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Nokia's 5250, another low-cost smartphone

2010-08-30T19:07:00.003+05:30

A wonderful piece of equipment by Nokia.Nokia latest 5250 is one of the best innovations so far.We had barely finished paying tribute to the Nokia 5233 as the best value for money handset in the Indian market, when along came news that the company had released details of what we think is its spiritual successor,

the 5250. Mind you, while it does look a lot better than the 5233, we are not over the moon with the fact that it has a 2.8 inch touchscreen (the 5233 had a 3.2 inch one), a similar 2 megapixel camera (with Ovi Sharing) and only 51 MB of memory (expandable to 16 GB). That said, it does come with home screen shortcuts to popular socialnetworks, a pre installed version of Guitar Hero 5 (the best mobile music game in town, take our word for it) and will come with Unlimited Ovi Music in some markets. Yes, there is no sign of 3G or Wi-Fi, but on the flip side, the price is likely to be around Rs 7,000, which is just dandy for a smartphone.

Truth be told, we will still side with the 5233 simply because it has a larger display and this makes a lot of a difference when you are dealing with touchscreens, but still, it is nice to see Nokia working on coming out with relatively inexpensive smartphones. It is all set to land into the Indian markets,hence all those Indian gizmo jockeys out there watch out for Nokia 5250

Nokia Phone Which Runs On Coca-Cola

2010-08-29T21:02:00.004+05:30

A UK based designer has come up with a concept design for Nokia of a mobile phone that could be powered by conventional soft-drinks.

Through her research, Daizi Zheng found that phone battery as a power source, it is expensive, consuming valuable resources on manufacturing, presenting a disposal problem and harmful to the environment.

The concept is using bio battery to replace the traditional battery to create a pollution free environment.

Bio battery is an ecologically friendly energy generates electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar) and utilizes enzymes as the catalyst. By using bio battery as the power source of the phone, it only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out.

The Bio battery has the potential to operate three to four times longer on a single charge than conventional lithium batteries and it could be fully biodegradable. Meanwhile, it brings a whole new perception to batteries and afternoon tea. It only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out.

Cool stuff!

[SOURCE]

Nokia N86

2010-08-29T18:42:00.000+05:30

For anyone who’s ever been disappointed by mobile phone snaps, the photogenic Nokia N86 is a real eye-opener. Not only is it home to Nokia’s first crisp 8MP CMOS sensor, this two-way 3G slider comes loaded with photo features usually found only on dedicated digital camera
.

Autofocus optics, adjustable sensitivity, exposure and white balance options put you in driving seat, while 8GB of storage provides room for thousands of photos, VGA videos and tunes downloaded from the Nokia Music Store. Images can be geotagged with the built-in GPS receiver and edited via Nokia Photos, shared through Ovi Share, or played back on the ultra-vivid, scratch-resistant 2.6-inch OLED screen. Dedicated music and gaming keys mean you’ll never be left thumb-twiddling with the N86, especially as you can try the latest N-Gage games before you buy. Naturally, this Nseries handset is tuned for high-speed web browsing (via HSDPA or Wi-Fi), has the latest Bluetooth technology and can loads hundreds of new applications from the Ovi Store.

Nokia Booklet 3G Review

2010-08-29T18:28:00.001+05:30

The Booklet 3G is Nokia’s first netbook, but they’re trying not to label it as such. It’s supposed to be a mini laptop for all-day mobility allowing up to 12 hours on a single charge. It looks great, too. The Nokia Booklet 3G’s chassis is made from a single piece of machined aluminum, similar to Apple’s Macbooks. How do I like it? Read on for the review.

HARDWARE

Size. The Nokia Booklet 3G’s dimensions are 10.4 x 7.3 x 0.78 inches. It weighs 2.76 lbs. It won’t be pocketable like Nokia’s phones, but it’s smaller than most of my old college textbooks. It can also easily fit in a backpack.
Build Quality. The Nokia Booklet 3G feels really solid in the hands. I wouldn’t try, but it gives an impression that it could withstand a fall. The laptop is mostly visibly aluminum with the exception of the glossy plastic cover on top of the lid. It’s not removable, but models come in black, ice (white), or azure (blue). It’s upscale looks really matches its build quality.

