To be honest the last time I checked it was when I got hold of my new device. May be I just wanned to make sure if it worked . Now after half a year I have not used it at all. Wonder what it is doing there. Yes I know that it can be used to make video calls, but here in India there is no cellular network service provider that offers such a feature. If you guys know how then please do correct me but here is India there is no way you can make a video call using your S60 device. So when I bought the device I was pretty excited to have this feature but soon I realized that this had no use for me. I don’t know if any of you use it or not but if you do then please make a mention here as I would love to know how you all are using it .

Why are we discussing this, well simply because when I heard that E63 had been officially announced I quickly ran down its specifications to find out that it didn’t have Secondary Camera. That was something I first didn’t understand but soon I figured out that it totally was acceptable as it was practically not being used anyway. Thus, a smart approach by Nokia to give people a set of basic features which are routinely used along with amazing build quality at the same time ensuring to keep the product more affordable. Kudos!

Following is a shot with the secondary camera of my N95 8GB. More on the Phontography Blog. Do check them out.

So have you been using these devices with a secondary camera? Have you managed to click some amazing pictures with it? I remember a model using it to check her hair-style but that’s all.

So fellas, join in the Phontoraphy Revolution. If you still haven’t used the secondary camera, don’t worry. Here is your chance to show your work. Simply send in your best shots to gomcoite.Phontography.mobile@share.ovi.com and after moderation it will be put up on our Phontography blog . Check out the Phontography blog for more info or click here.

1. Lack Of Quick Navigation Buttons that are in the E-Series (the shortcut keys around the Naviwheel)
2. Does Not Sync well with PC (Missing Entries With MS Outlook).
3. Thick Cross-Section (difficult to carry around for long hours in pocket)
4. Congested Keypad & Lack of a QWERTY layout (takes forever to write text sms and e-mails)
5. Lack of Dual Home Screen Mode (now featuring in E66 and E71)
6. Extra features like 5 MP camera, multimedia and games result in more battery consumption leading to frequent recharging of the device.
These are the top 6 points against its business use. Waiting for you guys to give feedback on this.

(N-Gage Gone Blue but the website is still Orange)

Let me quickly run you down, on what N-Gage is so that we all are on the same page. N-gage is a gaming client that supports 9 Nokia Devices at present and enables users to experience quality gaming with 3D graphics and amazing sound right on their mobile devices. The application can be downloaded from the N-Gage website and it can be easily loaded on the phone. Inside the application you can make an ID and keep track of your score and points table, right on the go. And did I mention that you could challenge other users as well Amazing!

(The GUI of the New N-Gage client aka inside N-Gage)

Okay, so coming back to where we were, cause I was up late the night before so I woke up late on the day I was to leave for Delhi and to catch up the time I had lost made me forget my N95 8GB charger at home, which I realized when I was 60 kms away from home (these are a few things which just keep happening to us all). Darn, I knew I was forgetting something. Good thing was that my friend Rishita had got her along. Well, you can say she is a more organized who keeps things perfect (Yes, she too was coming with me, well the opposite to be more precise). So we were speeding our way to get us on track with the time schedule and apparently there was nothing cool on the Radio. Now I may add that the trip to Delhi from where I live is an 8 hour road trip which can stretch more if the traffic picks but nevertheless it all fun as the route is simply amazing, with a mixture of countryside and concrete buildings at random intervals. So a lot of pictures perfect spots to fill in.

While she was busy driving, I decided to give the N-Gage client a try. So I launched the application and browsed through various options it had to offer. The New N-Gage has a totally different interface and is more interactive and than the previous one. It has your profile onboard and keeps a track of your points. You can add friends and at the same time check whats hot in the N-Gage arena from the week’s favourite game to the latest entries. Everything has been simplified in tabbed form. It works great on EDGE, but if you are looking to download the game then I recommend you go Wi-fi. And if you want you can challenge opponents too.

(Left picture displays the original game and the right one displays the New version)

So with the brief introduction of the client now lets see how the gaming experience is. I had got my codes for Bounce the day before. Now to see if the new bounce is any better than its predecessor I got hold of the previous version from my friend. Here is a Nokia 6610i that comes bundled with Bounce. Bounce then was a 2D game running over the x and y- axis with the aim to get the ball to the finish by passing through all the rings. The graphics monotonously red and blue with yellow rings but were fast and at times blurry but nevertheless the game was really addictive.

