Zit Seng's Superwall » N97

N97 vs Nexus One

Zit Seng — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:03:42 +0000

I’ve used the Nexus One for a little over a week now. I think the biggest thing I will miss with my previous Nokia N97 is its camera. It’s quite capable of taking some really nice photos, like this shot of the Nexus One (as well as that in the previous post). This is one area that the Nexus One is trumped by the N97. Both phones sport 5 megapixel camera sensors, auto-focus, and LED flash (dual LED on the N97). But the bunch of photos I’ve taken with the Nexus One have been unimpressive, at least in terms of quality. The Nexus One is fast, though.

I guess I’ve had enough of the N97′s slowness. The handful of firmware updates across the months have certainly improved things. But the Nexus One is a whole lot faster, not just in its camera application, but in just about everything. It is like upgrading to a new generation of PC. Nokia made some strategic choices with its hardware specifications which did not pan out well for me. I suppose if anyone wants to label a phone as being a multimedia computer, they ought to make sure it will perform like one.

The other joy about the Nexus One is the size. Finally, after years with a couple of N-series phones from Nokia, I’m now holding something that actually qualifies as sleek and compact. It’s reasonably light too. The Nexus One doesn’t even feel bulky when contained in its neoprene pouch. It feels really solid too, particularly since it has no moving parts at all.

Then, while I had not expected to see improvements in terms of voice call quality, but I think the Nexus One does perform better than the N97. I’d have thought that Nokia would get basic voice call functionality working superbly. However, the Nexus One has the advantage of active noise cancellation from an extra microphone. The benefit of the activate noise cancellation is really at the other end of the call, so I don’t really know myself, but I’ve heard and read a lot about how it works beautifully.

But I think the most fascinating thing is, perhaps, that the Nexus One is more like a PC than any other phone that I ever had. More so than Nokia’s multimedia computers. I rooted the Nexus One within a few hours of receiving it, and I’m still discovering how much like a PC the smart phones have become. (Well, it’s not like I didn’t already know, but when you actually play with it yourself, you experience the things that you could only have read about previously.)

I have other “issues” with the Nexus One, but I’ll save those for another posting some other time.

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A New Lease of Life for the Nokia N97

Zit Seng — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:33:49 +0000

I couldn’t wait any longer, so I did what I had to do, and now have my Nokia N97 upgraded to the latest v20 software. It’s quite amazing. It’s now as if the Nokia N97 is a new phone. The phone feels noticeably more snappy in response, the so-called C: drive has more space free (by about 8MB only), and there is kinetic scrolling just about everywhere. This is what the Nokia N97 should have been when it was launched earlier this year.

The biggest thing for me, though, was the ability to sync with my Mac. I had been previously syncing my N95 8GB via Apple’s iSync software together with a iSync plug-in supplied by Nokia. It allowed me to seamlessly sync contacts and calendars on the phone with Address Book and iCal on the Mac. This was not working with the N97, apparently because of something seriously broken with the internal N97 software. Shortly after the v20 software became available, Nokia also released the N97 iSync plug-in. For me, this is so much better than trying to sync through an intermediary like Google, not the least because it screws up the “first name” and “last name” components of my contacts.

The kinetic scrolling is really cool. It is so much more fun to navigate an interface with kinetic scrolling. This is something that I’m beginning to get addicted to, partly because I’m having so much fun with “scroll with momentum” on my Magic Mouse (it’s the same thing). I was a little upset when I did the flicking motion on my touchpad and did not see the kinetic effect. Kinetic scrolling is not just eye candy. It really makes navigating the user interface less tedious.

Some of the other improvements include more efficient memory management for applications and better battery performance. The video and still camera performance is improved too. I take lots of photos and I feel the camera operations are smoother, although perhaps the overall improvement in the OS has also helped in some way. The touchscreen driver is more responsive than before, which again lends itself to a better overall user experience.

I found the free space gained in the C: drive to be only modest. A little tip I discovered is that you can gain even more space in C: by deleting some of the not so useful applications. In fact, even if you do want some of the applications like, say, Psiloc World Traveller, you can uninstall it (freeing up space in C:), then go to Ovi Store and reinstall the application into E: (and thus not taking up space in C: anymore).

The much anticipated v20 software has lived up to much of its hyped improvements. If you have a N97 without the v20 software, you should really think about updating.

Now, the only other thing I want from Nokia is to fix the Nokia Multimedia Transfer, so that I can sync photos, videos, and music via bluetooth with iPhoto and iTunes. I’m currently making-do with syncing photos via USB cable to iPhoto, but wireless transfer will be so much more convenient.

