Nokia N95

[gummy]

Just thought I would ask to get some possible feedback. Has anybody bought a Nokia N95 in Bangkok yet ? If so where did you buy it and what price did you pay ? But more importantly, how good is the GPS mapping ? By that I mean what level of detail is provided, not just for Bangkok, but the country as a whole ?

[LivinLOS]

Will be following this one myself..

I am tempted (I am involved in a charity race that transits india in mid summer and GPS features and geo-tagged pictures and photoblog would all fit) but the results I have looked at from the 5MP cam looked pretty poor.. Much worse then my GF's SE790..

Right now I am thinking that a N800 internet tablet and a real cam (or mobile cam) and GPRS may be the tools I need to crack this nut.. But then still fail in geo-tags and GPS..

[steffi]

Did it arrive yet? battery life is my main concern

Will be following this one myself..

I am tempted (I am involved in a charity race that transits india in mid summer and GPS features and geo-tagged pictures and photoblog would all fit) but the results I have looked at from the 5MP cam looked pretty poor.. Much worse then my GF's SE790..

Right now I am thinking that a N800 internet tablet and a real cam (or mobile cam) and GPRS may be the tools I need to crack this nut.. But then still fail in geo-tags and GPS..

FDid it

[Gary A]

I doubt the N-95 will be popular here in Thailand. I did a lot of searching for maps for my N-80. It appears that only a mediocre map of Bangkok is available at this time. The N-80 requires a GPS attachment for GPS mapping. Even Garmin maps for up country leave a lot to be desired. I understand that the company that makes maps for Thailand has all the information necessary to make a very comprehensive map for all of Thailand but there is simply not enough demand.

[monty]

I'm more worried about how fast the device runs.

I've heard several people complaining about how slow their N-phones were.

I'm also in the market for one of these devices, but I think I'll go O2, or Dopod...

[Gary A]

I'm more worried about how fast the device runs.

I've heard several people complaining about how slow their N-phones were.

I'm also in the market for one of these devices, but I think I'll go O2, or Dopod...

After I bought the N-80 I was quite disappointed because it WAS slow and every once in a while it would freeze and I would have to re-boot. It takes forever to boot. I then downloaded new software from the Nokia update site and am now VERY happy with the phone. It is still slow to boot but since I leave it on all the time that's not a problem.

[nikster]

I'm more worried about how fast the device runs.

I've heard several people complaining about how slow their N-phones were.

I'm also in the market for one of these devices, but I think I'll go O2, or Dopod...

After I bought the N-80 I was quite disappointed because it WAS slow and every once in a while it would freeze and I would have to re-boot. It takes forever to boot. I then downloaded new software from the Nokia update site and am now VERY happy with the phone. It is still slow to boot but since I leave it on all the time that's not a problem.

My N73 is still slow after all updates from Nokia. Worst offenders are Messages which I use a lot, and the clock, of all things.

Messages takes 3 - 5 seconds to load, that's from pressing the "messages" button until the list with inbox, folders, etc appears. While that doesn't sound much, it sure feels like forever while you are looking at the nice blue background that this phone comes with. It's ridiculous, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone for this reason alone. All other things are cool, battery life is excellent, photos have good quality etc - but the lag is just terrible.

I had the same experience with the Maps application - hardly any data for Thailand. The maps application has since disappeared from my phone, I don't know why. Maybe because I changed the sd card to a 1GB model?! Or maybe after the software update from Nokia?

I have heard the N80 is faster. I have also read that the N95 is slow. Try before you buy!

Edited April 13, 2007 by nikster

[Gary A]

I played with a second hand Nokia smart phone in the phone shop. I'm not sure what model it was but it was VERY slow. The best thing about it was that it was a pretty red color. I put my SIM card in it and found the phone to be difficult to program and not very user friendly. It was a candy bar shape. The dealer told me the N-80 would be much better for what I wanted to do so that's what I ended up with. I remember that I needed to take the battery out of that one to get to the memory card. I can change the memory card on the N-80 from the outside of the phone. I just restarted the N-80 and it takes 40 seconds to boot. It took 12 seconds to open the Gmail site and about 3 or 4 seconds to open a message. Maybe you think that's slow but I'm impressed. The regular SMS messaging is nearly instant.

