Posts by Mark Jan
119 posts • joined Thursday 10th January 2008 23:14 GMT
Re: The best camera
I have the 808 Pureview and it's a great phone and camera.
As the article said, I'm amazed at the regular software updates the phone gets.
For example only yesterday it received 6 such updates.
There have been some issues on it appears certain networks / 3G at certain times. I've experienced such issues but only on Vodafone, not for example T-Mobile. Could be that the frequency of the networks are an issue. However, yesterday's updates (one of which was for 3G) have apparently sorted it. In those areas where I previously had a non-existent signal strength, today I have 4 bars!
Considering Symbian is supposed to be defunct I'm amazed that so much time and energy is being devoted to it. Well done Nokia or should I say Accenture!
It's a shame that the world leading tech that Nokia had / has in imaging is still showcased in a phone that's a year old and in an OS that is supposed to be inferior to what they have now!
Re: Not what I was waiting for
Me too - I was expecting a true Windows Pureview phone and naturally expected it to be superior to my current 808 Pureview. Prior to the 808 I had the N8.
Nokia pushed Symbian to be extremely usable (and I'd say - still - superior in many ways to Android and iOS) in its latter phones such as the N8 and 808.
I don't have an irrational "hatred" of MS, but based on the recent hype expected a true successor to the 808 from an OS that is still I think, a beta or incomplete (for a 2013 mobile OS) product.
I was extremely disappointed that I was unable to buy the Meego powered N9 in the UK (or anywhere other than Timbuktu or the dark side of the moon) and that Nokia abandoned what was a very promising platform.
I wonder where Nokia and its ecosystem would now be had Meego not been abandoned.
The Output Can Only Be as Good as the Source
When (young) people these days consider mp3 to be "music" then that's where the problems (through ignorance) begin. When the output audio generated by a typical mp3 encoded track (constrained by sample frequencies, discarding of "unheard" frequencies, error correction etc inherent in any digital recording) is listened to, no headphones can ultimately correct the sound.
I feel sorry for an entire generation who have been led down a "pure digital perfect sound forever" path., particularly mp3.
I Left T-Mobile last month
I left T-Mobile last month after many years of lethargy and stopping on the same (now legacy) SIM only rolling monthly tariff.
My request? I asked to be put on the same deal as a NEW CUSTOMER. They refused, I left.
It seems that they don't understand how much more it costs to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one.
Re: It's a Sad Day
I sort of do care what's under the hood and one of the main reasons is security.
I have trusted Opera in this regard for many, many years.
And one less browser developer on its own, makes it a sad day.
It's a Sad Day
For all the reasons mentioned before, it's a sad day.
It was always on the cards but I thought that with Opera's superb mobile browsers and success in the embedded market, cached servers etc, they'd survive as a standalone, independent and innovative company.
An (99.999%) exclusive Opera user (and fan) for over a dozen years.
Re: Nokia sell in a quarter now what they used to sell in 2 weeks
I have the Pureview 808 and yes, the camera is amazing. Some recent shots I took astounded the printing lab and had them asking me if I was a pro. I'm not!
And the phone part doesn't suck.
Lee Dowling
There aren't many people who can say "I was right all along", referring to 40+ years ago, and sound both despondent and humble about it.
What about just about everyone's parents?
How Can The BBC's Actions Be Justified?
It's unbelievable that the BBC could change their "impartiality" stance on "Global Warming" (because that's what it was called in those days until actual measurements and observations began to not correlate with the models) based on this meeting and the "experts" in attendance.
The infiltration of the BBC by those with a left wing, green agenda is slowly becoming exposed not just in this, but other stories currently affecting the Corporation and the chickens are resolutely coming home to roost - and it's about time.
Lewis Page for President!
Lewis Page for President / Prime Minister or just in charge of IPCC!
Politicians Should Live Forever
Based on this, UK politicians should live forever as none of them have any balls, Margaret Thatcher excepted.
Meego Write Down - Hardly a Surprise!
"It will write down €220m worth of components which can’t now be sold in phones. Since this includes Lumia, Symbian and Meego handsets, we can’t infer that Nokia had overestimated the appeal of Windows. Not without more information."
Now there's a surprise (having to write down components due to go into Meego phones)!
