The actual post date 1/10/2011
My world had been much of a Nokia world for years, that is until I got a much desired Nokia N97 (summer 2009). From the very beginning I wanted to like it, I wanted this phone to become my everything, my portable office, my daily minder for life, my companion. In writing and with specs it has everything I wanted in a phone, or so I thought at first.
Nokia N97 had a nice big screen, 32GB of onboard memory and a full qwerty keyboard. How can you not love this phone, I thought to myself. The honeymoon lasted few hours if that. The back cover would not close on the phone, calling Nokia Care USA is not a joyride. It had to be done, Nokia Care was sending out a replacement phone, mine was going to be send back to them. Chaos and complete disaster describes days and weeks of having to deal with Nokia Care USA. Not something I would advise to anyone. Thank God that I have a wonderful Nokia Care point in Poland that has fixed and provided services for all of my Nokia phones through the years. Big kudos to Nokia Care Poland for that amazing and very different experience from Nokia USA.
My new phone arrived, the back cover would close properly now but the phone itself was still a big question mark of execution. Memory full errors, even with minimal use, the phone would hang or crash. We all know the story of RAM/ROM meories on N97 so I'll just leave it at that. Having spend nearly 600$ I felt completely cheated by company that I have grown so found of over the years. I took this very personal, I was so gravely disappointed that I stopped writing my blog. I felt that N97 took everything out of me, that is everything positive there was to say about Nokia high end products. Everybody else was writing about the disaster, I though it was enough. I needed to take a break, look for something fresh, completely atypical of me.
In September 2009, I decided to take that atypical and rather crazy step for me and purchased an iPhone 3GS. I have never really thought of owning an Apple product, much less the iPhone at that. The moment I powered it on, the world of gloom had changed into joy and ease of use. Everything was simple, the phone actually responded and executed my wants and needs without a single hiccup. I though to myself that this is just a new toy reaction, that this bliss will not last for long...boy was I wrong in thinking that. I fell in love with the iPhone: speed, functionality, ease of use, great responsive screen and NO memory issues, was just the beginning of how wicked good the user experience is with the iPhone in your pocket. When summer came, I switched over to iPhone 4 same and even better experience once again, this could not have been coincidence, iPhone to my surprise still works and still provides the best out of the box user experience. I had no active interest in other phones since I got the iPhone. Sure I have played with Andriod but that too proved to be a rather underwhelming experience. I found that what I once thought I could not live without, qwerty keyboard, is just not necessary. I can do it all on a touch screen without thinking twice about not having it as a part of my phone.
In October 2010 an amazing thing happened and I was fortunate to win a Nokia N8. I was very hesitant at first to even get a Nokia phone after the N97 fiasco. Nate (Nokia N8) arrived on November 24, 2010 and from the moment I touched it, it felt familiar yet different. Large screen sun burned orange shape filled my right hand as I powered on this beast for the first time. It fired up fast, smooth, without a single hesitation. The screen popped out with vibrant colors.
First Nokia phone on my desk in many months, I kept on looking at it, the color, felt the build - solid, smooth all around ( except for the N series logo that is rather sharp) it feels great in the hand. Despite the fact that it weights 138 grams it feels light in the hand. There are no moving parts, camera has no sliding protective door, which I think is a winner after the N97 implementation. N97 was an epic fail in my gadget tech life side of things. The 3.5 inch screen is beautiful and pleasant to touch unlike the N97. The touch and response of Nate is more comparable to that of the iPhone which I found to be splendid. It's fast, I have had 10+ apps opened and it has yet to choke, lag ( this unpleasant kind of lag of N97) or hesitate for longer than a fraction of a second.
The pictures I took with Nate were great without much effort, processing is snappy and it feels more like a stand alone cam then a phone. N8 has got it, if it comes to photography its second to none ! Having had Nate for a moment I can say that I am beginning my journey back to Nokia, which for me is an incredibly important experience. Having lost faith in a brand, is common yet not pleasant. Be able to want to return to the brand and give it another try is a win for Nokia in my book. I had loved and cherished Nokia products for years, there was nothing better for me out there in mobile world...that is until I met up with N97. I know I am a woman, I get emotional at times and I am ok with this. Experience with N97 shattered my whole 'Nokia belief system'. I stopped participating on Nokia boards, stopped writing my blog. It was as if a techy part of me had died. I lost my passion for Nokia and felt like I could no longer be objective. I wanted to stop before I became this bitter, disenchanted user of a once loved company and product portfolio.
Today I write this with much joy and a new hope for Nokia products. I am happy to be reunited with a long lost love - my Nokia/Nate. N8 like I have mentioned already feels familiar yet different. The jump from 5th Ed. to Symbian ^3 is big enough to notice changes. It is much more interactive, and feels to be much more in tune with the user. The attention to detail in Symbian ^3 is great, impressive. Tho still lacks flexibility as to how a user can build his/her home screens, it has build on what was already present in 5th Ed. the quick links to bluetooth, connectivity menu, battery meter by just tapping on the top right of the screen are just those little things that make all the difference for the user. It's like the phone knows what user wants once you touch the screen in the 'right' places. N8 feels like a much more synergetic experience, fluid, compelling user to explore further. It feels like Nate wants to take you on a journey, infiltrate your daily life, become one with your daily routines. There is no better feeling to have for any phone user then becoming one with the tool of choice.
The design is very simple, eye candy with simplicity is a winner. There is only one button on the front of the phone, located on the bottom left below the screen. At first I was not sure how well it will function not being the in the center, and to my surprise it works like a charm. It has the natural feel. Not something that user needs to worry about, it just its job. The fact that you can have up to three screens and each of them be personalized in a way user wants, including different wallpapers for each is a nice touch once again for the Symbian ^3. In time when phones have become our tools for life, it is essential to make it OURS, to have it become an extension of all of our daily routines rather than a brick of headaches that one just has to carry around. By touching elements on the screen Nate takes you where you want to go. Much missed threaded messaging and emoticons are standard in Symbian ^3. Another major change in becoming more user friendly, more user focused. I hope that Nokia will continue to listen and build on feedback of what Symbian is still needing to work on. The fact that Symbian^3 is being used on lower end phones, N series as well as soon to be released E series ( E7) is a much welcome trend. OS that is becoming more streamlines and not so exclusive just to certain users is always perceived as more welcoming, more open to thousands rather than few. Nokia remember exclusive does not always mean a good thing. You need to fight for a comeback. Utilize the momentum that N8 has given you, tho its not real competition of a handset right now out there on the market. It's more a choice of connoisseur rather then mainstream. The shooting experience is second to none it is true, but that is just a part of the puzzle. Nokia still has a ways to go. It needs to really start choosing its components wisely in accord with the software so both can play in harmony.
I am happy to write about Nokia fist time since 2009 and have a very positive outlook into the Nokia future. I can't wait to see more promising products along the lines of N8 and E7 with even more robust specs to hit the market and make me want to use Nokia's again as my primary phone. Until that happens my primary device will remain the iPhone 4 and my back up Nokia N8.
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