[slackline]

Thinking of getting a new mobile and am after some advice.

Probably going to go with 3G as they have some good deals at the moment.  Currently on offer are...

LG U990 Viewty
Motorola RAZR2 V9
Nokia 6120
Nokia 6500 Slide Black
Nokia N95 8GB
Sony Ericsson C902
Sony Ericsson W910i Black

I'm currently favouring the N95, but thats mainly 'cause I've used an old Nokia for years, wife has a more recent model and some friends have N95's and I've been impressed with picture and video quality, web-browsing and the GPS aspects.  But I'd be keen to hear others opinions (one thing that puts me of the N95 is the size, don't like carrying bricks round in my pocket, plus they seem to force you to have a 90mins video calling which I certainly wouldn't use).  Other friends have some Sony variant and are forever bitching about poor reception on 3G which seems strange  ???

Current offers include Skype which is something I'd like, but what I'd be really interested in is whether any of the above listed work with the forthcoming Andriod platform from Google?

A brief summary of desired features are...

• Skype functionality
• Half decent camera
• Goggle Android compatability
• Decent web-browser
• GPS
• ssh
• works with linux 

I've found a video (shite quality)  that purports to demonstrate an N95 running Android but theres disagreement as to the authenticity of the clip in the comments.  Theres nothing searching the Android site, but there is a recent press release about Nokia open-sourcing things so there may be future prospects of things working together even if they don't now (but this is pure speculation and theres no time-scale  )

Also, opinions on the cost/restrictions balance of using t'internet via 3G would be appreciated.  Pricing structure has been read, but I was wondering how much usage people actually get for say the cheapest 1Gb/month?
I realise that Google/Gmail/Google Maps/etc. are available on the N95 but the concept of andriod and the multitude of user developed apps that are already appearing appeal strongly.

Advice/opinions based on experience would be most appreciated 

Cheers.

P.S. Another major bonus for me would also like to be able to ssh to my home comp over t'net too(doesn't seem to be a problem on the Symbian platform or the N95, good 'ol PuTTy  )

P.P.S - Purposefully haven't linked to the 3G offers as I felt it was a bit too spam-like, they ain't 'ard to find though 

[unclesomebody]

You've listed an interesting range of options. Almost like saying "I want to buy a car, should I choose a Skoda, VW, Audi, BMW, Porsche, or Ferrari?". Of the ones you've listed, the N95 8GB is leagues ahead. The rest aren't really as smart.

However, if you want a genuine smart phone, then consider the HTC Diamond or the Samsung Omnia. My brother has the diamond and it's pretty nice but I'm awaiting purchase of an Omnia. It's inevitable that the HTC will be able to run Android when it comes out, and since the specs of the Omnia are similar but slightly better (hardware wise) then chances are that it will also run Android. Obviously these are two pricey phones, but you nearly get what you pay for in this arena.

Failing that, just buy an N95 8GB as it will do everything much better than the other options you've listed.

[slackline]

Yeah, I'm about as clued up about mobile phones as I am about cars    Just caught an advert in the paper and was sucked into checking out the offers, and as I'm starting a new job soon thought I'd treat myself to a new phone (currently use the same mobile I've had for eight years).

I'm not massively bothered about having the latest and greatest.  I don't use a mobile much (about £20 every 4-6 weeks on pay as you go), but would probably use browsing/email/etc. a bit more (have edited original post to include this as a desired feature), but don't want to fork out much more than about £30 a month max on a contract.

Thanks for the pointers on the HTC Diamond and Samsung Omnia, will check those out, but I suspect 'cause I'm a miser they'd work out too expensive for my tight purse.

I think I've probably made my mind up to go for the N95, but thought I'd see if any bods had pros/cons of other models, and I can now scratch another mark up in favour of the N95 

On the Android front I guess in the long-term it shouldn't be a worry since the aim of Android is to be platform neutral, so it'll end up working on most things, unless the phone manufacturers get really arsey about installing third-party firm-ware  .  But given the report that Symbian has been open-sourced I doubt interoperability will be too much of a problem (in the not too distant future).