Since it only marketed the devices in Timbuktu and the dark side of the moon, it's hardly surprising Nokia has components left over. After all, Meego outselling Win7 would have been pretty embarrassing for Elop. Far better to effectively strangle it at birth, regardless of how good it was.
"... as Nokia tries to weather the storm and emerge within a few years as a very different company."
Yeah, subsidiary of Microsoft!
Posted in Nokia: 'hybrid' mobiles will save us
Re: @ Mark Jan
What are you talking about?
Nokia have everything to gain, by selling lots of phones, and not going bust.
Of course they do - that's the business they're currently in (as well as pursuing IP claims).
BUT, my position is that this MS strategy will ultimately lead Nokia to failure.
It isn't MS hatred, just logical, straight talking common sense based on years of seeing what MS does to companies with which it enters into such "partnerships", as well as the most important verdict of all from the phone buying public. That verdict has fail written all over it.
Posted in Nokia: 'hybrid' mobiles will save us
Re: Dear Jorma :- I am curious.
It's what will happen purely based on Microsoft's past form and events as they are unfolding.
Nokia has everything to lose and Microsoft everything to gain.
Plus, Nokia did see the smartphone revolution coming!
They just pissed about going from pillar to post whilst everyone else executed well thought out management plans.
C&W Should Have Done Better
C&W have for years been run by piss poor management in a sector generally run by piss poor management. I can't help but feel that for want of better direction, they wouldn't now be selling themselves off to the highest bidder who will ultimately (as we already know) sell off the unwanted bits to the already circling vultures.
Nokia, you're next.
Malwarebytes
Maybe Malwarebytes is just very good at what it does (it is!) and the people behind it are very good at what they do (they are!)
And it's free!
Posted in Symbian smacked by Windows Phone
Re: Time for a Change of Plan, Nokia ..?
I agree with you. Symbian was (and still is) the most optimised mobile OS. People confuse the underlying OS and the GUI. Overlay a decent GUI and a "dreadful" experience becomes great, eg any of SPBs offerings.
I've never really understood how a third party company without Nokia's resources can take a Nokia phone and create a far better user experience...
Nokia's browsers do indeed suck, but just download Opera.
Posted in Symbian smacked by Windows Phone
Elop must be proud...
So, Elop jumped off the burning platform into the inflatable WinPho lifeboat after having tried to extinguish the flames with a few hundred gallons of petrol. Trouble is, the poorly designed lifeboat leaked air from the start and Elop is now having to tread water. I wonder how long it'll be before MS throw him a lifebuoy and pull him back to shore...?
What's left of the smouldering Nokia platform will be easy to dismantle...
Posted in Lumia sales fail to set world alight
N9
Why not sell the N9 in markets other than Timbuktu and the far side of the moon and let's see how a "proper" Nokia smartphone sells!
(I have the white N9 on order)
Robin?
Robin wouldn't be seen dead with one!
Different?
So, according to Nokia, people are fed up with the "sameness" of Apple and Android.
How in that case is Nokia going to differentiate themselves from the "sameness" of Windows Phone across different manufacturers' devices?
Now, had Nokia kept Maemo/Meego (especially looking at the superb N9) then they could genuinely claim that theirs was a truly unique offering.
Opera?
It seems odd that Opera was omitted from the tests given that Opera's proponents often claim that theirs is the most secure browser.
Maybe Google wouldn't have liked Accuvant's results had Opera been included...
And so it starts... Nokia once the mobile phone paragon of battery life and power efficiency reduced to reliance on MS for patches.
The Science is Settled...
...but despite all the, "science is settled" the earth has cooled.
Of course it's bollocks
The politicians know global warming's bollocks but it's the best tax raising scam ever invented. So what if the earth has cooled when it should have got warmer, just call it climate change and carry on as before.
The scientists also know it's bollocks but when it's a sure fire way of getting funded, why upset the apple cart? And when your mates all belong to the same club and share the same belief, peer review's not going to be a problem is it?
Shame the computer models can never get it right, but hey, just blame it on the computers and ask for more cash for better ones!
N9
Elop's medium term plan is to slowly suffocate Nokia to the point of death, then rescue it by the MS knight in shining armour coming to its rescue with a buyout for a fraction of it's worth had Nokia been managed properly. Elop's ONLY answer is Windows. He can't allow even the possibilty of any other strategy to succeed, hence restricting sales of the N9 to Timbukto and the dark side of the moon!