I really like the clam shell design but the swivel screen on the N-93 looked fragile to me. The N-80 slider isn't that great either because I was opening it taking it out of my pocket. I solved that by keeping it in a pouch. Probably not a bad idea anyways because it prevents the display and camera lense from getting scratched up.

[nikster]

It took 12 seconds to open the Gmail site and about 3 or 4 seconds to open a message. Maybe you think that's slow but I'm impressed. The regular SMS messaging is nearly instant.

Two different things: With Gmail you are measuring network speed. With SMS messages, you are measuring the phone speed.

The latter is what I don't like about the N73. It _should_ be instant! It's instant on any cheap 1500 Baht phone, it was instant on the first phone I ever had, and now, on the N73 it takes 4 - 5 secs?

Good to hear the N80 is a lot better in this regard. If the iPhone didn't come out soon I would consider upgrading

[steffi]

I actually killed mine whilst I was in the US and instead of sending it away I decided to invest in a JAF box. If you ever kill yours they have many folks around Bangkok with similar boxes who can revive a dead phone. Typically you need an FBUS cable with a BB5 flashing box to do that. I'll probably take a hard look at the N95 whist I'm here as I think the landscape screen is nice but it will have to be responsive... a little more so than my N80 is now.

I'm more worried about how fast the device runs.

I've heard several people complaining about how slow their N-phones were.

I'm also in the market for one of these devices, but I think I'll go O2, or Dopod...

After I bought the N-80 I was quite disappointed because it WAS slow and every once in a while it would freeze and I would have to re-boot. It takes forever to boot. I then downloaded new software from the Nokia update site and am now VERY happy with the phone. It is still slow to boot but since I leave it on all the time that's not a problem.

[gcrutcher]

I just purchased a Nokia N95 3 days ago from Central in Chiang Mai for 28,990 baht.

It comes with a 1GB miniSD and nice leather case to protect the phone. You also get stero earphones with an adapter to control the audio player without touching the phone.

It is a very nice phone. Yes, it is a little slow in some places, but hey, being a computer freak, it's okay for me.

It does take a while to get used to as there are so many features built into the phone. The user manual is in Thai, but you can get English versions online from Nokia.

You can download F-Secure antivirus through your phone - 30 day free trial. There are other antivirus programs for the phone at a cheaper price - you just have to search for them.

The mapping program is okay but only supports Bangkok. One cool thing is the AsiaMaps - it will show you your location on the display. First you see a world map then is homes in on your signal and marks where you are - pretty accurate.

The audio with the earphones is great. The visuals are great. It has voice command capability and a voice synthesizer to tell you who is calling you.

The 5MP camera is outstanding! Better than my 4.1 MP Olympus camera. No optical zoom, though.

Be care when converting your mp3s to m4a type files for the phone. DUring the conversion it will over-write your mp3s! Move them to a temporary directory before doing the conversion.

Internet browing is good and I can even get email from my website, which uses an SSL connection.

I have not tried the visual radio yet, but will over the next week as I am trying to update my website after a lengthy re-design.

If you have any questions, ask. I am currently in Chiang Rai on holiday bu will be back in Pattaya in 2 days.

Gary

[steffi]

I just saw on today in Khon Kaen but it was the grape colored version and I'm not that crazy about that. I think I'll have to wait until I see the other color. Seems the phone was just released a couple of days ago. I was quoted the same price here in KK. I'm guessing you can get a bit of a discount at MBK but you might risk getting one of the earlier prototypes they were selling instead.

Does any application work in landscape mode on it? I'd be coming from an N80 so that's a big win for me especially with the built in web browser. Presumably Fring and Gizmo work out of the box?