Cheers for the input Uncle

[Jim]

I'm waiting for the new nokia e66
don't like the n95 at all as its a massive brick, the n82 is a better & smaller phone and has a better camera with xenon flash
the htc diamond and samsung look smart but are £££££
are you looking to go on internet as payg? its too costly on contract, personally I wouldn't bother as its annoying, I'm not that keen on browsing using the laptop, can't beat sat down infront of the big machine IMHO

[slackline]

Cheers for the input Jim.

That e66 looks nice, more rounded than the n95.  Unfortunately the n82 isn't available on 3G.

I went ahead and took advantage of the offers 3G had and should be getting an N95 delivered tomorrow  (current offers end on the 31st July).

Was put of by the size, but after measuring my mp3 player its not much bigger really and I don't have a problem carrying that around in my pocket (I suspect for day-to-day use its now been superseeded, but for longer journeys will still be handy).

Am going to try out the "unlimited" internet access as will be using Skype a bit to call my brother who's just moved to Eire. Cost is £5 a month (subject to "fair usage", well how about sticking to trading standards then and not using misleading wording in your adverts, idiots)

[Bubba]

N95 is a fantastic phone, you won't be dissapointed.

[Jim]

personally I would change the product code and flash the phone to generic firmware. You will loose all the shit that 3g put extra on the phone and get the latest up to date firmware although I'm not sure if you loose any functionality? It's well documented on the web, be well worth reading up on it.
I've done it on all the nokia smartphones (4) I've had and had no problems

[Bubba]

I bricked my N95 the first time I flashed it, and had to send it back to Nokia to get fixed....but the 2nd time it worked. I would also thoroughly recommend doing it as well - the Orange firmware they supplied the phone with was about 8 months out of date.

I think what caused the problem with mine was that when I attempted to flash it I had both the Nokia PC Suite app and the Nokia updater app running causing a conflict in the USB connection. If you ensure that you only run the updater and exit anything else using the USB port on the phone then you should be ok.

[Plattsy]

Currently running the C902 (First non Nokia) and I really like it. Not as function rich as my previous two N-series but certainly quicker for navigation which was a gripe I had with the N-series.

No mention of the new Iphone 3G in your list. This does limit you to o2 I guess.

[slackline]

Was thinking about updating the firmware when I get the phone so will read up on that, neighbours done it (think he bricked his too first time he tried it Bubba).  Will have to look into it though and may have to visit said friend as I'd imagine the updater is an *.exe file (neighbour runs windows)

@ Plattsy : Couldn't see the iPhone listed at the 3G site.  Wouldn't want it anyway, as nice as they are I feel Apple cripple their customers on a number of different fronts (installing software, making API's available to potential programs, DRM, etc.)

All I have to do now is wait till Thursday for delivery.  Specified today, but only received a confirmation of my order, which indicated delivery today, but then received no confirmation of delivery details.  Just phoned 3G who said there was a "problem" with my debit card (they apparently sent and email yesterday pm which didn't even make it into the spam folder) and I would now have to wait for delivery again (no point getting it done tomorrow as I have to go into work and would then have to trek down to RM parcel depot 24hrs later).  Still at least I can spend today sanding and painting my windows instead of working (or playing with a new phone )

[Plattsy]

3G the provider, not 3G type of phone. Sorry have to skim read sometimes. Hope the new phone works out well.

[slackline]

3G the provider, not 3G type of phone. Sorry have to skim read sometimes.

Thats okay we're singing the same tune (I think) as I've signed up with 3G (the provider) and the phones listed were those that were available (and a quick search of their site for 'iphone' returned zero hits).

[slackline]

Bubba & Jim :

Just doing some research on how to debrand and update the N95 and most of the stuff I'm coming across indicates that you need to use Nemesis Service Suite and then the device updater.

I've found mention of someone doing this from Windows running under VMWare (see comments section if bothered), but in a long-shot attempt was wondering if you came across any mention of doing this under Linux when researching and carrying it out?

Not a major problem as I can pop round and use a friends computer, but it would save me a bit of time.

In the long run I'm not too bothered about compatibility as it seems you just mount the phone as a USB device under Linux, copy the apps over that you want to install and then install them from within the phone.