Internals. Inside the Nokia Booklet 3G is is an Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz with a soldered 1GB DDRD RAM that is not upgradeable. It includes 120GB 4200 RPM hard drive for storage. For more details, check the full specifications.
I’m a little disappointed with the performance. I’m a demanding user, but even simple multitasking seems to lag on the Booklet 3G. I couldn’t browse the web smoothly while Windows 7 was pestering me about stuff about available updates or that the virus protection was expiring soon. Even just browsing with multiple tabs seem to give the Booklet some trouble. I’m also shocked that Hulu videos are choppy. Fortunately, Youtube seems to play well.

Top 15 Free Games for Nokia N97 Mini

2010-08-29T18:26:00.000+05:30

You want quality games on your Symbian^1 (S60v5) devices like the Nokia N97 mini, 5800, X6, etc? Get ready to fill your phones with these top free games! I list 15 of my favorite games from theOvi Store that absolutely cost nothing.

Games at Ovi Store

Here they are in no particular order:

Wave Blazer - A 3D powerboat racing game which allows you to use the accelerometer of your phone for steering your boats. This game is for those who are looking for action and cool graphics and stunts on their phone. This game and Raging Thunder were created by Polarbit and supports multiplayer feature.

Raging Thunder – Another action game that uses the accelerometer sensor. Packed with wide features that are meant for fans who love racing with the customization features. Both Wave blazer and this game are great alternatives for Asphalt racing if you are timid to pay some extra bucks.

ToonWarz – If you’re looking for making your own army or play solo like Chuck Norris I’m sure this is what you want. The game offers you 3D graphics while you invade enemy’s territory. You can also challenge your friends. Another feature of this game is you can use the accelerometer sensor for navigating your player on the game.

Armageddon Squadron – From speedboats to muscled cars, now this game is all about aircraft from WWII era. You can almost do the same things like those old aircrafts from WWII. You can bomb the ground and fight enemy planes in the air. The game offers you a flight emulator and control the planes by tilting your phone either sideways or vertical axis.

Ovi Maps Racing – This game offers you to customization on your tracks and you could even chose your own streets where you will be able to navigate and race. This was published by Nokia and it’s totally free.

Space Impact (Meteor Shield) – Control the gun turret and defend mother earth from the monstrous non-eating, but will make-you-dust meteors. The fun is really on the actions you make while playing this game.

Nokia N900 Demoes Real-time Face Tracker

2010-08-29T18:25:00.000+05:30

Video is embedded below. Click here if it’s not visible in your RSS reader.Researchers at the University of Manchester revealed a real-time face tracker on a mobile phone this week and decided to use theNokia N900 for demo. The aim for the research is to do both face and voice verification using the camera and microphone built into mobile phones for secure access to apps without passwords.

The face tracker use landmarks on the face using a technique known as the Active Appearance Model. The positions of these landmarks relative to each other define the shape of your face and indicate where you are looking, your expression and who you are. As you can see in the video, the tracker does a pretty good job following the face even when the phone pans or rotates. Let’s hope this technology evolves from the Nokia N900 into other mobile phones as well.

For more information on this video, see this page from Dr. Philip A. Tresadern.

Nokia N9 Photos Leaked in China – Looks Like a Macbook

2010-08-29T18:24:00.000+05:30

The Nokia N9 was leaked this morning on Baidu from China. It looks like a miniature Macbook! From the photos, we see a 4-row QWERTY keyboard, BV-4D battery, dual-LED flash, and Meego OS. No other info is available. What kind of camera? When will it come out? How much will it cost?

Twitpic from James Burland

Nokia World is just around the corner, so we might find out more information about this device soon. The photos above were originally posted here. How do you feel about the Nokia N9 so far?

Nokia N97 mini Unboxing

2010-08-29T18:18:00.001+05:30

I got my hands on a retail version of the Nokia N97 mini and will be providing a thorough review of this device soon. For now, enjoy some of the unboxing photos. It’s already available in certain regions, so check your local Nokia shop.