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Nokia N97 v20 Firmware Breathes New Life

Zit Seng — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:39:21 +0000

Finally, the much awaited, possibly the most anticipated in all history of Nokia phone software update, v20 firmware for the Nokia N97 has started to roll out. First heard on the Nokia Discussion Forum posting by jauhis, a Nokia employee who started appearing on the forums recently with hints about the v20 release, the news and upgrading reports are now making its way around the Internet.

What’s so exciting about v20 for many people is that it promises to fix many things that were broken. Although the N97 has by and large been working fine for me, I still think it could do with lots of improvements in terms of performance and responsiveness.

The short and sweet “changelog” posted by jauhis says:

Improved touch screen scolling
Ovi Maps 3.1 with 3-D maps
Nokia e-mail, Ovi Contacts and Ovi Store (who cares?)
Improved memory and battery performance
Improved image and video stability

But other sources like this one from AAS provides more details. It seems, also, that the problems with getting the N97 to work with iSync on the Mac has turned for the better. There are reports of success with 3rd party iSync plugins. I’d imagine we could reasonably expect Nokia to release their own official iSync plugin for the N97 in time to come.

I waited 6 weeks for v12. I hope v20 wouldn’t take so long.

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Schedule for Nokia N97 v20 Software Release

Zit Seng — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:32:33 +0000

Hot on the heels of the Nokia N97 v12 software update (which was about 1 month late for me), we are now hearing news about the impending release of the major v20 software update. That is, if the unofficial reports on the Internet are to be believed. Nokia has said the v20 software will be released in October, so it is about time now anyway, assuming of course that the software ships on time. The v20 software is much anticipated, because it claims to fix many of the problems in the older software, and it really should have been the software that accompanied the launch of the N97.

The rumoured report says the v20 software will be released for unbranded phones for a bunch of regions starting from 10 Oct through to 13 Oct. Then, from 14 Oct to 20 Oct, it will become available for branded phones. Let’s hope the schedule is real and the v20 software will indeed ship on time.

But… to put things in perspective, a Nokia employee had stated in the Nokia Support Discussions (forum) that this schedule incorrect. Sigh.

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Long Wait for Nokia Phone Software Updates

Zit Seng — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:50:06 +0000

The Nokia N97 software v12.0.024 became available on 18 Aug 2009. While many lucky users elsewhere were able to install the update over the next few days or weeks, some others like myself were not so lucky. I eventually got my update on 29 Sep 2009, but it was for v12.0.026. It’s like there was an additional small little fix that Nokia needed to put in. I don’t know if this was the reason for the delayed availability of the software for my phone, but waiting for over a month is too long for anyone who watches software releases and wants to stay on the edge of new developments.

The problem with Nokia software updates is that they don’t get released at the same time. You’d have thought that if there was a software update for the N95 8GB, then all N95 8GB phones should be able to get the update. Nope. In fact, it’s not even the case when you take into account the little variants in the phone model (e.g. N95-2, N95-4, and N95-6 are all N95 8GB phones, but the -4 and -6 variants are for markets in North America and China respectively, with the -2 being for the rest of the world).

It turns out that the availability of software updates is not just dependent on the phone model (including specific variants within the model), but also on telco branding and market channel. You can read about this from my article on Nokia Phone Software Updates. Due to telco branding issues, some phones may see their updates much later than others of the same model. The delay is not just days or weeks, but sometimes stretches for months.

It is really annoying, but that’s how Nokia has been doing things. I don’t know if the same applies to other brands of handphones, but users of Nokia phones are getting really frustrated going by the posts seen in the Nokia discussion forum. Clearly many users are not happy. It’s not just about wanting to get their hands on new features, but sometimes, there are important bugs that need to be fixed.

The funny thing with the current N97 update is that the software seems to be released in two phases, each in a different mode. Those who received their updates earlier had the v12.0.024 software. They had to update their phones through NSU (Nokia Software Updater), i.e. through a PC. Those who got their updates later had the v12.0.026 software, and their software was only available through Over-The-Air updates.

Over-The-Air updates are cool. Phone connects to the Internet, checks for update, downloads update, installs the update, phone reboots, and you have an updated software. It just takes a few minutes. It’s actually a lot faster than updating using NSU through a PC.

I think Nokia should think about how to improve this software update process. The technology itself, like Over-The-Air updates, works well. It’s the processes behind which eventually makes the software available that is upsetting many users.

ps: The next software update coming up for the N97, and which has been much talked about already, is the v20 software. It will bring about several notable enhancements. You can read more about it from several online sources, and a somewhat detailed on which includes video is: N97 Hands-On Experience.

