Nokia Internet Radio , one of the much awaited applications by Nokia is back on the scene and this time for the S60v5 /  Nokia touch phones.

Good things come to those who wait and this time Nokia Internet Radio does not disappoints with tens of thousands of Radio stations from almost every country in the world , from war torn Afghanistan to Occupied Palestine everyone is getting their voice heard on Nokia Internet Radio . The same goes for languages from Abkhazian to Welsh some 83 languages giving it global outreach.

Audio Quality also does not disappoints , while on the move using EDGE connection , I can shift the Audio Quality to standard to get smooth stream on the road and while I’m at home , I can shift to High Quality on WiFi ( available in Settings)

Stations can be sorted by regions i.e countries and languages with US having the most stations at 4495 followed by Germany at 1657 and Brazil at 1636 , surprisingly UK has only 925 channels on Nokia Internet Radio .  In Languages  , English stations are the highest at 6680 stations , German language stations coming to 1807 and Spanish -  Castilian at  1869 channels .   What I miss the most is Search by Genre , I could easily find news channels and PoP Channels in earlier versions meant for S60v3 nonetheless there is a search option so I can get my BBC any where in the world. 

Nokia Internet Radio is not as ‘innocent’ as you think , when playing radio , Nokia also gives you an option to purchase that song , notice the shopping cart icon

Clicking on the icon will connect you to the Nokia OVI Music from which you can purchase the song , alas this service is not available in Pakistan so can’t try it out

So how are we using Nokia Internet Radio ,  well beside regular listening at home , we have our phone (  N97 Mini )  plugged in to our car via CA-75U Video cable , while on the move we can enjoy music from US , UK and even catch up with latest news from BBC .  When going abroad and feeling home sick , Pakistan is featuring 26 channels on Nokia Internet Radio to get some good quality Urdu dose for us.

Nokia Internet Radio is available FREE of cost from OVI Store and the only charges will be of data usage for streaming audio.

Do tell how you use and what you think of Nokia Internet Radio in comments

Looking through my software repository sources , I came through an interesting find , the Nokia N8’s Web TV Widgets .

Now I’m a firm believer that Symbian^3 is nothing more than revamped SymbianS60v5 running on my N97 Mini so I put the Widgets to test and the results are below in pictures

I was also able to use them as Widgets on my home screen . So what do you say is Symbian^3 just an extension of S60V5 or not

It’s that time of the year when I go on my annual leave with my wife and kids , last week we hit China savoring Beijing and Shanghai and this time it’s time to discover Malaysia . 

The plan is to got o Kualalumpur , Kota Kinabalu , Getting and return home via Dubai ( we need our shopping fix over here ) .  Earlier I used ro rely on Guide Books such as Frommers and all to find out what the city has to offer but now I’ve got my Nokia which is better than any Guide Book with plenty of Applications to help me along the way from maps to city guides to what to see and ofcourse Telephony .

The toughest part is to decide which phone I’m going to carry , my current inventory includes N97 mini , N86 8MP , N900 not counting numerous non smart phones I have .

A very tough choice to make as I want the N86 8MP because of it’s camera , shooting at 8 MP with Face Detection , it’s amongst the best there is eliminating the need for me to carry a simple point and shoot , like my Nikon S550 ,  in my pocket for quick snaps .  I also like it’s FM Transmitter so I can listen to my tunes when travelling long distance from KL Airport to Genting Highalnds . and also loved the flexibility of apps Symbian offers.

I want to take the N97 Mini , a decent shooter with 5 MP Camera , a larger screen on which my kids love to play games .  What I like most about it is that it does not hang on me and has a decent battery life and I also have some 70 applications installed on it to make my life easier

N900 -  every time I touch it , I fell more and more in love with it , although a 5 MP Carl Zeiss shooter , it’s picture quality is marvelous even putting the N86’s 8MPs to shame , the phone has a large 32 GB memory in which I can carry all my music which I can stream through the builtin FM transmitter and also it’s capability to play DIVX movies and show them on screen via TV Out makes it an ideal entertainment device .  Although it does not have much to offer in terms of software it still works .