GALLERY: NOKIA N97 MINI UNBOXING

Want a quick reminder what the Nokia N97 mini is all about? Check out myNokia N97 briefing from Nokia World. The Nokia N97 Mini and the regular Nokia N97 hardware are almost similar except the missing lens cover, different keypad, smaller battery, 8GB built-in memory instead of 32GB. The size is smaller, but not a big difference. I’ll have a review up after spending some time with it.

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Nokia N97 Mini Review

2010-08-29T18:16:00.001+05:30

It’s hard to like the S60v5 again after using a Maemo device like the Nokia N900. I’ve been trying to use the Nokia N97 mini to write a thorough review, but I always ended up putting it down quickly. Want to know what I think in one sentence? The Nokia N97 mini looks damn good and packs a lot of features, but I would recommend other devices before this one.

HARDWARE

The Nokia N97 mini was well-designed. It’s shiny with nice combinations of curves and lines. It feels good in the hands, too.

Size. It’s a little smaller than the Nokia N97 making it more pocketable. Here’s a size comparison between the two N97’s. I didn’t have problems putting it in my jean pocket.

Build Quality. Nokia added stainless steel to the back of the phone with the battery cover and the camera bezel. It adds a premium look and feel to the hardware. The hinge for the slider is very smooth, yet provides nice reassuring clicks when the device is closed or open. The N97 mini is a solid device. I found no wobbling, creaking, or loose parts to complain about.

Internals. Inside the Nokia N97 is a single-core ARM 11 microprocessor clocked at 434MHz with 128MB RAM. That’s similar to the original Nokia N97. It isn’t a powerhorse if you compare it to other recent devices. For example, the Nokia N900 runs at 600MHz with 256MB RAM. A big concern for power users is the RAM. I found that running multiple applications like Gravity for tweets, web browser, Mobbler for streaming music, and Nokia Messaging for emails take up a lot of the RAM. This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it, but the phone silently closes one of those apps without warning to free up memory. This wouldn’t be a problem if Nokia gave the N97 256MB RAM instead.

Display. The Nokia N97 mini has a 3.2 inch touchscreen display with 640×360 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. The pixel density of 229 PPI makes it relatively sharp. Let’s compare it with other touchscreen devices.

I can’t really say if the screen on the Nokia N97 mini is responsive or not because of inconsistencies. Scrolling through lists and pages varies between applications. It’s sometimes smooth and fast on one application, while slow on another.

Keyboard. I’m a fan of the Nokia N97 mini’s keyboard. I got used to the layout very quickly found myself typing texts and emails really fast. Unlike the Nokia N900, there are actually spaces between the buttons so they don’t feel cramped. The buttons provide adequate tactile feedback, but I recommend leaving the keyboard sounds ON for a better typing experience. Just like the the 2.0 firmware on the original Nokia N97, long-press on the keyboard outputs the corresponding symbol on top of the letters.

Video recording on the Nokia N97 mini is fine, but I wish it offered more. It records at 640 x 360 at 30 frames per second by default, but there’s an option to record VGA (640×480) too. I like that you can use the LEDs to provide light for video. I wish there was autofocus because the Nokia N97 mini seems to lock focus on far objects. This is great for landscape videos, but people talking to the camera could be sharper. Forget about objects up close.

Widgets. You can install widgets on the home screen of the Nokia N97 mini. These are useful to get quick information without the need of opening individual apps. Android and Maemo however already improves on this by allowing users to have more than one page of widgets with different sizes. On the N97 mini’s homescreen, I included Facebook, calendar, music player, email, app shortcuts, and clock.

Mobbler and Music Player

Ovi Maps. Unlike the Ovi Maps in Maemo, Maps for S60 is actually pretty good for navigation. It’s not free, but a 30-day license in the US is available for about $7. I’m not sure about other regions. If you’re searching for places, I recommend finding it on the Google Maps application and bookmark it for later use on Ovi Maps. Walk navigation is surprisingly useful too. It helps guide you along pedestrian areas, parks, or over crossings while walking. 3D landmarks display buildings for better orientation.

