Nokia's already
tipped its hand for the year Twenty Ten by publicly stating its intent to deliver a sleeker, more attractive, and faster Symbian UI; fewer nags; and at least
one Maemo handset before the year is done. What we've been missing though, are the details. While we still don't have the complete story, it is beginning to take shape according to alleged leaks received by
Tom's Guide. First up is a new naming convention, something already telegraphed by Nokia's
Xseries launch and
Cseries trademark. According to the French language site, Nokia will end the use of monikers like XpressMusic or Classic as it simplifies around the following five ranges:
- C: voice-centric handsets.
- X: targeting youth, entertainment.
- E: business focused.
- N: high-end.
- S: limited editions.
Tom's Guide claims to be privy to 14 new models, a few of which it spilled the beans on today. Click through for the gossip.
Here's the best of what's supposedly coming from Nokia in the first half of the year:
- C5-00: seen previously, this is a basic handset with built-in GPS (available June in France).
- C3-00: low-cost S40 with "full keyboard" for those multitasking youngsters with email (July).
- C5-01: or is it the C6 that we've already seen? Regardless, it's called a better C3-00 that's meant to go head-to-head with BlackBerry.
Last but not least is mention of the N8-00 (aka, N87 using traditional Nokia naming) -- the best Nokia will have to offer in the first half of the year. Scheduled for a summer release, it will feature a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen for the new
Symbian^3 OS' multitouch and gesture support. It's also said to pack a 12 megapixel camera that grabs 720p/30fps video with HDMI-out to quickly share the events you capture or videos pulled from a new video on demand service rumored for the Ovi store. We can't confirm any of this yet, but we will be meeting with Nokia at Mobile World Congress in just a few days -- Monday to be exact -- so it won't be long.
posted February 11th 2010 8:51AM
@DoctarPeppar
What do you mean? You can install VOIP apps (Skype, Nimbuzz..), various alternative browsers and quite a few other useful apps.
I do think that S60 needs a huge revamp, tho. Compared to some other touchscreen OSs the UI is sub par.
@christexaport
Compare the quality of fring and nimbuzz to V3's built in SIP client.
Nokia publically admitted that the SIP client for v5 was broken on their own forums and not properly finished coded, and they just left it like that. It was an insult to everyone.
It plays flash LITE videos, the n900 has full flash, and on alot of flash sites, it will crash the browser. I prefer to just flat out disable flash because it is so buggy. N900 has a proper browser and full flash -- So I am judging the browser on the N900's, and I think everyone will agree that the N900's browser is FAR superior, especially for an OS that's basically in it's infancy (Maemo).
I mentioned nothing about the Ovi store, I am talking about the QUALITY of applications and games available for S60v5. How many 3d open GL es 2.0 games are there? 2? What about all the other cool Apps that other platforms have but S60v5 doesn't? Compare S60v5's applications to iPhones, WebOS, Android, shit even Windows Mobile...it's the absolute worst out of all the mobile platforms, maybe even worse than blackberry lol.
@DoctarPeppar
I think you should read press releases of Nokia when they said they are reaching 1 billion downloads a day. The top 3 phones downloading content from the Ovi Store were Nokia 5800, N97 and N97mini.
All 3 are S60v5.
Now, lets come to the quality of apps. You are right, there are not many OpenGL ES 2.0 games in there. But does that make a lot of difference?May be to many like you, but may be not to many like me. I am not buying my phone to waste my majority time playing games or searching for games. I buy it for many other reasons, which are generally satisfied by all the apps available out there in market.
Everyone whines about XX has Y number of apps less than Apple's >100,000. Lot of studies have shown and many my friends who also have an iphone agree that you may be downloading lot of apps, but you hardly use 3 to 4 of them regularly, rest are just sitting on your phone. Ofcz, if you are game addict, then its a different story.