On the latest version of the game we see a BIG transition in terms of graphics, sound and gameplay features. Not only the game has gone 3D (technically it was a UNI-D experience as the ball hardly moved from the Center position; something like a relative 3D) but it also has made a great use of colors, concept and gaming controls. We actually now have a storyline that takes us through different levels before we meet the Bad Man himself in the final showdown. Coupled with the amazing display of the N95-8GB, the experience just gets bigger and richer. In two words Totally Irresistible.

(click pictures for larger view)

Lets take a look and see if the N95 8GB hardware can match up to a gaming device like the PSP or not. (We dont need to match it with PSP both being totally different but for just giving you an idea that it can compete with the former in many respects.) The N95 8GB can be used in landscape view with the navigation d-pad as the direction control and the Stop and Play/Pause key as A and B. This is pretty good and the device feels all the way a perfect gaming thing. But there is one catch, the Slider at times gets in the way and you tend to lose out your patience when you are in a tight situation and suddenly you lose a life just because of the slider slipping. But apart this, the device holds good and gives you a great gaming experience. The best part is the display size which is phonemically BIG. The screen size simply adds a lot to the gaming experience. (Better than Nintendo Gameboy Advance 2  I have yet to upgrade to the DS version but dont feel like as I am enjoying N-Gage a lot.)

With this I started playing the game. The graphics and sound were very receptive and reminded me of how I used to play Mario Kart on my Gameboy. The transitions were very in motion and no blurring was seen. The game came with a set of descent options to enable it play in both landscape and portrait mode. Every level had a new unexpected touch and to discover it made one more into it. There were crazy levels and cool concepts that were used in the game. Really loved them.

When I was busy playing the game, I was interrupted by Rishita. She was tired driving for a non-stop 3 hours and wanted a break, as we were now on schedule we decided to make a quick stop at McDonalds which was totally legitimate. I saw a couple of 10 year olds and couldn’t resist seeing if they could register the device as a gaming console. So I invited one of them to take a look and boy oh boy, he just went crazy. Well he got hold of the controls right away and now he was so into the game. Now we were to leave so I asked him how the game was and he really liked it. So here is a suggestion to all parents, get an N-Gage enabled device and keep your kids busy

So now it was my turn to drive and I had to make it all the way to Delhi. Having to drive made me go off the game and at the same time gave Rishita a chance to go around. She had not been a so called gaming freak but playing the Bounce on N95 8GB is a totally different experience and though she was not good at it but she was really enjoying it.

[...] Skipping to Delhi

5 hours and we were in Delhi. Parked the car outside the office where we were supposed to get our certificates and off we went. After using the application for 8 hours (on and off) the phone was almost dead with Battery low signs appearing. But 8 hours of N-gage is not bad at all. I may add she had a N82 so we took pictures from her phone and my phone was used for gaming alone.

The rest will come up in my next post. We will take a closer look at the Bounce Game and also give Asphalt 3 Street Rules a Go. But now all I can say is that Rishita too is a big fan of N-Gage and we had a great time in Delhi along with a quick visit to Karims opposite Jama Masjid Gate No. 2! (Earlier we used to fight for the driving seat, now we do it for the passenger seat… )

Improvements are expected to be similar to those on the N95 8GB such as full the N-Gage client, Google plug-in for search, Maps 2.0 amongst other improvements and bug fixes. The update is available for 0558752 and 0558655. I get the feeling that e will soon see NSU update for N95 8GB too. Till then all we can do is wait. We will bring in a Video of the various changes the New Frimware has made to N82 Function so keep checking back.

So wearing a Black Suit for the occasion I had just the perfect device with me – E51 Black. The Sleek n Stylish E51 does not register any unwanted creases/shapes on your suit and is practically invisible to other only to be found when you get a call A lot of my fellow mates were amazed with the sleek design and the feeling of grandeur it gave. Well, Now the difference between the two devices can be accessed instantaneously and I mean it. So in this post ill write about the amazing points that made me go back to my E51 from the N82.

Switching between Nseries and Eseries is not that hard a task thanks to the unisex GUI which is so easy to get familiar with and at the same time helps you get most advanced features at your finger tips. With this you may assume that the transformation would feel the same as I did until now when in reality I actually did it, things felt altogether different. Your personality reflection really changes with your changing mobiles.

I have reviewed the Nokia E51 briefly below highlighting some basic but at the same time very important points that you should know. The picture gallery follows the review for you to take a quick look at my E51.