Nokia steampunk case-mods look fantastic

2010-08-29T18:15:00.000+05:30

There’s something appealing about Ivan Mavrovic’s case mods on his Nokia phones. Starting from a base of the Nokia 2330, these steampunk inspired phones are still in working order, and look fantastic. I wonder what he could manage with an N97 mini? Pictures after the break.
What I love is that the design elements familiar to Nokia phones are still on display here, but with a radically stunning style. Perhaps Nokia need to recruit him to do some designer mods on the N8 in time for an exclusive festive version?

More at Mental Design

T-mobile Nokia E73

2010-08-29T18:13:00.000+05:30

T-mobile Nokia E73 Mode Review

I’ve been playing with the Nokia E73 Mode for a few days now and I want to share with you what I think. It’s 2010 and we’re already used to seeing phones with large touchscreens, but it looks like Qwerty-only devices from Nokia aren’t going away anytime soon. The E73 Mode launches for T-mobile USA on June 16th, 2010 for $69.99 with 2-yr contract.

UNBOXING

HARDWARE

Design. Nokia’s design team did a really good job with the Nokia E73. I think it’s beautiful! The shiny titanium strip visible around the edge of the phone complements the glossy display and buttons on the front. If you look closer at the back, you can see that Nokia paid attention to details. The large stainless steel battery door have tiny laser-etched dots and the chrome strip around the 5mp camera lens have a pinstripe pattern that looks cool.

Size. The Nokia E73 is thin, making it very comfortable inside the pocket. On paper, it’s 4.48 x 2.03 x .40 inches. I’m even more amazed when I take out the 1500mAh battery and see what’s left of the hardware. The E73 will be the thinnest full QWERTY keyboard smartphone available from T-Mobile.

Build Quality. Nokia’s Eseries line is known for its build quality. The Nokia E73 is built like tank. A problem with a similar model, the Nokia E72, was the battery cover. You could close and lock, but it still moved around when pushed. The Nokia E73 does not have that problem. For a really thin device, it feels solid.

Internals. Inside the Nokia E73 Mode is an ARM 11 microprocessor clocked at 600 MHz with 128MB RAM. It’s basically the same internals as the Nokia E72 that was released during the third quarter of last year. A major difference is that the Nokia E73 supports the frequency band for 3G on T-mobile USA. I wish Nokia provided more RAM because I encountered some out-of-memory messages when running Gravity and browsing the web. I should mention that I haven’t seen those messages when Gravity wasn’t running. The Nokia E73 provides 250MB for internal storage and a 4GB MicroSD card for external storage. You can replace this with 16GB if you need more space.

Display. The Nokia E73 Mode has a 2.4 inch display with 320 x 240 pixels resolution. That’s a pixel density of 166.67 according to this PPI calculator. Let’s compare it to other devices:

Apple iPhone 3GS: 165 PPI

Nokia N97: 210 PPI

Blackberry Bold 9700: 246 PPI

Nokia N900: 267 PPI

Apple iPhone 4: 330 PPI

The more pixels you have in an inch, the more information they can represent, and so the clearer and sharper the picture. As you can see, the Nokia E73 doesn’t have the sharpest display.

Keyboard. The Nokia E73 is a very compact device, but the Qwerty keypad is surprisingly good. The buttons are small and those with huge fingers might have problems, but the curves on each individual button gives users a good distinction between letters. The tactile feedback feels great too.

Some users might complain about the shortcut buttons to email, messaging, phonebook, and calendar. These are flushed with the display, left-right soft keys, and the call buttons. The tactile feedback is there, but they are close to each other and the thumbs don’t feel any separation. I think Nokia put appearance before functionality on this part of the device, but I actually like it. The spacebar can also be a problem since it only takes up the size of 2 buttons instead of the 4 found on the previous Nokia E71.

Cool shortcuts. The E73 has three cool shortcuts that I wanted to point out. Holding and pressing certain labeled buttons gives you a access to the flashlight, bluetooth on/off switch, and silent mode.

