In 2010, Nokia found themselves in a bit of a spot, with zero hits in the flagship department. The Android OS was just picking up, and in order for Nokia to keep their share of pie intact, they desperately needed a device that would finally give them a victory in the profitable Flagship domain. Thats when they came up with the N8. In that time frame, Nokia had been taken for granted when it came to the budget phones, and even the mid range. However , the majority of the public started to feel that the Royal Blood had run out of Nokia’s Flagship Lineup.

When Nokia released the N8, they felt that they had finally found a cure for their flagship illness. Nokia went all out and fit the N8 with arguably, the best hardware of its time. It was so good, that even the most critical of experts was forced to give this device a look. Nokia those days, never really stressed on things like netbook grade processing power or truck loads of RAM or the sort. Rather, they focussed on giving Users something different with each device. So while the world was working towards making their devices into workhorses, Nokia believed that the N8 wasn’t just a workhorse. Rather, it was a Fire Breathing Dragon of a device with an industry leading camera , HDMI and USB on-the-go ( popularly called OTG ).

When it came to the software, the Finnish engineers didn’t make the switch to Android . Rather , they backed their home grown Symbian OS, and claimed that it was indeed, the most resource effective mobile operating System in the World. Though this had been proven in the past, it was still left to be seen how the new Symbian ^ 3 would run on the in-built processor.

While the Finns were basking in their own Paradise where Symbian was the best, the harsh truth was that, Symbian was not able to stand up to iOS and Android, let alone beat them. But that never troubled Nokia one bit. Nokia believed that the N8 was not another phone that was to be fed to the likes of iPhone 4 or Galaxy S. The N8 was meant to bring out the business benefits of a smartphone.

Did the N8 justify Nokia’s claims ?

Lets go back in time and Find out –

• Design and Display – The N8 did seem a bit big for the size of its screen, But it was, by no means a huge slab that pushed the limits of comfortable handling. The 135g weight wasn’t a design flaw, but rather, it added to the solid feel of the device. The N8 was not sleek and sexy like a Jaguar, rather, you could say that it had the sophistication of a Monster Truck. But the N8 was not in the market to fool around –  It wanted to be the ultimate tool of mobile domination.Sleek aluminum on the sides and the back and a large AMOLED touchscreen up front – There was nothing to dislike about the N8. It was truly, the eye candy of Metal phone fanatics. The front panel of the Nokia N8 was mostly taken by the 3.5” AMOLED display of nHD resolution. Tapered sides and sloping top and bottom make the handset quite comfortable to handle, both portrait and landscape. Back then, the ultra thin Bezel concept had not picked up traction, so the N8 was rather a bit too heavy when it came to bezels.The previous few iterations of Nokia’s flagship absolutely tanked the sunlight legibility test. However, with the N8, Nokia got that right as well. The resolution was the standard Nokia resolution of  360 X 640 pixels. When you stack up these numbers against the then competition, that is IPhone 4 and Galaxy S, you will see that the N8 display had almost 45 % less pixels the best Android displays of the time (854 x 480 pixels) and just over a third of the iPhone 4 pixel count (960 x 640 pixels).Overall, the N8 was a solid device, at least in terms of Design and overall display. The handset was built to last and Nokia had demonstrated the sturdiness of the aluminum shell on several occasions. The N8 was neither impressively slim, nor delicately crafted. Just the opposite actually – It was a solid tool, a little rough perhaps, but sturdy and reliable.

• Connectivity – The N8 came with a huge array of local as well as network connectivity features.For starters, all kinds of network connectivity options were at your disposal – GPRS, EDGE and 3G with HSPA (10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2.0 Mbps HSUPA). The GSM/EDGE networking came  in quad-band flavor and the 3G covers all the five bands available worldwide – 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz. This was probably the first Penta Band Phone in existance at the time.The USB is version 2.0, with the standard microUSB port capable of charging the phones besides transferring data. The OTG feature worked like a charm, though the N8 didn’t seem to comply with Wireless card readers and phones come other brands.Bluetooth connectivity was version 3.0 and came with  A2DP stereo Bluetooth support.

• Camera – The 12 megapixel snapper at the back of the Nokia N8 was one of the main reasons for it to be the most popular handset in the world at the time. Nokia had built a lot of hype about the great shots the N8 produced, and to top it off, they even did some homework and fit it with the biggest sensor a mobile phone had seen (stretching to 1/1.83″ inches). The larger sensor surface clearly benefit its low-light capabilities and dynamic range to a great extent. The Nokia N8 also came with a mechanical shutter, a powerful xenon flash, a 28mm wide-angle lens and a front glass element made out of hardened glass. The built-in ND filter compensated for the lack of variable aperture in those extremely bright conditions when you just couldn’t  increase the shooting speed any more.All in all, With great dynamic range and excellent low-light performance, lots of resolved detail, geometrically perfect lens and, pleasant, but not overdone colors, the Finnish flagship left no doubt as to who was the boss in case of Mobile photography. The only possible areas where Nokia could have improved were the User interface and Flash photography results.