@(Unverified)
Yes you're right, but it's not just about games...it's about the entire quality of the applications -- the GUI, the way they are programmed, the content, the speed, the usefullness, the intelligence...Even the worst iPhone or Android app ever designed looks and functions better than an S60v5 application...the UI is just so..Meh! Looks like it's about 8 or 9 years obsolete. Take GooleMaps on the iPhone or Nexus One and Droid for instance; very fast, smooth, compass support, multitouch support...then look at Google Maps on the N97...it doesn't even look like it's made by the same company.
@DoctarPeppar Smells FUD.
Yes, the UI definitely needs improvement -- too often, it takes way way too many clicks to get something done. But that's about the only real bad think about the S60.
About your other claims (no working VOIP (SIP), no multitouch _at_all_, a pretty crappy web browser that crashed alot, no decent game or application support), you made it worse than it really is.
VOIP, we've already proven you're wrong.
Multitouch is no big deal (hey, some people can live without multitasking so...).
Browser crash? OK maybe but my iPod Touch browser crashes from time to time too. (I have not experienced a browser crash on my 5800.)
No decent games? Perhaps but I really don't care.
Apps? There are plenty for me. How many apps does one really need?
Sure, all these things can benefit from some improvements but, again, it's NOT THAT BAD.
@WickedEast
"VOIP, we've already proven you're wrong."
You have? So you have proof that Fring or Nimbuzz on v5 is just as good quality as v3 with the NATIVE sip client? I'd like to see the lab tests and conclusions, if you don't mind.
"Apps? There are plenty for me. How many apps does one really need?"
Again, nowhere in ANY of my comments did I mention NUMBER of APPS! I am talking about the QUALITY of applications. Do you speakie da english?
N8-00 vs N800?
@JeremyBenthem
Nay. It will be called Nokia N8. For example, my Nokia N80 is actually Nokia N80-1.
Great, i hope it has a decent processor and enough RAM too.
I can't wait for the official presentation, more specs and a look at the new UI :)
@(Unverified)
Also it's a great thing that all smartphone manufacturers haven't forgotten about the camera, i use my phone as my main personal camera so it needs to be good.
@(Unverified)
I hope that it's upgradeable to Symbian^4.
I saw info on this phone on phonearena about 4-6 weeks ago, but Nokia made them remove it. It also said the camera was night vision
Please Please have a Xenon Flash then this phone is mine. Nokia has not put a Xenon flash on a smartphone since the N82.
Come on Nokia
I don't understand why anyone would need hdmi on a phone. If that appeals to you then you just need a WDTV, Popcorn hour, or HTPC etc. Maybe I don't understand, please explain.
@senormatt
Why not? I think it's a great option to have. Especially if it can play divx at a good resolution.
@senormatt
Try carrying that WDTV. its useful for connecting to displaysand projectors for group presentations, bud. Some of us like phones that eliminate the need for a laptop or a Popcorn hour, whatever that is... I like streaming Slingplayer onto my TV set while on trips.
So they got it right at last!! Hope they implement it right!!
I bet this guy still buys DVDs too. I use my N900 stuffed full of high quality xvid, divx, and mp4 files with TV out as my movie player. Eff a Red Box. I use torrents on my device to download the movie, and watch it wherever I am. Going from analog to digital video is just progress. Unless you still think an HD Playstation3 is dumb...
@christexaport
you would benefit from a WD TV when at home. Cheap, you can use a remote, and wont have issues when you get a phone call.
@senormatt Don't bother with the Nokia fanboy. They believe they are kings of the world because they got their videos playing from a phone (which I used to do on WinMo in 2002). There are appropriate products for every use and yes the Boxee or WD player are right type of product for playing videos on a real display.
Having said that you will hear from the Nokia fanboy how proudly he plays his videos on his TV in 240x320 NTSC or PAL using a composite video cable like we used to do on the N93 in 2006. Frankly that's just pathetic.
That having been said the N900 does come out of the box with DLNA "unsupport" but it does work (kind of - just like most Nokia things - they "kind of" work). If we could use it as a DLNA remote it would be great. However with iPhone/Android/Pre apps coming out that do the same thing for specific platforms it may be a moot point.
Also a phone cannot decode Blu-Ray rips. You must use a box for that. But then again the Nokia fanboy limits himself ONLY to things that his phone can do as if the $600 he spent on it was his entire life savings and it MUST do EVERYTHING. I'd say spare $120 and get the WD player.
