I love the fact that most of the new devices have enough onboard memory that I'm able to use one device for everything. I love having music at my fingertips and the N8 is an easy one to load. I'm not a big fan of the Nokia desktop software and am not even sure it'll run on a Mac but transfering music proved to be pretty easy. I connected the phone to the computer as a harddrive (you have to select a the USB setting: Settings --> Connectivity --> USB --> Mass Storage) and simply dragged the music over into the "Sounds" folder. One thing I noticed is that not all of the CD covers moved as well which may have something to do with my specific settings rather than the phone. I found them later in the photos file of the phone.

The built-in music player is easy to use and navigate with options to organize by song, album, artist or genre. There's no horizontal mode for the player but it does have a similar album cover scroll option which the Apple devices uses. It's not the prettiest layout but it's functional.

I do like the album view which gives you both the album cover and the list of songs contained in the album.


The desktop is also quite handy and gives quick access to the music library which I like.


One feature that I absolutely love is the Playlists wich features one of the best things I've seen recently: a "Recently Added" playlist which is automatically updated when you add new music. This is a feature I loved on the Zune which I miss dearly on the iPhone and which makes an appearance here.

With all the good stuff the music player has going for it, it's lacking a few features which I can't live without. The first is real-time scrobbling. This feature is also not available on the iPhone directly but I found a few apps that did the trick. Searching through the vault of Symbian apps hasn't uncovered an app with similar capabilities. There also isn't an option to create playlists on the go which is something I miss dearly from the N900.

Though it doesn't wow, music on the N8 is functional and easy to use. Just wish it had a few additional bells and whistles to make it a show stopper.

Though my initial impressions of the Nokia N8 weren't all glowing, the phone did have a few cool features but after a bit of digging and some time cruising through the app store, the N8 is slowly transforming into a great phone.

Since my first brush with the Ovi Store, Nokia's version of the App Store, there have been a great many improvements notably the addition of thousands of new apps that allow you to do pretty much anything.

I rarely use my phone for talk and use text messaging and social media for communication with a few other tools to keep in touch with those around me. The phone's built in text messaging and conversations applications are already quite good but for those who prefer something else, there are other options including WhatsApp. It's worth noting that WhatsApp is free in the Ovi Store but costs in the Apple Store (I think I paid $1.99 for it).

One thing that's a must download is SWYPE, a new way of typing by swiping your finger over the tochscreen keypad rather than hunting and pecking for it. I was a little skeptical about this when I first saw a video of it in action last year but after two days of usage I swear by it. Can't wait until it makes its way to the iPhone.


I'm Twitter obsessed and though the N8 comes pre-loaded with a social networks widget, I found it slow and hard to use. Searching around and testing a number of other free apps, I have settled on the fact that Gravity is still the best twitter app for Symbian. It's expensive at $9.99 but if you tweet as much as I do, it's well worth the cost. I'd purchased it for my N95 and have downloaded a 10 day trial version for the N8 which is as user friendly and sleek as I remember it.


The last much have app for video and photo lovers is Pixelpipe. I have friends who swear by Shozu but I could never really get it to work on the N95 and at $4 in the Ovi store, it's not really worth it for my 10 day trial of the N8. Pixelpipe on the other hand is completely free and as a bonus, there are a number of plugins that allow you to, in one step, upload photos and videos to all sorts of different social media accounts. I've been using it for all of my Flickr uploads and it works like a hotdamn. VERY awesome. It's not particularly difficult to set-up and I already had an account that I use with my iPhone so I just had to login but if you're looking for a step by step on the setup, aymontano has an outstanding step-by-step install and steup on the Nokia Forums.

Some other apps I've been using include Opera Mobile which has an interface I'm familiar with having used it on a number of my devices and works great here (the built in browser is OK but nothing to write home about), Foursquare for checking into various locations, and for all of my screen capturing, of which I've been doing a lot, I downloaded ScreenSnap. A note on this is that you can assign a hotbutton for taking a screenshot but since the N8 only has a few buttons, this isn't particularly helpful. There is, however, a delay which is great because you can set it, navigate to what you want and it takes a photo. A 10 second delay seems to work for me.

