The Future of Nokia

i've just read the review of Engadget on the newly released Nokia N8. sad to say, i was unimpressed not on the device but on the reviewer since she didn't cover everything but just pointed out the parts where Nokia wasn't really good at. one good thing about the N8, it can read data directly from any USB device. it's the first smartphone to have that feature. add the ability pair it with a bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mouse, and use the video-out via HDMI to any HDTV and presto!you have yourself one wicked portable computer. one thing that Nokia has is a very big consumer market that has grown to be accustomed to the Symbian OS. it may be outdated and wouldn't be a match to any of the recent smartphone OS like Android and iOS but it stands out in its own distinct way. why?because most people have grown knowing how the Symbian OS works and thus find most Nokia handsets the easiest to use. and that is one of the major selling points of Nokia, together with the affordability and durability of its handsets. i just remembered how my mother who is 54 this year switched her 6300 for an entry level 1208. why?because she found it much easier to use and less of a hassle.

Very true. That's actually Nokia's strongest point --- they invest on the "familiarity factor". And yes, their handsets are probably some of the easiest mobile phones to learn. Whenever I buy a new Nokia phone, I almost never look at the manuals. I just fiddle with the device and figure it our in a few minutes. That's the biggest strength of Symbian. I'm pretty excited about the N8 actually. Well for one the Symbian 3 OS looks to be as awesome as it was marketed to be. But I'm interested because of the very fast 12mp camera. I've seen reviews and the thing shoots like a regular compact camera. My N900 shoots great 5mp photos as is, but its response time isn't that fast. The N8 would be perfect for street snaps. It would be just like having a digital camera handy whenever you need it.

You raised some good points dude. I actually think one factor that could help Nokia regain it's market position is their relatively affordable line of mobile phones. The C6 would be one good example. It's actually a smartphone packed with great features --- with a very affordable price tag. I also read somewhere that Nokia plans to release affordable phones with WiFi capability. If that pushes through, that would surely boost their market presence.

Very true! My brother has an N97 mini and I think it's a killer phone --- especially for the price! I think another factor why most people are turned off is the app store. The OVI store obviously has lesser apps than the Apple store. But for me, that actually is not an issue. Most of the apps that I need and actually use are on OVI. I'm not much of a mobile gamer anyway, so I don't miss the games... but for some, this becomes a selling point. They want the games. That's why they opt for and Android device or the iPhone. The iPhone and Android OS do have slicker and faster interfaces compared to the older Symbian. But from what I've seen from reviews of the the new Nokia handsets, and with my N900's Maemo OS, it looks like Nokia has a fighting chance this time.

Ovi sure is shaping up to be an all in one solution. What I really like about my nokia is the free lifetime navigation. You have to pay for that service on other phones. And the OVI maps application is actually really neat and very functional.

The Meego OS surely will make a huge impact. Nokia delayed the release date of the N9 though so we have yet to see how polished that OS would be. But yes, if they play their cards right, I'm pretty sure they could salvage their reputation and market placement. :)

Oh but the 12 megapixel camera is just the icing on the cake. What makes the N8 and E7 standout from the rest of the Nokia line is the Symbian 3 OS. Most people cringe when they hear the word symbian... hehehehe... which is quite understandable... but the new OS brings one important feature that the iPhone and Android OS could never touch: cross-platforming. because it is Qt based, it means that developers don't need to develop different versions of their apps for different Nokia handsets. With the new Nokias, it wouldn't matter if your current phone has Symbian 3 or Meego installed... all apps will work on all of these platforms... all handsets from the low end to the higher end phones will benefit from the apps. But of course it remains to be seen. If they pull it off right though, I think Nokia has a fighting chance. Just curious though... why do you think the new Nokias can't be compared to the iPhone or Android phones? the Hardware actually compares, in fact, i think it even surpasses the current crop of smart phones. the 12 megapixel cam is a great shooter... i should know because I'm a professional photographer. :p it's no EOS yes... but it's very fast and it's sharp... unlike most phone shooters I've used. :) I asked this because I want to find out if people automatically put down Nokia simply because they are Nokia without even checking out the actual specs of the phone and comparing it side by side with other phones. :) I love the iPhone and Android too... I have an iPod Touch and I'm thinking of getting the Playstation phone when it comes out. But I also have the Nokia N900 and I can honestly say that that phone is the best phone I've used. :) It's actually like a pocketable super computer. :)