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The Nokia N97 Mini

Zit Seng — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:07:49 +0000

Nokia announced the new N97 Mini. It will look exactly like the original N97. It will practically have all the same features and specifications as the original N97. But it will be just a little smaller. How interesting. This is the first time, I think, that Nokia has tweaked an existing product and re-released it. The N95 8GB is not a tweaked N95, going by what Nokia did with the N97 to produce the N97 Mini.

The slightly miniaturized N97 Mini will be only just a little smaller: Original 117.2mm length reduced to 113mm, original 55.3mm width reduced to 52.5, and original 18.25mm thickness reduced to 14.2mm. Volume is down from 88cc to 75cc, and weight 150g down to 138g. So basically, the Mini is a sleeker slimmer N97.

The specs are otherwise just about identical. Of course, the original N97′s 3.5″ screen had to be reduced to 3.2″ in the Mini. Also, and I think this is a major issue, the battery capacity is reduced from 1500 mAh to 1200 mAh.

For such a powerhouse, I think a 1200 mAh battery might not last long enough. I don’t expect that the N97 Mini would consume any less power than the N97. The smaller display screen is not going to make an apperciable difference.

The Mini really looks like the N97. I wonder how well it will be received by consumers.

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My Take on Nokia N97

Zit Seng — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:38:02 +0000

I still haven’t got time to write a long-winded review of the Nokia N97, but since people are starting to ask me for comments, I think I’ll just share my thoughts of the phone in here. I’m going to make a couple of comparisons with the Nokia N95 8GB, since that is the previous phone I used before switching to the N97. If you’re switching from the N95 8GB too, this would be good reading for you.

Honestly, the N95 8GB was a very good phone to begin with, so the N97 was not a whole lot better. The most notable thing is the touchscreen, larger and brighter display, and side slider with built-in QWERTY keyboard. The N97 actually looks quite good too.

But one thing about the N97 that attracted me was the speed. However, it turned out that the speediness applies only in some areas. I had originally compared side-by-side the N95 8GB photo taking capabilities with the N97. The N97 was quicker to launch the camera application, it was quicker to focus, and it was a whole lot faster in saving the photo. I take a lot of photos with my N95 8GB, so I was quite pleased with the improved camera performance. It turns out the N97 takes better photos than the N95 8GB too.

The battery life of the N97 is also quite impressive. Starting the day with a full charge, I can get by till the night, before hitting the sack, with about 5/7 battery bars left. That’s with a whole day on 3G (the widgets like Facebook on the home screen will keep the phone online the whole day), and with lots of fidgeting around with the various applications, including a bit of photo taking and GPS maps. Battery life on the N97 is not going to be a problem. (It drains more power using Wireless LAN though.)

Apart from the camera speediness, the overall N97 software isn’t quite snappy. Certain functions are okay. The photo gallery software is a little slow (and I like the UI of the N95 8GB one better too). Launching the Message application to write a SMS is slow too.

Is the software buggy? Yes it is. It is something to be expected with any new phone. However, these are things that will be fixed over time. So far there has been just one firmware update, going from v10 to v11. Telco branding may delay the availability of the firmware, but for SingTel in Singapore, I got the v11 firmware about 1 week after it was launched.

The physical built of the N97 is superb. The side slider is firm. I found the QWERTY keyboard a little difficult to use in the beginning, but I’m getting used to it now. The keys are too small and don’t have enough contours to feel easily, and the raised tip on the F and J keys are so tiny that you can’t feel it anyway. It takes two hands to type with reasonable efficiency. The numbers are inconvenient to access. All that said, once you get used to the keyboard, it works well.

If you have the Nokia AV cables, like you would if you have the N95 8GB, keep it around, because it works with the N97. Perhaps to cut cost, the Nokia does not include the AV cables in the N97 package.

Charging is now via micro-USB port, which is also used for the data connection to a PC. Good to standardize on micro-USB, and while a USB-to-micro-USB cable is provided (including a big/small Nokia charger connector to micro-USB adapter), it’s actually not easy to find extra USB-to-micro-USB cables around in the shops.

The SingTel branded N97 in Singapore comes with Sims 3 and Spore games(on top the Guitar Hero which comes with all N97s anyway), and 2 years of Drive and Walk navigation license. The navigation license actually turned out to be almost 4 years when I installed it. Superb.

