Nokia N81 8GB review - Part 1

Part 1 - Who fits the bill?

About two weeks back, I became the proud owner of a brand spanking new Nokia N81 8GB. I didn't *need* a new phone - I had a perfectly usable though outdated Nokia 3100 which I had been *forced* to use ever since my Nokia N80i (see my previous review here) got snatched by thieves in March. While the 3100 allowed me to make and receive calls and SMSes, I was moaning about the lack of multimedia capability on the phone (which was something I missed badly). So, I went phone shopping.

Unlike most general shoppers, I had a checklist of minimum features I demanded my new phone *must* have. They were (in order of priority) :

~ WiFi aka WLAN access
~ Camera
~ Calendar-ing features
~ Music / video player (bonus feature)
~ Games (bonus feature)

Since I am a die-hard Nokia user, I only looked at phones from that brand primarily because I am very used to their navigation system and didn't want to be bothered to learn anything very different from what I already knew.

Right off the bat, my first requirement - WiFi - knocked out most phone models, leaving me with the higher range N and E series models. And since all the N and E series came equipped with the rest of my want list, I then used my budget to narrow down the choices. At the lowest (read : cheapest) end of the spectrum would be the E65. At the highest point, it was the N95 8GB with the rest in between. If it were a ladder, it would look like this :

N95 8GB
N95
N82
N81 8GB
N81
E65

Yup, not that many models to choose from (I omitted the outdated/no longer in production N80 and N80i which also has the WiFi feature because I owned that previously) and of the six models up there, two are repeats - N95 and N81.

As I had done my research previously and knew exactly which models I was on the look out for, my next step was to shop around for the best possible price. With a fixed budget in mind, at the very least I knew I would walk away with an E65 or a N81 (if the price was right).

Image credit

As it happened, I got myself a pretty good deal on a new edition N81 8GB a little above the target price I was prepared to pay for an older edition N81. The difference between the two is in the 8GB of internal memory on the phone as compared to the original 2GB.

(Note : I need to disclose that while I got an original set, I did not get my phone from an authorized Nokia dealer, so I don't feel comfortable disclosing the price I paid for it on my blog. But I will say that I got my phone from Plaza Alam Sentral, which is pretty much like Low Yat, if you know what I mean. *wink*)

Up next in Part 2, how does the N81 8GB measure up in terms of looks?

A switch of focus

Rinnah's Marketplace is going to take a brief break from all the girly, cosmetic reviews for a while and focus on some technological stuff for a change. (Yes, I'm a techie geek-ess under all the feminine frippery. Lawl.) Hehe.

Stay tuned for Part 1 of my review on the Nokia N81 8GB! *grin*

Why I'm happy to be a Maxis customer

When I owned my first mobile phone, I started off with that other service provider - Celcom. (You know, their latest promotional gimmick is "A Great Sale". I don't understand the concept of a telephone service provider having a sale. It's like, what's there to have sales about?) Coverage was so-so but the bills were really costly every month for a single user.

That's when the family decided to consolidate all lines under a single service provider. Not only would it be cheaper, it would also be logistically easier - Dad was on Maxis, Mom was on DiGi and I was on Celcom. We also liked the idea of "free" calls between family lines la.

Since my mobile phone got stolen recently, I had to go and get myself a replacement SIM card. Since the line was registered under Dad, I couldn't do it on my own but needed to have a letter of authorization plus a copy of his NRIC. Armed with the necessary documents, I went to the Maxis Centre in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI). Why TTDI when I don't stay in the area? I was already there mah. *wink*

Firstly I was stunned at the number of people there at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. It was like our gah-men office... that many people and some small overflow outside as people went in and people left. I mentally prepared myself for a long wait and stepped inside. Did ya know that Maxis has these nice customer service people to open the doors for you and greet you? Well, now you do. And it was a nice feeling, I tell ya. It could've been a bit better if they actually directed n00bs like me to the right counter, but can't blame them for that.

Stopped by the customer service counter and explained to the staff there that I wanted to get a replacement SIM card. He gave me a number - there were three in line ahead of me. Hardly had I put down my laptop, took out my camera and snapped this quick pic (that's like only 1/5 of the people milling around), they called my number! Within the space of 2 minutes! I was impressed. Of course, it also helps that they had like 10 counters open at the same time, helping to move the people along quickly, like factory processing.

Went to my assigned counter, produced my documents to the lady there. She only asked for my NRIC to verify that I was the sub-line owner specified in my dad's letter of authorization, click here click there then she gave me my new replacement SIM card, telling me that it would be activated in 2 hours time. So efficient and fast!

Earlier before I went to the Maxis Centre, I had called the Maxis Hotline to verify the type of documents I needed to ask for the replacement SIM card, and the customer service personnel there had mentioned a replacement fee of RM25 for the SIM card. So when I got the new SIM card, I asked the lady if I needed to pay for it. Her reply:

"No need to pay one. We normally issue replacement SIM card for free."