1. Design:
Technically from the reported dimensions of the phone, which are 114.8 x 46 x 12 mm, 61 cc with a weight of 100g you may assume it to be big but it real life it sure feels much sleeker.
I personally love the design of the phone. When you hold the phone it grips your hand gives a very complete feeling when you hold it. I have no qualms about saying that this is one of the best looking Eseries phones that Nokia has come out with; Nokia has been able to fit in so many features including Wi-fi into a very stylish and compact design. It comes in two colours black and silver, the back one (I have) has a very elegant finger sensitive design on the back cover. The images below will show. The keys are another high point with dedicated keys for calendar, phonebook, messaging along with the gallery keys which I really like about the Eseries.

2. Display:
The E51 boasts of a TFT, 16M colours and a screen size of 2 inches and a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The size being a factor I think the screen resolution is really good though web-browsing sometimes is a little difficult, but then this phone will cater to those people who want full features and dont want to compromise with the size and design and I dont see them complaining about the web-surfing experience. To sum up the screen heres one word Beautiful.

3. Features:
This phone comes with a lot of features that you make your eyes wide open. I can bet that most of my friends out there surely dont use these features as most of them are unaware that the very sleek E51 is actually capable of them but I can assure you that dont go on the size as this is a revolutionary phone which has packed in it almost all the latest features you can think of in a phone. With the power of Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI the phone features Wi-fi (WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, VoIP over WLAN), the web-browser is WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML. 2 MP, 1600-1200 pixels, video (QVGA@15fps) [Well this is where I feel Nokia could have done a little better], Push to talk, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/video player, FM radio, Document viewer, T9, Voice command/memo, PIM including calendar, to-do list, Integrated handsfree, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port, USB v2.0 miniUSB.
So you can imagine for yourself that it is indeed a very power packed device and I really didnt miss my N82.

4. Battery:
This is the best part of the device and I really love it for this. Amazingly long battery backup provided with the Standard battery, Li-Ion 1050 mAh ( BP-6MT) battery a makes you go on without the worry of recharging the phone every now and then. I just love the battery of this. You have to use it to experience it.

5.Memory:
The phonebook can practically store unlimited entries and fields, call records are stored for a max 30 days. The card slot is microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB, hotswap, the Phone memory is huge 130 MB user data memory 96 MB SDRAM memory and the phone comes with a ARM 11 369 MHz processor. We’ll to make it all easier you will never have a problem with the phone functioning. It rarely hangs, all applications run very smoothly on the phone.

6. Pictures

Conclusion:
Nokia with the E51 has been able to come out with an effective mid-tier phone. This phone has a swanky design and all most all the important features required in a good business phone. This phone is in my view an endeavour to combine functionality and looks.

So the points that made me go back to the E51 from N82 were:

1. Sleek Design 2. Long Battery Life 3. Dedicated Shortcut Keys 4. Need for a Change 5. Affordable Price

After that quick review you must be thinking that now that I am using the E51, how was the experience so different and is there anything that I miss from my N82?
Well, yes I would certainly throw some light on these issues. Firstly, the transformation made me feel happy the most important thing. And then there were other features like size ratio drop and compactness that made me wonder how the little thing would manage all functions, which it surprisingly did and that to pretty well. Then with the help of dedicated shortcut keys you could work your way faster through various applications. The best part is the ability to turn on the Bluetooth with just pressing the * key, which is amazing feature distinct to E51. Pretty intelligent function added by the E51 team.

For the things that I really missed were the Camera, GPS feature which rendered me helpless to use Nokia Maps and sports tracker and the absence of a 3.5 mm jack. These were the things that I missed the most.

Well, here Ill make a quick move leaving the rest of the story for you to complete. Have you been in this situation? Do you feel I missed out on anything? And finally do you want to find out for how long will I stick to the E51? Well, leave your comments below and participate in the discussion.

Let’s peek into the meat of the matter now. Ask yourself in what ways can you possible use a cell phone apart basic calling and text messaging? Yes, that is correct the review will go in depth of all the features and functions that a sane person can think of. Okay we here would focus on the main applications supplied and some of which I love to use, if you want a certain application to be reviewed please leave a comment. Also if you feel I missed something, I would willingly add it provided I get your feedback. If you want to share your take, you are most welcomed to reply with comments. First and foremost thing that comes to the mind is Camera, so let’s get on with it right away and other things would follow accordingly.

