Nokia N8 ad with new status bar and portrait Swype spotted

Well well well, what do we have here? What at first looked like an innocent advertisement for the Nokia N8 on Yahoo!, actually provided us with a sneak peak on some UI changes that will likely début with firmware PR 2.0 or PR 3.0. The image was tweaked to fit onto Yahoo!'s square ad format, but there is little mistaking what it shows.

First up, the ad featured Swype portrait QWERTY keyboard. This was always known to be coming, so it isn't anything new. The second is the new Symbian status bar. This is now slimmer than the original Symbian touch status bar which takes up more than double the space. It is not known if the new status bar will be available system wide or only within certain applications.

Hat tip to @macintosh for spotting this ad.

Canon S90 vs Nokia N8 follow-up

So that Canon S90 vs Nokia N8 thing was a huge hit. Nice to see plenty of misinformed Nokia fans trolling the post when they have NO clue. Just like a lot of them have no clue about Windows Phone, but I will leave that to Nokia blogs to take the brunt of the misinformed assault on the partnership.

Now, let me clear up some stuff. The N8 has a good camera, for a phone. But comparing it to a high-end compact? Don't make me laugh. I say this as a person who actually bought (and still use) the N8 for his birthday back in October 2010, purely because it was supposed to have this so-called fantastic camera module that apparently has even entry level DSLR beaten. I was wrong.

Another thing, a camera doesn't make great images. The person behind the camera does. Give someone like Ken Rockwell a disposable camera, and he can make much greater pictures than I can with a Leica M9, Nikon D3 or whatever. A good camera is supposed to only make it easier for the photographer. The N8 does not make things easier.

In fact the camera application is a frickin' disaster. A photographer's main job is to capture picture, not battle with a UI that crashes and generally throws a hissy fit. I was at an event this evening with my friend who writes for dailymobile.se. She also happens to own a N8. Like me she bought it for the supposed brilliant camera. She had so many problems with her N8, that by the time she got her N8 restarted, I have already finished taking 50 images.

The point of the post wasn't about making good images, it was all about image quality, and to debunk the stupid myth that the Nokia N8 is a digital camera killer. It is laughable to read that people think it is comparable to a good compact camera with fast lens and large sensor, much less a DSLR! The idea is so stupid it isn't even worth entertaining a rebuttal.

There were some complains that I didn't post comparison pictures. Well I did, the one - but even then some of you didn't actually notice. Should have gone to SpecSavers eh?. Well I went to the liberty of making some additional comparison pictures, which I shouldn't even bother. But I did.

All set to auto, with no flash, handheld shot:

And you know what? I will keep updating this post with even more comparison shots. Just wait.

Canon S90 vs Nokia N8

Here it is, the Canon S90, arguably one of the best digital compact ever released. Forget what Nokia told you about how phones (like their flagship imaging phone N8) has surpassed digital compacts. The S90 not only spanks the N8 but does so in such a manner than one should laugh at anyone who ever treated the N8 as more than it is - yet another camera phone.

Where to begin. Well the S90 is easier to use. The N8 is a touchscreen smartphone with an awful camera application, that does not even bother to remember the settings you last used. There are no manual controls on the N8, where as the S90 has full manual controls and features that makes even some entry level DSLR blush with envy. More importantly, the S90 has buttons, and buttons always beat touchscreen. Always.

The S90 has two rings of control.The control ring allows you to easily control whichever function you want. Simply spin it and that's it. I've set the S90 onto Aperture Priority mode, and use the ring to select the aperture, and the back ring to exposure. The Canon is such a genius this almost always works. It is easier to use than my Nikon D90!

I hate writing about specs, but the S90 has the specs where it matters most. It has a very fast lens - in fact faster than Canon's flagship G12 prosumer digital compact. The lens on the S90 allows twice as much light as the G12, Nokia N8 and even my £500 Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8 lens.

The Canon has the same sensor as the S95, G11 and G12 - a 10MP 1/1.7" CCD sensor, far bigger than those found on most none-EVIL compacts. The N8 on the other hand contains a smaller1/1.83" and packs more megapixels. Because of the S90's superior lens and sensor, the S90 can capture more detail on its 10MP sensor than the N8 could, and to do so with very little noise.

So what's missing. Well the S90 does not do HD videos, which will be a bummer to YouTubers - but a blessing to me. I like it that my D90 is shit at doing HD videos, and the same applies with the S90. I am glad that it doesn't, because digital cameras should shoot images and video cameras should shoot videos. Convergences means having to apply trade-offs. What next? MP3 playback in cameras?

The S90 isn't equipped with a hot shoe. This irked me at first, but then I thought why bother with a hot shoe on such a small compact. Besides the S90 is so brilliant at low light photography that I don't even bother with its xenon flash most of the time.

