nokia
Thursday, September 4 2014
[21:49:56]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
Interesingly, where I had service dark areas with the LG/Google Nexus 4, the Nokia N900 has reasonable UMTS reception.
Monday, August 11 2014
[23:10:08]
matt [wronka.org]/Lilith
The sensor in the Illum camera is a bit smaller than I had expected, approximately the same size (and density!) of that in the Nokia 808 Pureview mobile phone. We'll see how that impacts dynamic range.
Monday, July 8 2013
[16:13:09]
matt [wronka.org]/Lilith
Jamie, on her second Nexus phone tells me that over half the battery life in a day is par for the course, while I expected 2-3 days on the Nokia E6 with the same usage pattern.
Thursday, June 6 2013
[05:00:47] matt [wronka.org]/navic I got an Android device because I got fed-up with the broken WPA2 support in Nokia Belle on the E6-00.
Apparently I should have searched through the Android issue tracker first:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=40065
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=51221
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=34212
Basically, the current version of openssl added new versions of TLS (new being used liberally) and many routers, technically broken, won't work with it.
This bug dates back to mid-2012, looks to have been fixed in later versiosn of 4.1 and broken again in 4.2. It's broken in the latest Nexus 4 (Mako) Cyanogen RC.
It's annoying.
Thursday, February 21 2013
IPv6 on Mobile
[03:40:59] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay T-Mobile supports native IPv6; I played around with it a bit on my N900 during their open beta phase. It's now mainstream, and rolled into their standard APN which anybody who's signed-up for an account in the last six years or so would probably be on (apparently some of my phones are still on the old Voicestream APNs which have at least recently still worked). According to them, only certain Android phones still work (half of them are Nexus brands). All recent Nokia phones (S40, Symbian) dating about at least five years should work fine too, the S40 phone I had has an option for it but I seem to recall it didn't work during the beta phase, and Nokia didn't want to support it.
Nokia Belle (S60) on the other hand was as easy as selecting "Advanced Options" from the network definition (when not connected) and changing the type from "IPv4" to "IPv6"; everything works from that point on. Well, except the native SIP client which wouldn't connect anymore (to my IPv4 server) and my J2ME Jabber client which wouldn't connect to (or resolve, I'm not sure which) the server. All synchronization, Opera Mobile, and in-built eMail worked fine; but the SIP client is a deal breaker.
[03:40:59] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay T-Mobile supports native IPv6; I played around with it a bit on my N900 during their open beta phase. It's now mainstream, and rolled into their standard APN which anybody who's signed-up for an account in the last six years or so would probably be on (apparently some of my phones are still on the old Voicestream APNs which have at least recently still worked). According to them, only certain Android phones still work (half of them are Nexus brands). All recent Nokia phones (S40, Symbian) dating about at least five years should work fine too, the S40 phone I had has an option for it but I seem to recall it didn't work during the beta phase, and Nokia didn't want to support it.
Nokia Belle (S60) on the other hand was as easy as selecting "Advanced Options" from the network definition (when not connected) and changing the type from "IPv4" to "IPv6"; everything works from that point on. Well, except the native SIP client which wouldn't connect anymore (to my IPv4 server) and my J2ME Jabber client which wouldn't connect to (or resolve, I'm not sure which) the server. All synchronization, Opera Mobile, and in-built eMail worked fine; but the SIP client is a deal breaker.
Wednesday, May 2 2012
Tizen
[03:59:28] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay Looking at the Tizen site, the first thing I looked at was the devices page which contains no devices, but target platforms (Smartphone, In-Vehicle, Tablet, Netbook); it reminds me of MeeGo 18 months ago.
I look forward to Nokia's next platform 18 months down the road, for Smarphone, In-Vehicle, Tablet, and Netbook devices.
https://www.tizen.org/devices
[03:59:28] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay Looking at the Tizen site, the first thing I looked at was the devices page which contains no devices, but target platforms (Smartphone, In-Vehicle, Tablet, Netbook); it reminds me of MeeGo 18 months ago.
I look forward to Nokia's next platform 18 months down the road, for Smarphone, In-Vehicle, Tablet, and Netbook devices.
https://www.tizen.org/devices
Tuesday, March 20 2012
[14:34:01]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
The Nokia Smart Installer doesn't seem so; it's odd that I have to go through the same install process twice, both times being asked if I want to install the same application, because the first time is just installing the installer.
