OK, I admit I’m lazy today. The air pressure is super-low and I’m not feeling well. I won’t go to the gym today as I previously said I will. Instead I’m going to ramble about some things I don’t like about the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) E71. These are all minor things, but they do stand in my way to call it the perfect smartphone. Don’t get me wrong - the Nokia E71 is the best Symbian S60 smartphone ever made, or at least that’s my take. The E90 Communicator may have a bigger screen, but can you imagine carrying it around in in your pocket? I don’t think so.

Anyway, here are three things I don’t like about the E71:

• Headset jack - there are actually two things I don’t like about it. First of all, it’s a 2.5mm instead of 3.5mm — the 3.5mm headphones are much cheaper. Let’s say that’s not a problem - you can buy an adapter for few bucks and use any standard 3.5mm headphones. However, why on Earth is the headphone jack located on the side of the device is beyond me. You can argue there were no room on the top of the phone, but I don’t buy that. It’s a must to have a headphone jack on the top of the phone. It’s way more convenient that way.
• Where’s TV Out? - I do understand the E71 is not an NSeries device, but I do want the TV out nonetheless. While I’m on the subject, I must add I hate the whole notion of product differentiation. It may drive companies profits up, but it’s bad for the high-end users who (like me) want a single all-in-one device.
• Ctrl/Chr share the same key - we saw this will be fixed in the upcoming E63 model. Both keys are very important and each of them deserves a separate key. Sure, that would require smaller space key, but I can live with that.

In addition, I could also add I would love to see an Infra-Red port located at the top. It’s not a big deal, but with an application like irRemote for S60, I could turn the E71 into a universal remote control. Having an IrDA port at the top certainly helps in that sense.

And that’s about it. I like everything else. As I said, this is the best Symbian S60 smartphone!

Russia will be the first market to get the long-time awaited Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Eldorado, the country’s largest electronics retailer, will begin selling the all-touchscreen smartphone on December 5th for 15,000 Rubles, which translates into $554. That’s the price of the unlocked device, and Eldorado hopes to sell 10,000 units during the month of December. In comparison, iPhone is selling at a rate of 5,000 units a month.

As a reminder, the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 5800 XpressMusic is touted as the Finnish giant’s respond the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone. The device features everything you could possibly need in a smartphone — including a 3G support (HSDPA), WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.2-inch 640×360 pixels touchscreen, stereo speakers, accelerometer, and a whole lot more…

[Via: JampBLOG]

Have you been waiting to get your hands on the successor to Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s Nseries throne? The Nokia N96’s glossy-black styling, 16GB of on-board storage, and 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss camera make it the cream of Nokia’s S60-crop. But, without a US-compatible 3G radio, the European Nokia N96 isn’t exactly a prudent investment.

So, for those of you still gunning for the Nseries king, you’ll be glad to hear that the North American (NAM) variant of the Nokia N96 is ready for US-duty. The Nokia N96 NAM is now available at Nokia Flaghship Stores in Chicago and New York. Nokia is asking that you hand over $842 to your Nokia Flagship Store in return for a shiny, new Nokia N96 - sans any contract obligations and free to roam whatever GSM network you choose.

For those of you that would rather get their hands on Nokia’s latest and greatest without having to leave the comfort of your home, Best Buy is offering the Nokia N96 NAM (again, with 3G support in the coveted 850Mhz and 1900Mhz bands) for a bit less coin. Best Buy will sell you an unlocked (naturally) Nokia N96 NAM for just a penny shy of $800 - a considerable discount over the Nokia Flagship Stores’ retail price.

If you’re willing to wait it out just a bit longer, Amazon is offering their own Nokia N96 on pre-order for the bargain price of just $705.99. Seeing as how you’ve waited this long for Nokia to grace us Yanks with a US 3G-compatible Nokia N96, you might do well to delay your gratification and save some serious cash.

[Via: Symbian Guru]

After sending just a couple of text messages, I consider myself to be a master of the E71’s keyboard. It’s that easy, or that’s just me with my tiny thumbs.

Right from the bat, I’ve installed two apps which I use on a daily basis. Those are:

• Fring - best Symbian S60 IM client that also works with Skype
• Opera Mini - Java-based super-fast web browser that saves bandwidth

I also wanted to install a Bluetooth keyboard driver, but that was already on place with the unit Nokia (NYSE: NOK) sent me. In addition, I also downloaded region maps via Nokia Map Loader.

The device responds super fast. I can’t believe it’s running a 369 MHz processor under the hood, as it seems like the CPU can handle all the tasks with a breeze.