Up next will be some thoughts on the maps and navigations feature, the music and photo/video taking and editing. Stay tuned!

Lots more screen caps in my Flickr Set.

The good folks at WOMWorld contacted me just before Christmas offering a trial of the shiny and new Nokia N8, a phone that isn't exactly a toe-to-toe competitor with the iPhone4 (I think the N900 was supposed to play in that sandbox) but which offers one super spiffy feature for photo lovers: a 12MP built-in-camera. The phone does feature a few other notable specifications including microSD slot allowing for 32GB of additional storage (the phone is shipped with 16GB on board storage), universal miniUSB charging/transfer which is much handier than Apple's proprietary charger/transfer cable and perhaps the mother of coolest overkill specs: HDMI output for photos and video (which is captured at 720P quality).

I had to wait a few weeks to request the trial phone as a few months back I quietly purchased an iPhone4 which uses a micro-sim whereas the Nokia (and a number of other phones) uses a regular sim. I ordered my adapter from Micro-Sim Adapter in the UK. It was cheap, quick and highly recommended around the web. I've now installed my microsim into the N8 with the adapter and it works perfectly.

I had some immediate reactions to the N8 and they weren't all as positive as I hoped for.

The good:

- The N8 is comparable in size to the iPhone 4 but much lighter.



- Responsive screen.
- Destop widgets.

- 12MP camera which takes great photos (even though they don't look like much when you take them!)


- MicroSD expansion slot for additional memory.
- Updated Ovi Store with many more appliactions than I remember from my N95 days.
- Customizable destop widgets (there's negative here and that is that the widgets are locked so unlike the N900 that allowed you to place your widgets and applications anywhere, you're limited in your customization options).


The bad:

- Running Symbian ^3 for Nokia which isn't such a bad thing but which feels old after playing with the N900 for so long and after getting used to the iPhone OS which is its own beast. Apparently, this is the last NSeries phote to be shipped with Symbian which will be replaced by MeeGo which is very exciting.
- Battery life isn't great - full disclosure: this is an issue with all smartphones and not limited to the Nokia but it's still a negative.
- Set-up of Wifi/Rogers Network data switching at home was a disaster (took three hours to figure out).
- Keyboard is tight and hard to type on in landscape mode.
- No full keyboard in portait mode - you just get the old numeric/text phone keyboard.


- Navigating between opened apps is easy but getting to that screen is clumsy.

I wasn't particularly impressed by the phone right out of the box but after installing a few must-have apps (a post on those coming up later), I'm starting to love this phone. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days.

As per usual, I have also started a Flickr Set with lots of images and screencaps of the N8 in action.

It sounds really complicated and it can be but this is exactly the kind of thing that can cause non-techie people like me to run the other way. Here’s how I came to discover just what GPRS is.

Earlier this week, my mobile internet stopped working. At first, I thought it was a problem with my Rogers service and thought I’d give it a few hours to sort itself out but when I checked on it a few hours later, still no internet. I rebooted, I took out the battery and still no go. I uninstalled a couple of wifi applications that I wasn’t using thinking that perhaps something I installed messed something else up causing the trouble but still nothing. At this point, I started to worry that something inside my N900 had called it quits - not good. Thankfully, I ruled out that option by connecting to Wifi at a local Starbucks. The problem was something else.

I came home and started looking around for a possible problem. What I discovered was that my Rogers Internet connection worked through GPRS. My first thought? What the hell is that? In layman’s terms, GPRS is a service that allows data to be transferred over a voice network allowing me, the user, to access the internet over my cell phone connection. Not so complicated after all!

After a little digging, I discovered that my GPRS service had lost all its settings. I don’t know how it happened or why but after a little searching, I managed to track down the settings which I then punched into my phone and voila! Mobile internet works again!