@christexaport You STEAL your movies and you're proud of it? What would Jesus say?
@sr1329
you know little about me to call me a fan of anything. But let me preface this a bit.
I know sr1329 from Howard Forums and Maemo.org. She's active and greatly disliked at HoFo, and was lambasted at Maemo.org for being utterly silly. She complained about issues with the incomplete launch firmware, and I and others directly brought those issues to Nokia directly. Nokia sent an engineer to openly and publicly engage her directly and solve her issues in subsequent updates, but she continued being rude, despite such personal service, and habitually trolls the Nokia sections of HoFo and other sites, making dissenting comments and attempting to start flame wars.
She is never polite or helpful, usually acts premenstrual, and is a big waste of anyone's time. She will comment on devices she has used lightly and returned early in their release, giving impressions on devices based on software since updated and corrected multiple times. She claims the N900 is unusable and a fiasco, hates Nokia, and loves Apple. But her last few devices have been Nokias, and she is rarely in an Android forum or iPhone either for that matter.
Now anyone who knows me knows I'm critical of Nokia, and though I prefer Nokia's high end devices because they have the most complete feature set, I'm no fan. I'm a Symbian promoter, but also write for various sites about WinMo, Maemo, and Android, two other decent platforms. I'm no more a fan than sr1329, who has just as many Nokias as I.
Don't feed the trolls, folks. Give the broad a Midol App for her iPhone, stuff her mouth with an iPad, ignore her, and hopefully she's not like herpes and goes away, or at least shuts up..
@sr1329
"There are appropriate products for every use and yes the Boxee or WD player are right type of product for playing videos on a real display."
Who are you, Steve Jobs?! How do you decide what is appropriate for me?? Boxee isn't portable, and a WD player doesn't work standalone. I prefer convergence, not specialized devices. Why buy two devices to do the job of one? And what makes a device with HDMI inappropriate for connecting to large displays? And what advantage does Boxee or a WD media device have over any HD-out portable device? This IS Engadget's MOBILE site, so portability should be the biggest USP of anything we discuss here.
"Having said that you will hear from the Nokia fanboy how proudly he plays his videos on his TV in 240x320 NTSC or PAL using a composite video cable like we used to do on the N93 in 2006. Frankly that's just pathetic."
My name is Chris, not Nokia Fanboy. And you've bought just as many Nokias as I have WinMo devices, so you fail to make a point. TV-out works at 640x480 if I remember, not 320x240, sr. Sad part is sr is a former Nokia fanbroad herself, and she knows full well I'm right. But what does that have to do with a device with HDMI? Not a thing, but sr is only trolling, folks. She knows her stuff but will purposely give bad info in her quest as ultimate troll. So sad. Good luck with that...
"That having been said the N900 does come out of the box with DLNA "unsupport" but it does work (kind of - just like most Nokia things - they "kind of" work). If we could use it as a DLNA remote it would be great. However with iPhone/Android/Pre apps coming out that do the same thing for specific platforms it may be a moot point."
Even going off topic for attention?? And N900's DLNA feature works well, and I can stream and even decode on another device as I stream so everything remains compatible. But She doesn't know because she knows little about the device. And comparing apps to embedded features is like comparing a ceiling fan to central HVAC.
"Also a phone cannot decode Blu-Ray rips. You must use a box for that. But then again the Nokia fanboy limits himself ONLY to things that his phone can do as if the $600 he spent on it was his entire life savings and it MUST do EVERYTHING. I'd say spare $120 and get the WD player."
Any computing device can decode a Blu-Ray rip if its ripped in a compatible format. You need hardware to decode the Blu-Ray disc itself, but this can be done in software as well. Nothing prevents a BD fro being played with software, just like DVDs before it used to need hardware. Can you tell me what this has to do with the OP or HDMI? Oh yeah... Trolling requires creativity.
