The Nokia N82 Blog

Nokia N86 On Sale For $399.99, N900 For $582.99

2009-10-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

If any of you are waiting for the next Nseries device with xenon flash – I’m 99% sure it ain’t gonna happen this year – or even early next year. Personally I’m not expecting a REAL upgrade to the N82 at all.

If any of you are waiting for the Nokia’s current imaging flagship – the N86 – to drop in price then now is a good time to price around. Amazon.com is selling the N86 for $399.99, although I'm not sure how long the deal will last. That's about $180 cheaper than the Nokia N900 which is currently available for presale at Amazon.

For those who are hanging onto your N82…

Stay tuned for upcoming articles about new freeware and themes for the N82.

N82 Screen Protector - Are They Needed & Which To Use?

2009-09-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a screen protector for the N82? Or maybe full body protection? We've had our devices for awhile - and one thing I've learned is the longer you have something the less you take care of it. Whenever my sim card is in the N82 I tend to abuse it and don't treat it as gently as my Nokia N97. I've never protected my N82 in the past but I'm starting to think it might be time to find some good protection for it. Especially since I think I'll be hanging onto it for awhile as Nokia hasn't mentioned anything about a new Nseries device with Xenon flash. Keep reading for a few solutions that I recommend to keep your N82 in top notch condition.

invisibleShield by Zagg
First and foremost I always recommend the invisibleShield by Zagg for all my devices. I use invisible shield for my N97 and Acer Aspire One netbook. They are a royal pain to put on but once you get it right - it's barely noticeable and does an excellent job protecting every inch.

Check out the video below that I found on Youtube:

Of course if you don't want the full body protection they also sell just the screen protector for the N82 which comes with a lifetime warranty.

Visit Zagg.com

Nokia N82 (Full Body)
or
Nokia N82 (Screen)

Proport Screen Protector
Another product I recommend is the N82 screen protector by Proporta. This company always makes great products, and I've heard nothing but good things about their screen protectors.

Proporta Advanced Screen Protector (Nokia N82 Series)

More Screen Protectors

If you want to see more options check out Amazon and their listing of screen protectors for the N82. They have a very good selection and competive prices. And they have N82 cases too if you really want to bulk up and protect your phone.

Do you protect your N82? If so, what brands do you use?

What’s Your Next Device? Nokia N86, N97, Or Waiting It Out? Why No Xenon?

2009-07-30T08:24:00.001-07:00

I have a good question for the thousands of loyal N82 users that are eager to pick up a new device. Nokia has a few options available right now, but do they live up to your standards? Oddly enough xenon flash has been left out of Nokia’s new “top dog” devices including their so called imaging flagship – the 8 megapixel N86.

Coming Up This Weekend

Coming up on this blog I’ll be showing you some articles comparing the N82 to the N86 and also to the popular 32gb Nokia N97. Since most of you already know the detailed specs of all of these devices I’ll mainly be focusing on imaging and if the dual LED flash can even touch xenon flash. I’m not 100% happy, but my findings might surprise you. I’ll also give you my thoughts on the N97 experience compared to the N82. Stay tuned tomorrow evening for my article about the N86 with some real life photo samples.

Why No Xenon?

I’ve received nearly 100 emails in the past few months asking me the question about new Nokia devices and why xenon flash was not included on any of them. I didn’t have the correct answer besides maybe it was a cost issue. But after seeing some photo samples floating around the web (many I’ll be showing you in the next article) I’m impressed with what Nokia has done with the N86 to bring dual LED technology closer to xenon flash power. But what is the difference between the dual LED on the N86 and other devices like the N97? JBC from Nokia Conversations (an official Nokia blog) left his comments about the technology in a very informative article about the N86. He says,

“The imaging setup in the N86 sports two fundamental improvements over other devices. The first is the size of the aperture, which is much larger than normal and also variable, changing size depending on the amount of light available. Photographers will know that the bigger the aperture, the more light is allowed into the sensor and so the easier it is to capture low light images. Equally, variable aperture size means the camera is just as effective when light is in abundance.

The second key difference lies in the sensor. Much more sensitive than any previous sensors in mobile devices it is capable of handling more detailed, and defined, image capture. Again, this is a huge benefit in low light where flash-assisted images can suffer with an increase in noise (those speckles you see in some images shot indoors).

Ultimately, what the team ended up creating was a device that in many low light situations doesn’t require a flash (though the sensor and aperture both work well with the fully optimised LED unit on the N86).”

And his answer to the big question…

“The obvious question to ask, particularly when comparing the N86 with the N82 is why it doesn’t have a Xenon flash. Despite the fact it doesn’t really need one in most situations, the team tried hard to get one in but found the added bulk would have a significant impact on the whole look and feel of the device. Like other Nseries devices, design plays a key part in the N86 and much focus (sorry, couldn’t help myself) was put on ensuring the device looks as good as it performs.