To save you the trouble of looking around for those settings, the GPRS settings for Rogers are:

username: wapuser1
password: wap
address: internet.com

If you’re with Fido, similar information can be found here. One of the things I’ve discovered in my years of using online tech tutorials is that the steps aren’t always the same for everyone, even if the person who wrote them has the apparent same setup. I’m not sure if those Fido settings are completely accurate as I haven’t tested them but I can vouch for the Rogers settings – worked like charm!

So remember, if your mobile internet stops working, it’s not the end of the world. Probably just a minor glitch in the system!

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of partaking in the first of what I hope will be more Mobile Geeks Meetup.

The event was organised by Tom who you may recall hooked me up with an N900 a few weeks ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially since I’m more of a geeky phone user rather than a developer but I went, thinking I might learn something new and go figure, I did.

The night started with a presentation from Samir, a Nokia expert (I think – it was so loud I missed his formal introduction) who started off by wowing the crowd with the N900 and its various features. From the built in social networking aspects (like integrated uploading to services like Flickr and Facebook) to multitasking and the awesome browser which plays in-browser flash (meaning you don’t need to open a new application to watch YouTube videos and the like). It seemed a few folks in the crowd were pretty familiar with the device even if they hadn’t actually seen one (though I did get a couple of over the shoulder looks while I was tweeting away before the meeting started – mind you, with the new red protective case, it’s hard to tell what phone it is).

Samir then continued with an overview of MeeGo, the recently announced new platform Nokia is helping to develop. My non-geeky understanding of things is that MeeGo is a sort of cross device open source OS which will allow users to run the same system on all of their devices from their cell phones to their connected TVs. What that means is that rather than running one set of applications on your phone or pocket pc, your netbook, laptop and whatever else you might use on a regular basis – you’ll be able to run the same applications on all devices. The bonus for developers? One set of APIs with only minor user experience changes for each device.


From here the discussion moved into some “above-Marina’s-head” talk about development, DRM and cross platform integration (there was some muffled chat about Android application on MeeGo devices).

One of the major highlights of the night was news of the first MeeGo device to be released later this year. I’m excited to see what that new device and what MeeGo has to offer. It may mean another upgrade next year but from my limited reading so far, it looks like there will be a MeeGo install available for the N900 later this year. We’ll have to wait and see what it offers over the current OS and what sort of applications I have to choose from.

Tom also had some cool toys on display including a couple of E72s and the two Booklet 3G mini laptops which are really spiffy. I’d love to play with one of those for a few days. If all the new info wasn’t enough, I also walked away with a bit of swag – a great new bag and one of the coolest USB sticks I’ve ever seen.


Thanks again to Tom for organising and for extending the invite my way. I’m looking forward to the next one!

One of the reasons I was looking for a phone with copious amounts of mass memory was for music. I have a 16GB iPod Touch I bought last year which I use for music (and very little else). When purchased, I thought I'd make use of the apps and I have downloaded and even purchased a number of apps but I find I mostly use it for music. The hitch is that when I'm plugged in, which is pretty much at all times when someone's not with me and I'm in travel (at least 3 hours a day) I can't hear my phone right. The N95 does have a built in music player but with only 8GB internal memory and no expansion slot, it's simply not big enough for my daily use (don't laugh). That said, I have occasionally used it and it does work great.

One of the things I had to get working on the N900 was the music player but there were a few glitches. We have an exterior hardrive connected to our network via our router with 100+ GB of music. In a desperate attempt to get things to work, I installed the OVI Music Player but the problem here is that it was taking for-ever to populate the library. The other problem: Windows 7 wasn't detecting the device as mass storage which meant that some of the other music management software out there didn't detect it as a drive for me to drop music in. I tried Double Twist, Songbird and my trusty J. River Media Jukebox (which, if you haven't checked out you really should - it's a powerful app and completely free) before finally giving up for the day.

I did some more research and reading and thought I was ready for action when something in Windows 7 clicked and when I plugged the phone in as a mass storage device on Friday, Windows actually detected it and let me transfer music over. I created a file in the main directory called Music and started transferring files over. I'd read somewhere that the internal software on the N900 wouldn't read folders but after a few tests, I discovered that that's not true and indeed, the software does actually read through folders though take note, it only organizes by meta data so make sure your music is properly tagged.