Optical Navi key. Call me old-fashioned, but the Navi key just annoys me. By default, you can navigate through the menu by brushing your thumb across the center pad. It’s great that you can change its sensitivity, but I chose to turn it off after several accidental brushes. The classic directional pad worked fine for me.

Speakers. Call quality is clear on all the calls I’ve placed and received in the past few days. I can use some more volume though because the maximum setting isn’t very loud. On the music-front, the speakers are reasonably loud and have nothing to complain about.

Camera. The Nokia E73 Mode doesn’t have Carl Zeiss lens found on Nokia’s higher-end devices but it features a 5 megapixel camera. The photos are very good if there’s enough light and you hold still. However, the photo quality aren’t noticeably as nice as the ones taken from the Nokia N97 or a Nokia N86. It packs an LED flash for those dark environments, but I would most likely bring a different camera or cameraphone for those nights out.

I don’t like how autofocus is handled on the Nokia E73. There’s no dedicated camera button, but that’s not my complaint. If you have the Navi key turned on, you place your thumb on top of the center pad to autofocus, then press the button to take the photo. Since I turn off the Navi key, autofocus is handled differently. You press the button and the camera will autofocus on the center object then take the photo. There’s no way to focus on an object first then reframe the subject. On the Nokia E72, which is basically almost the same hardware, holding and pressing the center pad acquires autofocus, while releasing the button snaps the photo. I would like that on the Nokia E73 too!

On a positive note, the Nokia E73 provides advanced photo settings like exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity, and even a built-in panoramic camera mode.

The Nokia E73 shoots video at 640 x 480 pixels resolution at 15 fps. That’s not something to be excited about, but this device wasn’t designed to be a multimedia powerhouse. You can also use the LED flash to use as light during recording.

SOFTWARE

The Nokia E73 runs on Symbian S60 3rd Edition FP2. If you’ve been on this site before, you’re most likely already familiar with the OS. The UI looks a little dated compared to Android, Maemo, and iPhone OS, but we’re not here to argue about that.

Switch Mode. This isn’t new for the Eseries, but T-mobile decided to name the E73 after this feature. You can customize the shortcut icons, themes, wallpapers, and more for each mode. With one click you can switch between personal life and work. The idea sounds good at first, but it’s actually hard for me to draw a line between personal life and work. I prefer to stick to one mode and customize it for my needs.

Email. Out of the box, the Nokia E73 Mode makes it easy to set up and access email. Nokia says it supports 90% of business email clients. From the home screen, you click on set up e-mail and fill out the missing information. What surprises me is that there’s no support for Nokia Messaging! That means no push email for my Google Apps email account. Text-only is the default view, but emails in HTML can be viewed with an extra click inside the app. There’s also section in the homescreen that you can hover and a preview new emails.

Browsing. Browsing isn’t something to praise about on the Nokia E73 once we’ve already experienced handheld devices with large touchscreens. Mobile versions of websites work better on this device and I’m glad most sites have mobilized by now. Flash Lite 3.0 is supported, so embedded Youtube videos play within the browser, too.

Music. Instead of owning music albums or downloading music, I prefer discovering new songs by streaming via last.fm or Pandora. Fortunately, there’s an app for that on Symbian. It’s called Mobbler. The traditional way of listening works fine as well. I transferred an album via bluetooth from my Macbook and it showed up in the music library. It’s worth noting that Internet Radio was not included. This is a cool app that was added on the latest firmware update on the E72.

Ovi Maps. Free voice-guided drive and walk navigation is included with the Nokia E73 Mode. This feature is expected on most upcoming Nokia devices, and I’m glad T-mobile did not choose to remove it. What sucks is that they require you to fill out an online redemption form to get the free phone holder mount and plate. They should’ve just included with the sales packaging.

Ovi Store. The Nokia E73 Mode offers integrated T-mobile billing, and you can choose from thousands of free or paid apps and other content from the Ovi Store. During my time with the E73, Nokia wasn’t done transferring over the compatibility settings. Some of my favorite apps like the full version of Gravity, Shazam, and Boingo aren’t available for download yet. I’ll assume this will be fixed by June 16th when the device officially launches.