By tackling low light head on, the N86 manages to create crisp, noise-free images, even when the environment would normally ensure the opposite would happen. Of course the camera’s imaging prowess also benefits from improved algorithms and better shutter speed control. It also sports a smart technology which runs in the background, helping to eliminate blurry images. Automatic Motion Blur Reduction (AMBR) monitors pixel movement, frame by frame, and makes allowances for when either the camera or the subject moves. Simply by spotting if all the pixels in the frame move simultaneously, the sensor instantly suspects camera shake and makes the appropriate corrections. If smaller groups of moving pixels are detected then the camera assumes the subject is moving and once again makes the appropriate corrections.”

Very interesting stuff. Essentially they are saying the N86 lets in more natural light than the N82, eliminating the need to brighten things up so much.The N82 vs N86 dilemma is a big issue especially for North American users. The N82 never got a NAM 3g variant, we are still stuck on slow GSM internet speeds. The N86 is extremely tempting to many of us since the NAM 3g version is only a few weeks away. Not to mention the N86 has a larger screen, better video recording, and an updated version of Symbian S60v3 that is very impressive. There are a few other improvements and additions, including one very special feature that has to do with video recording.

Check back this weekend for some photo samples that I’ve gathered up from various forums and blogs.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you think Nokia is sugarcoating the dilemma or do you think it was a good move to tackle low light issues naturally rather than blasting xenon flash at it? Is anything in the Nokia lineup looking good to you? I would also like to hear some current N86 users chime in.

A Handful Of Google Apps Updated For N82, Including Youtube

2009-07-25T18:05:00.001-07:00

If you’re a Google service user you should be happy know that you now have a nearly complete package of tools to make your N82 sync perfectly with your Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Maps. There is even a new Google App for the N82 which lets you have another set of Google shortcuts on the homescreen by using the (C) button instead of taking up pressure space. Let’s start with the Google App.

Google App For Mobile

If you already use Google applications like Gmail, Maps, Youtube, the Reader website, etc on your N82 then the official Google Mobile App is for you. What is does is creates shortcuts to all the applications you use in one place and also gives you opportunity to search Google and launch your web browser. Use the delete key from the homescreen to open the screen above for quick access to your Google shortcuts and Search.

Google Maps For N82

Google Maps for Mobile has been updated in a huge way. They have now implemented something called Layers which lets you add layers of information on top of the maps. This includes traffic alerts & incident reports, points of interest with wikipedia information, and especially cool is your own maps that you’ve added from your PC. Below is an example from Google of how My Maps works for mobile.

Layers on the Map: Latitude locations + My Map

Since my wife and I love participating in cycle touring events on our tandem bike, we thought our challenge for this year -- 1500 KM of riding in Audax UK's Super Randonneur Series -- would make for a great environment to test the Layers functionality while on the go.

The first thing we wanted to try was My Maps. This feature on Google Maps on desktop becomes even more useful with the ability to access them from my phone. We're not alone in wanting this -- it's the fifth most requested feature on the Google Mobile Product Ideas page. It was great to trace bike routes and add places to stop on the computer, add the My Maps layer in Maps for mobile with a few clicks, and see them up on my Nokia S60 handset from our bike.

Seems cool right? I’m personally loving the new version of Google Maps.

Youtube Application For The N82

Youtube for the N82 has been updated to run faster and smoother. I showed this application to you awhile back ago, so if you haven’t updated be sure to get it done. It’s a real Youtube application in the native Symbian .sis format, not a watered down web version.

Get The Latest Applications

To get all these updates visit http://m.google.com/maps for your N82’s browser.

To learn more about this from your pc visit this link.

N82 Photo Applications: Nokia Updates A Few From Beta Labs

2009-07-14T21:12:00.001-07:00

Wow it's been awhile since I posted here. In case you haven't been following Nokia Beta Labs, they've recently updated a few of their photo gallery applications and both are very promising and would serve as a good replacement for the built in gallery.

Nokia Photo Browser

Browse your photos with stunning 3D effects

Nokia Photo Browser is an experimental photo browser that makes your viewing experience quick and fun:

* Pleasing visual effects
* Intuitive touch UI
* Magnifying glass
* Face browsing

Link

Nokia Image Exchange

I really like the interface on this application. Everything is very smooth and crisp, and transitions are very nice. A big plus is you can automatically backup your images to the Nokia Image Exchange server. You can never have enough backups.

Description:

Nokia Image Exchange is an exciting, experimental image gallery to make browsing and sharing images fun and easy. It aims to provide a seamless integration of a mobile image gallery application and a corresponding web-service. Image Exchange explores user experience when the mobile phone is enabled with an always-on data connection and utilizes existing contact information as a basis for social networking.

Link

Have you tried out either of these photo applications for the N82? Which do you prefer?

Photofun really is Photo + Fun On The N82!

2009-06-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, this is my second review, and now I'm reviewing a photo application called PhotoFun for Series 60 OS 9.0 or higher, PhotoFun is an entertainment software for people, who love to joke friends and laugh on and with them! Using PhotoFun you can make funny photos combining your mobile camera with different templates.