I found that for the media player to find the music in the new folder I created, I first had to use the phone's file system to navigate to my newly created "Music" folder and picked a song to pay. The media player then detected the rest of the music and I haven't had to navigate there again - the library automatically detects newly added music.

This is the sleek media player window that comes up when you launch the application:

It's very sleek.

This is a shot of the music library. I think it automatically detects images as album covers but I haven't figured out that bit yet - yes, I'm a little anal about my album covers.


I think there may be other viewing options available (like a list view) but I haven't checked those out yet). There's also the option to create playlists on the go and add music to a "now playing" sort of queue, something which I loved on the Zune but which the iTouch is lacking.

This is the "Now Playing" screen:


If you're multitasking or simply want quickly restart your music (if, for example, you paused it or it was paused by an incoming answered call or something), you can do so from the desktop. I have a little widget sitting on the left hand side of my first desktop:


Other great bonuses is internet radio and I think the phone also has a built in FM transmitter that I have yet to explore.

The other major hurdle to jump was music tracking. I live by Last.fm and had to figure out how to get it to work (hence why I was so eager to use either Songbird or Media Jukebox, both of which have scrobblers) but the N900 has one better: instant scrobbling. Let me explain.

A scrobbler is a little program that runs with your software (there are a bunch of versions for various mp3 players and desktop applications including one for iTunes though lately I'be been having quite a bit of trouble with the iTunes plugin). A wonderful developer by the name of Claudio Saavedra went ahead and built a Last.fm scrobbler. Once installed it's activated from the phone's "Settings" menu. You add your username and password and voila! You're set to go! The scrobbler uses the internet connection to automatically update your Last.fm account in real time. It's a sweet sweet set-up!

That's right folks! First post directly from the N900 using an application called MaStory!

Just for fun, and to see if it actually works, here's a picture too!

I've been doing some research the last few months in preparation for a new toy, namely a new cell phone. I've pretty much outgrown the use of my N95 and am looking to upgrade this time, without the limitation of signing a contract. I'd been looking at the N97 until a few weeks ago when I stumbled on a video of the N900 in action. I wanted it. Badly. I'd looked around, had almost made up my mind when I discovered that the phone isn't fully 3G compatible with my Rogers service. I started to worry. In comes 1000heads.

Vancouver mobile guru Roland put me in touch with Tom who in turn did me a solid and hooked me up with an N900 to play around with for a few days, a gesture which made my week.

Anything new comes with learning curves but the curve here is much bigger than I expected. The N900 is very much more a computer and secondly a phone, something I like but which is taking some getting used to. Here are some initial thoughts, from a girl who is definitely NOT an expert:

Things I love:

1. The size and build: a little thicker than the iPhone, it's a slick, sturdy, well built machine. It feels super solid and I love the keyboard feature. If a few grams extra weight and a slightly wider build is required, I'll take it.

2. Camera: awesome 5MP camera. My N95 also has 5MP camera but this takes much better pictures. I'm thinking Nokia has updated their software.


3. Maemo browser: what really caught my attention about this phone is its ability to play flash in browser, the first mobile phone to do so and it's a thing of beauty. I tried a couple of embedded You Tube videos yesterday and it works like a charm. This morning, at Roland's recommendation, I checked out grooveshark.com which is, essentially, completely flash and it worked like a charm.


4. Multiple desktops: like Linux, you can multiple desktops each with a different background and different programs, link etc. for quick launch. Going from screen to screen is as easy as swiping your finger across the screen.


5. Speed: the application speeds is insanely fast in comparison to my N95 (though it's a little unfair to compare the two). It really is like a mini computer.

6. Keyboard: soft and easy to use. Still getting used to typing on a keyboard and often find myself triple clicking a letter. Oops - old habits die hard.

Things I'm having issues with:

1. No 3G support: admittedly, this isn't Nokia's fault but it is a drawback. The phone is running on the Rogers networks at between 2 and 2.5G which I'm sure makes way more sense to a tech head. For me, I do notice a different in that the browsing is a bit slower but then, the browser is in full mode and not "mobile". Will have to see if it's as noticeable when browsing mobile versions of sites. On the upside, YouTube videos load at a good speed and when using Wifi, the thing is a monster!