You say nice or not? :o) I was very happy to hear that and even happier that the whole trip to Maxis Centre took me less than 10 minutes total in and out. So, I'm very happy to remain as a Maxis customer!

The new Nokia N82

Have I found my new love? I know it's a little too soon, seeing as how I got my Nokia N80 baby in August and am honor bound to keep on using it for at least a year... but just reading about the specs of this latest phone from Nokia on Colbert's blog makes me drool and sets my heart aflutter with anticipation. I can't wait to see the real thing once it's launched...

Nokia N80 Internet edition phone review - Part Three

This is Part Three (the final part) of my Nokia N80 review. You can see Part One and Two here.

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Games, office and surfing
I haven't really explored the games on my phone to date but it did come bundled with the Spanish version of the Sims for mobile phones. Pity that it was only a demo version, so the game automatically ends after a few minutes. Not that I minded much anyway, because there wasn't anything to do with the Sim except make it go to the loo a lot. LOL!

There are a number of office applications bundled with the phone like notes, Adobe reader, calculator and others but I seldom use them too. So, any office users out there who want to comment?

Ahhh... we come to my favorite part of the review. Surfing the Internet! Woot! No as I've mentioned previously, the whole reason why I wanted this phone was because of its Wifi capability. I specifically got the N80 internet edition because I had read that they had bundled a mobile browser that was specially optimized for surfing. And let me tell you... it rawks! Even my Dad commented that surfing on my phone was far better than surfing using his PDAs - the O2 and the Dopod 818 Pro. Scrolling thru a webpage is a breeze with the mini-map application that lets you jump to wherever you want to go. Surfing speeds are also significantly faster when we are testing out the phone vs. PDA at the same wireless spot. But... there is one drawback to the N80 - the range of wireless reception is not as sensitive at the PDA phones. I have to be nearer the Wifi spot to be able to detect and connect, and in a place with overlapping multiple access points, the N80 detected fewer access points compared to the Dopod 818 Pro.

Overall, a good phone for those who will make use of its features (especially the wifi!). If you're looking for a normal phone or a really good camera / video phone, I'd suggest you look at other brands / models.

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What I like about it: Wifi capability, Internet browser optimized for surfing, 3 megapixel camera with inbuilt flash and dual shooting modes

What I don't like about it: Battery runs out rapidly, seems a little sluggish in response, erratic wifi pick-up signal, no autolock feature, bulky

Nokia N80 Internet edition phone review - Part Two

Part Two of my Nokia phone review! You can see Part One here.

Sound and Sight
The speakers and sound quality is rather good, especially when compared to both my Dad's O2 and Dopod 818 Pro. The N80 renders clear sound, and my only gripe with it is a lack of bass. Some songs with a thumping bass riff and drums turned into lite versions of their former selves. LOL. But since merely having the ability to play mp3s with the phone is a bonus for me, I was not too chuffed about it. However, running the music player (or video player) on low sound (around 30 - 40% strength) seems to drain the battery more rapidly than I expected - I had to recharge the phone after 1 1/2 days of use (and even faster if I have been surfing).

One thing that puzzled me (and still is puzzling me!) is how to get the phone to recognize mp3 files as ringtones. The phone comes with the predownloaded Nokia pack of ringtones that can be selected through the Profile menu, but mp3 files stored on my Mini SD card were not recognized as such to enable ringtone selection. You can only select ONE mp3 tone as your main ringing tone through the gallery menu and this is set for all profiles, meaning you can't customize it further to suit your liking. This kinda bothers me because I'm the type who likes to assign different tones for different people / groups. Not being able to expand my SMS and clock alarm tones from the standard Nokia tunes also turn me off a bit.

Playing MTVs using the N80 also rendered reasonable graphic quality, although faster moving scenes would be blurred around the edges. As the phone isn't a tv, I don't expect crystal clear moving pictures from it, so this wasn't much of an issue for me. Folks who like to play lots of MTVs and shoot their own videos should opt for the N93 instead, which is optimized for that purpose.

The N80 boasts two cameras - a higher resolution camera in the back (main) and a lower resolution camera (secondary) in the front for video calling. Both cameras take both pictures and video and supports an image capture resolution of up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. Taking pictures with the N80 was a breeze, although I admit that I was more interested in clicking away rather than fiddling with the numerous shooting modes available. Testing normal picture taking and macro shots with the N80 showed accurate color rendition and high picture quality. A comparison macro shot of sushi by both my N80 ( 3.2 megapixel) and my dad's Dopod 818 Pro (2 megapixel) resulted in both pros and cons. The Dopod won out for being better able to focus on the sushi, but the N80 had better color rendition and picture clarity. (Or maybe it was the photographer's lack of skill in handling the N80. LOL!)