A tough choice indeed , but finally I have to choose 2 out of the three and I choose N97 Mini and N86 8 MP .  I had to think rationally instead of emotionally , I can take good pictures from N86 8MP and N97 Mini ,  Music can be transmitted through N86 8MP .  I have my apps on my N97 Mini to make my life easy and OVI Maps work better on both as compared to N900 .  So N900 is going in the drawer and N86 8MP into my wife’s purse while N97 Mini will be in my pocket .

Choosing the right phones is the first step , now I’m working on the applications which I’ll need from compasses to maps , travel guides to books I’ll cover it all in my next post My Nokia My Vacations -  The Software Selection

Today WomWorldNokia asked on Twitter for everyone to show their Nokia [s] . Being a mobile fanatic / addict / or whatever word comes to your mind here is my collection . All my phones be they new or old have a sentimental value and attachment to me

Nokia 1100- Over 200 million sold – This is not your ordinary phone , with the condition you can see the what it has gone through but it takes a licking and keeps on ticking . The phone looks like a mess , it had been thrown around , played catch with , got wet in rain , dropped in mud , stepped upon , scratched , battered , kicked , it has seen my temper tantrums and abused without mercy but it’s still alive and good enough to be taken when I’m going rough and is very handy in dark nights with it’s torch and extra extra extra long battery life ( I put 3 extras myself to emphasize on it’s battery life )

Nokia 3310 – Sweet Memories are attached to it , given as a gift on my marriage in Feb 2001 . It reminds me of the days when I tied the knot . Not in working condition anymore , but the memories attached to it does not allow me let go of it .  The best thing I like about it was Xpress On Covers , I was able to change it to a multiple of colors at the time according to the mood.

Nokia 8910i – The Grand Daddy of Sirocco edition phones , my father got it for my mum in 2004 from Dubai returning from a business trip , when he told me that it’s a surprise phone , black in color and costs a lot , I was wow he has bought just announced P910i by Sony Ericsson , Thank God he didn’t and got this beauty for my mum . Times changed so also her phones but the 8910i stayed with me and I still use it on occasions where style supersedes smartness . The phone is still in demand and many people are still offering a good sum of money to get it off my hands , but no sir , this beauty stays with me and is not to be shared -  Yes I’m possessive of it -  Beside pix , below you will also find a video I made of it .

Nokia 8850 – Light weight Alloy  body – White screen , this phone was my father’s first Nokia after the legendry Motorola StarTec , although dead now ( my sister dropped it in pool ) it still has a charm which never let me to discard it . For now my father has a Nokia N97 which he likes a lot ( so much he replaced it with another N97 when he lost his first one )

Nokia N86 – Originally bought for my wife , on her birthday ,last year – We saw the phone in flesh at Nokia Store – Mall of Emirates in Dubai and instantly fell in love with it . A classic phone with 8 Mega Pixel Camera , it has proved itself useful at many family gatherings , finally my wife gave it to me and opted for my iPhone 3G instead ( blame Angry Birds for it  ) . Now it’s my weekend phone and in use when I go out with kids.

Nokia N97 Mini – Interesting story behind it , Nokia Pakistan gifted me a Nokia E72 Black in recognition of my love for Nokia , as great the phone it was , in a few months , it’s battery started having problems and was dying within hours . I went to my local shop to see what I can do with it when I saw the N97 mini , I was originally thinking to get one for my mother who uses a Nokia 5800 XM and Nokia N95-8GB ( it was mine and have been to Hajj and USA with me but my mother liked it’s slider and took it ) and he told me that for E72 plus Rs 1000 additional I can have it and I opted for it of which I am glad as S60v5 especially on N97 Mini has more software available for it as compared to E72 . It’s now being used as my second phone mainly in use for data services , Joiku Spot and tethered Internet connection for my laptop, for my main phone I’m not ‘bound’ with a Blackberry 9700 aka Bold 2

Nokia N900 – It was more of an infatuation when I got it , at first I was thinking that I spent my hard earned cash on a very expensive paper weight but with time , the phone has matured a lot and with help from Extra Repositories , it’s working great now and is now my entertainment and travelling phone with it’s superb camera and ability to play DIVX movies.