The 2.4-inch QVGA screen may not impress many if the age of hi-res all-touchscreen devices, but it shows just enough information. If Nokia does opt to use a higher resolution display in future models, it will certainly have to put a larger screen on place and consequently make the device larger. Otherwise, I don’t see a point of a 2.4-inch VGA screen — it doesn’t make much sense…

Anyway, today I’m playing with Fring and Opera Mini, and I’m glad to report that both respond quickly. And did I mentioned I love chatting on E71’s QWERTY keyboard? Well, I do. Tomorrow, I’m bringing this baby to the gym. I’m going to pair it with Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s active S9 headsets. Stay tuned…

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has launched a new version of SDK for SNAP Mobile, its end-to-end solution for connected mobile gaming in Java technology. The version 2.2 features a number of improvements, including:

• New game template which provides a complete implementation for all required community functionality such as friends list and chat, with an interface that allows developers to either plug in existing game code, or to use as a basis for entirely new connected games.
• Skinable UI framework that allows developers to quickly manipulate a game’s look and feel with easy to change XML.
• Support for J2SE, enabling developers to design games with cross platform support.
• The new Bot API which helps developers deliver a better connected game experience.

More information about SNAP Mobile is available from Forum Nokia’s website.

The Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N85 with US 3G has been caught on the FCC’s website. We’ve no doubts the stylish OLED screen-equipped slider will sell like hot cupcakes in Europe and some parts of Asia, but when it comes to the North America, it seems Nokia still struggles to get enough people excited about its products. I can maybe help by adding that the N85 is probably the best NSeries smartphone released to date. Sure, N96 has a larger screen, but in terms of value for money, it’s the N85 that wins, big time. In addition, it has all the gizmos the N96 has, excluding the DVB-H mobile TV receiver, which you can’t use in the U.S. anyway. I would expect to see this baby hitting Nokia Flagship Stores in Chicago and New York anytime soon, and who knows, maybe it even gets announced by AT&T (NYSE: T). We can hope, at least…

[Via: Boy Genius Report]

Ladies and gents, I’m glad to report that Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s WOM World has lent me the Nokia E71 smartphone for two weeks. As you’ve already seen/read other reviews on the Web, my goal won’t be to compete with other folks who did their job properly. Rather I’ll try to write about my day-to-day experience with the award-winning smartphone.

The first impression is overly positive. The device is super slick, thin and fits in a hand perfectly. Keyboard is just the right size, although I’m not the right guy to talk about this as I’ve used a number of QWERTY phones in the past and my thumbs know how to deal with even the weirdest of the keyboards. On a first glance, the E71’s predecessors, E61 and E61i, have a more comfortable keys, but after typing just a few sentences, you get used to the smaller keys of the E71…

Anyway, as I said I don’t want to review the device in great depth. I’ll try to post something about it every day. If you have any questions - I’m listening. The comments form is all yours…

BTW: It’s not just the Nokia E71 that was brought to me by DHL. Nokia also bundled its elegant BH-605 Bluetooth headset and a single Mapster, which now proudly sits on my desk.

I’m not sure what Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s waiting, but this isn’t the first time we’re seeing their upcoming E63 model “in the wild.” We would love to see the Finnish giant going all official with this baby before this year ends, and then concentrate their efforts on the S60 5th edition devices next year. Sounds like a plan.

Anyway, if you take a closer look to the photo above, you can see small differences between the E63 and E71. The E71 (pictured on the right) has 7 keys and a big space key in the bottom keyboard row. On the other hand, space is smaller on the E63, yet there are two new keys added in the row. We see that “Chr” and “Ctrl” have each got its dedicated keys, which is a good thing. I’m not sure what’s added on the other side of the row (left), though. And ideas?

[Via: Boy Genius Report]

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) keeps working on expanding its Software and Services division and just recently we caught a press release saying that the Finnish giant’s VC arm, Nokia Growth Partners, has invested in China’s largest and most intelligent mobile advertising network - Madhouse.

No financial details were given, but apparently Madhouse has already managed several mobile advertising campaigns for Nokia during the past year and is working closely with Nokia as it expands its Software and Services initiative in China. This should mean that the Finnish giant knows what it’s doing, or at least that’s the way I see it.

Commenting on the announcement, Nokia Growth Partners’ Paul Asel said: “An investment in Madhouse extends an established Nokia relationship as well as a partnership with Gobi Venture Partners, an early stage venture firm focused on digital media investments in which Nokia invested last year. Madhouse is an example of how Nokia has benefited from the Fund of Funds program that Nokia launched in 2007.”

Yap, we knew this is coming. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 2600 is now officially available on AT&T (NYSE: T). It’s a low-end phone, meaning there’s not much exciting in terms of specs. Still, the candybar device manages to pack a 128×128 pixels screen, Bluetooth, VGA camera, and speakerphone. In terms of pre-installed apps, aside from the classics like calendar, alarm and calculator - the Nokia 2600 also boasts an email and instant messaging client.

Available for free with a two-year contract in either black or red, the device measures 4.21×1.84×0.79 inches and has a weight of 3.17 ounces.

Again, it’s nothing spectacular, just a decent and reliably entry-level phone…

[Via: Unwired View]