Posts tagged Nokia
Nokia X6 to come Down Under sooner rather then later and the N97 mini has been delayed
Feb 2nd
It seems as the trouble Nokia have been having with the N97 in regards to software issues has forced the delay of the “mini” Apparently this delay is to make sure that the issues that have plagued the N97 don’t also plague it’s little brother. While all this is going on Nokia have released another update to the N97 software, increasing the version from 20.0.0.019 to 21.0.0.045, Nokia have noted that this update improved scrolling, and call reliablity. As of yesterday this hadn;’t filtered through to Australian’s N97 variant.
Nokia’s latest XpressMusic range, the X Series, is coming to Australia. At this stage it is currently being tested by networks and is planning for a first half of the year release. Network availability and pricing is yet to be confirmed and also will depend on whether the Comes with Music version is taken or not. As more information comes to hand, I will update with details.
The 5800’s little brother – 5530 XpressMusic touches down in Australia, along with the E72
Nov 30th
The little brother to Nokia’s 5800 has finally landed in Australia. This nice little handset has already got the “kinetic scrolling” software on it, like what the N97 got in an update not long ago, and the same update the 5800 is yet to get. The update in question, changes the scrolling to be more iPhone-esque and in turn more accurate and easier to use. The 5530 XpressMusic on first glance is quite a nice handset, it has a great finish which shows good quality, something the 5800 lacked. Sporting a 3.2 megapixel camera + video, WiFi, 2.9″ resistive touch, built-in Facebook app and 4GB MicroSD included, it comes in 2 colour variants, White with Blue and Black with Red. The only downside of this handset is, it’s only 2G. Look for these to be south of the $250 mark. Definitely a good handset for a Christmas present.
Next is the E72, successor to the popular and well received E71. The handset is coming in 2 colours, Gold and Black, with the Gold colour being exclusive to Allphones for release. Packing a 5 megapixel camera, GPS with compass, 3.5mm stereo jack, WiFi, HSDPA 10.2Mbps, 4GB MicroSD included, optical track button instead of standard D-Pad (works exceptionally well BTW) and the standard S60 suite of apps, it also has a redesigned QWERTY keypad, borrowing heavily from the E63 which means, bigger keys. Virgin are really headlining this handset, bringing it out for $0 on the $49 Rollover Cap, this is cheaper then any of the major networks in Australia, all charging extra for the handset.
Nokia’s “Booklet” netbook and N900 not coming Down Under
Nov 28th
It has been heard that Nokia’s netbook, the “Booklet” and its Maemo touch handset, the N900 will not be making their way to Australian stores due to lukewarm support from networks. The major factor for the Booklet would have to have been lacklustre sales and poor public reception of the netbooks deals currently offered by carriers now, including Optus’ Samsung NC10 and Vodafone’s Dell Inspiron mini 9. If the networks could get the Booklet down to free, which at the moment is a big ask, considering Optus charge you extra for their premium modem which doubles your accessible speed from 3.6Mbps to 7.2Mbps with 2Mbps HSUPA, I certainly can’t see them providing a netbook at a free price. But this is what the market needs for these things to be viable. They can subsidise a $500 handset and give it away for free on a $30 plan, but can’t get a netbook for less than $20 on top of existing wireless broadband plans that start at $40. Crazy!
The N900 on the other hand, I have no clue as to why Australian networks don’t want it. This just seems absurd, it would run on both Vodafone’s and Optus’ dual band 3G networks without an issue, it’s a full touch handset with sliding keyboard in the same vain as the Motorola Droid, it runs Maemo 5 – Nokia’s platform of the future, 32GB internal memory with support for up to 16GB via MicroSD, 5 mega pixel camera with video. This thing is a beast, a far better handset then the current flagship, the N97. Maybe cost was an issue, maybe it had to be subsidised too heavily to appeal to the masses, either way, I’m still holding out for this to all be a dream and to hopefully wake up and be able to get one of these and the Booklet in Australia, guess we will have to wait and see.
Nokia N97 mini & 6760 Surge hitting Aussie shores…
Nov 26th
Nokia N97 mini is due to hit our shores in February of 2010. It has been approved for use by Australian networks and pricing as well as availibility should come closer to that date. I have had a play with a “mini” and the build quality is very nice, it seems to be a much more refined and robust product then its bigger brother. Size wise there isn’t a great deal of difference but the “mini” will seem to appeal to those who want a full featured handset like the N97 but without the price tag or the extra bulkiness. Sporting the same hardware as the N97 except for it having 8GB of internal memory rather then 32GB, it also has a smaller screen and no FM transmitter. With 3G operating frequencies of 850/900/1900/2100mHz, this handset will work on all networks in Australia including Telstra’s Next G. Whether that means it will be a different variant of the ”mini” we will just have to wait and see.