Nokia Booklet 3G – Not mine as per say but I got it on trial from WOMWORLD Nokia ,probably the only one available in Pakistan , it’s one of the most talked about Nokia in my collection .  I’ve already covered it’s unboxing and in the next few days will cover everything there is to know about this Netbook called Booklet 3G.

Some of the phones which I earlier had and lost were

• Nokia E61 – my first S60v3 device and the one which inspired me to be a blogger – got stolen in a mugging incident
• Nokia 7650 – My first camera phone , loaned it to a colleague who misplaced it
• Nokia 7110 – featured in the Matrix – got lost from my house – some maid swiped it -  Loved it’s Wheel scroll which was great for playing the Tennis game and SMS
• Nokia E62 – The convertible phone one touch and it transforms from a regular keypad fat phone to full QWERTY petite , it’s somewhere lost in all my gadget archive collection boxes and I’ve yet to find it
• Nokia 3210 – My first Nokia and the first phone by Nokia to feature Xpress Covers , got lost somehow . I loved the calculator function on it which proved very handy at my college

These are just some of the Nokia’s I’ve owned and used , there had been other short term affairs like E75 , X3 , X6 , Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte etc which I used for a few days and returned back to Nokia Pakistan.

So do I classify as a Nokia Fanatic /  Addict /  Freak   and Are you too like me ?  do inform us of the phones you have in comments or to @WomWorldNokia on Twitter.

Since the launch of Nokia’s new Messaging devices , I’d been hearing a lot about c6 being a replacement of N97 Mini , so here’s is specification comparison followed by our thoughts and for both

The pictures above show the C6 and my snaps of N97 with N97 Mini and Nokia 5800 for comparison

Operating System

C6 : S60 V5 with Standby Widgets

N97 Mini : S60 v5 with Standby Widgets

Winner : None , same OS and same feature set

Screen:

C6 : 360 x 640 – 16 million color Resistive Touch Screen

N97 Mini : 360 x 640 – 16 million color Resistive Touch Screen

Winner : Both has the same Specs

Size and Weight

C6 : 113.4 x 53 x 16.8 mm – 150g

N97 Mini : 113 x 52.5 x 14.2 mm – 138 g

Winner : N97 Mini as it’s marginally small , thin and light

Connectivity

C6 : GSM – 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 – WCDMA 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 – A-GPS

N97 Mini : GSM – 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 – WCDMA 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 , A-GPS

Winner : None both are the same

Data Bearer

C6: EDGE / GPRS / HSCSD / HSDPA / WCDMA / WLAN 802.11 b/g

N97 Mini : EDGE / GPRS / HSCSD / HSDPA / WCDMA / WLAN 802.11 b/g

Winner : Same Specs

CPU :

C6 : Single Processor ARM 11 – 434 MhZ

N97 Mini : Single Processor ARM 11 – 434 MhZ

Winner : both are losers as none got the new 600 Mhz processors

Internal Memory

C6 : No onboard flash – 240 MB user available Memory

N97 Mini : 8 GB onboard flash : 256 MB user available memory

Winner : N97 Mni with 8 GB onboard flash

Camera :

C6 : 5 MP back – 30 FPS Video recording at 640 x 480 – Front Cam 320 x 240 – Single LED Flash

N97 Mini : 5 MP back – 30 FPS Video recording at 640 x 480 – Front Cam – 320 x 240 – Dual LED Flash

Winner : None but N97Mini has Carl Zeiss Lens and Dual LED Flash

Battery :

C6: Bl-4J  – 1200 MAH

N97 Mini : Bl-4D 3.7 v 1200 MAH

Winner : None Same Capacity

Talk Time :

C6 : GSM – 7 hrs , WCDMA – 5 hrs , Standby 17 days , Video Playback 4.1 hrs , Music playback 30 hrs

N97 Mini : GSM – 7.1 hrs , WCDMA – 4 hrs , Standby 13 days , Video Playback 3.5 hrs , Music playback 28 hrs

Winner : C6 , although it has the same capacity battery , better power management makes it last longer

Conclusion :

In all aspects , C6 stands equal to N97 Mni , even the onscreen widgets are the same . What matters is the form factor . C6 when closed looks more like the classic Nokia 5800 Xpress Music while N97 Mini copies it’s looks from it’s elder bro N97 . C6 has a plastic body , while N97 Mini has ample use of metal . The Keyboard slide in C6 is straight as in N900 , while in N97 Mini it’s angular making it easy to keep it and view it on a flast surface and also gives it a laptop look and feel.