The latest version of PhotoFun was the v1.1, released in 23/09/2008, and there are up to 20 templates available to download.

In the settings menu you can set the picture quality at basic, normal or high, you can set the name of the pictures taken with the PhotoFun application by date or text, you can also choose to save the pictures either to the memory card or the internal memory.

PhotoFun comes with 2 resolutions available, one of 640 by 480 and a higher one of 1024 by 768.

My friends and I have come to think of it as a fun camera tool for those special moments, the fact that the resolution is good enough to send those funny photos via mms makes it great and you don't even have to crop the image.

It is very cheap too , at only $9.99 dollars for the Full Version at Symbian Guru!

You get all the fun at a very low price , plus you can create your own templates in paint if you like , and share them with your friends who also bought PhotoFun.

Here are some examples of this great photo application:

Movie Hero Template

Santa Claus Template

God Template

Hair Template

Circus Template

Cartoon Friends Template

Pilot Template

As you can see, you get quite a lot of fun, and I didn't showed you all the templates , they are a lot , and as i said before, you can create your own templates.

I hope you have come to like my review.

HAVE FUN!

Also i want to give a BIG thanks my friends who gave me permission to upload their pictures for my review.

The Zeemote JS1 Controller and The Mighty Nokia N82

2009-05-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, my name is Alexis Garza, also known as alexismil. I'm from Reynosa México and I will be writing for The N82 Blog from now on. I'm a Symbian fanatic, and I'm here to introduce the Zeemote JS1 to you.

The Zeemote JS1 is a small bluetooth device that uses 2 AAA batteries, and that support the wide variety of nokia models, including the Nseries, Eseries, XpressMusic, Navigator and Classic series, of course, S60 devices (excluding the nokia 5800 XpressMusic and probably the N97 that are not supported at the time im writing this article). All you have to do is download the Zeekey application and you are ready to go. The Zeekey application works on plenty S60 device, as mentioned before.

The Zeemote JS1 is good for gaming, but not great. I have found that it doesn't play nice in all games, including N-Gage games. You have to create several profiles into the Zeekey application in order to play every game out there. For example, I have a "default mapping" for using it to move around the interface when connected to a tv using the tv-out cable and I have another key mappings for N-Gage games. In the game One, Bounce, Metal Gear Solid I use the default joystick configurations, but changed the A Button to 0 key and B Button to 5 key, C Button to Right Soft Key and D Button to Left Soft Key. But because the joystick is so sensitive, I have a different configuration for Asphalt 3 and 4. If I use the default joystick I end up pressing down when using a nitro so I disabled the joystick down to "No Action". In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed I have the default joystick settings but i did swap the A and B buttons to 5 key and 0 key respectively.

I have come to a conclusion that the Zeemote JS1 is good but not great. I have seen plenty of interviews when they say that it is great for playing games using the tv-out feature. So why use a joystick then and a "one hand" shape? If so, they should have gone for the SNES style controller - a standard pad, no joystick, a, b, c, and d keys, and shoulder buttons. The shoulder buttons make sense when using the soft keys, this way you shouldn't have a big selection of key mappings like i do. I have 6 key mappings and i haven't even created a key map for all my N-Gage, java, and Symbian games.

I know all S60 devices have d-pads, and most of the time they are not good when playing games, but they have very good tactile feedback and performance. The Zeemote JS1 has a very sensitive joystick (they should have taken a comfortable pad instead of a joystick) so most of the time you end up doing something you did not want and end up losing a One battle, losing an Asphalt 3 or 4 race, or even dying on Platypus / Sky Force Reloaded.

I hope you like my review of the Zeemote JS1 , feel free to ask any questions related to the JS1 controller.

Nokia 5800XM Photo Samples vs. The N82 – We Have A Winner

2009-05-22T07:47:00.001-07:00

Ohrly? Remember a few weeks back I showed you the N82 side by side with the Nokia 5800XM? In the comments of that article I promised some comparison photo samples between the two devices. Of course the N82 will come out the clear winner in some of these photos, but I think it’s interesting to note that the Nokia 5800XM can hold it’s own in daylight photos. I didn’t include any low-light photos or night shots because the N82 would obviously kill it in that regard, but if anyone wants some examples just ask. My current phone arsenal is the Nokia N82, E71, and 5800xm. The list might grow longer with the upcoming Nokia N97 (now listed on Amazon). My fiancé has been dying to get her hands on it.

For people on the fence about whether or not to pick up the 5800XM, if you can afford it I would say it’s a great value at $289 (after rebate) and a great secondary phone to carry around when hanging out with your iPhone buddies. I’ve started getting used to the T9 input on the 5800xm, as I mentioned in past reviews.

Ok enough rambling. Let’s cut to the chase and see what the 5800XM can do – photo wise.