Wednesday, February 29 2012
[16:00:07]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
The auto-lock setting in Nokia Belle doesn't seem to trigger when the phone is charging. I can't tell yet if I like that or not; it does seem like it should be a bug and not a feature.
Tuesday, February 28 2012
Nokia E6-00 Continued
[21:31:57] matt [wronka.org]/Trip After shipping my first Nokia E6-00 back to Nokia via Clandestine Courier, I ordered a second, straight from Nokia's shall-not-be-named Seattle store front. It had the same issues installing in a virtual machine with Windows 7, but after tracking down a Windows XP physical machine, the udpate seems to have worked.
(A Nokïte did try using the Ovi suite on a physical machine at one point as well, but that had failed previously.)
The WPA PEAP configuration widget in the Settings app still crashes.
[21:31:57] matt [wronka.org]/Trip After shipping my first Nokia E6-00 back to Nokia via Clandestine Courier, I ordered a second, straight from Nokia's shall-not-be-named Seattle store front. It had the same issues installing in a virtual machine with Windows 7, but after tracking down a Windows XP physical machine, the udpate seems to have worked.
(A Nokïte did try using the Ovi suite on a physical machine at one point as well, but that had failed previously.)
The WPA PEAP configuration widget in the Settings app still crashes.
Saturday, February 11 2012
[17:08:17]
matt [wronka.org]/Amabel
S^3 added multiple calendars, which works great with multiple synch targets. For instance, I can add an ActiveSync profile for work and that automatically creates a new calendar. I can then add a SyncML profile for home (as S^3 continues the Nokia tradition of only allowing one ActiveSync profile) and now have two independand calendars with independant, custom, sync schedules. The Nokia rub comes in, now, when I add the calendar shared by my wife and I. I can add it as a new SyncML profile, but only one of those two can autosync.
Friday, February 10 2012
Updating Symbian Devices is Easy!
[23:12:47] matt [wronka.org]/Trip I got my E8 updated. Apparently, it's a rather easy process:
a) Find somebody who works for Nokia.
b) Drive to their office.
c) Ask them nicely to flash your phone.
Apparently the Ovi suite didn't like my phone, nor did it there. The Nokite had to resort to stronger measures.
[23:12:47] matt [wronka.org]/Trip I got my E8 updated. Apparently, it's a rather easy process:
a) Find somebody who works for Nokia.
b) Drive to their office.
c) Ask them nicely to flash your phone.
Apparently the Ovi suite didn't like my phone, nor did it there. The Nokite had to resort to stronger measures.
Thursday, February 9 2012
Adhesion
[22:21:24] matt [wronka.org]/Trip I've been playing with a Symbian Anna phone lately, only in so much as I've been failing to upgrade it to Belle.
If you start it in offline mode, you can do offline things, and even switch it on. However, if it starts with a SIM installed, you get faced with a Nokia Ovi setup screen which quickly, in small print says that Ovi will use data services (way at the bottom of your screen in a small font which changes quickly) and then not give you a clear way of not accepting Nokia's terms.
You can press one of the short-cut buttons (e.g. home) to get a prompt asking if you'd like to make an emergency call. This is a way to get to the active standby screen and start using your phone normally. However, the next time you start your phone you again get the dialog, this time with an option to skip registration. However, the dialog to skip the registration *also* requires you to agree to the terms.
[22:21:24] matt [wronka.org]/Trip I've been playing with a Symbian Anna phone lately, only in so much as I've been failing to upgrade it to Belle.
If you start it in offline mode, you can do offline things, and even switch it on. However, if it starts with a SIM installed, you get faced with a Nokia Ovi setup screen which quickly, in small print says that Ovi will use data services (way at the bottom of your screen in a small font which changes quickly) and then not give you a clear way of not accepting Nokia's terms.
You can press one of the short-cut buttons (e.g. home) to get a prompt asking if you'd like to make an emergency call. This is a way to get to the active standby screen and start using your phone normally. However, the next time you start your phone you again get the dialog, this time with an option to skip registration. However, the dialog to skip the registration *also* requires you to agree to the terms.
