July 25, 2008

Trying to figure out what my next mobile device needs to be. A little history I guess gives some perspective:

I have gone through phones like the Siemens SL55, a Treo 600 & more recently the Nokia E61…

So it’s been Symbian, Palm, Symbian when it comes to the OS… and I have to say that the S60 Series 3 platform has served my needs well. I also have been qwerty-centric since 2003.

However, I have never used a blackberry. A number of colleagues have the 8800, including my Dad and seem to like it a lot. I have played with it and it seems like a good enough device. Certainly an upgrade to previous chunkier BBs.

As for where the market stands today, we have a number of touch phones - the HTC Touch/TouchPro, the Samsung Instinct and the original iPhone come to mind.

The iPhone 1.0 attempt, had unreasonable compromises for me due to it’s lackof 3G and ATT tethering and no GPS.

The 3G attempt has certainly piqued my interest into taking the plunge and trying out my first touch screen phone. I like the media capabilities and the fact that there is a wordpress application so I can blog on-the-go… the browser is full-featured… but the MobileMe execution troubles me. Additionally, the battery life is bearable but not an out-of-sight, out-of-mind asset for this device.

The other option is the Nokia E71. By all counts, it trumps the 8800 BB… it matches the iPhone in the 3G, GPS departments and exceeds it on battery life. The iPhone is the superior media machine - and by that I mean you can interact with the media on the device in a richer fashion. The Nokia will likely take the better photographs & video… but you can’t experience it as richly due to the small screen.

The iPhone’s keyboard takes some getting used to, but it appears to be a bridge one can cross eventually. From the reviews, the E71 has one of the best keyboards & build quality ever seen on a device. Application wise, Symbian has an excellent suite of applications - push Email is now part of the Nokia suite… along with Chat, Maps, Podcasting. The battery is replaceable. Call quality is superb as usual.

Additionally, the E71 is unlocked. I am not at the mercy of a service provider or tethered to expend $1200 over 2 years on communications. I do not like Apple’s consumer practices. I had an interesting discussion about this with Stuart Charlton on his blog...

So, all in all, I am pretty conflicted. I do find the iPhone compelling as a media device. It would certainly be a decent middle ground between my N800 and the E71. But it also means a two-year commitment + there is the possibility of the Nokia Tube & BB Thunder coming out in the next year.

Hmm. Suggestions welcome… I’ll update this entry when I have made a decision in the next 2-3 weeks.

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