N82 Left, 5800XM right
(click images for actual size)

As you can see the Nokia 5800xm looks decent in some shots, and just sad in others. All of these photos were taken in auto mode with the flash set to automatic. This isn’t to say that the 5800 isn’t capable of taking great photos. I captured this one while on the way to wine country.

What are your thoughts? If you have any more comparison proposals or questions feel free to ask. Happy Friday everyone!

Wireless Encryption On The Nokia N82: Read These Tips

2009-05-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys and Girls,

I was reading on some news when I came across this, its one of those things which makes me feel like I should never get a Windows Mobile phones.

Anyways back to my article, I don't know how many of you (like me) works in an environment where the wireless signals you get is using a heavily encrypted signal, I am talking about something like WPA- or WPA2- Enterprise. My current work place offers internet but with WPA-Enterprise with PEAP and Symbian doesn't offer automatic recognition of the encryption code. I have to get around to settings to get things working, I noticed that Symbian hides this sort of things really well. Here is a small tutorial that will get your Symbian phone onto this sort of wireless signal for those of you who are having difficulties...

1. Start from Home.
2. Tools --> Setting --> Connection --> Access Point
3. Create/Edit an existing access point specified for your location.
4. Go thru all the settings until you reach "WLAN security settings"
5. Under WPA/WPA2, change the encryption to EAP
6. EPA plug-in settings, enable and raise priority of EAP-PEAP and disable the default two EAP-SIM and EAP-AKA.
User name in use: User defined

User name: your_username

Realm in use: User defined

Realm: your_active_directory

7. Enable and raise priority of EAP-MSCHAPv2 and again, disable the default two.

User name: your_active_directory\your_username

Prompt password: No

Password: your password to login.

8. Go to the cipher page and enable the bottom two so it supports all ciphers.

It should be good but I have been told its a little hit or miss.

Cheers
David

Canadians don't live in igloos!!!

2009-05-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, this is David Tong, I am now one of the new writers of this blog.

Um... well, for starters the N82 is the first phone I have bought outside of my service provider (Rogers). I live in Toronto, ON. I will be work on all sorts of articles on the site. Unfortunately my phone doesn't work on 3G like I hoped in North America but still, the features that is available on this phone by far the best phone that I have ever seen or used in my life (in Canada).

Currently I don't have much applications on the phone since I never found a good place for all my software needs but I know how much of a beast this phone is (spec and size wise). So I am hoping by joining this site, I can help everyone to get the most out of their beloved n82.

My plans for the summer is write as much as I can for this site while keeping up with my work and also I am hoping to get a E71 (North American version) soon!

P.S., we do get 4 seasons here, thought sometimes they seem to merge together.

Until next time, cheers

~David

Nokia 5800 Photos Next To The N82. You Have Questions I Have Answers

2009-05-05T22:38:00.001-07:00

The Nokia 5800 seems to get tons of interest from N82 users. I’ve read many comments and emails from readers asking how I like the Nokia 5800 and how good it is compared to our black (and silver) beauties. My fiancé currently owns the 5800 and I did try it out for a few weeks, I even partially reviewed it over at Symbian-Addict.com. It’s a really great device at a great device, but I’ll warn you right now that it’s NOT for everybody. I know a few hardcore Nokia fanatics that ended up liking the 5800, but personally I just couldn’t get used to not having real buttons. The experience just is not the same for me.

Some of you may end up liking the Nokia 5800. I know a touchscreen S60 device is extremely attractive to a lot of you. That’s why I decided to give you some side by side photos of the Nokia 5800 and N82.

Check out the photos below:

Above you can really see how big the screen is on the Nokia 5800. This is by far my favorite feature.

The thickness of the two devices is pretty much the same.

The Nokia 5800 is only slightly bigger.

There you have it. The Nokia 5800 vs. N82 side by side. Lets not forget the Nokia 5800 has a North American 3g version for high speed internet on the AT&T network. Sadly, the low-light photos are extremely poor. If I get enough requests I’ll show some N82 vs. 5800 photo samples. Some might be surprised to see the daylight photos the 5800 captures. They look surprisingly good with the latest firmware.

Right now you can pick up the Nokia 5800 from Amazon for about $350 bucks. Not a bad deal for a touchscreen smartphone that comes with 8gb and decent battery life.

If any of you have questions about the Nokia 5800 let me know and I’ll answer your questions.

Love Watching Videos? Mobiola Video Studio Makes Encoding Simple On Your N82

2009-05-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

When it comes to owning a mobile device most people have expanded from just using the handset to call or send text messages. The mobile device for the past few years has become something more, it has become a means for entertainment be it through music, videos, internet, or games. While I have been able to enjoy music, gaming and web on various Nokia's I never really got into watching videos/movies simply being that I did not have a solid program to encode video. I tried multiple programs including the one provided by Nokia in its PC Suite and had a miserable time. I was looking for a program that would satisfy three criteria; ease of use, advanced features for customizability, and quick encoding. Recently I was able to find this and would like to share a wonderful application called, Mobiola Video Studio.