The Nokia 6760 Surge on the other hand is now starting to hit Australian shops, starting out on $29 Caps across a few carriers and for $399 AUD outright. This handset is quite pleasing to operate, although at first glance not the most pleasing to look at. The slide is of excellent quality with a nice fluent gentle motion unpon first use, running S60 and shipping with the standard range of Ovi apps such as Maps, Store and Email along with Facebook. Packing HSDPA 900/2100mHz which makes the handset suitable for Optus and Vodafone’s Dual Band 3G Network, 3.2 Megapixel camera with video, expandable memory upto 8GB and FM Radio.
Samsung announces "bada" and gives Symbian the boot
Nov 11th
In a every increasing world of smartphone manufactures and software developers, there is the best and then there is the rest. Nokia’s own Symbian OS (S60), along with RIM’s Blackberry OS and Apple’s iPhone OS hold the top three spots in market share for smartphone OS’s, with everyone thing else making up the rest. The main reason for Symbian’s success has been it’s licensing. More smartphones around the world are sold with symbian due to two things, Nokia making it, it’s number 1 smartphone OS and also other manufactuers also using it in a range of handsets, Samsung being one of these. Samsung, which holds the umber 2 spot for global mobile sales currently uses a mix of Windows Mobile and Symbian for it’s smartphones with about a 80/20 split. This is all about to change.
Nokia enters the netbook game with the ……. “3G Booklet”
Aug 25th
So Nokia have finally enter the netbook game, and to really make their mark they come out with a product called the 3G Booklet…hows that for a name. However on a more serious note, this netbook seems to really pack a punch. According to Nokia’s presser the Booklet will run an Intel Atom processor, which Intel have said is the 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 chipset according to Pocket-lint, a 10-inch glass HD ready screen, built-in HSPA 3G and Wi-Fi, front facing camera for video calling, intergrated Bluetooth and SD reader as well as built-in A-GPS and wait for it a HDMI port for HD video out. This all coming in a package weighing 1.25 kgs and measuring only 2cm high. Claiming to have up to 12 hours of battery life, this thing could be quite the little monster. Check the rest of the story out as well as an image gallery (coming) from Nokia’s press release and also a lovely little teaser video.
Nokia's E75 and LG's Arena show up in Allphones catalogue
Mar 4th
In my previous post, I showed the Nokia 5800 with Virgin pricing in the Allphones Buyer’s Guide. Now it also seems that the Nokia E75 and the LG Arena, both showcased at MWC only a few weeks ago, have also popped up in the catalogue, although without pricing, Both handsets are listed as coming soon and have a spec list as well as images of LG’s 3D S-Class UI and the side-sliding action of the E75. I will try to get any sort of information i can in regards to these handsets, particularly release dates and pricing. Hit the read more link to get the full pics.
Nokia 5800 launching at $49/month on Virgin
Mar 3rd
Allphones have released their monthly “Buyers Guide” and in this month edition is the pricing for the new Nokia 5800 on the Virgin network. Advertised as coming soon, with a date of offical release being the 20th of March, the 5800 is priced at $4 per month for the handset, on a Your Cap 45 plan, which gives customers a total of $320 of standard talk, txt and more plus 50MB of data every month. So total cost of $49 a month, which the handset being free on plans above the 45. Pricing for Optus is yet to be confirmed but i wouldn’t think i would stray far from Virgin’s pricing.
Note: You can pre-register for the handset at Allphones site.
UPDATE: Nokia 5800 to launch March/April in Australia
Feb 19th
UPDATE: The 9th of March is now the lucky date of launch, a month ahead of the information recieved earlier. I suppose this is what happens when you get information from a number of different sources. As this date is only 2 week away, i will definatley have an unboxing video and hands on for you as soon as i can get my hands on one.
Following on from my previous post regarding launch dates for the 5800, I have been able to get ahold of information confirming that it will launch end of March, start of April on Optus, Virgin and Three networks, with Optus having 18 months of “Comes with Music” downloads and the other having the standard 12 months.
Nokia is believed to be making this annoucment official on Feb 25th according to itnews.com.au
Mobile World Congress – Looks like a CRACKER!
Jan 28th
With only just over a fortnight to go until Mobile World Congress in Barcelona gets underway, the lead up to the event is already starting to turn up the heat. We have had news that Android will have a massive array of handsets on show during the 4 days and Acer has just released their invitations to their new smartphone launch, which will also happen at MWC. Palm will be there with their Pre, possibly for the release of the GSM version, Nokia will have the N97, HTC should have a huge number of handsets on display, maybe we will see the G2 in much better detail, oh and what about Telstra’s HTC “Pre Killer” they have been gloating about? hopefully that will also make it’s debut and we can see whether or now Telstra really do have something up their sleeve. Until then we will just continue to wonder and hope that this years MWC will blow our mind. We will reporting the big news from the event, no live unfortunately but as news comes to hand it will be posted, so stay tuned.
