Its time to move up a notch with my smartphone. I’ve been using a Nokia 6280 3G feature-phone for the last two years and it’s been fantastic but now that the back has fallen off and the front is cracked its time to buy a new one.
The requirements list went something like this:
- Small
- HSDPA
- 3MP+ digital camera with decent optics
- Video recording (VGA @ 30fps)
- Series 60
- GPS
So after I read a few N82 reviews, there seemed to be no question that it was for me. The 5mp camera, direct-to-mpeg4 video, xenon flash, auto screen-rotate, 3.5mm headphone socket and FM radio (old skool I know!) had me sold so I ordered one that should be here tomorrow.
Now I read that it’s got integrated WiFi too. Holy crap! WiFi will be good at home as I’ll use my SIP account for cheap calls to the UK and I can stream music from my uPnP server. (Yes, the N82 supports uPnP too!)
I can hardly believe i’ve paid just 450 Euro for all this tech gadgetry. (Without a contract) Expect some full-on moblogging action (sans my normal Canon S2IS camera) later this week as I’m off to the hills for a few days away with the family. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to the 5 hours train journey!!!
Next step – find a nice fat HSDPA data contract. T-Mobile Germany is at the top of the list at the moment due to their good coverage and inclusion of a big hotspot network. When I’ve done that then i’ll be able to hook-up any UMPC or notebook via USB for full productivity at 3.6mbps speeds in nearly any town location or via Bluetooth for lower speeds almost anywhere.
We’re getting to the point where smartphones are powerful enough to do any tasks given a users time, patience and the flexibility to learn a new operating system. Maybe the addition of a RedFly keyboard and screen is going to provide many people with as much as they need while on the move. Another chunk of uniqueness taken away from the UMPC market? I don’t know yet but I’m going to have a jolly good go at finding out.
Chippy.