T-Mobile Stuff. I’m glad that T-Mobile didn’t mess with the Nokia E73 too much. They added a Downloads section that competes with Nokia’s Ovi Store, a free IM app that actually works fine, demo of TeleNav that competes with Ovi maps, and game demos that can be fully purchased from their own Downloads store. They also customized the power on/off animations. In terms of software, I’m not sure there’s anything else that makes the E73 different from an unlocked Nokia E72. It just sucks that the Nokia Messaging service isn’t included.

BATTERY LIFE

The Nokia E73 includes a 1500mAh battery. It is charged though the micro-USB port. It is rated to handle 6 hours of WCDMA talk time and WCDMA standby time up to 22 days. While most of the other phones I use need to be charged nightly, the Nokia E73 Mode doesn’t warn me to recharge until midway of the following day.

VERDICT

The Nokia E73 Mode is a beautiful Qwerty phone for T-mobile USA customers at a subsidized price. It costs $69.99 with a 2-yr contract. ~~I’m currently waiting for Nokia or T-mobile to provide pricing without the contract.~~Full price without contract is $299.99.

It may not have the best video recorder or provide the best web browsing experience, but the the Nokia E73 features an excellent keyboard, great email and messaging, free voice navigation, and a good 5 megapixel camera in a good-looking compact design. It offers a lot of bang for the buck.

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Nokia C7 Preview

2010-08-29T18:12:00.000+05:30

Nokia C7 Preview

Mobile Review did it again by publishing an early preview of the unannounced Nokia C7. This device has been leaked several times already, but it won’t be available in stores until the end of 2010 or early 2011 according to the infamous reviewer Eldar Murtazin. In short, he thinks the Nokia C7 is basically the Nokia N8 in a different body with a lower price.

Here are snippets from Eldar’s Nokia C7 Preview:

Nokia C7 will sell better (than the Nokia N8) due to lower price and will prove that cameras in phones are not so important for average consumers.

The quality of plastic in the white version is similar to Nokia C6 and Nokia N97.

Featurewise this model is a copy of Nokia N8 apart from an 8 MP camera and the absent HDMI.

It has the resolution of 640×360 pixels, 3.5-inches, covered with glass (like the N8) and allows up to 16 million colors. It is based on AMOLED

The handset also has 256 MB of RAM.

BL-5K battery has the capacity of 1200 mAh and offers up to 390 hours in the standby mode and from 5.5 to 12 hours of talk time (UMTS/GSM).

He could not realistically review the camera, because it is a prototype.

Nokia C7 will not attract new customers, but Nokia fans will choose it quite consciously. After all it is the best value for money on Symbian S^3

What are your thoughts on the Nokia C7 so far? Do you prefer it over the Nokia N8 after reading Eldar’s preview?

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2010-08-29T18:11:00.000+05:30

Nokia 5250 Launched – Music-centric & Affordable Touchscreen Device

The Nokia 5250 was officially launched this morning. It runs Symbian^1 on a 2.8-inch screen with 640×360 resolution. There’s a 2-megapixel camera on the back without flash. It is being marketed as a music-centric device that is affordable. The Nokia 5250 is expected to ship in the fourth quarter for EURO 115 before taxes and subsidies.

According to Nokia Conversations, the device will last up to 18 days in standby or up to seven hours talktime. The device looks sleek measuring at 104mm x 49mm x 14mm.

2010-08-29T17:54:00.000+05:30

Nokia N97

Created on 14 May 2009

The world’s first mobile device to stomach a belt-snapping 32GB of built-in storage,
theNokia N97 isn’t shy to
shake up the establishment with its collection of cutting-edge talents.