CAMERA

This is the number one priority these days in a cell phone. You guys better check out some tips here in case you don’t own a N82, I’m sure you would need them as I did with my Nokia N73. Okay, the 5 MP (2592 x 1944 pixels) Autofocus is what everyone knows needs no introduction but what people don’t know that it is a Tessar 2.8/5.6 Carl Zeiss. Wow… and to add the cherry on top we have the Xenon flash. To be more specific, the camera has a Sensor: CMOS with the Carl Zeiss Optics: Tessar lens having an F number/Aperture: F2.8 and Focal length 5.6 mm. The focus has a near point of 10 cm and infinity as the far point but 50 cm in Macro mode.

Now having good optics is important but it only completes half the story. We need to have an equally good image processor to bring out the best final image. I have seen cameras with quite some pixels but really sloppy images in terms of final finish; just because the image processor was big dud. Well, this one does in fact have a great image processor. The easiest way to start the camera feature is to open the protective lens cover which will display the view finder.

The view finder can be used to select the object of which you desire to click a picture of. In more technical words it is WYSIWYG display. Like all regular digital cameras the picture is in horizontal plane and the buttons which are used to take a shot are located on the top (right) side which makes it very easy to operate. The buttons on the left part of the top side (which normally work to increase or decrease the sound) are here used for the purpose of Zooming In and Zooming Out. The button to click picture resides on the right part of the top side. Being a bit big it is easy to locate and use even for a new user. The conditioned reflex to click pictures using a digital camera is same here and requires no readjustment. Thus the layout of the basic keys is simply superb. When you hold down the capture key with light finger for a couple of seconds the inner box goes green and Auto-Focuses the main object in frame and if the focus is not possible it goes red, thus a great feature for noobs to play around with.

Now let’s focus on the editing features and other key points which are provided on board with the Nokia N82 here. The display on the screen when we select the camera option is as follows.
On the top left corner we have the sign which tells us if we have selected the image mode or the video mode. The bottom left tells us about the resolution we have selected and the number/time period left to click pictures/make video. The top right corner has the exit tab and the bottom right has the Options tab. A standard bar with various options is present on the right side the functions of which can be selected to alter the final results of the picture or frame.

These features from top to bottom are Mode selector, Scene mode, Flash mode, Self-timer, Sequence mode, Colour tone, View finder grid, White balance, Exposure compensation, Sharpness, Contrast and Light sensitivity. (Only Scene mode, White balance and Colour tone options are available in video mode)

Mode Selector
Simply used to switch between Image and Video modes. When you change between these modes a slight amount of Noise is produced by the device which is very minute but it is there. Something similar to when the camera is activated from a Stand-By Mode or Started from point zero.

Scene Mode

The scene mode provides a collection of pre-defined setting options for the camera which can be selected in various light conditions and object behaviour settings such as Macro (used to capture intricate detail of small objects. Used between 10 to 60 cm), Portrait, Landscape (used to shoot distant scenery or skylines. Increases sharpness and increases focusing through glass), Sport (used to capture fast moving objects with vivid sharpness), Night (used to take pictures in low light conditions without flash. Enhances detail in dark conditions where flash cannot be used), Night Portrait (used to take portraits in low light with flash) and User defined (make your personalized settings).

Flash Mode

Choose from Automatic, On, Red Eye and Off options. These are self explanatory and need no description of what they are for.

Self-timer

If you want to be in that picture with all your buddies all you have to do is to set up a self timer which will automatically click picture after a certain seconds which can be manipulated from 2, 10 to 20 seconds.

Sequence Mode

Click pictures after a preset time frame gap. The Burst mode will give you 6 images in one burst or you can hold down the key to click pictures until the selected memory runs out of space. Other time frame includes 10 sec, 30 sec, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and lastly 30 minutes. In all these selections the camera will take a picture automatically after the desired time till it runs out of the selected memory or battery power.

Colour Tone

You can select from Normal, Sepia, B&W, Vivid and Negative options. This is again a lot to choose from and self explaining.

View Finder Grid

The view finder grid can be turned on to click pictures more precisely. The grid makes 9 squares on the view finder for more accurate picture clicking.

White Balance

Sunny, cloudy, incandescent and fluorescent are the options from which you can select the white balance depending upon the lighting conditions.