Mobiola Video Studio is by far the easiest program I have used with the most flexibility. There are two versions of the application, standard and professional. While professional isnt necessary I highly recommend it because of its ability to tweak the details. But first let me explain how the program functions in standard mode then expand into what can be accomplished with the professional version. When opened for the first time the program allows you to choose what device you will be using this program for. After you select the manufacturer it will start up in two windows.

The menu is divided into two sections. On the left you are given a list of mobile devices based on the selection of manufacturer. The list is up to date and will have every model (even ones that are not released yet, ie N97). So you wont have to worry about having issues finding your device, if Nokia made it it will be in there. For a majority of the handsets there will be two choices, fast and quality. The difference between these is the size of the file, quality of the output video, and speed of encoding. If you have a larger memory card I would recommend using the quality settting. This will results in a better experience when watching your encoded videos. With the activation of the professional menu the application becomes a little more sophisticated and allows for users to customize the output file. This customization is highly recommended to achieve maximum quality from encoding media.

When the advanced menu is activated (available only in the professional version) the menu allows you to choose the format, control the video quality by choosing codecs, bitrate, fps, etc. This section will be mainly aimed at people who want to experiment and take their encoded videos further. I personally preferred this mode because it allowed me to get sharper picture quality in most of my videos with less pixelation. Once a selection has been inputted on how Mobiola will convert videos, it can be taken from three sources.

The source can be from a video file, DVD, or directly from YouTube. While each one works by choosing the source file then choosing a destination folder, the more intersting of the selections is the YouTube compatilbility. The program will directly rip videos from YouTube and convert them into files that you can watch on your mobile. It also has an option to download the high quality version if possible. The download and conversion work flawlessly. There is very little effort that is need to accomplish this. You just put the URL into the program select a destination for the output file and thats it.

Overall this application is easy to use, offers advanced features, and is quick to encode videos. Mobiola Video Studio is a must have for anyone thats considering or has ever wanted to enjoy videos on their mobile device. This application supports all phones. I conducted my testing on the Nokia E71, N82 and a computer running Windows XP. Mobiola Video Studio is availabe from The N82 Store. The standard edition is $24.95 and professional upgrade will be an additional $9.95. There is also a trial of this application available.

Introducing Timi Cantisano: New N82 Blog Writer

2009-04-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, TheN82Blog readers! My name is Timi Cantisano and I am a long time mobile user and S60/Nokia fan. My true addiction to mobile phones started fairly early in life with my first mobile phone, the Nokia 5190. Over a long period I experimented and bounced around from different brands and mobile O.S.’s (Motorola’s, I-mate’s, Samsung, etc) But in 2006 while researching I found something that would bring me back to my roots. It was Nokia’s mobile computer, the N95! This mobile device would be released in 2007 and from that moment had me hooked on S60/Nokia. Never in my life did I think I’d see a mobile device that could do so much. Since then I have had the opportunity to pursue my love of Nokia’s/S60/Mobile Devices through my own personal site, Phoneomenon.com and thankfully today I will be able to start writing on a variety of sites hosted by Mike Macias.

I hope that you can find my contributions interesting, enlightening or insightful, and enjoyable to read. I look forward to interacting with a great community as well a wonderful family of writers.

Want Time Anywhere On The N82? Check Out FreeTimeBox

2009-04-29T11:51:00.001-07:00

Ever since my watch broke a few months ago my Nokia N82 has taken over the duties of my time checking. But I need to see the time from any screen, not just the homescreen. I went on a while goose chase and found a solution called FreeTimeBox.

I knew there was already an application called Timebar, but this app was unsigned. I hate dealing with unsigned apps so I’ve been on the lookout for one that you can install without any problems. This is where FreeTimeBox comes in to rescue us. I’ve had it installed on my N82 for a few weeks and have come to rely on it. Great thing is this application is already signed!

For some reason I cannot take screenshots for examples, the time doesn’t show up on the image after I take it. Below is how it looks on my Nokia E71…

If you’re wondering why I’m not showing you how it looks on the N82 it’s because I took the picture with my N82. If I try to take a picture of the N82 with my E71 it looks like utter crap. E71 camera sucks. Right now the N82 is the only good camera I have.

Say you don’t want the time to show up on a certain application. For instance it automatically shows on the homescreen. Obviously I don’t need that. Go into the settings and you can “blacklist” certain applications. To find this setting go to Settings > Time Display > Black/White List Apps.

You can also configure the position of the clock (if you want it on the top that works too!), which pre-installed font is used, the font size, color, bold, italic, opacity, background color, seconds, time format, and a whole lot of sync settings. I’m unsure exactly what the sync settings do. Maybe sync the timezone of your N82 with the current location? I don’t use this feature.

Click here to download and enjoy!