So what is this 'review' really about? Well, it is about busting the myth that smartphones are close to even succeeding good compact cameras. Yes, a N8 is convenient in that it allows me to only carry one device. But if you value memories, then you wouldn't mind carrying an extra photographic device. Sure the S90 isn't cheap, but you can easily augment the purchase by getting a cheaper phone.

All in all, if you are in the market for a pocket camera you can do a lot worse than the S90. While the S90 has since been surpassed by the S95 - it is still pretty much 99% the same camera, one that has retained plenty of value and sought after by photographers.

The Canon S90 vs Nokia N8 macro sample below is a real eye opener. The differences between the two cameras are astounding:

Auto, no flash, f/2

Auto, no flash, f/2.8

More Canon S90 samples:

AV mode, f/5.6, ISO500, 1/500sec

auto, flash, f/2, ISO800, 1/30sec

Manual, no flash, f/2, ISO400, 1/30sec

Manual, tripod, f/2, ISO400, 1sec

Case-mate Barely There for Nokia N8 review

The frustrating thing of owning a Nokia smartphone, any Nokia phone in fact, is there aren't many choices out there for third party cases for them. Even Nokia is ignoring the market by only making available a handful of unattractive cases.

When I bought the Nokia N8, it took me a couple of days and countless shop visits before I settled for Case-mate's Barely There case. I got it from the Carphone Warehouse but you can also buy it online from Amazon UK.

The impact resistant plastic case barely adds any bulk to my phone, and is suitably flexible to aid removing and installing, as well as durable enough to withstand the shocks of everyday life. I've been using it for almost three months and so far I've not witnessed any signs of wear. It actually improves on the N8's usability as I found the N8 to be too slippery by itself.

The back and side are well protected. There are cut outs for the volume keys, camera module, speaker, camera shutter button, microUSB port, microSD and sim card slots so you won't have to ever remove the case once installed. The bottom, top and front are exposed. A glossy screen protector is included within the sales package.

All in all, Case-mate's Barely There case is a stylish, inexpensive accessory that is well recommended to any Nokia N8 owner seeking to protect their expensive investment.

+ Slim profile
+ Stylish
- Does not offer all around protection

Nokia Big Screen with Nokia N8 and Wii Remote

Nokia Beta Labs today announced the availability of Nokia Big Screen for Symbian^3 devices with HDMI-out (currently only the Nokia N8 supports this, with the E7 not due out for a couple of weeks).

Symbian^3 with HDMI-out ports already allow users to watch videos, pictures and play music on their HD telly, but the mobile orientated UI is far from suitable for media consumption. With Nokia Big Screen, the application presents the user with a UI that is designed from the ground up to take advantage of a large HD screen (up to 720p). The phone's screen will double as a remote, with a layout similar to a TV remote. But even then that isn't ideal.

In comes the Wii remote (and other Bluetooth enabled devices like keyboard). In the case of Nintendo's waggle device, just activate the Wiimote's Bluetooth pairing mode by pressing the red button at the back (or press the 1+2 buttons which I forgot...). The buttons works as they should: A for select, B for back and the Home key takes you right back to the front.

It isn't perfect though, but then this is merely a proof of concept app by their Beta Labs department. I would like to see bigger fonts, as well as support for folder/sorting support (what's with Nokia and their refusal to support folders with picture viewing apps?) and proper 720p support (images are still displayed at what I believe is VGA resolution).

Skype now compatible with Nokia N8 and other Symbian^3 devices

They sure took their time, but hei, at least it is here and before Christmas too. Skype is now compatible with Symbian^3 - that means it will work on the Nokia N8, C6-01, C7 and E7 devices. As yet, I've not encountered any issues with the app but it's barely been a day. Now, give us video calling and I'll be happy.

To download and enjoy free calls on your phone, point your mobile browser to m.skype.com

Games for your Nokia N8

All of these games are compatible with Nokia's Symbian^3 phones (N8, C6-01, C7, E7). If some of them aren't showing on your mobile's Ovi Store, well good for you. Go buy a PSP instead.

Angry Birds by Rovio

This delightful hit iPhone game is now on Symbian^3 (as well as every gaming platform on earth). Though it costs more, has less levels (more are promised with free updates) and lacks achievements, it is still a fun puzzle game that deserves your attention. It didn't sell millions for nothing. For the uninitiated (all seven of you), Angry Birds's gameplay revolves around using a catapult to fire birds (of different abilities) at evil green pigs in their fortresses. Fun? Yes it is.

8/10

Real Football 2010 HD by Gameloft

If there ever was a game that highlights the disadvantages of touchscreen only devices for gaming, this is it. Controls are unwieldy, it's like trying to drive a Formula One car fitted with a tractor engine. Visuals are ugly, and the commentary gets annoying after the first few seconds. Even the original FIFA was better, and that was released 17 years ago. Dear developers (not you Gameloft): for goodness sake, just give me Sensible Soccer!