Thursday, October 20 2011
WebOS 3.0.4 Upgrade
[15:06:45] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.dementia WebOS 3.0.4 fixed a number of issues for sure, such as the fact that the web browser would crash Luna(?) on certain large pages. However, it also means a lot of patches that made the device usablish no longer worked, the bluetooth keyboard (which previously didn't have key repeat enabled by default) now drops more characters, and often gets stuck repeating in X. Tab doesn't work--it outputs '9', whereas shift-tab does produce a tab sometimes (also ctrl-shift-i). Escape is oddly ctrl-shift-[ now, which makes it seem like the ctrl key is by default broken, or something else, until it is shifted. I should probably xev that.
The tweaks to start X without the keyboard space reserved are gone--all of tweaks is currently broken. X also doesn't want to start vertically now, whether or not the keyboard is connected--this might actually have been an existing issue if there were any record of a keyboard connected. I hadn't spent much time with 3.0.2 with a keyboard stored in the bluetooth devices but not actively connected.
The default WebOS browser and mail client won't connect to my server, and die with unhelpful errors "Cannot load page" for the web browser, and "error code 990" being one of the errors for the mail client (the other being simply indicating a socket connection error). The mail client also doesn't indicate whether the problem is with the IMAP server or the SMTP server. The problem in all cases only happens with TLS or SSL; removing encryption works. I've installed the root certificate, but that hasn't seemed to fix the connection issues--my kingdom for useful error messages. Of course messaging doesn't work with Jabber, and athe existing (7 month old) messaging-plugins package doesn't seem to work with 3.0.4--I hadn't tried with 3.0.2 but it sounded as if it worked from the forums.
It's arguable if I feel like it make sense to look further into these issues. I'll admit a big part of my reluctance is no fault of HP, Palm, or the community but from the results I saw with Nokia where patches just sat stagnant on bugzilla until Maemo basically died. Unrelated to the software front, it's nice to see that HP offers 90 day service, but the actual page reminds me of why I stopped buying Palm which was because when I called them for support on a new device they basically tried as hard as possible to chargre me for the call. Later it turned out they knew there was a static electriciy discharge issue which would often cause the device to lose stored data. I should have gone with Handspring.
[15:06:45] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.dementia WebOS 3.0.4 fixed a number of issues for sure, such as the fact that the web browser would crash Luna(?) on certain large pages. However, it also means a lot of patches that made the device usablish no longer worked, the bluetooth keyboard (which previously didn't have key repeat enabled by default) now drops more characters, and often gets stuck repeating in X. Tab doesn't work--it outputs '9', whereas shift-tab does produce a tab sometimes (also ctrl-shift-i). Escape is oddly ctrl-shift-[ now, which makes it seem like the ctrl key is by default broken, or something else, until it is shifted. I should probably xev that.
The tweaks to start X without the keyboard space reserved are gone--all of tweaks is currently broken. X also doesn't want to start vertically now, whether or not the keyboard is connected--this might actually have been an existing issue if there were any record of a keyboard connected. I hadn't spent much time with 3.0.2 with a keyboard stored in the bluetooth devices but not actively connected.
The default WebOS browser and mail client won't connect to my server, and die with unhelpful errors "Cannot load page" for the web browser, and "error code 990" being one of the errors for the mail client (the other being simply indicating a socket connection error). The mail client also doesn't indicate whether the problem is with the IMAP server or the SMTP server. The problem in all cases only happens with TLS or SSL; removing encryption works. I've installed the root certificate, but that hasn't seemed to fix the connection issues--my kingdom for useful error messages. Of course messaging doesn't work with Jabber, and athe existing (7 month old) messaging-plugins package doesn't seem to work with 3.0.4--I hadn't tried with 3.0.2 but it sounded as if it worked from the forums.
It's arguable if I feel like it make sense to look further into these issues. I'll admit a big part of my reluctance is no fault of HP, Palm, or the community but from the results I saw with Nokia where patches just sat stagnant on bugzilla until Maemo basically died. Unrelated to the software front, it's nice to see that HP offers 90 day service, but the actual page reminds me of why I stopped buying Palm which was because when I called them for support on a new device they basically tried as hard as possible to chargre me for the call. Later it turned out they knew there was a static electriciy discharge issue which would often cause the device to lose stored data. I should have gone with Handspring.
