Nokia N900 looking pretty sweet

Nokia 6600

If, for some reason, you were asked to visualise a "Nokia 6600", it's likely that you would think of this beauty:

The Nokia 6600 was Nokia's flagship handset a couple of years back. The little joystick made it fantastic for playing games and, if memory serves, the camera was particularly impressive. Sadly, as with most complex Nokia handsets, the 6600 had a habit of grinding to a halt after around a year of daily use, making it into the kind of handset that your mum loves: "something that can make and receive calls."

On that note, could it be true that there is another worldwide shortage of N95 handsets because so many of them are being returned? The theory goes that, because the handsets are so complicated, it is usually easier for Nokia to provide a new handset than fix an old one.

Anyway... back to the 6600.

Actually, that's just what Nokia are doing: going back to the 6600. Well, they are not going back to the device but they are going back to the name, for a handset that looks like this:

As you can see, they are offering the handset as a slider or a flip. The feature list for the two is pretty similar, with the accelerometer that sets my heart aflutter on the N95 again present, along with a 512mb removable memory card and radio. Interestingly, the clamshell handset has a poorer camera: only 2 megapixel, compared to 3.2 on the slider. What does Nokia have against clamshell users?

And why do they go back to the same names again? This handset doesn't really have anything to do with the old 6600, which has effectively evolved into the N95.

Speaking of which, the 6600 slide looks rather like a simplified version of the forthcoming Nokia N96. Apparently, there are no handsets available for review purposes until the official launch in the autumn. If anyone fancies sending one this way, please get in touch!

The Evolution of Mobile Phones

e2save

What do I love most about the N95 8gb Part 2 - the accelerometer

It is sooooo wonderfully understated and Scandinavian to include an accelerometer in the flagship N95 and not make a fuss about it. Apple included exactly the same feature in the iPhone and made it one of the central parts of their advertising strategy:

"WOW... LOOK... A phone that knows when you are moving AND has internet browsing"

The Finns, in their understated way, just put it in there and didn't really do anything with it. Third Party developers (you don't get them with the iPhone) have gone wild with the device and you can now use the N95 for such varied tasks as... err... playing starwars, playing bouncy ball and.... umm... playing Space Invaders. Nokia's own Activity Monitor app is quite cool, although it won't do your battery life any favours.

Anyway, this is just another reason that I love the N95. Thanks Nokia!

(Sorry if this blog has got a bit boring of late... you know how people get when they are in love. Normal business will resume once a younger model comes along =)

Nokia Tube

Nokia has announced an iPhonealike preliminarily called the Nokia Tube.

Details are sketchy but it does look rather like the return of the mac, doesn't it?

This is Nokia's return to touchscreen technology after the unpopular 7710, which was painfully slow and generally a bit crap.

There are no more details available at the moment, but as a dedicated Nokia fan I am really looking forward to this one. The only question is...

will it Finnish the iPhone?

Decision Time

With a little help from Vodafone, my next handset has been decided.

Ladies and gentlemen, the next phone to grace Cellfella's Levi's shall be...

The Nokia N95 8G.

No great surprises there, then.

To be honest, I was holding out for an N82 but there's every chance that this little beaut will never make it all the way to Vodafone. I can't change network either because Voda is the only one to cover both my office and flat.

Still, I didn't even bother asking for an upgrade, just went straight to the "You really want to leave Vodafone?" department and said I wanted to change networks. For some reason they are much more receptive to negotiation that way!

Why would I have preferred an N82? Well, look at it:

Some bloggers have been a bit critical of the design. James Burland's review on Youtube is very positive about the phone's features but quite negative about the design. I, however, am not a big fan of sliders and would much rather have an old school block in my pocket.

Having not played with one yet (O2 has bad reception in this part of the world, hence no N82s to investigate) I can't confirm or deny what the review says about the fiddly buttons.

Anyway, it's all water under the bridge now. I'm going slidey for the next twelve months.

Now I'm just waiting for Vodafone to deliver the thing...

Nokia Prism

Nokia is eschewing the curves which they arguably brought to mobile phones in the first place and going all angular.

The Nokia Prism was unveiled at a fashion show in China. Yes, a fashion show, not a technology conference as might be expected. To be honest, the technology under the surface of this handset really isn't anything to write home (or a blog entry) about: Bluetooth, USB 2.0 (I like), EDGE, GPRS and Tri-Band.

But the design is rather original, no? I love it when visions of the future from decades gone by actually come to be realised, rather like this lovely slab.

