Living with a 41-megapixel 808 PureView: Symbian's heroic last stand

Lots of Symbian users still out there...

My most popular app is just passing the 2 million mark after 16 months - the Android version is around 10,000 downloads. My most recent app got around 1000 downloads per day on the first few days on Symbian, and averages around 500. On Android, it's getting around 20 per day on its first few days.

Of course, I suspect that this is more down to less competition than a larger userbase, but (a) it shows that Symbian really is undercatered for, with the demand to supply ratio far higher than other platforms, and (b) there are still a lot of Symbian users still out there (and around 50% of my downloads are still from Symbian^1 2008-2009 era phones, suggesting smartphones are kept in use long than you might think).

The number one best selling smartphone in history is the Symbian Nokia 5230 released in 2009 - it will be sad to see the platform go.

(I found that I could usually get the apps I wanted on Symbian - more apps on Android just means 10 that do the same thing instead of 1, and the Android versions are more likely to have ads... The main lack for Symbian has been for non-software companies that offer an "app" for their website or service, and it's annoying that these almost always ignored Symbian even in its heyday of number one platform until 2011. But still, on a smartphone, just use the website...)

Pretty happy with mine

I just need to use it more often for photos!

No swype-type keyboard = completely useless for me

long-term RSI means I can't do tappy-tappy on a phone without lots of pain so this wouldn't be viable. looks great otherwise (if i but had the dosh..)

If only

I could justify buying one of these but the Nokia N8 just keeps going and going. It's even survived being dropped down 3 flights of stairs and until it breaks I can't justify to SWMBO splashing out on another phone

HDR

Minor point, but you can only argue that "what the 808 is doing with every photo is HDR" if the camera is "distilling lots of pixels into a few good ones" from shots taken at two or more different exposures. It's not my understanding that the camera does this by default (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Calendar Sync

You can sync the calendar to Exchange automatically. I have this feature turned on on my 808 to sync to my work exchange calendar and contacts, and it is pretty reliable.

I don't use Google's calendar, but I understand that this now longer allows direct exchange connection, requiring a third party paid service (Nueva Sync I think) to convert their new calendar protocols back to exchange.

hey even 100 MP wont be good as DSLR...

the problem is the *tiny* sensor and the lack of a good OPTICAL zoom and lens....

the only way Nokia can do it, is what Samsung did, with its galaxy 3 camera...

The PENTAX 645D DSLR has a large, high-performance image sensor (measuring 44mm by 33mm) and PENTAXoriginal image-processing technology, and also has professional, changeable lenses..

If Nokia can emulate this, that is the only way it will work... BUT would you carry such a big phone in your pocket, as well as a good lens for it???

Calendar sync

Andrew, if you are using Google you need Googasync. Allows full sync including multiple calendars.

calendar and browser

Thank you for the great article! Fun and informative read for sure.

As far as the calendar, it works very well with mail for exchange.. I have it synced up with my Microsoft outlook account and it works great.

The browser, the only way to speed it up is to switch off:

Auto reload

java script

flash

it speeds up quite a bit.. I find it acceptable.

With the Nokia 'EOS' (code word) the pureview tech will be coming to Windows Phone in July apparently.

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-eos-may-bring-its-41-megapixel-snapper-to-fingers-on-july-9-1153744

Symbian Belle is also available on the Nokia 700 ...

... which I got from Tesco for free with £10/month for 500mins, 500MB, etc. It is an amazing phone - it has everything including OLED, NFC, SD cards, compass, Bluetooth modem, etc. in a very small/light package with a 6 day standby battery. Only last week SkyDrive appeared for download, so it is still being supported after a year. Basically, most apps you need are 'in-built' and integral to the phone - including Angry Birds! One app to buy is Star Chart - an amazing program that puts the compass thing to good affect. There is one downside and that is the fixed focus 5Mb camera - it is no good for close-ups. Check out ebay for a bargain.

'808 state'

Thanks for the sub heading.

My opinion of Andrew Orlowski has just risen (if only by a smidgen).

"rotten to the very end, and slow and poor at rendering pages."

Stop repeating the anti-Symbian propaganda! It doesn't suit you! You should remain open-minded and above all fair. You seem to forget that Symbian on the 808 ONLY runs on a 1,3GHz single core Arm11 cpu with a lowly 512MB of system RAM. This is no a quad core ARM Cortex-A9 (Exynos 4) with multi-core Mali400 GPU like the popular sweetheart of El Reg.

I've filmed a small clip showing you that the Nokia's WEB is NOT SLOW at all. But that Web is very competent considering it's modest system demands. This clip includes visiting the El Reg website amongst others.

http://youtu.be/czuPeL1M1bI

The trick is to disable ECMA-script which is indeed the achiles heel of Web (and many other webbrowsers). In fact the only browser that has FAST ECMA-script rendering is Google's Chrome. Fast Javascript is in fact it's main attraction!

But even with Javascript turned on Web is not bad considering it's modest demands. But you give the illusion that this phone is incapable of browsing the web.

"The built-in messaging client only handles one Exchange ActiveSync account at a time"

So does many other email clients on phones so... including many Androids.

"let alone basic features such as flagging messages."

Oh please... flagging messages was/is a typical outlook feature and is not relevant to the majority of people whom only use email on their phone as a temporary stop-gap. I find perfect local outlook syncing more important then many "exchange" accounts. At least when you flag a message on the desktop and sync your phone the message shows it flag!

"And the OS no longer supports CalDev calendars"

Which lacked one important feature (password encrypted logons) which is the probable reason why Nokia removed that feature altogether. Let's not forget that Mr. Elop killed off the entire Meego and Symbian workforce so adding new features (or improving existing features) to the OS had been compromised by the time the 808 got released!

Luckily there seemsto be a small skeleton crew at Accenture working on some minor tweaks and small improvements/bug-fixes for Symbian. But regretably most Symbian users don't expect much anymore.

This is PURE Elop's doing!

Anyway, out of the box and the few shortcomings not withstanding the 808 is a great device and it's a damn shame that the last remains of the last European native OS is left to die! The creators whom started Epoc all those years ago must be disgusted by all this!

It's filmed using a Samsung SGSIII >:->