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N97 vs N95 8GB Camera Images

Zit Seng — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:00:05 +0000

N97 Test Image #8

Both the new flagship Nokia N97 and the previous flagship N95 8GB boast the same specifications 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss lens. Apart from the fact that the former has dual LED flash while the latter only has a single LED flash, how do the resulting still camera photos from the two phones compare? Could there be some slight differences in the optics, or in the software producing the JPEG image output? Well, I’ve put them to the test and found that there are noticeable differences.

This is no professional critique of camera performance. However, I got my hands on both the N97 and N95 8GB for testing at the same time. The photos were basically taken from the same spot (the phones are physically adjacent to each other), looking at the same angle, and taking the photo at the same time. Both cameras were left in their default setting, all photos shot in fully automatic mode.

The gallery below shows the photos from the two phones. Click on the thumbnails to get a larger, but not yet full resolution image. (View the full resolution images at my Ovi album.)

You can see that the photos produced by the two phones are noticeably different. The camera of the new N97 seems to produce more accurate colours and the overall exposure is quite well balanced.

In the indoor shots, you can also tell quite clearly that the N97 produced sharper images. The outdoor shots were a mixed bag though.

I don’t have flash photography comparisons to share here. My own experience is that the N97 does produce slightly better flash photos, no doubt thanks to the added light from its dual LED flashes.

Is the N97 a better camera than the N95 8GB? I think, yes. But it is not something to justify upgrading from a N95 8GB to the N97 though. At least it is not a good enough reason on its own. The improvements are very marginal.

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WordPress Blogging from Nokia N97

Zit Seng — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:37:32 +0000

One of the things I missed in the Nokia N97 is Lifeblog. It is a Nokia application that enabled me to post directly to my WordPress blog directly from my phone. I was doing this on my N95 8GB previously. However, it seems like there’s no more Lifeblog in the N97. It had apparently been dropped since the S60 3rd Edition FP2 software. Fortunately, I learnt that there is a solution.

Lifeblog has apparently been replaced by Share Online. The problem with the latest Share Online 3.0 is that it does not permit you to configure additional web services apart from its built-in Ovi, Flickr and Vox services. What if you want to post to some other web service, what about your own blog site?

It turns out that you can configure Share Online after all. This has been quite well documented by PhoneBoy. If you already have the Lifeblog-WordPress integration script already working in your WordPress installation, then you basically just need two more things:

The shareonline.php file.
A favicon.svg file.

When you’ve put everything into your WordPress site, just point the phone’s web browser to the shareonline.php file, save/open it, then go into Share Online app. You’ll now find a new service available for posting to your WordPress site.

That’s how I got my first blog posting from my N97.

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Singapore iPhone 3G S Prices Revealed

Zit Seng — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:10:04 +0000

Hello, Singapore iPhone fans. SingTel has decided the penance you have to pay for your iPhone craze. It’s not cheap. Existing iPhone 3G users are being slapped a $600 or $300 upgrade fee for those who have completed 6 – 12 months or 12 – 21 months of their existing contract respectively. But there is good news for new iPhone 3G S wannabes. The new phones will cost slightly less than they did when the iPhone 3G was launched.

If you take up the iFlexi “Apple” plans, the 16GB iPhone 3G S will cost $60 less than the 8GB iPhone 3G did, and the 32GB iPhone 3G S will cost $70 less than the 16GB iPhone 3G did. Prices range from $0 to $678 for the 32GB iPhone 3G S, and $0 to $548 for the 16GB iPhone 3G S, depending on what price plans you pick.

But if you take up the usual SingTel subscription plans, the price points have remained the same, i.e., 16GB iPhone 3G S will cost what the 8GB iPhone 3G did, and the 32GB iPhone 3G S will cost what the 16GB iPhone 3G did. But there are more price points now, due to a greater variety of subscription plans. The 16GB iPhone 3G S will cost from $0 to $698 and the 32GB iPhone 3G S will cost from $0 to $848.

Head over to the SingTel Shop website to get the full details (I’m not posting the direct URL link since it will probably become invalid pretty soon).

I’m not much of an iPhone fan. But I’ll admit that specs-wise, the iPhone 3G S seems like a respectable phone. It is a bit pricey. The camera is not good enough for me. I’ll like to have a real keyboard too. Otherwise, the iPhone 3G S looks like a worthy consideration. (However, I’ve already decided to go with the Nokia N97. Check out my iPhone 3G S vs Nokia N97 comparison.) If you’re interested in the iPhone 3G S, SingTel will start selling them this Friday, 10 July 2009 at 8pm, at ComCentre (Exeter Road).

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