Exposure Compensation

From 2.0 to � 2.0EV at 0.5 step is the range provided in the exposure compensation or the light correction. This feature is not very marked as in digital cameras but never the less it is worth having one.

Sharpness

From hard to normal to soft is the sharpness options we have for selection.

Contrast

It has a descent + range and an equal and opposite range in the negative as well.

Light Sensitivity

The ISO which can be used to click pictures in varying light conditions with the inbuilt Low, Medium and High options used for Bright light, indoors and low light respectively.

These modes can be very handy in an advanced camera user to capture wonders and at the same time the picture quality clicked by a rookie is also not bad, in fact it is great with the automatic settings and auto-focus the results are very pleasing.

The options tab on the right bottom corner can be used to change other settings of the camera such as the resolution (Ranging from 5 to 3 to 2 to 0.8 to 0.3), the location where images would be saved, hide icons, use the secondary camera, show preview on/off for the captured image, capture sound and extended digital zoom. Settings for video option are also there and the video resolution can also be altered from TV high quality to Email to sharing. Video stabilization is a neat feature as well. Well summing up in short, we have Image resolution: up to 5 megapixels (2592 x 1944 pixels), Auto focus, Amber coloured auto focus assist light and recording indicator, Still image file format: JPEG/EXIF , Auto exposure – centre weighted, Exposure compensation: +2 -2EV at 0.5 step, White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent, Scene: automatic, user, close-up, portrait, landscape, sports, night, night portrait , Colour tone: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid , Zoom: digital up to 20x (5 megapixel up to 6x), Xenon flash and On-device photo editing, these are the features that are provided with the camera and can be used at your discretion.

Following are a few shots clicked with Nokia N82. The one on the bike was clicked at 75 miles/hr and the ice cubes in total darkness. The lowlight ones were clicked indoors.

In Daylight

In Lowlight

In Darkness

The flash is Xenon one which makes the camera and surrounding panel hot after repeated used but this does not have any effect on the picture quality, I thought I’d just mention that, just for the sake of it. Anyways, the secondary camera can be used to take pictures too. It has a resolution of CIF (352 x 288 pixels). It’s in place for video telephony.
The video recorded from the mobile is also good. From video resolutions: up to VGA (640 x 480 pixels) at 30 fps and Audio recording: AAC (AMR for MMS) the after finish is amazing. The Recording indicator is a good feature which tells you that the process of making a video is on. The red light is simply a cool feature. Digital video stabilization is yet a bonus to the N82 list of camera features. The Video file format .mp4 (default), .3gp (for MMS) and other editing features are White balance, scene and colour tone setting, Zoom: Digital up to 10x (VGA up to 4x) and finally On-device video editing, which are all great features.

To sum up my final take on the camera of the Nokia N82, I would keep it short and simple, thus I have two S words “SIMPLY STUNNING”

A huge 9.3/10 (missed out a complete 10 cause of camera noise)

Well guys I am feeling really sleepy so ill leave you now with this. In my next part I will take on the other aspects of this device.
Ciao

Time 06:00 Hrs

Alarm, alarm, alarm………… Somewhere from the quilt a hand comes out takes the N82 in its hand and flip it to put it on snooze (thanks to Accelerometer technology and Flipsilent). After a couple of minutes I take my head out and look at the wall clock, realizing I have to get ready and reach the hospital before the Boss I make a dash for the washroom. The clock ticks on the twelve numbered face and I race to get things in order and suit up for the day. Now guys on Tuesday we have cases listed to go through operations so I have to carry an extra bag which has my OT kit. Securing my kitand taking my cell and I take off for the Hospital.

Time 07:00 Hrs

Making my way through the morning traffic of school buses, cycles, rikshaws and pedestrians I reach the main hospital building and do a rather unorthodox parking of the PCP 500. Clocking 3 minutes and 46 seconds on the stopwatch. Wow..! I was improving. As I made my way through the ER I got a text from my senior resident to visit the ward to collect the files of the list we had for surgery today. Getting the files I texted back that I am now on way to the Operation theatre.

Time 08:00 Hrs

The Boss makes his way in to the OT. Taking a look at the list he calculates in his mind how to proceed through the day and leaves for a quick morning tea giving orders which ought to be complete before he comes back. These include Hb, CBC, BT, CT, Platelet Count etc. for various patients. Looking up at the seniors I know its no use as I have to go through with these along with the pulse and blood pressure reading (on my To-Do list) which I knew I had to take and for which I had thirty minutes. I took out my Nokia N82 and set up a reminder for 08:30 Hrs to wash up for the OT session and complete the files with the required test results as well.

