If you could know anything about Nokia what would it be?
By Stefan Constantinescu on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007 at 8:10 PM PST In Ideas and rants
The lack of any news worth mentioning today is giving me some spare time to day dream. I know I’ve seen documentaries before showcasing how a car gets designed, from the first drawing to mass production; I’ve also seen a similar film made about a passenger jet.
No one has done anything like this for cell phones however.
For the 8800, 5300, E61, N91 (few of you I would assume), 9300, and 5500 lovers out there: wouldn’t you want to see the life history of your phone? The people who designed it? The people who prototyped it?
That’s one of the many reasons I started this blog. I love seeking information like that, and sharing it with the world. It’s also why I’m hoping to become the Robert Scoble of Nokia (NYSE: NOK) at some point. Look at what he started after just walking around Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA asking people who they were and what they do for the company with a camcorder and throwing it up on the net. He made the company more personal with Channel 9.
Why doesn’t the 5300 have a 3.5 mm jack? Why does the E61 lack a jog dial? Why does the 8800 have such horrible battery life? What target audience was in mind when designing the 5500? Why does the N91 look like a giant Pez dispenser?
I really wish more people at Nokia would blog, I’m going to keep on pushing for this to happen. I love the S60 blogs, but there is so much more to Nokia then Symbian Series 60 and cell phones. Emerging markets, research such as HSDPA and HSUPA, and marketing oh my! There is a lack of information, a void, that needs to be filled.
I know Tommi is going to read this: Have you checked why the Nokia Research Center’s website doesn’t have an RSS feed? I’d love to keep track of what people are working on.
Am I the only one who would love to know these things or am I just weird?
Stefan, I am very impressed by your blog. Being a techie who isn’t into cellphones, I find it interesting. Also, I think you win the most prolific blogger award for 1/2/2007. Come on, make it a dozen!
haha way ahead of you, thanks for taking interest mate
“Why doesn’t the 5300 have a 3.5 mm jack? Why does the E61 lack a jog dial? Why does the 8800 have such horrible battery life? What target audience was in mind when designing the 5500? Why does the N91 look like a giant Pez dispenser?”
While I don’t much care for the topics of the rest of the post, THIS is what really intrigues me. I’d LOVE to have a full day to sit down with the design team and ask some questions about my favorite devices:
1. Why put such a crappy battery in the N80?
2. Why, if the N73 is supposed to be this great imaging device, can it not rest on its side to take a timed picture?
3. Why DOESN’T the E6x have a jog-dial?
4. Who tested the N91 keypad and thought it was good?
5. Who let any of the latest S60 devices out the door with such crappy RAM?
I’d be interested to know exactly what goes into “testing” at Nokia. Software testing. Some things just make you wonder. And it’s the little things. I’d like to ask whoever thought it would be a great idea to integrate the ToDo List into the calendar why they thought so?
> why the Nokia Research Center’s website doesn’t have an RSS feed?
I asked them, but for some reason it wasn’t technically possible for the website, at the time being. Hopefully soon.
> Stefan, I am very impressed by your blog.
Me too. Unfortunately, I’m not able to read all of your posts (dozens a day!) anymore – too much to read, too little time
That is why you should use an RSS reader
I hope the signal to noise ratio of the blog isn’t what is driving you away. I know you’re passionate about Nokia and S60 so I hope you’re not a reader I loose.
Let me just for fun try to guess answers to a few of them.. I DO NOT KNOW, these are pure guesses to pass 15 min at work (upss..)
“Why doesn’t the 5300 have a 3.5 mm jack?”
G: to make sure as many people as possible by the proprietory Nokia accessory headset? annoying BS if true
“Why does the E61 lack a jog dial?”
G: design philosophy, including making devices that are more or less usable for both left and right handed people? acceptable
“Why does the 8800 have such horrible battery life?”
G: small phone, small battery. as simple as that
“What target audience was in mind when designing the 5500?”
G: sporty outdoorsy hipster youngsters and fitness nuts? I think it does hit the mark quite ok. it is also meant to stand out on the store shelf just due to its design? a more “conservative” looking phone would be missing its target audience?
“Why does the N91 look like a giant Pez dispenser?”
G: due it being a pilot product and need to make sure that the HDD does not break in every one of them? acceptable. and I almost like the look. the quality of the slide sucks though.
1. Why put such a crappy battery in the N80?
G: small phone, lots of features >> small battery. people were already bitching their hearts about how thick it is. add another 2mm for battery and it would have been dead in the water? most people don’t actually read reviews or come to think about battery life or use wifi.
2. Why, if the N73 is supposed to be this great imaging device, can it not rest on its side to take a timed picture?
G: hmm.. Perhaps Tommi has a view on this. I always think that perhaps Nokia is on purpose leaving such obvious things (repeating alarm in the clock anyone? HELLO?!?!?) just to try to foster the weak 3rd party software business for the S60?
4. Who tested the N91 keypad and thought it was good?
G: the lady with the tiny little fingers?
I gather numeric keypad was the last thing they worried about with N91, which does not make it right of course. some people actually find it ok, apperently.
5. Who let any of the latest S60 devices out the door with such crappy
RAM?
G: I must assume (hope) this has _something_ to do with Bill of Material Costs? MOST S60 users rarely use many of the S60 features, let alone 3rd Party memory heavy apps. Therefore, for many users RAM does not appear as a big problem. Save $10/phone production costs. Sell 1 million of those buckers. Make $10 million more profit. Investors like, keeps you number one, and (hopefully) gives you more resources to keep innovating even if at a painfully slow pace? Is this smart IMO? Probably not. Build a solid experience and the masses will eventually follow.
“I’d be interested to know exactly what goes into “testing” at Nokia. Software testing. Some things just make you wonder. And it’s the little things. I’d like to ask whoever thought it would be a great idea to integrate the ToDo List into the calendar why they thought so?”
G: Yep, I must admit usability control seems to be struggling to keep up with hardware improvements and addition of features etc. I have no guess for this one.. lol.
About the 3,5 mm..would it be, that they are trying to make everything as small as possible. They changed the chrager plug for this reason (or that was the official explanation).
If they can fit a 3.5 mm jack on the iPod nano and shuffle then Nokia can do it on a phone!
The 5300 does come with an adapter in the box if I remember correctly, don’t quote me on that.
viipottaja really answered everyones questions on here i’d say
i’d ask them how the fuck they design their phones. fckin hell evryone of their fones are a compromise (but i still but em). if it looks gud, it’s features sux. if it’s got good features, its fckin ugly. make up ur mind nokia.