• Battery – The Nokia N8 was powered by a 1200 mAh LI-Ion BL-4D battery that was reportedly quoted at up to 400 hours of stand-by or up to 12 and a half hours of talk time. When you saw this kind of battery rating 5 years back, it was godly, and you could easily juice out a minimum of two days on a single charge.

The Nokia N8 was the best Nokia had to offer back then. Had the phone released a few years before its 2010 release, the World would have crowned this device the ‘ Best in the World’ . However, when the N8 actually came out in 2010, Nokia was’t the same formidable force and had pinned all their hopes on the N8 to stay afloat. Though the N8 didn’t disappoint, it still wasn’t the best out there, and very soon, it had been overshadowed by the overpowering might of Android phones. When the competition got too much, the N8 bailed and thus end its legacy.

This is it for this week’s Blast from the Past. Stay tuned for more Blasts from the past in the coming weeks. If you want me to handle one of your favorite Vintage Phones, do let me know by leaving a comment below or contacting me personally.

The post Nokia N8 – Blast from the Past appeared first on FWNED.

Originally, the phone was designed specifically as a business phone, and was thus, one of the lightest and smallest phones of the time, but still featured a better battery then its predecessor , the 2110. Little did Nokia know, that the phone would later feature in the cult hit ” The Matrix” after which, it would take its place forever, in the mobile Hall of Fame.

When it came to the features, it was already way ahead of its curve. The Finns released an upgraded model dubbed the 8110i, which featured smart messaging, which enabled the users, for the first time, to send/receive ringtones. Later on, Nokia stopped marketing the smart messaging feature, but did not abandon it. The later devices of Nokia also supported the smart messaging feature.

The battery technology was also a bit ahead of its time – there was a slim 400 mAh battery along with an extended 900 mAh battery. Phones today boast batteries unto 4000 mAh or even higher in some cases , but back then, 900 mAh was the stuff of dreams.

The spec sheet may not be loaded for today’s time, but here is what you would get in every Nokia 8110.

Dimensions-141*48*25 mm
Weight-152 grams
Display-Monochrome Graphic
Camera  –
Hardware  –
Battery-Li-ion 400 mAh + extended 900 mAh
RAM  –
Storage-125 phonebook entries
Operating System  –
Durability  –
Colors-Black

All in all, the phone may not look like a superstar today, but trust me, if you ever got a chance to own one of these phones, even as a collector’s item, you would definitely sleep with a smile on your face.

The post Blast from the Past – The Banana Phone appeared first on FWNED.

Lets begin –

• 1865 – 1979

• The Finnish duo Fredrik Idestam and Leo Mechelin founded Nokia Aktiebolag, initially, as a Russian Empire Paper Mill. The company then took a swing at the rubber industry and soon became the leading name in the manufacturing of galoshes, gas masks and other rubber products. Nokia was a King even before it struck the mobile market.

•  Co-Founder Leo Mechelin, then put forward his electrical aspirations and soon , Nokia was making Telephone and Telegraph cables. In 1970, Nokia developed the DX 200, a digital switch for telephone exchanges. The DX 200 went on to become the workhorse for the network equipment world.

• 1980s

• This  era saw Nokia start the mobile revolution. The First ever mobile form Nokia was the Mobira Cityman 900. The device was not just revolutionary, it even gained its own political fan following. Among those who used the Cityman, was the Soviet Chief Gorbachev. If you look up the Mobira Cityman on the internet, you might find it bulky, and rather large, but in its generation, the Mobira Cityman ruled the world.

• 1990s

• By now, the world had joined Nokia in the Mobile Race, but Nokia dominated the 1990s era with innovative and one of a kind devices. The Finnish giant proceeded to design, manufacture and market many devices, gradually decreasing in size as the technology changed.

•  Nokia 8110 (1996) –  For those of you who have seen the initial Matrix movie, you will be all too familiar with this device. It was called ‘Banana’ because of its curved sliding mouthpiece. Its presence in the Matrix Series, made the 8110, the Must-Have device at the time. Even today, many people still hound the streets for the 8110. Those of you who have it, make sure you hold on to it, as this is one device you would regret selling.