It's good to see Nokia doing something different with symbian and making it better. I currently use the N900 and gave my Iphone 3gs to my girlfriend but before I gave her the phone I did do some comparing of the two devices and come to find out that there is no comparing to do. These devices is so different it's unreal and all this crap about user friendly is way overrated. The N900 is really simple to use and the interface is awesome and far as gaming on this device it can give the Iphone a battle all day just by the easy play of the game Angry Birds. The graphics is excellent and just smooth period. To be honest theres so much stuff you can do with this device that gaming seem to be the last thing on your mind. Who ever stated that no one need's flash is a major liar! Either they don't have it or never had it. I can flip back and forth between you tube and im a friend with ease, do that wih a Nexus or Iphone if you can
Nokia should consider joining the Android game. They can keep the Symbian but on top of a Maemo phone they should also make an Android phone. That would probably help them here in the States.
@NiKoLaSm
Doing an Android phone would be the worst thing Nokia could do. I mean they fully control two mobile OSs - with one of them being the best selling smartphone OS in the world, why would they want to jeopardize that and give wrong signals to consumers who might think they are abandoning the other 2 platforms? - supporting 3 OSs is an even worse strategy given the fragmentation mess it will create.
On top of that joining the Android crowd makes it very difficult to differentiate with the rest of them - I mean exactly what is different about most Android phones out there except the UI layer (atmost)? - Plus Google has now started (out of arrogance or naivete) playing favorites with specific Android manufacturers and playing God with their launch schedules....not too confidence inspiring business-wise.
You have to realize that anything Nokia does in mobile has impacts far far beyond the American market, by virtue of its market penetration. For Apple and Google, their main impact *is* in the American market right now, so different ball game altogether. What Nokia should do is bring out top quality Symbian phones (with new UI frameworks and excellent hw-sw integration) which differentiates them from the iPhone and numerous Android phone in NAM and really exploit the recent awareness of its brand among the N.American consumers.
@NiKoLaSm
How much market share does Android have, 6%, tops?! What good does that do Nokia? Nokia has issues in the US because carriers refused to carrymtheir devices. That barrier has been broken now, and at&t and TMobileUSA are bo carrying Symbian this year. How much you wanna bet Symbian outsells Android globally, and nearly matches them in the US over the next 8 quarters?
My next phone if true.
I just wish we'd get a real 9500/E90 successor.
No damn touchscreen, clamshell design, a honking huge keyboard, screens on both the inside and the outside. Yeah, I'd buy one.
@jgp Thank you. Finally something I'd want. Either that or an E55 with some decent hardware and software that does not reboot/crash/freeze/slow down/refuse to sync my e-mail etc.
@ango
Or the property of microsoft:
http://industry.bnet.com/technology/10004789/apple-multi-touch-patent-on-shaky-ground/
Or nobodys:
http://industry.bnet.com/technology/10004789/apple-multi-touch-patent-on-shaky-ground/
I doubt any of these multitouch patents are enforceable.
I shall wait for this Nokia, hopefully you will gain your crown of glory you once had, i went today to have a look at the N900 and it is awesome, so a slimmer faster smoother version of that with a better camera and a capacative high res screen and consider it bought.
Everyone should also keep in mind that even the heavyweight digicam makers have seen the futility of the "megapixel war" and they have generally kept their point and shoot models to 10.2 pixels this year with their releases. Also mind you the optics on those products as well as the quality of sensor is in a whole other league. Real glass as opposed to cheap plastic. Multi-element lens designs. Sensors with tech like Exmor or SuperCCD. I want to know more about the sensor and optics than about the number of megapixels. Megapixel boasting is so 00s.
@sr1329,
How about you go buy a non-Nokia device that'll fit you best, stick to a low grade cameraphone using a 3.2 mp sensor like the N73 from 2005, or even a Sony point and shoot, and let those interested in this info read it without having your naysaying comments dominate the board?
Some of us enjoy the advancements of mobile photography, and enjoy the improved image quality Nokia and others have provided over the years, looking forward to how much further they can take it.
I run symbian OS on my phone (satio) which has 12 mp! Don't lie engadget!
I wish I could get NS-XXX phone. That would be cool and surely expensive.