Fire In Nokia’s Belly
It looks like the fire is being contained with the delay of the N8 but at least its burning. So now that the keynotes from Nokia World 2010 have sunken in — to pundits and fan boys alike — we know that Stephen Elop replaces Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo as CEO, Symbian ^3 is the new foundation, not even as much as a whisper of MeeGo and the better phones are the N8, E7 and surprisingly C6-01. Two of them touting ClearBlack Display or CBD. The questions is, which one do I want?
We’ve known for a few months now about the N8 and today Nokia announced that the device will be delayed a few weeks more. Looks like that the late September release was too good to be true. I did not pre-order one as I am waiting for others to review the released device.
“The amount of preorders has exceeded our expectations and we are working hard to deliver the Nokia N8 to the market. In some markets, we had planned to start delivering the Nokia N8s to our pre-order customers by the end of September. To ensure a great user experience, we have decided to hold the shipments for a few weeks to do some final amends. We’re thrilled with the response that we’ve had to the Nokia N8 and assure everyone who’ve pre-ordered it already that it’ll be worth the wait! We expect consumers to get their Nokia N8s during October.”
With any hope (this is a big stretch) Nokia decided to take this opportunity to fit the freshly produced N8s with the ClearBlack display found on the E7 and C6-01.
Nokia E7 vs iPhone 4 display -- image by Engadget
What is ClearBlack display (CBD)?
Thanks to the folks at All About Symbian who in their AAS Insight Special: Nokia World 2010 podcast interview Janne Jakobsen, Director of N Series devices and ask her about CBD.
“So its basically a film that we put on top of the display on the window and below the glass and its filling out the whole area and what it enables you to do is basically, that it polarizes. Specifically in really bright light conditions. So outdoor conditions you will be able to see what’s going on in the screen and still have the color depth that we know that we are sometimes missing in smartphones in general when you are in outdoor conditions.”
There you have it, its a physical film that polarizes in sunlight similar to the film they use in polarizing glasses.
E7 and C6-01
Nokia E7
Nokia E7 €335 ($430)
The E Series is Nokia’s business class line, the E7 being (specs and looks-wise) one of the best business class QWERTY keyboard phones ever produced.
Features
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4-inch 360 x 640 display AMOLED capacitive touchscreen Nokia ClearBlack display
8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash
ARM 11 680 MHz processor 3D Graphics HW accelerator
16 GB storage, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM
Symbian ^3 OS
Video recording 720p@25fps with video stabilization
Secondary video camera
QWERTY keyboard
Multi-touch input method
Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
USB On-the-go support
microUSB v2.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Disavantages
No Auto focus or Carl Zeiss Optics
No memory card slot
No FM transmitter
Keyboard mechanism difficult to pry open (according to Chris Z of Engadget Mobile)
At first glance you’d think that this device would be identical specs-wise to the N8 but sadly that is not the case. Its missing the 12Mp XENON flash Carl Zeiss optics. memory card slot and FM transmitter. I was looking for a replacement to my N97 and the E7 seems like it may satisfy the need until the N9 comes out since it has a QWERTY keyboard that apparently I cannot go without. The lack of FM transmitter is not a deal breaker for me, I could always use a 3.5mm male-to-male plug to connect it to the AUX port of my car stereo. Especially if the FM transmitter’s performance would have been as weak as it was on the N97, which was bombarded from interference from other stations here in San Diego.
I’m torn that there is no auto focus and I’ll have to wait and see what the E7 test shots look like before making a decision.
Nokia C6-01 -- image by Engadget
Nokia C6-01 €260 ($334)
If only this device had a sliding physical QWERTY keyboard, it would have been a great replacement to my N97. I also would have forgiven the lack of auto focus. This smaller phone shares just about the same hardware as its bigger siblings for a smaller price tag that allows a thicker but sleek recycled metal body. It has the ClearBlack display that is missing on the N8 and it can also record in 720p@25fps like the N8.
Features
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
3.2-inch 360 x 640 display AMOLED capacitive touchscreen Nokia ClearBlack display
8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash
ARM 11 680 MHz processor 3D Graphics HW accelerator
340MB storage, 256 MB RAM, microSD up 32GB 2card GB included
Symbian ^3 OS
Video recording 720p@25fps with video stabilization
Secondary video camera
QWERTY keyboard
Multi-touch input method
Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
USB On-the-go support
microUSB v2.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Disavantages
No Auto focus or Carl Zeiss Optics
No FM transmitter
No keyboard
I’m one of those who enjoys punishment and actually enjoys getting around the buried menus of the Symbian OS. I cannot wait to try a Symbian ^3 device. MeeGo is still a ways away so welcome is a stable OS that won’t crash every 10 minutes, ahem . . . S60 5th N97!
I should probably quit complaining and get myself a nice Android handset. Wish it were that easy. I like Nokia phones ever since the N73 and as bad as things have been for Nokia, the N95-4 has gotten me through some tough times. Now the future seems a little brighter with the Symbian ^3 devices, at least for me.
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