•  Nokia 5110 and 6110 (1998) – By this time, Nokia had become the worlds largest mobile manufacturer, and they had no intention of letting that title slip away. The 5110 and 6110 brought with them some new features, the most prominent being, interchangeable phone fascia. The 5110 and 6110, came loaded with SNAKE. The first game on the mobile device. This game went on to become one of the most played games , and even today, people take a shot at that game, and relive the magic.

•  Nokia 7110 ( 1999 ) – This device became the most sought-after device in the world. It was also the first device that came with internaet browsing. The internet was still developing and Nokia was the first to give the people , access to the world wide web, in the palm of their hands.

•  Nokia 3210 (1999) – Nokia didn’t just cater to the corporate or the elderly, they believed in youth power, and the 3210 device showed that intent clearly. The device was fully customisable, came with predictive text and also, some very attractive pay-as-you-go plans. The device immediately struck a chord with the youth and very soon, every youngster in the world wanted the 3210.

• 2000s

• Nokia 3310 (2000) – This device took forward Nokia’s legacy and became one of the best selling phones of all time. Nokia had , by then, become the front runner in R & D , and were known to give their phones. features, which were way ahead of their time. The 3310 came with online chat feature, a feature, which many phones lack even today. The overall build of the 3310, gave it the moniker of  ” The indestructable phone “.

• Nokia 3650 (2003) – By now, mobile camera were emerging, and just when people thought that the world had caught up with Nokia, the Finns replied with the 3650. This phone gave the world a whole new level of media – Video Recording. This phone allowed users to record videos and view them. A feature , no one had even thought was possible to implement, had just been justified by Nokia.

•  Nokia 6650 (2003) – The Finnish were on top of the world and as a Thank you, they gave us the 6650 – The world’s first 3G phone, which allowed users to browse the web, download music and watch videos on the move. As usual, the device became a rage, and Nokia slept yet another good night.

•  Nokia 7710 ( 2004 ) – By then, the market was saturated with phones which had the standard keypad, and people wanted something new. Little did they know, Nokia had already heard their requests, and out came the 7710, the world’s first touch screen device. Back then, the very fact that a phone would work withoout buttons, was enough to raise everyone’s eyebrows, and thus , yet again, Nokia struck a home run, and it seemed, there was no end to this flawless run.

•  2004 would , incidentally,mark the last successful year for Nokia. In 2005, Nokia brought out its ‘N’ lineup , and for the first time, they admit, that although they were still the top manufacturer, they were seeing falling sales and as a result, they were losing their market share to competitors. The ‘N’ lineup had its share of ups and downs , mostly downs, as the devices were performing poorly and did no justice to the rather flawless reputation of Nokia.

•  In 2007, Nokia was involved in one of the biggest product recalls in history, after admitting 46 million phone batteries could be faulty. 2007 also saw the launch of the next big thing in the mobile phone revolution- The Apple iPhone.

•  In 2008, Nokia acquired the Mobile OS company Symbian in a bid to recover from their sudden tumble, and although, Symbian and Nokia did have a good run, it was still not enough to catch up with Apple and Android.

• 2010-onwards

• Apple and Android had just about killed Nokia, which led to Nokia ending Symbian and adopting the Windows Phone OS instead to take the fight to its competitors. This decision , according to me, is the only reason why Nokia is dead right now. When Android was to debut, Google had approached Nokia first, and Nokia turned them down in favor of the then-under-development Windows OS. Had Nokia accepted the Android deal, the story would have been competely different.

•  Nokia tried its best to make the best out of the Microsoft deal , but despite the launch of the Lumia lineup, It was Samsung who ousted Nokia , and took its place as the world’s top mobile phone manufacturer. Nokia on the other hand issued their third profit warning in just a year.

•  After repeated failure, Nokia’s smartphone division was bought over by Microsoft for a mere 5.44 bn Euros. After a brief run, Microsoft announced that the Nokia Badge would be phased out of their devices, thus bringing an end to Nokia.

I believe all stories have a happy ending, and if the ending is not happy, the story is yet to end. Nokia is a brand which will have no death, and I am sure, when December 2015 arrives, the Finns will rise again, and this time, for good.

I would like to thank the folks at MobileMadHouse UK who provided me an amazing infographic which I could use as reference for my piece. You can check out the Infographic here. This infographic will fill in any gaps I may have inadvertantly left behind, and hopefully you all will pardon me for it.

Thank you and All Hail Nokia.

The post Nokia Tribute appeared first on FWNED.

The Nokia N1 has created quite the buzz today around the internet today. That is because the high-flying tablet was sold out within 4 minutes of release in China, 20,000 units were sold overall. When you bundle top of the line specs with a low price point, its bound to sell; just look at the OnePlus One.