I do, however, have one concern about the angles and this is:

Every pair of jeans that I own has a white line around the lefthand pocket where my phone has sat. It makes me all nostalgic, looking at an old pair of 501s which no longer do up to see the outline of my first ever mobile - a Siemens S8 - which this page informs us has such groundbreaking features as a "large 4 line display" and "99 name phonebook".

Look at those sharp edges on the new Nokia! A recipe for denim disaster, no?

Some more about the Prism:
From the Mobile Gazette
From the Register
and finally, for those of you who dabble in Mandarin, from Nokia

New Sony Ericsson handsets

Sony Ericsson has recently revealed a raft of new handsets which are causing something of a stir.

The K530i is my personal favourite.


Looking remarkably similar to the K510, this is a lightweight 3G phone with a QVGA display, 2 megapixel camera and expandable memory. It is the first Sony Ericsson handset to work with the HGE-100 GPS Enabler, which is an exciting development.

As you have probably gathered, I am a big fan of 3G technology and firmly believe that the public should be more aware of its usefulness. Tied in with the GPS enabler, phones like the K530i are nudging us towards locally targetted mobile internet services, which is where we will see the next great breakthrough in mobile technology.

Another new handset revealed by Sony Ericsson is the impressive W960i.


A walkman phone, the W960i has 8GB of memory and features a touch-screen display which is sure to set hearts racing. Another model aimed at crossing the boundaries between electronic devices, this handset offers TV quality video playback and a 3.2 megapixel camera to boot.

This is a straight upgrade to the W950i and is surprisingly feature laden, while not compromising on style.

iPhone is popular (no surprises there then)

Apple´s iPhone has caused the biggest fuss of any new mobile for as long as anyone can remember. In the wake of iPodmania, it should be unsurprising that the world is waiting with bated breath to see what the computer manufacturer can add to the already huge range of phones available. After all, the iPod revolutionised the world of mobile music players more than any single product since the original Sony Walkman. It was all a matter of usability, much as it will be with the new phone.

A phenomenal amount of free publicity has been given to the phone, from such unlikely sources as the BBC, which ran repeated features on the phone on television news bulletins and online. Similarly, newspapers around the world have been gripped by the progress of the device, again providing incalculable free coverage for the multinational. Clever stuff, no?

In the States, the iPod starts shipping next month and has already recieved, wait for it... one million enquiries from customers who wish to receive information when it is released. On AT&T alone.

Apple hope to sell 10 million iPhones and it seems their canny approach to marketing is doing the job nicely. Basically, they are saying nothing very much and letting the buzz build to phemonenal pre-release levels. No other mobile phone manufacter has the power to reach the mainstream media in this way, which probably sticks in the throat of Nokia and Sony Ericsson, who have been producing truly innovative handsets for years.

Now, all we can do is wait and see if it lives up to the hype.

My guess is yes.

The Best Looking Handsets

In the early years of mobile telephony, handset manufacturers were clambering over each other to load on as much technology as possible. Handset design was generally 'functional' to say the least, which lead to phones like my old favourite, the Motorola Graphite. Mmmm... retro.

Nokia were the first to really crack the concept that a cute-looking mobile with features such as snake and an genuinely intuitive menu system - pictures, anyone?

Nowadays, ugly handsets are the exception rather than the rule. True beauty, on the other hand, is rare. I have recently highlighted the Apple and Prada phones: two shining (and shiny) examples of handsome handsets.

Here are a couple of other lookers currently doing the rounds.

LG Chocolate (Black Label daaaahling)

So stylish it can only be carried in £1000+ handbags by supermodels, the LG Chocolate Black Label is half 2001 A Space Oddessy and half the way Silk Cut adverts used to look before those meanies banned fun ads from telly. LG's populist Chocolate is a big seller and a particularly handsome handset. The Black Label editions are something a little special to look at. The pictured handset is a Black Label Platinum, which glows with sexy red buttons when it gets the signal or you touch it right. Phwoar.

Sony Ericsson z750

One for the Americans, this is. A hot little number from the Swedish/Japanese partnership, the Z750 is superbly understated and rather reminiscent of a post-surgery Motorola Pebble. It is heavy on technology too, with great compatability (it offers 3G service in the States and the rest of the world). The thinking man's crumpet.

Nokia 8800 Sirocco

Nokia have come up with this little beauty. While the original 8800 was a handsome, high end handset, it was rather limited by its terrible battery life. It was similar to a Lambourghini Diablo if you like - more status symbol than practical tool. The Sirocco edition, on the other hand, is more Audi S6 - stylish and powerful. The steel slider is a beauty when closed up, which wouldn't look at all out of place on the passenger seat of a supercar as it whipped along the Monte Carlo coastline to the casino.