N82 And Twitter: Have You Tried Gravity? If Not, You’re Missing Out

2009-04-21T21:00:00.001-07:00

It’s no joke that Twitter has recently taken the world by storm. But why be chained to the computer just to keep up with the internet world. The beauty of this new Twitter application called Gravity for the N82 is that you can control ALL aspects of Twitter when you’re on the go. I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks now and have come to love Gravity. I’d even go as far as saying it’s one of the best S60 applications I’ve ever used.

Overview of Gravity’s Features:

Compatible with Twitter and Laconica
All functions available on your S60 phone: tweet, reply, DM, follow & unfollow, create favourites, search, auto-update and many more …
Tabbed view of your Timeline, Replies, Messages, Friends, …
Setup and use as many accounts as you want at the same time
Twitter-Search section with multiple search tabs and Twitter Trends
Post pictures via TwitPic
Open URLs from any Tweet
Kinetic scrolling on S60v5 ( Nokia 5800 and Nokia N97 )
Theme support on S60v3 ( fixed dark and bright theme )

Having Gravity installed on your Nokia N82 really enhances the Twitter experience. I’ve reached more friends and gained more followers because I’m able to be online more often. Many readers from this blog follow me and ask me questions about their N82 throughout the day.

With that said – Gravity is probably the best $10 I’ve ever spend on an application for my smartphone. That’s right – it isn’t free but that is fine with me. It has been worth every penny. It comes with a nice and long full trial. If I remember right it’s 10 days.

One last thing I’d like to mention is the battery use of Gravity. I had it running for 6 straight hours today, sent about 15 texts, 10 minutes of calls, 10 minutes of browsing, and tons of tweets. Only lost about 2 bars in that time.

Click here to learn more about Gravity.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. If you'd like to connect with fellow N82+Twitter users leave your usernames below.

Whats The Craic

2009-04-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone one my name is Paul Sampson and I am one of the new writers on this wonderful resource of a blog. I will be looking after a photography section of this site that will be coming very soon. I have a real passion for photography, of all sorts, in the current sunshine were having here in N.Ireland (hence my stereotypical Irish title), I have been enjoying walks around the coast with my N82 in hand, merrily snapping away. I can’t wait to share some of my pictures with you and to seeing some of yours.

So why do I want to be involved in this site? Well, I bought my first N82 silver on its release date; I had it for five months before I got rid of it, why? I’ am still not entirely sure, since then this is the list of mobile phones I have had, ok deep breath and here we go....

Samsung G600
N81
C702 X2
C902 X2
N78
Iphone

And now I have a black N82, all this in the past 18 months.

So why did I come back to the N82, after going through all that? Simple really no other phone does everything that the N82 does.

What over phone has a good level of battery life, a fantastic camera, which still seems to surpass any other camera phone that comes out, even though the N82 is over a year old.

When it was realised I can’t recall any other phone that had a spec list like the N82, even now as I look at future handsets I can’t see any phones that have the same level of spec sheet as the N82.
The phone genuinely does absolutely everything I want in a phone and more.

So the reason I have wanted to get involved with this site, is to share my passion for the N82, yes its over a year old, but with Nokia's fantastic ability at releasing firmware that improves and adds functionality to phones, the future is still very bright for the N82, and I for one cant wait to see what the future holds for us and the phone.

Keep well folks

Paul

SMS App Review: Incoming Messages Shown Full Screen Instead Of Built-In Notification

2009-04-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

For most people (including myself) text messaging is the best way to keep in touch with friends and family throughout the day. It’s not uncommon that I send/receive up to 50 messages a day on my Nokia N82. Some people even more. When web browsing, checking Google Maps, or whatever I’m doing it’s a pain to back out and check a new message. It usually takes around 3 clicks before I can read it. Sometimes it just needs to be instantaneous. This is where the Best Full Screen Message comes into play.

Best Full Screen Message sits in the background and activates itself when you get a new message. It comes to the forefront of whatever application your using and displays the message.

As you can see above the right shortcut is “Dismiss”. This will leave the message unread and it will still you’ll still get the notification when you go back to the homescreen.

Below is what happens when you go to the Options menu.

Here you can easily mark as read, reply, call, delete, open, and dismiss. I love how double-tapping the center d-pad button will mark the message as read. Very quick and efficient if you don’t need to reply.

More description:

FS Message application shows incoming text message on full screen instantly when it comes. You've heard incoming message sound? Just take the phone out of your pocket to see the message on the screen already .
To start FS Message service you need just to activate it. When the service is activated all incoming messages will be shown instantly on your screen as soon as they come. When the service is activated there is no need to keep the configuration application opened. You can close it not to waste your device memory.

I’ve had this application installed on my N82 for a few weeks now and it has been a godsend. I’ve come to rely on it. Yesterday I tried to disable it and see how I get by. It’s just not the same. This is one of those that works seamlessly with my N82 and makes me more productive.

Best Full Screen Message usually goes for $11.95 at the N82 App Store, but right now the price is slashed to $10.16. Use the coupon code fsmessage at checkout to see the discount. The coupon expires on Sunday so head over to the store right now to start your free trial. Click here to get started.