Having test run the N80 in a party-like gathering, the inbuilt flash garnered quite a bit of attention as my friends asked if I was carrying a camera or a phone! Haha. But the picture taking response is a bit too slow for my liking as I like to capture candid shots of people around me. A 2 second gap between when you depress the capture button and the saving of the actual shot results in people moving, unless of course, they are busy posing for you. Posed photos are clear and fine, but shots on the go are blur and grainy.

Part Three is coming up soon!

Nokia N80 Internet edition phone review - Part One

Yes, as I've been going on and on for ages now, I got a new phone - the Nokia N80 Internet edition. When it first debuted, it was supposedly THE phone to end all other phones. That is, until the Nokia N95 and Apple's iPhone came out. Haha. Anyway, humor me by reading through my review, okay?

I wanted the Nokia N80 Internet edition for a couple of reasons. Uh, so it was actually only one reason. I lusted after a phone that had wifi capabilities and would allow me to surf to my heart's content (or as long as the battery lasted, whichever came first). Anything else that came along with the phone was simply a bonus in my books.

Phone Design
The N80 is a slider phone and a first for me as I've only used candybar phones all my life. While there were some complaints about springback problems in slider phones, so far I have not encountered any (or maybe they have remedied it by now). And this is despite opening/closing it several times a day.

The phone is a little bit chunky and is quite possibly the "fattest" phone built by Nokia. Bad news for the ladies - it doesn't fit into the standard mobile phone pockets sewn into handbags nowadays. It would fit into a man's shirt pocket, but then you'd get that hanging pocket look that doesn't exactly endear you to the ladies.

Because of its considerable size, the N80 looks and feels solid and secure. But I read a couple of user reviews that said it was rather delicate - i.e. should not be dropped. I didn't want to damage my precious, so I'm using a crystal case that I got from the vendor for free. The downside? The crystal case bulks it up even more, and feels a wee bit oily to the touch. It also keeps finger and palm prints very well too. Grrrrr.

I have had no problems with the buttons, seeing that I have regular sized fingers and I use a two handed style of texting. But one handed texting works just fine for me too although those with smaller palms might find it harder to reach the buttons on the side. The numerical buttons are lit up with blue light when you activate the phone by opening the spring slider, so you can text in the dark if you want to. My only gripe is the four-way directional button, which is silver and a bit dodgy to touch. It doesn't give a nice feel when you press it to select, and I worry that this button would eventually give out on me one day! (Especially when I use the phone to surf and scroll down a long webpage or something.) But that's just a minor gripe.

The screen is considerably large enough that you don't have to squint at it, and there is a secondary camera on top for video-calls. Because the N80 features a power save mode, there is a flashing blue light to indicate if the phone is on or off. I found the light to be both helpful as well as distracting. It helps me to locate the phone in the dark recesses of my bag, but the blinking blue light was so strong that I could see it dimly through the lining of my bag! Definitely an attention grabber in dark cinema halls. Heh.

On the sides you'll find the Mini SD card slot and dedicated camera button (no zoom button though) and on the back, the main camera. I didn't particularly like the fact that the plastic over lens is unshielded (no external cover) unlike other Nokia designs because you might accidentally scratch it unknowingly.

Operating System
The N80 uses the Series 60 interface, which is a great change from my old phone (even though it was a Nokia too). It took some getting used to and I found myself going around in circles on the menu for the first two days. After I got the hang of it, it wasn't so bad and I quite like the icons and menu setting. There are a number of background themes for you to use or you can choose the option of setting a picture as your wallpaper. I tried that at first, but reverted back to the pre-set background themes because I couldn't read the icons and menu when the picture showed! And maybe it is the reflective nature of the crystal case covering I am using, but I needed to change the light intensity to read the phone outdoors in bright daylight conditions. Works fine indoors and at night though.

On first start-up, I found the operating system sluggish to respond and I reasoned that it was probably because the battery wasn't fully charged then (this was when I was testing it at the vendor). Taking it home for the full 8 hour initial charge helped things somewhat, but until today, I don't feel that the system is running optimally. Opening / closing certain applications like the calendar or notes took a few seconds longer than I imagined it would take. Using similar applications on my mum's new Nokia 3110 Classic (also running the same OS) was significantly faster in comparison. However, the more often I use an application, the faster the phone seems to work.

You'll also want to tweak the menu around so that applications and programs which you use regularly are accessible from the main menu of the phone itself, without having to go into submenu levels. It took over two weeks of trial and error before I had my main screen user-friendly for me and I'm still rearranging some of the icons by number of times used so I can call it up quickly. But then again, different people work differently, so you may not find this affecting your phone usage. I'm still getting used to the different functions that the buttons have even after a month of owning the phone as I occasionally press the wrong button when I intended for something else instead.

Stay tuned for Part Two!