Posted by Nafisa on Mar 25, 2010 in
cellular,
mobile
Yesterday was one of the best days of my working career (it was also the first time I found myself on the highway at 06h20)!
All thanks to Nokia, who flew ten Johannesburg-based journos down to their Cape Town event to meet the “masterminds” behind Ovi Maps (NAVTEQ), show us the behind-the-scenes of building the mapping database, let us see the N97 mini in the flesh and the highlight – letting us participate in a mini Amazing Race.
We were put into teams of four and sent off in BMW’s and Audi’s, using the Nokia N97 mini as a GPS. I was lucky enough to be in a team of 3 locals, who knew what the clues meant. Read more…
Tags: cape town, navteq, nokia, ovi maps, twitter
Posted by Nafisa on Jul 15, 2009 in
cellular,
gadget,
mobile
Nokia South Africa have very kindly given me an N97 as a thank you for hosting their global ‘Search for N’ competition. I know some of you must have been sick of seeing consecutive Nokia posts so thanks for bearing with me during that time.
I received my N97 on Monday evening and the first thing I did once I hopped onto my wireless network was:
That was me testing the Facebook widget that came pre-installed. I have to admit I don’t like it, I prefer logging onto Facebook via Opera Mini. Btw, the Nokia default browser reminds me of Internet Explorer 
It definitely needs working on.
Read more…
Tags: mobile, N97, nokia
Posted by Nafisa on Jun 17, 2009 in
cellular,
mobile
When I got my hands on the HTC Magic (G2), the first thing I noticed was how slim and sleek it was, compared to its predecessor, the HTC Dream (G1). I’m no fan of HTC (hardware or OS) but I think this model is one that is decent enough to use. The phone has 6 buttons (home, menu, back and search and call & end call) and a trackball in the centre. To the left top side of the phone you will find an additional button that adjusts ring volume.
This is the first touch user interface phone I’ve used without a stylus and it didn’t take too long to get used to. The home screen is customizable and allows you to drag and drop icons anywhere on screen. If you swipe your finger across the screen, in both directions, you will see two additional ‘screens’. The one to the left displays your Google calendar and the one to the right, Google search.
Read more…
Tags: android, g2, google, htc magic, open source, review, vodacom
Posted by Nafisa on May 21, 2009 in
cellular,
mobile
Earlier today I attended the Nokia E75 launch, held at the Skin Sense Day Spa in Rivonia. As you might know I’m no corporate so phones in that range don’t interest me.
I got to play with the phone for a short while and if first impressions are anything to go by, I wouldn’t mind owning this handset. What I like about is that it’s light (much lighter than my N85) even though it has a slide out keyboard. It’s slim, sleek and well, stylish, especially in the deep red colour that it’s also available in. So it gets full marks in the ‘looks’ category but I can’t vouch for battery life etc.
Some plus points:
- supports mobile VPN
- Nokia Messaging – you only need your username & password (supports Gmail, Windows Live, Yahoo! [remind me again who uses Yahoo!], AOL).
- customizeable home screen views for business and personal. So when you get home, flip screens and no work mail coming in.
- data encryption for phone memory and microSD card
View full technical specs here.
Even though I don’t mind owning this device, I’d still pick the N97 over this 
Tags: cellular, mobile, nokia, symbian FTW
Posted by Nafisa on Apr 20, 2009 in
consumer,
mobile
You might wonder why the comparison. These two products are hardly in the same category. But I think one might just put the other out of business. Given the state of the current economy, I don’t see consumers rushing out to buy laptops or notebooks. There have been reports that the netbook market is soaring and sales will grow by 65% this year. At the same time Nokia’s earnings have dropped in the first quarter of this year to €122 million, compared to last years €1.2 billion, during the same period.
Statistics aside, smart phones are now being created to give you the ultimate browsing experience. That’s what the touch-screen Nokia N97 promises. You can customize the phone’s home screen with widgets, watch high-quality movies, browse ‘real’ web pages etc. But what about the price tag that comes with a high-end phone like this? I’m not talking about business men and women who need these devices or the super rich. I’m talking about middle class working citizens who save up, look what the market has to offer, make comparisons and then decide what to go with.
Put yourself in this scenario – would you spend ± 6k on a cellphone and browse the web on a 3.5″ screen or spend about ± 4k and browse the internet on a 9″ screen, with full qwerty keyboard (98%)? It’s not a difficult decision.
The current mobile market is very competitive. It’s not like a few years ago where you knew exactly what phone you were getting. Now all phones offer the same features – so what do you go for?
I’ve reached a point where I don’t go for the phone that has all the coolest features. I’m not big on a GPS merged into a phone. (I think the two devices should remain separate). You can’t put everything onto a cell/smart phone. What happens if you get a call while your phone is taking you to your next destination of if you are recording an interview and your phone starts ringing? What about battery life?
I think if the average consumer is opting for a netbook, chances are he won’t be spending ± 6k on a smartphone.
Oh, I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to get my hands on the Nokia N97. Perhaps Nokia will let me play with one
Tags: mobile, netbook, nokia, smartphone