Any thoughts on battery life yet?

I just purchased a Nokia N95 3 days ago from Central in Chiang Mai for 28,990 baht.

It comes with a 1GB miniSD and nice leather case to protect the phone. You also get stero earphones with an adapter to control the audio player without touching the phone.

It is a very nice phone. Yes, it is a little slow in some places, but hey, being a computer freak, it's okay for me.

It does take a while to get used to as there are so many features built into the phone. The user manual is in Thai, but you can get English versions online from Nokia.

You can download F-Secure antivirus through your phone - 30 day free trial. There are other antivirus programs for the phone at a cheaper price - you just have to search for them.

The mapping program is okay but only supports Bangkok. One cool thing is the AsiaMaps - it will show you your location on the display. First you see a world map then is homes in on your signal and marks where you are - pretty accurate.

The audio with the earphones is great. The visuals are great. It has voice command capability and a voice synthesizer to tell you who is calling you.

The 5MP camera is outstanding! Better than my 4.1 MP Olympus camera. No optical zoom, though.

Be care when converting your mp3s to m4a type files for the phone. DUring the conversion it will over-write your mp3s! Move them to a temporary directory before doing the conversion.

Internet browing is good and I can even get email from my website, which uses an SSL connection.

I have not tried the visual radio yet, but will over the next week as I am trying to update my website after a lengthy re-design.

If you have any questions, ask. I am currently in Chiang Rai on holiday bu will be back in Pattaya in 2 days.

Gary

[gcrutcher]

Portrait and landscape mode depend on which way you move the slider. If you move the slider towards you, you are in landscape mode and every thing works in that mode okay except you do not have access to the keyboard. If you move the slider away from you, you are in portrait mode. Again everything works in that mode and you have the keyboard.

BTW: the video recording id great! I recorded some Songkran watering throwing for about 2 minutes.

Battery life - do not know yet. Have not paid too much attention as I have been "playing" with it alot. I charged the battery Friday morning, shot some video and pictures on Saturday, received a few calls, and today, SUnday, I have about 1/2 battery life left.

Gary

[steffi]

That may be the defaults but I'm sure there's another way to operate landscape and still have the keyboard visible. Otherwise you couldn't browse the web in landscape which is a big selling point of this phone.

Portrait and landscape mode depend on which way you move the slider. If you move the slider towards you, you are in landscape mode and every thing works in that mode okay except you do not have access to the keyboard. If you move the slider away from you, you are in portrait mode. Again everything works in that mode and you have the keyboard.

BTW: the video recording id great! I recorded some Songkran watering throwing for about 2 minutes.

Battery life - do not know yet. Have not paid too much attention as I have been "playing" with it alot. I charged the battery Friday morning, shot some video and pictures on Saturday, received a few calls, and today, SUnday, I have about 1/2 battery life left.

Gary

[LivinLOS]

Odd about the camera.. I have looked at a lot of online reviews and the 5MP cam pics looked dissapointing.. A lot less good than the 3.2 MP Sony Ericsson sensor and flash, lots of motion blur and chromatic abberation.. Fine on a bright colorful high light / contrast pic but murkey in low light / nighttime..

I will have to poke around some more reviews..

I have found I take 100's of pics with my Sony.. I dont want to step backward there.. Kind of curious if I would be better with a N800 for my needs..

[Casanundra]

I'm more worried about how fast the device runs.

I've heard several people complaining about how slow their N-phones were.

I'm also in the market for one of these devices, but I think I'll go O2, or Dopod...

I just upgraded from an O2 Mini to a Sopod and the Dopod is vastly superior and what's more it doesn't feel like a brick in your pocket either. It doesn't crash (The O2 did all the time), it accesses the Internet a lot quicker and the software although based on the same software used by the O2 has some nicer features.

I am well impressed by the Dupod and highly recommend it if you are trying to make a decision between an O2 and any other similar device. On that note, I did consider the N95 and discounted it simply because it didn't have an input device/stick/pen and was bigger and heavier too.