Time 09:00 Hrs

The Boss comes in and I have the results ready with me. A patient was put on hold as his Hb was less and could not be operated before raising his Hb to a certain level. So I had to explain this to his family and tell him about Blood transfusion in detail. Now being an intern my job comes in only for assisting the surgeons and carrying out the fluorine system and sometimes when the Boss is happy to apply sutures and some other simple procedures. Trust me nobody wants the Boss to be angry so we have to be on our toes with everything. I gave a brief introduction about the blood transfusion process to the patient and emailed him a word file about it which I had saved in my memory card of the N82 right there. I came back quickly and we started with the days proceedings.

Time 14:30 Hrs

Well all went well and with the Boss happy it was sometime for us to try our hands on with the learning experience. Our residents taught us a few simple things from simple sutures to mattress and use of various instruments which all went along every procedure as well. Using my Nokia N82 which I had to give to the nurse as I had washed up, she made a video of me carrying out a simple procedure. At the end I thanked her and came out.

Now the next step was to click pictures of the entire specimens and save them to the Boss computer for his publication and record keeping. All this too with the help of the 5 Mega Pixel Auto Focus Carl Zeiss Optics of the Nokia N82 with awesome quality. Following are a few shots (Viewers Discretion Advised). We used to use a 3 MP Cannon Camera which i have not seen now for quite sometime.

(Gall Stones)

Time 15:00 Hrs

Shift patients to rooms and call friends for lunch and make plans for the evening. Complete files and give orders and finally at 14:00 Hrs leave. An amazing day continues but the wait for another day at Operation theatre begins. The above description sounds fun but believe me its a real tough day and a big contribution by my Nokia N82 to keep me going.

And I am no exception as I too come under the EVERYONE umbrella but I kind of figured it out a bit late. So I recently started going through my gym sessions and let’s say they were pretty boring to start with but when I got a few pieces put together, I got myself an awesome workout. So here I am sharing with you guys the perfect way to shape up or at least how now people in my gym love to workout.

I recently received a delivery of Nokia Bluetooth Speakers MD-5W. Initially it never occurred to me to use them as I thought that it would take a hell lot of a time to set it up so I kept them in my closet and decided to gift them to my cousin on her birthday. But recently when I started working out, I felt as if something was missing and I needed some tick to keep me going on through my gym sessions. So I tried a few things. I went out to the market and bought a pair of new Nike shoes, got an arm band and a Dri-Fit T-shirt which was made in Mexico. My iPod and headphones and I got a whole lot of Energy Drink and finally made a bag and called it my Gym Kit. Well that was it. I never got time to touch my kit again. There was hardly any time to get ready and take my gym kit bag or put on the iPod. I tried a few times but after a few shots the bag just stayed back and I was gyming with just me myself and my N82. Things seemed pretty bland. A few days back my maid was cleaning things up when she found my Nokia Bluetooth Speakers. She asked me what to do with them and It then occurred to me that why not try them out with my Nokia N82.

Now I opened the box and tried to work my way through the manual but as I read more I became more lost and I decided to take the matters in my own hands. So I kept the user guide back and tried myself and what do you know, I had the unit working all fine and that too real quick. So setting up the BT speakers was EASY. So I decided to take it with me to the gym with whole lot of music that would encourage me and keep me going. I reached my gym and kept the BT speakers on the table with my keys and energy drink and went off. As I started to walk on the treadmill a few of my friends asked what those small speakers were for. I took out my N82 paired it to the BT speakers and played my tracks. Wow..! It was amazing, working out could not have been more fun. It totally impressed them with the sound quality and volume you could do everything. You could control every part of the music right from your cell phone as if it were a remote control. From next track to previous one, from high to low volume, it was simply superb. With the built in equalizer preset you could even change the sound from rock to pop to bass to voacl. Everything can’t be judged just based on its size. And only not my music was being played but I could listen to the Radio as well. The unit has easy navigational keys on its front face which can be easily used to perform various functions. During my session a lot of guys around came up and asked me to play them their tracks and in the end all of us loved it. Now everyone looks forward to the time when I step in and a requested playlist is all ready to go. So in all I became a celebrity at the gym and now I love working out. All I need next is a six pack and a movie to complete this dream home run.