Sunday, July 31 2011
[17:39:43]
matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay
Nokia's really pushing their July publisher's newsletter (for registered Ovi publishers). I've received three copies to the same account.
Wednesday, July 27 2011
One Hour with the WebOS TouchPad
[17:16:54] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.dementia The web browser has different trade-offs with the pre-IOS5 web kit browser. General display is better, but there are instances where the scrolling is broken until you zoom in or out first; support for Arabic is noticeably absent by default.
The device itself collects and displays fingerprints more-so than others I've used (Apple iPad, Nokia N900, Samsung/Google Nexus S).
Oddly, when I set the language to Spanish, it still showed the Google location services terms-of-service in English. Other license agreements were in Spanish.
It required me to create a "WebOS" account with my name and eMail address. It didn't require me to set the timezone, which it presumably got from my location.
My co-worker, and IOS advocate, voiced that there weren't enough apps in the store, and that the UI looked too much like KDE.
I might like it better than an IOS device--the fact that I can switch between the Web browser and other programs without closing each in turn is a large part of this--but I'm not sure that I would buy one on my own. It seems rough still, but still promising. If it hadn't been for the disruption of Palm going out of business and being acquired by HP, I would imagine that a lot of these rough edges would have been polished, and am dissapointed that this hypothetical device isn't what it is my hands.
[17:16:54] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.dementia The web browser has different trade-offs with the pre-IOS5 web kit browser. General display is better, but there are instances where the scrolling is broken until you zoom in or out first; support for Arabic is noticeably absent by default.
The device itself collects and displays fingerprints more-so than others I've used (Apple iPad, Nokia N900, Samsung/Google Nexus S).
Oddly, when I set the language to Spanish, it still showed the Google location services terms-of-service in English. Other license agreements were in Spanish.
It required me to create a "WebOS" account with my name and eMail address. It didn't require me to set the timezone, which it presumably got from my location.
My co-worker, and IOS advocate, voiced that there weren't enough apps in the store, and that the UI looked too much like KDE.
I might like it better than an IOS device--the fact that I can switch between the Web browser and other programs without closing each in turn is a large part of this--but I'm not sure that I would buy one on my own. It seems rough still, but still promising. If it hadn't been for the disruption of Palm going out of business and being acquired by HP, I would imagine that a lot of these rough edges would have been polished, and am dissapointed that this hypothetical device isn't what it is my hands.
Tuesday, March 29 2011
[13:08:27]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
My biggest carp about the Nokia 3710 fold is how difficult it is to remove the backplate.
[18:43:38]
matt [wronka.org]/mobile
Overall, the physical design of the Nokia E7-00 is exceptional. The keyboard is fantastic compared to the competition and the screen is quite nice. The sliding screen makes it easier to hold than the Nokia N900 when I am typing.
[18:46:40]
matt [wronka.org]/mobile
However, despite some additional polish to the UI--which is significantly improved upon Nokia's first touch interfaces and those of th N97--it still lacks the feeling that is present in newer platforms like Android and Maemo.
[18:50:12]
matt [wronka.org]/mobile
Nokia had a couple of very good foundations upon which to build, but never concerned itself with the rest of the metaphorical edificaces.
[21:16:34]
matt [wronka.org]/mobile
Usability carp for Nokia E7-00: trying to swipe homescreens is difficult with a maximal (six) widgets because (at least some) widgets seem to prevent the swiping motion if they get hit.
Monday, March 28 2011
[20:29:41]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
I got a free Nokia E7 to play with; it's a bit thinner than the N900, but longer and noticeably dense. I do like the feel of it, with a slightly more spaced out keyboard.
[20:42:41]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
I plan on trying the Nokia E7 for a while, but I don't see it filling the role of the N900, and it seems too big and unwieldly to replace the Nokia 3710 fold (which recently replaced the Neo 808i). My expectation is that the Nokia E7 would have replaced the Nokia E61 sufficiently, had I not already replaced it with the N900.
[20:44:36]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
Nokia had the right strategy before: Maemo on the smart-devices (mobile Internet devices/mobile computers) and Symbian on its phones (which should have filled the gap S40 is currently in).
[20:46:26]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
I fear that Nokia's change of path will retard the progress of telecommunication devices by about a decade.