It's Sendo all over again but this time there's a lot more expertise, IP and hardware for MS to gorge themselves on.
Posted in Nokia axes another 3,500 jobs
RIP Nokia
"While Nokia has put its eggs in the Microsoft basket, its Redmond-based partner has not returned the favour."
And that is supposed to surprise who exactly?
Just wait until Nokia has all its eggs and the kitchen sink with Microsoft!
Posted in Motorola hints at Microsoft deal
Remember When Motorola Shat on Psion?
Psion, the company which developed EPOC, which subsequently morphed into Symbian was shat on from a great height in 2001 by Motorola, when Moto pulled the plug on their joint venture.
Had that defecation not happened, Psion would be a very different company today, as would Motorola and I suspect, Nokia as well. And none would now be selling their souls to MS.
Posted in Comet in bad way after big losses
Pay and retain good staff!
Just think how many TVs, PCs etc they could sell if only they developed a reputation for knowing what they were talking about and offering a great deal with great service, ie meeting needs/expectations!
I stopped going for anything other than a "distress purchase" because I know that the staff will:
a) not have a clue what they're talking about and I'll just become frustrated at their ineptitude
b) may have a slight clue what they're talking about but will still try and rip me off
c) not be at all interested but if there's a whiff of an extended warranty sale, may just feign it
Urgh!
So, some US plod visually checked the rear end of the miscreant and decided that a front end check wasn't necessary.
Looking at the mug shot, I can understand why...
Posted in TomTom Start 20 satnav
Just use your phone.
I was just thinking the same!
My N8 (OK, I'm ready for apple flambe!) is always in my pocket and whether I'm in the UK or abroad, quickly gets me to my location. Free map updates although admittedly, no TMC.
Whilst the N8 costs more than the TomTom, like AC said, there are Nokia phones with the same sat nav functionality for the same price as the Smart 20.
I'd have thought that the days of standalone sat navs must surely be numbered...as are probably the days of Nokia phones once MS has eaten them up and spat them out...
Not a Schoolboy Error!
How many children would commit such an error having grown up with email and the internet?!
Epitath
"And the execution - as with anything software-related at Nokia - was abysmal."
Nokia's Epitaph.
RIP Noika
Posted in Five amazing computers for under £100
I Still Use my Psion 3a!
I still use my Psion Series 3a on just about a daily basis.
"Data" & "Agenda" are the most used functions.
Psion really should have become the sum of Nokia & Apple but being a British tech company, never stood a chance I guess...
Good article!
It's also been said before...in court...
Seven years ago, The Register reported this:
Sendo accused Microsoft of maintaining a "secret plan... to plunder the small company of its proprietary information, technical expertise, market knowledge, customers and prospective customers... Microsoft gained Sendo's trust and confidence through false promises that Sendo would be its 'go-to-market-partner'."
Now, just substitute Nokia for Sendo (or any other number of companies MS has shafted over the years). Nokia is already dead.
Almost As Good As...
So, the next release of Winphone will be great on battery life, offer true multi-tasking and will enable developers to work with basic items like users' contacts.
So, apart from bricking phones when updating, almost as good as what Nokia have now then?
Selective Memory?
Did the USA fight with the Germans until 1941?
Did the USA join WW2 after the Germans attacked them and only then, decide to join the Allied effort?
If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you have a point and in your world, apples taste the same as oranges.
If the answer to these questions is no, then your flawed logic results in a flawed understanding.
The Cold War is over, the statue is a nice one, but your reasoning is still flawed.
Selective Memory
"Russia and the UK have much in common, not only as allies during the Second World War, and victory gained through sacrifice..."
Hmmm, only when Germany turned on Russia in 1941 did Russia become part of the allied effort, and even then, it was only for their own gain. In 1939 they were quite happy to invade Poland from the east a week or two after Germany had done the same from the west, and subsequently carve out a new world for themselves as part of the Axis, leading to the Cold War which effectively lasted half a century.
Come on Vitaly Davydov, you maybe the State Secretary and Deputy Head of Roscosmos, but only 5/10 for your attempts at revisionist hisory.
Posted in Dixons whacked by profit warning
Why Are Dixons Even Surprised?
I don't know why these warnings come as any surprise to anyone who has the misfortune to need to actually go in and buy anything from Dixons. It has to be a "distress" purchase on a Sunday afternoon...