2/10

Hero of Sparta HD by Gameloft

Gameloft is on a roll here with bad games (is it surprising? they've been making bad games since I can remember). Sticking a HD suffix on it doesn't help. This God of War rip-off is so bad, it is probably what Kratos dreams of when he has a nightmare. Sorry, but it is shit. I don't care if it costs only £3, it is still money wasted on something that is an insult to modern gaming,

2/10

Need for Speed: Shift HD by EA

This is one of the better games on Symbian^3. The visuals are pretty good (though no where near PSP level), though I do wish for higher framerate for smoother gameplay. Unfortunately as with all touchscreen games, NFS:Shift HD (stop it with the HD suffix - it isn't HD, none of these games are!) suffers from the lack of physical keys, but it isn't too bad either. With assisted braking turned on, it is far from atrocious. Not that I would recommend playing this despiteit being free on the N8's Ovi Store.

5/10

Bounce Boing Battle by Rovio

Boune Boing Battle is a Symbian^1 game, but that shouldn't put you off. It is one of the few games that the developers has designed the game around a phone and its features rather than trying to shoehorn a traditional game into a mobile touchscreen device. It is a two player affair, so you must have a second player with another touchscreen Bluetooth phone to play with. Basically you try to bounce the ball back at them by drawing a wall on the screen for it to bounce off. Simples. It doesn't offer much else (hei it is a tech demo). But then again it is free and I've no complaints about that.

7/10

Nokia N8 USB On-The-Go

The Nokia N8 features a unique feature (to Symbian at least) called USB On-The-Go. USB OTG basically allows users to plug USB devices such as flash drives and, with enough power, portable hard drives into their mobile device, in this case the N8.

What this means is that owners of the N8 have easy access to their files on other external drives without the need to use a PC. Users can also use the N8 to charge any devices that accepts USB charging, although I don't see any reason for doing so. Unfortunately the N8's USB OTG function does not seem to recognise any of my mouse (a VAIO wired and Logitech wireless).

My lovely VOIP Sony VAIO mouse isn't supported

A storage device like this thumb drive will work just fine

The N8 had no issue recognising my four year old Samsung YP-U1Q DAP

I honestly thought this would work, but the N8 refuses to play nice with the PSP :(

Similarly it threw a hissy fit when connected to a M2 card reader

Not surprising - a portable hard drive like this will need to be connected to an external power supply first

Nokia N8

So here it is. A Nokia N8 - the best camera phone available in a Western country. You've probably read or heard too much about it already so I will spare you an unboxing and details (you can read my first impressions here). Instead why not just ogle at some pictures of the device instead. Apologies that I was only able to get hold of the boring but stylish black version.

Next to the Omnia 7, which I will be reviewing soon

The micro USB port

This here is the menu button

HDMI out for Angry Birds action on the big screen

Here it is stacked up against the E55, X6 and Omnia 7

Phone Switch makes it easy to transfer personal info between phones, if it works...

Below all this lies a 12 Megapixel sensor

Nokia N8 impressions

I recently had a couple of hands-on with Nokia's new Symbian^3 'flagship' device, the N8, at Nokia World 2010. I wasn't planning on writing this, as I spent way too little time with the display devices and was overwhelmed by my other times with the E7, C6-01, C7, X3, X2 and the new HTC Desire Z and HD.

But on Monday I happened to be at #LeStudio52 and had a chance to play around with Julien Fourgeaud's N8 running on pre-production none-release firmware, which he recently won in an Orange tech competition. It was nice to be given the chance to spend a little bit more time with it and this time without all the usual crowds you get at Nokia World.

The unique and sleek metal body of the N8 just scream quality. It feels great in my palms, and definitely feels and look like the premium device it is. The battery is none-removable, but a couple of N8 owners I talked to reckoned that it could last about a day on the none-removable 1200mAh battery.

The OLED screen is lovely and matches AdonisDemon's HTC Desire in colour saturation and has the same wide viewing angle as you can see from the comparison side-by-side pictures I've taken (note: the HTC Desire's brightness is set to maximum and the N8 was at 50%). The HTC Desire obviously trumps the N8's screen in terms of resolution.

Powering the Nokia N8 is Symbian^3. As far as I know Symbian^4 will not be made available on this device, so take that into consideration when considering the N8. The UI feels and operates much like Symbian^1, but is far quicker no thanks to OS optimisation, quicker processor and the removal of double taps. Gallery and web has pinch to zoom feature and suffered from very little slowdown in rendering.

The N8 was able to play 720p video files with no problems. We've had no issues playing 720p .mkv files. This is great news as the N8 features HDMI out, which works really well as demonstrated at Nokia World. Angry Birds on a HDMI telly? No problem!

The Nokia N8 is due out next month. You can pre-order it here.