2. Music/Photo transfer is messy: at least it has been for me. Windows 7 isn't recognizing the bloody thing as a mass storage device which is making it difficult to sync the phone with any of my desktop music apps. The fight continues tonight.

3. Limited Apps: this isn't the iPhone. There isn't an app for everything. But then, it's also a relatively new device and one with an active and passionate development community. I'm sure at some point I'll have an option of an App for everything but for now, it's a bit slim.

That's it for now. More updates to come as I maneuver through the phone and, I'm sure, find new successes. I'm also uploading loads of pictures with details to Flickr rather than constantly updating the blog. If you're looking for more, check out my N900 Flickr Set.

I've now had my phone for almost a week and for the most part, it works marvelously well. No major complaints - though I do occasionally have trouble sending email and for one reason or another the YouTube app I installed only works over a wifi network but other than that, no complaints - other than the minor one that you can't use the phone's built-in flash during video recording (bummer).

I've slowly been personalizing the phone - setting up my Gmail so that I can send mail, installing new themes and ringtones but it's the calendar sync that has made me most excited. A how to on that will be coming next week. For now, I wanted to share one tip that every N95 needs to be aware of.

The S60 platform which runs on the N95s is awesome. It also acts a lot like a computer. So much so that it runs applications in the background. So if you open up an app, lets say the calendar, and then click on your back button to go into your phonebook to make a call, the calendar app is still running in the background. I'm assuming that's not a huge deal in the short term but if these unused apps are running all the time, they're likely to suck a whole lot of power from your battery.

The next time you go into your menu and see a semi circle hovering beside an application (not the red arrow - that's my addition), it means that the app is running. Example:

My birthday is still 20 days away but that didn't stop hubby from spoiling me. We went out Saturday in search of a Flip camera for me and instead, ended up with a brand spanking new cellphone. Say hello to my very own Nokia N95 8GB:

This baby is amazing. The mother of all cell phones (though I'll admit I haven't played around with an iPhone). Tons of functionality including built in Wifi, built in speakers, mp3 player, video player functionality, TV out and the list goes on. The primary reason for the upgrade is the camera. The built-in 5 mega pixel camera takes fabulous pictures and with the wifi/Rogers data plan, I can pretty much update Flickr and Twitter on the go.


Because I have the Rogers data plan, I unbranded my phone from Rogers, removing the Vision menu and a bunch of other nonfunctional functionality pre-installed by Rogers. I used these steps from the fantastic N95 Users Board, and so you don't have to search for it, the new product code for unbranding from Rogers is 0561948. My understanding is that you can seriously mess up the phone if you use the wrong code so ONLY use this IF YOU HAVE THE N95 8GB (AKA N95-4)! Basically - this step lets you upgrade the firmware to V20.0.016 giving you a bunch of new functionality and removing the Rogers BS.

I didn't play around with the phone too much before I unlocked it so I'm not quite sure what some of the other differences are but the key one that I noticed almost immediately is that whenever you access the internet, the phone now prompts you to select the connection method (RogersGo or Wifi). When the phone was locked to Rogers, the default was ALWAYS RogersGo unless specified otherwise. This makes it much more convenient to make use of the free Wifi!

Also worth noting that Rogers is currently offering a $100 rebate if upgrade to the handset and add the $15 Vision Plan. The Vision plan includes unlimited Mobile Internet. Confused about this? So were we. The black and white of it: the vision plan lets you surf the web with no limitations, as long as the websites are accessed via the Rogers Vision browser. Because hubby doesn't want to get the a data plan and he's locked into that vision plan for 36 months, to make use of the web browsing outside of Wifi, he needs to use the ugly Rogers browser. Bummer. This is something to keep in mind before deciding to unlock your phone.

I've already installed a couple of must have apps but I'll do another post on that later. Likely, I'll be posting a whole lot more about the phone and my various experiences/hacks!