The Nokia N1 is essentially a “poor man’s” iPad Mini 3. It comes in at almost half the cost of the Apple device and features better specs. This lead to such a success in China, where the device was priced at CNY 1599, which equates to around $260 USD. This is near the rumored price of the Nokia N1 going for $249.99 in the United States, more so now that the price in China was announced.

If you were looking to snag a Nokia N1, more units will be available starting on January 15th. It is unknown how many will be made available. The device has also yet to have a release date announced for the United States and other countries outside of China. Seeing the success the tablet has had already in China, look for a release date to come soon.

The Nokia N1 features a 7.9 inch display with a resolution of 1536 x 2048 (324 ppi). It comes with Intel’s mobile processor, the Atom Z3590 which is clocked at 2.3 GHz backed up by 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of ROM. Android 5.0 Lollipop rounds out the device on the inside, which is all encased by a slim and sleek metal chassis.

If you would like to continue reading about the Nokia N1:

• Nokia N1 beats iPad 3 — Is this Possible?!
• Nokia N1 vs iPad Mini 3 spec comparison [Spec Off]
• Nokia N1: Nokia re-enters mobile market with Android-powered tablet

Source: Blogjackphone | Via: AndroidGuys

The post Nokia N1: 20,000 units sold in a span of 4 minutes in China [sold out] appeared first on FWNED.

There has been a lot of buzz recently about how the Nokia N1 Tab scored a comprehensive victory over the iPad Mini 3, in the AnTuTu benchmark showdown. A win so comprehensive, that it has actually sparked a surreal interest among people about this almost ordinary tablet. We all know that the AnTuTu benchmark is sort of a no-load test, in order to get an unbiased performance report. But what would the outcome really be if the two tablets were brought inside the ring for an all out brawl? Can the N1 emerge victorious and seal the deal once and for all ? Or will the iPad mini 3 rise to the occasion and take down the new tablet Star – Lets find out

• Connectivity – The N1 has no SIMsupport, and thus does not even qualify for this criteria. The iPad Mini 3 however, supports sim card for data connectivity. The lack of SIM support , will prove to be a big negative for the N1, giving the iPad the clear victory here.

• Display – Funny enough, both devices have the same screen size, same resolution, and even the same pixel density. Its no wonder that the N1 has been called the iPad’s twin. The only difference in the displays is that the N1 lacks the oloephobic coating, which is exclusive to Apple.

• Performance – The performance is where the N1 steps up. The Quad core 2.3 GHz  Intel Atom chipset will most likely run circles around the Apple A7 chipset, and AnTuTu has further approved this claim. The N1 scored a 45,121 on the CPU efficiency test, convincingly beating the iPad , which came second with a score of 28,446. The image processing efficiency, too , was bagged by the N1 with a score 12,623 compared to 10,102 scored by the iPad. It must be noted that , the  N1 not only beat the iPad, it actually beat every single tablet in its segment. The clear victor in performance is the N1.

• Memory – The N1 has only a 32 GB variant while the iPad comes in three variants , namely , the 16/64/128 GB variants. However, for people who like Multi- tasking, its worth noting that, the N1 comes with 2 GB RAM, while the iPad comes with only a gig of RAM. So, for people who want more memory, go for the iPad, but for the performance Junkies, the N1 is your best bet of the two.

• Camera – Tablets are not necessarily top choice for photography, but has not stopped Nokia from giving us a decent camera package. To be precise, we get a 8MP rear camera and a 5 MP Front Snapper. The iPad gives us 5MP rear camera  and a 1.2 MP Front camera. In a nutshell, if you ever feel the need to click a quick picture , and you only have your tablet at hand, the N1 will not disappoint.

• Battery – The N1 features a 5300 mAh battery, while the iPad comes loaded with a 6470 mAh battery. The iPad clearly has the larger battery, but we must keep in mind that, the device also supports data connectivity, and requires a larger battery to take it through the day. However, the 6470 mAh can easily cater to the data and still give you a day or two on a single charge. I must give this one to the iPad.

Overall, it looks like the N1 actually has the upperhand over the iPad , and has clearly justified the hype surrounding it. The N1 costs $260 while the iPad mini 3 starts from $399, making the former the more economic of the two.

When is comes to deciding between the two, here’s a quick tip –

If you are an Apple loyalist and cannot do without the UI, then the iPad should be your clear choice.

For everyone else, the N1 is a tablet worth considering.

If you would like to see an in-depth spec comparison, view our Nokia N1 vs. iPad Mini 3 Spec Off

The post Nokia N1 beats iPad 3 — Is this Possible?! appeared first on FWNED.