Nokia N82 Still In A League Of Its Own, One Of A Kind

2009-04-13T21:01:00.001-07:00

It’s no doubt that the Nokia N82 is my favorite mobile device of all time, with the Nokia E71 in a close second. I’ve played with many devices since I got my own phone number and nothing has been able to find a place in my heart like the N82. Those devices include Nokia powerhouses N95, N79, N96, and the 5800XM. Not to mention a few other “dumbphones” and smartphones in between. Don’t get me wrong they all have their own special traits, but none of them feel like a “swiss army knife” like my N82. I’m extremely interested in trying out the upcoming N86 and N97, but I still think my sim card will find itself in the N82 most of the time.

I’m not trying to beat a dead horse with this article. I’ve written posts like this before, reassuring everybody that their precious N82’s are still state of the art. Back in October our writer Aaron talked about how he believed the N82 to be the best camera phone at the time. I think this STILL holds true today.

I’m actually writing this because I want to share a story with you that Steve Litchfield from All About Symbian wrote about the N82 and where it stands in his yes. He praises the N82 very much and even calls it 100% reliable. Steve goes on to say,

I know, I know, I was a bit dismissive of the N82's styling when it first appeared, but as time has gone on the phone has become more and more appealing. So a bit of a U-turn from yours truly, but:

At the time I think we all thought that Nokia's OMAP2-based graphics acceleration was going to be standard in all following phones, or maybe improved upon.
At the time we all thought that Xenon flash was going to be retained for at least some future models.
At the time we expected that the protective lens shutter would also be standard.
And at the time the VGA video recording, neatly focussed for action within a metre or two, was also expected to continue, as it had on the N95 and N95 8GB (plus E90) before it.
And, as such, there was no reason to lift the N82 up onto a pedestal, since future devices would obviously exceed it.

Curiously, the machinations of Nokia's platform plans has meant that the likes of the N95 and N82 haven't been equalled since, with the N79, N85 and N96, plus the 5800 XpressMusic, all lacking in most of these ways. No graphics acceleration (which makes a big difference when playing back video and some games), no Xenon flash (the only other smartphone with this is the [also S60-powered] Samsung G810, which is a let down in other areas), the N96 and 5800 both lack any kind of lens protection, and all bar the 5800 have had their video recording crippled by being focussed on infinity.

Very good points, and I’m glad to see such a prolific face of the Symbian community give some love to the N82. Click here to read the entire article.

Lighting, Lighing, Lighting

Talking about photos and lighting again, even the dual led of the Nokia 5800XM is crap. I’ve been writing a review of the 5800 over at Symbian-Addict.com for a few months now and I haven’t touched on the dual led flash yet… but I plan to soon with side by side examples. The daytime photos look fine but the low-light photos are unusable. If the N86 and it’s supposed “next generation dual led” technology performs anything like the 5800, that would be a huge letdown. I strongly believe that your flagship imaging device MUST have xenon flash even if it has a thousand megapixels.

What do you think? How much longer will the N82 be “the one” for you? Are you saving up for the Nokia N97 or N86?

Free Themes: Touch & N86 Vista Released With Bright Green Highlights – I Like

2009-04-07T19:23:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back I showed you guys a theme based on the Nokia N86 by tehkseven. Well he’s been up to no good and has released a few variants of this theme and his new Touch edition. I’m extremely excited about this variant mainly because I’ve always wanted a black theme with bright green highlights. Now I’m happy!

Check out the screenshots…

Touch (vista)

N86 (Vista)

Very Nice!

Download Here

Help Wanted: We're Looking For Writers

2009-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hi readers! I'm looking for a few writers to contribute here at The N82 Blog. Aaron and myself have been pretty busy lately with our day jobs and it would be great to get some help with reviewing applications and keeping up with the news around the mobile world. Decent writing skills are a must. Benefits? For one you can make a name for yourself and get established. You'll get your hands on the newest applications before they are released to the public. You get to review full versions of applications from The N82 Store. You might even get the chance to play with and review other devices.

If you're interested send me an email and be sure to include a sample of your writings and links to your public forum profiles (if applicable). I'll be watching my inbox!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Nokia Messaging Updated: Windows Live Hotmail & HTML Email Supported Added

2009-04-06T18:00:00.001-07:00

Despite all the bumps along the road that Nokia Messaging has encountered since it was first introduced, it’s really come a long way. Nokia’s new email solution has recently been updated to included Hotmail support along with HTML email views. A handful of other features have also been updated/added…

Here are the highlights of this release:
• The 1.1 release of Nokia Messaging is localized in 22 languages and certified for 21 S60 devices
• Support for Windows Live Hotmail Addresses
• Support for HTML-formatted emails
• Support for hosted email accounts from Yahoo!, Gmail and Microsoft
• Support for up to 10 IMAP subfolders (selectable on email.nokia.com)
• Advanced Email Settings entry on email.nokia.com

Davis Fields, the product manager for Nokia Messaging says,

Advanced email settings entry also satisfies a popular request. When signing up for a Nokia Messaging account, you are now able to include the outgoing mail server as part of advanced settings. Users with a Nokia Messaging account are now able to edit their email server settings from the My Account page. You can also select up to 10 IMAP subfolders to sync to their devices.

