whenever walking. I like my Google Maps etc. And Video and Audio recording are a high priority. Email collection as well as Exchange mail collection through OMA is a high priority. I also want SIP/VOIP built in, like my N95. I don't want to use Fring.
Here are my thoughts.
S60 5th Edition Thoughts
S60 5th edition phones appear not to seriously challenge the good looks of the iPhone.
The S60 5th edition phones look like bog standard S60 with a few bits tacked on. The whole interface needs a serious refresh and Im not at all happy with the text input methods. Both the Virtual QWERTY and numeric interfaces take up at least half the screen. The appeal for me with a touch screen phone, is that you also have a large screen.
With the N95, that whole screen is dedicated to writing text messages on a separate numeric keypad. But these S60 5th edition devices at least for text message entry, seem to have been designed in a rush and to me are quite ugly.
Scroll bars seem like a PITA and precise, esp on the 5800. Maybe that's sorted on the N97. The only real work in terms of actually changing anything around, seems to be on the "home screen" which have been heavily customised by N97 and i8910.
S60 5th Edition Touch Screen phones also suffer with a serious lack of viable GPS software. Tom Tom don't intend releasing anything else for Symbian. Route 66 does not work with touch screen. For those that have used TomTom, McGuider and Nokia Maps don't cut the mustard, and McGuider don't support touch screen either. The only one that supposedly works is Garmin XT.
Specific Phone Thoughts
5800 - Decent enough phone. Probably would have gone for this if it had a SIP client built in.
i8910 - No documentation on whether this has a SIP client built in. There is a rumour that the phone comes with Fring and with a Samsung branded version of Route 66. Which is odd, as Route 66 say they're not compatible with 5800, i8910 or N97.
N97 - Again, decent enough phone. Perhaps a bit lacking on processor and gpu, but 32 gig memory, FM transmitter. again though, ugly text messaging interface I would imagine. I suppose the great thing about it, is it has the best of both worlds. I can flip out the keyboard and use a normal text message input screen. Or if Im in a jam, I hope I can just prod the virtual buttons while Im in a club.
E75 or N86 - I should probably wait for these. Ok no touch screen, and not that different when compared to the N95, but they are new, they're fresh, they're simple. Relatively large screen, and a tactile number input.
Google Android - Unknown. Appears to have various Google Apps and other chintz. It's different. Doesn't appear yet to be a serious contender.
Apple iPhone - Does indeed look amazing and has some really great features. Let down for me though by the small QWERTY keyboard and the lack of other GPS software. Don't like the Apple monopoly. I can't see myself using this in a dark club/pub trying to send a drunken text message.
Conclusion
I am leaning therefore towards N97 or N86. E75 comes a close third with Apple in fourth. Think the N97 could give me the best of both worlds. N86 would be basically a refresh on my current phone. The E75 would be a nice alternative.
Given everything I've said, what would you recommend?
Other Questions
Any news on Route 66/Tom Tom etc available for Nokias Touch Screen devices? Is the one reportedly on the Samsung i8910 really Route 66? What GPS software is currently available?
What is the text message entry interface like on the 5800 and i8910? Am I making a big hoo ha over nothing or are they really ugly and unimaginitive interfaces?
Is it me, or is the iPhones QWERTY keyboard too small?
Would the i8910 run Nokias Sports Tracker?
Does the i8910 and will the N97 have SIP/VOIP functionality built in like the N95?
Should I even consider the iPhone or Android? Are they viable alternatives for someone who has been hooked on S60 since the Nokia 3650 but with little significant improvement, Im beginning to cool.
Cheers
Simon