[spacebass]

The N99 is being made in Thailand as we spea k.

[nikster]

The N99 is being made in Thailand as we spea k.

Where? Can you post some pix?

http://www.unwiredview.com/2007/01/25/noki...cture-surfaces/

The next best thing is just always around the corner... well ok if the N99 is screamingly fast I am going to get one right away...

Saw an ad for the N95 today in the BKK post - looks excellent. And the shot shows the GPS application with a map of Bangkok on it! So there's got to be some maps of Thailand in this phone.

It looks sweet.

But I have read some more reviews and the results aren't so good, for $750 you get:

- Excellent though slow phone

- Mediocre MP3 player

- Mediocre 5MP camera

- Mediocre GPS unit

- Bad battery life

Doesn't really add up for me... I wish it at least had a good camera - I love the camera in my N73 and use it all the time, mainly because I have my phone with me all the time, unlike the 1-pound DSLR. I just wish it were a lot better, e.g. no lag on opening the cam (many seconds pass), no lag on opening the gallery (many seconds pass), no shutter lag (seconds... )...

I wish Nokia would stop adding features and instead work on the lag. BTW played with my old Nokia 6600 today and found that it's actually faster than the N73. Like, twice as fast. Argh.

[LivinLOS]

I havent found a Nokia phone yet that I was happy with the cam.. Being spoilt by Sonys each time Nokia gets better and sonys already a revision ahead..

I dont take vid with my phone, I dont have biz needs.. Phone + really good cam + MP3 playback is the feature freeze point for me..

[gummy]

I just purchased a Nokia N95 3 days ago from Central in Chiang Mai for 28,990 baht.

It comes with a 1GB miniSD and nice leather case to protect the phone. You also get stero earphones with an adapter to control the audio player without touching the phone.

It is a very nice phone. Yes, it is a little slow in some places, but hey, being a computer freak, it's okay for me.

It does take a while to get used to as there are so many features built into the phone. The user manual is in Thai, but you can get English versions online from Nokia.

You can download F-Secure antivirus through your phone - 30 day free trial. There are other antivirus programs for the phone at a cheaper price - you just have to search for them.

The mapping program is okay but only supports Bangkok. One cool thing is the AsiaMaps - it will show you your location on the display. First you see a world map then is homes in on your signal and marks where you are - pretty accurate.

The audio with the earphones is great. The visuals are great. It has voice command capability and a voice synthesizer to tell you who is calling you.

The 5MP camera is outstanding! Better than my 4.1 MP Olympus camera. No optical zoom, though.

Be care when converting your mp3s to m4a type files for the phone. DUring the conversion it will over-write your mp3s! Move them to a temporary directory before doing the conversion.

Internet browing is good and I can even get email from my website, which uses an SSL connection.

I have not tried the visual radio yet, but will over the next week as I am trying to update my website after a lengthy re-design.

If you have any questions, ask. I am currently in Chiang Rai on holiday bu will be back in Pattaya in 2 days.

Gary

Thanks and you really answered by question. A couple of other things and how do you find the battery life and is it possible to download other Cities/Country maps from Nokia or a third party do you know?

[gcrutcher]

Thanks and you really answered by question. A couple of other things and how do you find the battery life and is it possible to download other Cities/Country maps from Nokia or a third party do you know?

Battery life is about the same as my previous Nokia - non N series - phone. Not bad.

You can download other cities through the phone and from 3rd party vendors. All that is available for Thailand is Bangkok.

I was playing around with the AsiaMaps and it was pretty cool as you can zoom in/out, browse the map, and I saw many interesting things. When in Chiang Rai, I tried Points of Interest on the menu and found a lot of things i Chiang Rai listed. I was quite surprised.

As I play with it more, I will post more info.

Gary

[steffi]

Anybody here with an N95 upgraded from a N80?