No matter how we biased we feel towards N97 Mini – it’s the price which matters . N97 Mini when launched was commanding almost double the launch price of C6 and till now in Pakistan the new N97 Mini is sold for Euro 280 while c6 ‘s starting price is Euro 220 which will surely fall with time and soon will be available for 150 – 170 Euros in Pakistan , brining it In many people’s reach

For those using N97 Mini , we don’t recommend upgrading to c6 as it offers no extra value but for those thinking about N97 Mini , we recommend to wait for C6 , as it’s going to offer the same functionality as N97 Mini but at a lower price .

X Series is the new naming convention Nokia is following to introduce their Music centric range of phones and Nokia X3 and X6 are the first in the group .  Last week, courtesy Nokia Pakistan , I got a chance to use the much hyped  X6 , the first Nokia touch screen to come with 3.2 inch capacitive glass screen along with

• 16 GB Internal Memory
• 5 MP Carl Zeiss -  Dual LED flash camera
• HSDPA /  3G connectivity
• Media Bar as in other xpress Music phones
• A-GPS , Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• Stereo Speakers.

The Phone

in Hardware section , the paramount feature of Nokia X6 is it’s glass capacitive screen and it sure is good , unlike the earlier resistive screens where one has to drag the finger to move around the menu , a simple swipe can have the menu scrolling . Those used to 5800 Xpress Music and the likes will love this new screen but those moving from iPhone will still notice the lack in finesse , Nokia just can’t bring in the iPhone feel to it . 

One thing which I missed on the capacitive screen is the use of Stylus .  Unlike resistive screen where I can use the stylus to write down the sms in English and Urdu and let the phone do the hand writing recognition for me , on X6 on capacitive screen it’s not possible .

A quick overview around the phone shows the Call Send and End Keys and Menu Key in the front .  These are inbuilt , under the screen , touch sensitive keys and looks sleek with the touch screen profile of X6 .  The top  front of the phone has the ambient sensor , Front Cam and Proximity Sensor along with the Media Bar first introduced in Nokia 5800 Xpress Music to give quick access to Music , Pictures  , Gallery , Video and Web Browser .

On the top of the phone are the Mini USB Port , Mini Pin Charging point and Power Button .  Nokia has moved to Mini USB charging starting from N97 and N86 but why they are still using mini pin charging on X6 is a mystery

.On the bottom side of the phone are the Mic and the slot to open the back cover .  On the right side are the camera keys , Screen Lock Slider and Rubberized volume keys and on the left is the SIm Card slot and speakers

Nokia X6 is made for music and music is what it does best , it has the usual N Series Music Player software so no biggie there but the speakers are something to talk about . Although Nokia’s designers made a disaster of a phone , the Nokia X6 has pointed corners which hurts when held tightly , the speaker placement is great .   the speakers are stealthy and kept a bit above the bottom so as not to get covered when kept on a surface .  I loved the sound of it with full stereo effects , I can even feel the sound travelling between the speakers , juts one small quip , Nokia still needs to improve the Bass , although it’s better than others but still Nokia should invest in some good speakers for their upcoming phones . 

On the back of the phone is the usual Carl Zeiss 5 Mp Camera with Dual LED flash . 

Build Quality

Nokia X6 is one of the worst built phones from Nokia , hold the phone and it gives out a cheap ( not inexpensive ) plasticy feel to it , remove the back cover and you can physically see what I mean . 

The back cover is thin and flexible , although not intended to , I was afraid it will break even with regular opening and closing of it . Inside the cover is another surprise .  Almost with all the new phones , Nokia is experimenting with SIM Card insertion and Nokia X6 is no exception .  In E72 , there is the slide out SIM Tray , in N97 Mini , a totally removable try and in X6 , as the slot type is same as in Nokia 5800 which requires the use of stylus to take out the SIM , Nokia has put in a SIM Slider .  Although a bit tricky to find at first , Nokia has put in a instruction card on how to use it .