Fujitsu F703i - a waterproof phone

There are not many gimmicks which haven't been explored in the world of mobile phones. We have had the drunk-proof handset. We have had an ungodly selection of pink phones, including Hello Kitty phones.

We have business phones, designer-branded handsets, cheap, almost desposible phones for the developing markets and hundreds of mid-market options.

What more could we possibly need?

What can be done that has never been done before.

Fujitsu think answer is a waterproof mobile phone.

Yes, that's right. The Fujitsu F703i can survive being under 1m of water for up to 30 minutes, if the claims of the manufacturer are to be believed. This raises some (reasonably obvious) questions, first and foremost... why?

Now, with only a relatively poor grasp of human biology, as conferred upon me by the English state education system and its fine GSCE double science qualification, I am in no position to comment upon what the human body is capable of, but talking underwater seems like a stretch. I mean really, most things in life are considerably more difficult when attempted underwater, which is probably why we evolved from sea creatures over many millions of years (I learnt that from a Guiness advert).

Interestingly, this handset manages to cling on to stylistic sensibilities. Check out the lovely 'chequered' effect, for example, and the futuristic clock facade. This is a departure from previous 'gimmick' phones which have always placed function over form and have looked rather rough as a result. On the other hand, who is going to see you when you are making calls underwater?

The mind boggles...

Nokia E90

I've always admired the Nokia Communicator series from afar, waiting for the right time to switch up to the beasts. As I see it, there are two necessary requirements for owning one of these phones. Firstly, you have some need to check your emails on the go - maybe you travel away from your computer a lot - and secondly you need to wear a suit for work. For some reason these phones just seem perfect to fit into a suit pocket.

Sadly it doesn't seem as though I will be fitting either of these criteria in the near future. The umbilical link between myself and my laptop shows no sign of being severed any time soon and I work in shorts and a tee-shirt. Woo hoo! The joys of working at home.

The latest installment - the E90 - is one of the most advanced, feature-packed mobile phones ever released. Interestingly, the phone uses a Symbian S60 operating system as opposed to the S80 used on the 9500 and 9300. This may seem like an unusual step, but S60 offers E90 users access to a much wider range of applications. A quick straw poll suggests that S60 is every bit as easy to use as the newer system and ultimately more flexible. Good work Nokia.

This is a business phone. Smart features include onboard GPS and a high-resolution screen. The system can handle PDF files and read documents in Microsoft office. Unlike the previous generation of Communicator, the E90 comes fully-loaded with 3G, which can only be good news.

Features which you may be surprised to find on this phone include an FM radio and 3.2 Megpixel camera. Many businesses do not like to have cameras onboard business phones (however employees generally love them). I imagine the phone is there for those long, dull train journeys from London Euston to the Midlands to meet clients. Hmm... maybe that's fair enough.

Prada Phone - LG KE850

After mentioning the LG KE850 in my last post, I thought it silly not to give you some information about this handsome beast.

First off... a word on the looks. Prada is known for understatement and this continues into the design of the new phone. While the iPhone is pretty tasteful itself, Prada's creation, with it's technochiaroscuro, is very subtle indeed. There are none of Apple's 'garish' colours - just black and white. LG have also released a non-Pradafied version of the phone, which will undoubtedly carry a far more reasonable price tag but isn't so chic.

You could be forgiven for thinking the LG KE850 is a knock-off of the iPhone but that would be incorrect. The two phones have been in development simultaneously and both manufacturers clearly shared a desire to push mobile design forward, removing the need for the wands which have always come with touchscreen handsets (and generally gone missing at an inopportune moment).

For me, the most attractive thing about the KE850 is the onboard camera - a Schneider Kreuznach lens ensures high-quality optics (they make Kodak's lenses). In addition to the fancy-sounding lens, the KE850 has an LED flash, making it possible to take high-quality photos late at night. Tabloid gossip columns are said to be delighted.

Other good news is that the handset weighs just 85 grams - 50 grams less than the iPhone. The KE850 measures 99 x 54 x 12mm which is a bit smaller than Apple's offering.

Unsurprisingly for such a compact, stylish handset, some features have had the chop - namely 3G (of which I am a huge fan) and wi-fi (which is also pretty damn useful).

All in all, this is one of the most desirable handsets on the market in 2007. Now start saving!