Invariably overpriced, often old stock, their products are lamentable with staff who rarely know their arses from their elbows. Watching anyone in store asking a member of staff about anything generally becomes a "voyage of discovery" for both the customer and the staff member.
Don't know about their "Tech Guys" but can't see them being much better.
But Play.com Tell the Customer to be Careful
I received one of the Play.com emails this morning, so assume my email address has been harvested.
OK, these things happen, but why oh why does Play.com then end their email with the following "advice", as if the customer is in any at fault...!
Customer Advice
Please do be vigilant with your email and personal information when using the internet.
Posted in Sexy eco-bulb wins Design of the Year
And it'll Still Give Off a Shit Light
OK, so they've polished the turd that is the CFL and in doing so have made it a more "curvaceous" turd, but as far as quality of light output is concerned, it still is shit.
The fact that you're supposed to look at it whilst the light is ON and be able to admire the turd's shape is testimony that in it's primary role as a light source, it's shit, otherwise how (and why?) would you want to look at it?
Form over function, arty-farty nonsense over real world application.
We'll look back in a few years time on the CFL non-sense the eco-do-gooders imposed on the world and wonder how we let them get away with it...
Posted in Asus Eee Pad Slider
What Psion Would be Making - it's a 2011 Psion 5!
It's the sort of thing that Psion would be making if:
a) they hadn't pissed about with Motorola then got stung
b) they hadn't pissed about generally for so long and got left behind after showing such early brilliance and design flair
c) Psion wasn't British! (or Finish or European for that matter!)
d) if David Potter had met Steve Jobs!
But You Need Great Engineering Companies as Well!
Nokia was visionary. It saw the smartphone market coming, just didn't execute it on it properly.
I still don't understand how it managed to drop the ball, it had years' on everyone else.
And Nokia CERTAINLY wouldn't have produced the iPhone4. The one with the antenna on the outside which can't make calls under certain conditions - who other than Apple could have made a phone like that?!
A One $Billion Turd...
...is still a turd.
Posted in What sealed Nokia's fate?
Why do people always confuse OS and UI?!
Symbian is custom built from the ground up as an efficient, purpose built OS for handhelds.
The OS has never been the issue.
People complain about Symbian v3 on the N8 for example, about how individual widgets can't be moved around or such other nonsense. However, download an "app" for £25 and the UI is transformed. Amazingly transformed. If a third party can so effectively skin the N8, then why can't Nokia at least give users the option of a sleeker UI for those who don't necessarily want the standard Nokia offering?
It's staggering how Nokia saw the future 10+ years ago and began catering to it. They began to offer products ahead of their time. They saw the threat from MS and formed an alliance. And despite all that, it's equally staggering how they managed to cock it all up.
You've found a paper that agrees with your point of view...
...as opposed to those papers published by the University of East Anglia which won't even release their unadjusted raw data. There's good science for you, based on "adjusted" figures as opposed to empirical data. How can such papers be properly peer reviewed without the empirical data being made available?
Just what were / are Nokia thinking?
A few months (days ago) ago, it would be hard to imagine Nokia's management being any more incompetent than they have been over the past decade or so.
Developing / using what they've got: Symbian, Meego, Qt, Navteq etc and NOT pissing off partners would seem to be the way to go. Skinned, the N8 is a cool phone. Meego has lots of promise. Ovi isn't half bad now and has some very good stuff on it, without the 5000 iPhone fart apps. Symbian is a good OS. Just develop the UI Nokia - you don't need to sell your soul to MS!
However, it just goes to show what a poor imagination I must have!
Nice article by the way.
Posted in Microsoft's IE9: Don't believe the hype
IE6 and Banks
Well said on that one!
I even emailed and phoned my bank to ask how on earth they only supported IE(6) when it was demonstrably the most insecure browser on the market. I questioned how they could be "serious about security" whilst only supporting the Swiss cheese of browsers! I was left incredulous when even their IT bods didn't really know what I was talking about. It took them about 2 years to offer support to their browsers.
Getting into Bed...?
"But who knows? Stranger things have happened – such as Nokia getting in bed with a company that it had been battling for 15 years. ®"
More like bending over as far as they could and getting 12" of Redmond's best right where the sun don't shine!
WTF? icon because Nokia has.