The speakers are very pretty to look at and have good sound quality. The beats sometimes miss but most of the time they work great. They can also be used to take calls and have an inbuilt mic too. More on them in my next post, which would give a complete review and public feedback about the BT Speakers, straight from the gym.

Hello friends, well it was another hot and humid Sunday. I really didnt feel like stepping out just to come back drenched in sweat so I decided to keep my feet inside. After sipping my morning tea and my usual round of newspaper glances I decided to call my friend Sehaj to come over and make a plan but he had his own plans on the go already and so I had no option but to either go through my Medicine Book or watch a movie perhaps.

I decided to sit down and spend sometime with my Medicine Book glancing over the emergency management of the unconscious patient. As I was going through the book my eye caught the Nokia N82 Box lying on the top of my study. It suddenly struck why not plan a gaming session with my Nokia N82 and use the TV Out for a bigger picture.

After taking out the TV Out cable I plugged it into my old SAMSUNG TV and switched it on. Well to my surprise my Nokia N82s GUI was projected right on the TV. Yes, no techy knowledge is required to use this feature. I played around a little with it for a few minutes then I went back into the kitchen, took some ice and made myself a drink and came back to take over where I had left my endeavor with the TV Out and Nokia N82.

I selected the N-Gage application and selected the FIFA 07 game. I selected the landscape view and started off. Although the controls were a bit hasty at first but as my hands conditioned to the keypad layout my game play became more efficient. Goals after goals, I was having a great time. (Just taking you guys to a bit side track here, the team I am a big fan of is Liverpool.) All of a sudden my game stopped and I realized Sehaj was calling me. This is a cool feature that puts on hold your game when you receive a call. I picked up took off the TV Out and told him about my present undertaking and he hung up saying coming in ASAP. During the call the game had paused. I reinserted the TV Out and started where i had left. So it was this easy to use the TV Out, just plug in and plug out. Well he came over and we had a blast.

Now lets go into the actual process and see how it works and is it worth it.

Nokia N82 has an inbuilt TV Out Option Like most of the present day digital cameras which is a very cool feature. The interface is not only projected on TV but is also on the cell phone as well, so you can easily navigate your way between the Cell Phone and TV screen according to your need. It is an easy plug n play feature which requires no prior setting of what so ever. I used a 30 inch TV for this and I can say that the resolution was brilliant. I will shortly test it on a 64 inch LCD as well. The sound was also good and gave me a realistic 3D game experience. Although the connecting TV Out Cable was a little short and I had to sit close to the TV for using the keypad to make my moves. And again the Keypad took me by surprise. As using the keypad for regular purpose is like a punishment but using it in conjugation with the TV Out made it the best gaming keypad ever, even better than Nokia N95. The left thumb moves the joystick and the right thumb takes control of the action keys. You will have to use it to see what I am pointing at. To conclude it in 4 simple words : I had a blast.

The Final TV Out Gaming Verdict :

Another Star to the one of the Best Camera Cell Phones. It made my Sunday a Rocking One. Now a word of caution, this is very addictive.

Thumbs Up.

P.S.

Works even better when you’ve had a drink or two

If you want to take a look at the Unboxing Video of Nokia N82 Click Here>>

For my previous Critics Review of Nokia N82 Click Here>>

Anatomy & Histology

The Phone has a very blocky appearance and looks just another regular phone in your hand. It has a thick cross-section area which shows the outline of the phone when its lying deep inside your pocket. This by far breaks a handful of customers who want a good looking classy phone.

The color combination is not bad; the golden silvery shine is amazing and makes the front panel come alive at night. The back has an off white finish which perhaps is not as good as the front. On whole I would accept the appearance as a moderate approach which needs a little more work, a steel body would perhaps lift its gloomy looks.

What a regular scale gives is approximately 11.1 cm x 5 cm x 1.6 cm the size will qualify considering the amount of features loaded on to it.

The Weight of the device is pretty good. For its bulky appearance it is actually light. Got to give it to the Nokia for making such a packed device so light.

The four sides of the phone are joined with smooth curves. The top one has the Power On Button along with a 3.5 mm audio jack slot. The left side has the USB cable slot, Memory Stick Slot and the Charging Pin Slot. The right side has 2 speakers one on top and other on bottom along with the Volume Keys, Camera Click Key and the Gallery key in between. The lower side only has the microphone.