The 1.1 release contains support for HTML-formatted emails. You will find that Nokia Messaging handles rich formatted text and lighter HTML-formatted emails very well. Within some larger messages, you may notice some irregular scrolling and selecting behavior.

Some people have had a few issues even with this newest version. For instance sometimes the set up process will send two text messages instead of one. If this happens, usually it’s the second message that works properly. You can read this Nokia Messaging troubleshooting guide over at Symbian-Addict.com if you are still having problem visit the Nokia Support Forums.

Visit http://email.nokia.com to get started.

Upload Photos To Facebook From Your Nokia N82

2009-03-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, Facebook has become an internet phenomenon that you can't hide from. It's a great place to share stories, photos, videos, and status with friends who you might or might not see all the time. The mobile version of Facebook's website is decent enough to use for comments and status updates, but photos have been left in the dust for Nokia S60 handsets. Besides the mobilized Facebook website, N82 fans really don't have a lot of options to follow their friends via their devices. There still is not a decent Facebook application available for S60 users, although one is in the works.

The makers of Shozu have integrated Facebook into their popular application, making it easy to upload photos to your "Wall" and albums, either on the spot or after the photo is taken or later when you get a chance. I've tested this out over the past few weeks and so far it works very good.

If you don't have Shozu already get it from www.shozu.com or m.shozu.com from your N82's browser. To set up Facebook with Shozu you must have access to the PC version and login to your Shozu account.

Follow all the correct steps, then let the application on your device set up everything properly. After that you should be good to go.

As you can see in the second screenshot you can also update your Facebook status and view your friend's status. I don't think their is a way to comment on other people's status right now with the Shozu applicaton.

Do you keep up with Facebook from your Nokia device? What methods to are your favorite? Have you tried uploading photos to Facebook with Shozu?

Does This Website Need A Forum For N82 Fans?

2009-03-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

If I created a forum here at The N82 Blog, would you guys be active? I noticed there aren't any heavily active forums dedicated to solely N82 fans, and with all the new devices coming out and more people leaving the N82 behind - it might be a good time to get a central place for everyone to hang out. What do you think?

This would be a very simple looking forum and will run extremely smooth. The features will be very minimal, and this probably would appeal to many instead of having a kazillion features to use. I won't be posting much in it, only to people who are having a hard time finding an answer. It would be a place for people to find help, post themes, discuss application, and various other topics regarding the N82.

Let me know your thoughts...

N82 Gets An Official Youtube .sis Application - Stream Video To Your Smartphone

2009-03-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Youtube made available a native Symbian S60 application in the form of .sis format. This means we'll now have an extremely smooth and fast application for our N82 and Youtube needs. In the past I've used Mobititubia for my Youtube fix, but it's extremely slow over Edge/GSM. This new Youtube application is a lot faster, although you might suffer some quality loss if you don't use 3g or WLAN. To be honest it is still bearable and good for looking up videos quickly while on the go if all you have is Edge.

I don't have a working N82 right now, it should be here tomorrow. So my experience with this application is limited so far. For now you can check out some screenshots I took from my E71. The interface is gonna be very similar.

Let me know how it works out on the N82. I only tried it briefly, and didn't even get a chance to see if the auto-rotation works with the N82's accelerometer.

Download: http://m.youtube.com from your N82 browser.

Nokia N86 - The New Nseries Theme Looks Great, Get It On Your N82

2009-03-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Nokia's new imaging device - the Nokia N86, is absolutely gorgeous. If you haven't seen it already, then you really need to click here and read about it. The N86 features an 8 megapixel camera, but no xenon flash. There are a few other camera enhancements that the N82 doesn't have, but I'm no photo expert so I need to do some more investigation before I start jumping to conclusions. Right now I'm slightly torn between this device and my N82. The email previews on the homescreen is really awesome, this will be a first for the Nseries. Having a larger and brighter sreen is also something I've been itching for.

Before you ask I've yet to see any N82 vs. N86 comparison photos, but I'll post them as soon as I come across any. I'm dying to get some real life side by side photo samples from both of these devices, especially some night shots. I don't want to go any deeper into this topic, so I'll leave that for another article.

The theme shown off in the press photos of the N86 is really sharp and features the new Ovi icons. Thanks to theme maker tehk and Symbian-Guru.com we can now make our N82 interface look a little fresh with this N86 replica theme. This has instantly become one of my favorite themes and looks great on my N82 black.

The screenshot above is from the N78, but looks almost exactly the same on the N82.

Download: N86 Theme

Before I write the my full opinion of the N86, I'd like to hear some of your thoughts. Do you like this theme? Will the Nokia N86 replace your trusty N82?