Clearly straddling the otherwise blurry gulf between smartphone and netbook, theN97 is a mini multimedia computer tailored to take full advantage of this new era of mobile apps via the Ovi Store, and enables you to squeeze the most from the Internet on the move. Sitting on Nokia’s solid new S60 5th edition platform means the high-speed N97 is designed to offer the best possible software experience available on a handset. It’s crisp 3.5-inch touchscreen coupled with custom widget-packed homescreen ensure your favourite apps are never more than a single tap away – it comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Amazon and eBay in tow. Seriously social, the flick-out full Qwerty keyboard makes email a breeze viaNokia Messaging, and sharing photos and video captured using the N97’s 5-mepapixel camera couldn’t be simpler courtesy of Ovi Share

2010-08-29T17:53:00.001+05:30

Nokia N8

Created on 20 July 2010

The Nokia N8 is a new breed of Nokia device. It’s a true mobile entertainment system and it has a brand-new OS to boot. Grabbing the headlines – along with the handset – is the Symbian^3 OS, and boy does the Nokia N8 show it off. On the device there’s a choice of three fully customisable homescreens, improved gestures, new cover flow for music, streamlined menus and support for HD recording. But it’s not just the OS that has us salivating over the Nokia N8.

Where do we start? There’s the 12-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash, the ability to record high definition videos along with the ability to edit them on the move, the Dolby surround sound tech and the dedicated Web TV application.

Have we forgotten anything? Oh, how about the HDMI connector, 3.5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen, 16GB of built-in storage that’s expandable to 48GB with a microSD card, free walk and drive navigation, and that’s all just under the hood.

Not to be outdone by its innards, the Nokia N8’s case is carved from a single piece of anodised aluminium and looks glorious decked in one of five eye-catching colours.

Still want more? The Nokia N8 comes with access to the full range of Ovi services and it’s Nokia’s first smartphone to be integrated with Qt. We’re off for a lie-down after all that.

2010-08-29T17:47:00.001+05:30

Nokia Money – How it works

By Ashish on 29 August 2010

PUNE, India – Transferring cash using Nokia Money is as simple as sending a text message. Running as a pilot, called “Mobile Money Service by YES Bank powered by Nokia” in Pune since earlier this year, users have two types of accounts they can sign up for – Easy Pay and Easy Send. Easy Pay is the basic version, enabling users to pay utility bills and recharge prepaid mobile accounts from their mobile phone. With just a water bill (as proof of address) and their mobile device, users can sign up for the service easily and quickly at a certified Mobile Money Service retailer. From there the process of paying bills can be done anywhere they have a network connection. In some instances, the user will get a alarm added to their device, reminding them a few days before that a bill is due to be paid.

It’s typical in India for one person in the household to manage the money. That’s why Easy Pay enables users to top up prepaid mobile bills on multiple accounts. If one of the kids needs a top up, he can simply send a message to the one who looks after the money (typically the dad) who can then top up his son’s phone from his own device. Fast and hassle free.

Easy Send is a more sophisticated account and features a range of additional services over Easy Pay. Sign up is more involved, with various proofs of ID, signature and address required. It can still be done at a Mobile Money Service retailer, but the more sophisticated services require more stringent identification to comply with the anti money laundering laws. Not only can Easy Send users pay bills and top up prepaid mobile accounts, they can also send money to other Mobile Money Service users. Alternatively, they can use the service as an ATM, withdrawing cash from selected YES Bank ATMs and use their device to pay retailers who have signed up for the service.

The Nokia Money team is working flat out signing up new partners and services to the Nokia Money ecosystem. In recent weeks hundreds of merchants have been added where you can pay with your mobile. In the works are more networks and financial institutions, not to mention increasing the number of Nokia retailers who’ll be acting as outlets for the service. (Read more about Nokia Money).

Getting new Nokia retailers on board is a straightforward process. They need to submit a set of documentation, showing their financial stability and suitability for the service. Training is then provided, so they have the ability to both help users with their mobile client set up and ensure those users provide the correct documentation to sign up for the service. When a user hands over cash to a Mobile Money Service retailer, they simply take the money to the bank, as they would for a regular transaction.

Getting up and running with the service, whether you’re a retailer or a user, is fast, easy and brings a world of new opportunity to those involved. Services which were previously out of reach, or time consuming, fast become second nature to the user. The ambition for Nokia Money is to enable people to connect in new ways, and for money and mobile financial services to become an integral part of your phone. And you know what, it looks like it’s working.

Have you used the service? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

We will also have Gerhard Romen monitoring the comments over the coming days, so if you have a question about the service, feel free to ask it below.