What is currently the top of the line Ericsson phone? Does it do Wifi reliably? I suppose it's very nice to have the Series 60 Web Browser more than any other on the phone.

Thanks and you really answered by question. A couple of other things and how do you find the battery life and is it possible to download other Cities/Country maps from Nokia or a third party do you know?

Battery life is about the same as my previous Nokia - non N series - phone. Not bad.

You can download other cities through the phone and from 3rd party vendors. All that is available for Thailand is Bangkok.

I was playing around with the AsiaMaps and it was pretty cool as you can zoom in/out, browse the map, and I saw many interesting things. When in Chiang Rai, I tried Points of Interest on the menu and found a lot of things i Chiang Rai listed. I was quite surprised.

As I play with it more, I will post more info.

Gary

[LivinLOS]

Sony has the P990 for a wifi option.. Tho its more a smartphone style which doesnt fit my needs..

K800 (or 790 for non 3G) is cam and MP3 features.. No wifi there tho.. I find except for some important email I dont really do mobile internet on these sized screens..

[gummy]

Thanks and you really answered by question. A couple of other things and how do you find the battery life and is it possible to download other Cities/Country maps from Nokia or a third party do you know?

Battery life is about the same as my previous Nokia - non N series - phone. Not bad.

You can download other cities through the phone and from 3rd party vendors. All that is available for Thailand is Bangkok.

I was playing around with the AsiaMaps and it was pretty cool as you can zoom in/out, browse the map, and I saw many interesting things. When in Chiang Rai, I tried Points of Interest on the menu and found a lot of things i Chiang Rai listed. I was quite surprised.

As I play with it more, I will post more info.

Gary

Thanks for the input, much appreciated

[baabaabobo]

Waiting for the iPhone ..... http://www.apple.com/iphone/

[davethailand]

I've just got a N95, How do you get the GPS working?

Do you have to set it up or is it automatic?

[gcrutcher]

Today's Bangkok Post has a review of the Nokia N95:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/gadget/gadget.php?id=86&p=1

Gary

[nikster]

another review: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/05/01/review_nokia_n95/

two things stood out in that review for me:

one, the "call end" button drops you to the main screen instantly but doesn't quit the application you are in. if my N73 had that I wouldn't complain nearly as much about speed - going to apps that are already running is instant. starting apps from scratch takes ages. unfortunately, there is not a simple way to leave an application without exiting it in the N73 - it's possible, but not easy so i always end up exiting.

two, camera shutter lag is > 2 seconds and another 8 seconds until the image appears - 10 seconds total for taking a picture. ugh. otherwise the review is very positive, 90% rating.

[steffi]

anybody upgrade to .26? rumored to be a lot of improvements.

I have a JAF box so I'm waiting for them to put out the full firmware release and then I'll flash my DTAC branded N95.

[naka]

Thanks and you really answered by question. A couple of other things and how do you find the battery life and is it possible to download other Cities/Country maps from Nokia or a third party do you know?

Battery life is about the same as my previous Nokia - non N series - phone. Not bad.

You can download other cities through the phone and from 3rd party vendors. All that is available for Thailand is Bangkok.

I was playing around with the AsiaMaps and it was pretty cool as you can zoom in/out, browse the map, and I saw many interesting things. When in Chiang Rai, I tried Points of Interest on the menu and found a lot of things i Chiang Rai listed. I was quite surprised.

As I play with it more, I will post more info.

Gary

There are two options for the GPS application. Maps and Asia Maps.

The Maps program is the main one, the Asia Maps is a 3rd party application

and not very useful.

The Maps application covers not only the whole of Thailand but the world.

When you move around ... say in Thailand ... the maps are updated for your particular location

via GPRS/EDGE without any user action other than selecting to open the application.

Remember the keyboard needs to be open as the GPS antenna is under the keys !

Can get a bit costly so better to get a bulk GPRS package from your phone provider.

Maps can also be downloaded free from Nokia saving on GPRS map downloads.

Naka.