[Bubba]

Yeah, that's what I used - only checked for windows though I'm afraid

[Jim]

I would use windows as it seems quite a few people have bricked their phones although I'm not sure how as its very simple.
Stick to the approved beta and you can't go wrong; I've done about 5 or 6 phones now and never had a problem.

As a disclaimer: if you brick your phone don't blame me

[Zods Beard]

I have an n82 and think it's awesome, the size difference is a real bonus.

[Dr T]

surely Jasper Jr would be the man/boy to ask.....

see in depth discussion here....

[Mike Tyson]

Ah, the thread I can help with!!

Been managing an Orange retail shop for 7 months now, so getting to know the mobile world pretty well! Here is my two pence worth for what its worth.

LG U990 Viewty
Motorola RAZR2 V9
Nokia 6120
Nokia 6500 Slide Black
Nokia N95 8GB
Sony Ericsson C902
Sony Ericsson W910i Black

I own the Viewty myself, it is a fantastic phone. The camera can not be beaten in my opinion. It also shoots movies at 120 FPS, as a comparison the all singing all dancing N96 only shoots at 30FPS. The Viewty is FULL touch screen which puts a lot of people off. I find it fine though, once mastered a doddle to use. Its not as loaded with featues as the N95 or soon to be launched N96 is, but is still a great all rounder.

I'd avoid the Motorola to be truthful. They really are behind the pace with the other manufaturers when it comes to features and useability.

The N95 is a good unit, if as said, a little flabby. The 6500 slide is again good if a little dated now.

The C902 is a good phone as well. Its really popular at the moment and if purchased from Orange at present on contract comes with a free 8GB memory card.... 

I'd probably avoid the W910i as well, very dated now and prone to software issues as well.

When you mention the 3G network, do you mean the 3 brand? There log is a 3, but it looks like its on fire a little.

Be warned though, 3's customer service is shite and a lot of there phones are reconditioned units.

I will have a Viewty for sale soon, its locked to Orange but could be unlocked easily enough. Let me know if your keen.

Hope that helps chap.

[slackline]

Damn, if only I had a little patience 

Thanks for the summary Golt, but got itchy fingers and went with an N95 from 3G.  Lets see how things pan out.

[Mike Tyson]

N95 is a good phone, no doubts at all.

There is so much choice these days, its nuts.

Enjoy!

[galpinos]

The C902 is a good phone as well. Its really popular at the moment and if purchased from Orange at present on contract comes with a free 8GB memory card.... 

I've got one. Lovely phone only draw back being the battery life.

[slackline]

Hmm, getting all geeky now and considering getting a bluetooth keyboard to go with the phone to aid browsing/ssh.  The Infrared ones are nice (e.g.) but a bit pricey, and I'm wary of how well they will actually work.  Anyone else sad enough to use a keyboard and have any recommendations?  Colleague in Australia had one for her PDA, and it seemed to work well and wasn't too big, but no idea what brand/model it was.

Grabbed a rather cheap 8Gb SanDisk micro SD from http://www.memorybits.co.uk/ if people are after cheap memory cards.

[slackline]

Received the new phone this morning and have been reading up on debranding, but just came across this thread which suggests that the Nokia Software Updater won't work if you use NSS to change the product code.

Checked the version of software on there and its v21.0.16 (dated 14-02-08) which seems to be the latest (and allows viewing of youtube vids and flash by the sounds of it) so theres no immediate need to upgrade the firmware, but there will no doubt be improvements in the future, so I'd like to debrand, but am concerned there may be subsequent problems.

Does anyone who has an N95 from 3 know what functionality has been removed/what additional features you get when debranding?

[Plattsy]

The C902 is a good phone as well. Its really popular at the moment and if purchased from Orange at present on contract comes with a free 8GB memory card.... 

I've got one. Lovely phone only draw back being the battery life.

You wouldn't like the N95's battery life then.

[neil h]

N95 is a fantastic phone, you won't be dissapointed.

i agree


I dont really find it a brick, its not that much bigger than other phones out there, I cant really comment on the quality as I have only had it a week or so, but so far really impressed espesially with the GPS and internet, + I get free calls in europe which is a bonus