The Verdict

We are totally unimpressed with Nokia X6 . At the first look , the phone is non impressive , in my opinion , it’s designers should get a smack behind their head ,  to design such a phone .  Nokia was the pioneer to introduce phones with curved sides which are comfortable to hold but with X6 they have moved to pointed corners , pointy enough to hurt when hold tightly and is very uncomfortable. 

The Screen is great but we think Nokia can do better with it .  The phone runs the usual S60v5 and the outlook of software is same as in Nokia 5230  .  For a High End Music phone like X6 , Nokia could have come with a different UI , what’s the use of buying a Rs 45,000 phone when it’s software looks the same as the Rs 15,000 phone , although X6 has a 300m plus user available memory as compared to 256 MB on N97 Mini /  E72 and 80 MB on Nokia 5800 and 5230

We loved the Speaker placement and the sound quality , X6 is truly a music phone but Nokia has to put in some checks when playing music .  When we were listening to music on it , and also rolling the phone on the hand , a slight touch on the screen forwarded the song or take it to an earlier point .  We agree Capacitive screens are very responsive , but Nokia should work on accidental touches while music playback which ruins the whole experience .

Material wise , Nokia has to work a lot , the quality of material has to be improved , you have used far superior materials like the Mg Alloy in E61 ( I never saw it being repeated anywhere )  which brought the finesse to the phone and also didn’t added to the weight . A little investment here will go a long way in Nokia’s quality and credibility . 

Overall we give this phone a thumb down , people in other countries may like it as it’s bundled with ‘ Comes with Music’  Nokia’s all you can download for one year music plan but it’s not available in Pakistan .  For the price it’s being sold for , we recommend our readers to get a N97 Mini instead of the X6 .

Today , Friday the 13th ‘09 , a beast of a phone unravels itself to me , and I uncover the l petite and sexy clad in Matt Garnet color The N97 MINI in front of you .

The sleek incarnation of the earlier Flagship Nokia N97 , the Mini is only mini in size , in features well N97 can’t even reach it’s dust   before I divulge any further details let’s unbox it

The Nokia N97 MINI comes in the same box as that of Nokia N97 , the size is smaller and the box is thinner but made of the same Grey recycled Card .  The outer design is also the same as that of N97 with the N 97 MINI Silhouette embossed upon the card complete with it’s directional keypad . 

Unlike the Nokia N97 which has 32 GB of internal Flash memory , N97 MINI has only 8 GB and it’s prominently written on the box along with the mention of Carl Zeiss Lens

If you look at the box , the top has the N97 MINI silhoutte embossed on it with Nokia N97 MINI and Nokia N Seriescatching the eye with   Silver Foil Printing

The Front Wall has the 8GB and Carl Zeiss optics mentioned on it ( pictured above ) while the right wall is plain , the the left side wall has Nokia N97 mini printed in Silver Foil in large not to miss font

Behind the box , unlike other Nokia packaging , no phone detials are given except the mention of the phone and Designed in Finland ( the phone is made in China ) mentioned along with Nokia copyright Infomration and the wordings that it’s a OVI Services Device and registration via SMS is required.

The back wall contains the most information like the IMEI , WLAN MAC Address and most important for me the mention of Pakistan QWERTY Garnet which shows the that phone has the QWERTY keyboard unlike some European QWERTZ and is meant for the Pakistan market and is of course Garnet in color.

open the Lid and first thing you will see is nokia.com/nseries web address and WE Recycle , Nokia Logo open the second and here lies the phone in all it’s glory

The inbox content includes

BL-4D Battery

AC-10 E Micro USB charger Cable

CA-101 Micro USB Sync and USB Charger Cable

and the best of all WH-701 headset with slim remote to control music playback , sound , builtin mic and call Receive and End button .  If that’s not enough the 3.5mm connector is Gold plated for extra sound clarity .

In Paperwork and software  , the box includes

Nokia N97 Mini User Manual

OVI Store pamphlet, some what dazzling in lime color for people to notice and read it and shows how to get to the OVI Store

and OVI Suite CD

So here was what was in the box , about the phone and other details , well good things come to those who are patient   Tomorrow I’ll post a detialed review of the N97 Mini and run comparison with N97 ( F/w 20  to be fair ) 

So be patient , also if you have any questions about the device do let me know so I can answer them later