The Front panel has a big screen measuring approximately 6.2 cm diagonally. That sure is a big one. On top of the screen we have a small front panel camera for video calls facility. Below the screen are present the keypad. The key pad is the worst part of the phone and the keys are stacked on top of other as they were coins. The buttons too are made very small. I sure had a hard time text messaging and dialing numbers using just one hand, but it is pretty ok if you use both hands. The pencil key has been deleted and the function is served by the # key. Fortunately the call key and the end key have been made big enough so attending and hanging up is not a problem. But on whole it sure will make your Adductor Pollicis Longus and Brevis (Thenar muscles or simply the thumb muscles) a good workout when typing.

The Camera

Nokia N82 features as 5 Mega Pixel Carl Zeiss Optics with Auto Focus. The flash is also no ordinary one and the illumination is all Xenon. It is located at the upper one third of the back of the device and has been provided with a cover which when opened automatically turns the camera on with the view finder on the screen. The picture quality of this phone puts a silence to all the flaws it has. Simply the best picture quality in a mobile phone and good image processing I have seen in a Nokia mobile so far. The flash can click in complete dark conditions and still bring out almost every detail in the clicked picture. A lot of options to choose from the inbuilt picture settings.

Following is a picture clicked with N82

The video quality is also pretty good. The sound in the video is just super. It lives true to its name and is rightly said as a ‘The Storyteller’

Features

The phone when it comes out of the box has a handful of features to offer. With simple calling and text messaging capability it has a wide variety of network selection from 2G to 3G. One can travel to any part of the globe with this device. I made a trip from India to Switzerland to USA and had no problems with the network selection. Making and receiving calls was easy. The voice clarity was super; it missed a few seconds initially but didnt give me any problems of what so ever later on.

I have to keep logged on to check my mails frequently which was well served with the built in email client and Wi-fi connectivity. I also had no need to carry an extra bad for my laptop. So I am pretty satisfied with the email functionality but I must say that it was hard to write long mails due to the lousy keypad. Surfing the Web is also easy with the web browser and the big screen adds to its user friendly approach.

The GPS with Nokia Maps was not functional in some parts of India but was working well in USA and Switzerland. A great tool for someone like me who is new to a place.

Games too are pretty realistic and give you great graphics and performance. Although the gaming keys need a little refinement but on whole I enjoyed playing on a few occasions.

The Search option is also a great feature of the phone on the home screen.

The Music player and FM Radio are not as friendly as in the N95 with the dedicated music keys but once you get used to it, they work just as well.

The Auto-Rotate feature is a very cool thing about the device. Something new in the mobile world. It can get annoying sometimes but can be easily switched on or off depending upon your liking in the settings. Another distinct point about this Nseries device.

The Gallery Feature has a good graphics interface but this makes navigation really slow. My picture gallery sometimes becomes so slow and sluggish that I have to eventually switch the device off and then back on. Seems too much of a burden on that small processor. I was not happy and eventually stopped using the gallery feature.

The PC Sync application is not good. I used it to transfer my contacts to MS Outlook and back to a new device and I was missing few numbers. Only few details were transferred. Thus I recommend you guys to use the BackUp tool to do that.

The Headphones

Good wired 3.5 mm headphones, necessary for FM function but FM works with any other regular headphone too. A bit difficult to work around at first. Not as user friendly as I have seen in Nokia N91. The voice clarity is good. Not too a great accessory for music lovers but okay for a purpose of hands free.

The Nokia Charger

The only problem I had was that after I left India, I was not able to use it. I feel Nokia Should rather provide a small addon Plug to make it worldwide rather than buy a new one all together. Had a lot of problems charging my device all this summer during my traveling.

The TV Out Cable

One of the best things about the device is that you can directly view your media on TV and not only that I also used it to play a handful of games. Not as good as PS 3 but still who’s complaining. The only problem I faced was that I was not able to get the audio working. Otherwise, Good Job Nokia.

MicroSD Card

It is small 2 GB card which according to me is pretty fast in processing. My media on the card was easy to access but I had problems with the gallery feature. Easy to remove and insert card as it is located on the outer left side of the phone.

Final Words

Although the device gave me a few headaches but in the end i rate it as a Good Buy considering the price and the functions it has to offer. Best Camera I have seen in a Nokia Phone so far.

Thumbs Up from a Critic.

A word of caution

Dont Buy if you planning to use it as a business phone. Strictly No

For More Pictures Click Here>>

For Unboxing Video Click Here>>