Nokia & Symbian: Hurry Up!

It might look like I am becoming a Nokia basher. But beeing a Nokia and Symbian user for quite some time, I really would like to see Nokia returning to the first line of smartphone producers. But they have to move, or they won't catch up to the rest of the field anymore.
Just one year ago, I have been satisfied with my Nokia 5800 XM. In a direct comparision to the iPhone 3G running iPhone OS 2.x, the 5800 has been a clear winner for me.
What happened until now? Apple brought iPhone OS 3.x and the iPhone 3GS, both reasonable improvements to their predecessors. This was enough for me to switch to the iPhone. Apple already announced iPhone OS 4.0, which will probably arrive around June. This one will further improve the platform, and the next iPhone, rumored to be called iPhone HD, will definitely be a step forward.
But Apple is not the only competitor. Google's Android is doing well, and during the livetime of S60 5th Ed., Android users got Android OS 1.5, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 is coming.
Let's compare to Nokia & Symbian. Nokia came out with the N97. Compared to the 5800, it offered a slide out keyboard, a better camera, a better screen and some other improvements. But it is probably to big for anyone except geeks and came with too little megabytes of RAM, making the system unstable when running out of memory. Read more about this on allaboutsymbian.com. This has not been a phone to compete on the high end with the iPhone, even for someone like me who prefers hardware keyboards.
On the software side, this is still S60 5th Edition, now with a new gadgetable homescreen. I just thought "Wow. Is this all you have done in the meantime?"
To be fair, Nokia had quite some work to do in the background making Symbian OS open source and by the way getting rid of UIQ, thus uniting the Symbian community. Symbian started with a very ambitioned release planning, always working on several releases in parallel so they could release a new version every 6 months. Unfortunately, these plans look like they became a litte over-ambitioned.
The first release delivered by Symbian.org, called Symbian^2, is already some months behind schedule. They needed more time for hardening. The original planning has been to release first handsets with Symbian^2 in the first half of 2010. Now, we might be lucky if we see just the OS in this timeframe. And even if it will come out: Symbian^2 would not offer much, which could close the gap to competitors like the iPhone or Android. It looks like the N97's widgetable homescreen will become standard in Symbian^2 and there will be a bunch of updates on network protocols. But for most users, Symbian^2, which has initially been planned as S60 5.1, it won't offer any visible advantages. According to an article from intomobile, Nokia might also plan to skip Symbian^2 and release the next family of handsets with the coming Symbian^3. But this one is late also.
So while Apple as well as Google and their partners are constantly releasing new OS'es and handsets, Nokia seems to stand still. There is no alternative, Nokia has to execute. No more delays in OS releases, get them out of the door. And this time put them into devices without major flaws.

The power connector belongs to the bottom

I have never understood why the power connectors are spread all among the bodies of various smartphones, whereas the is only one logical location for it. At the bottom. Why? Because it is the only position where a car mount could be build for it without any ugly extra cables. In fact, there are countries where it is forbidden to use a mobile phone in the card without a hands free set. This might not be an issue for phones targeted at kids, as they usually won't have a car anyway. But for all phones targeted at adults, especially for smartphones aimed at the professional user, a power connector at the bottom is a must in my opinion.
The people at Brodit are very professional in getting almost every phone into almost every car. But look, what quirks they have to make sometimes. When I had a Nokia 5800, I also had the Brodit car mount for it. But when I dropped the 5800 into the mount, I had to connect the power cable to the power connector at the top as shown at brodit.se. This looks even worse on a N97 with a power connector on the left side.
But there is some hope. Nokia just announced the C6, among with other messaging phones. There is no photo from bottom out right now, but I could not find a power connector on the photos of any other side. The C6 can be seen as a 5800 with a slide out QWERTY keyboard, more RAM and a higher spec camera. Or as a low cost alternative to the N97, if you like. And maybe this time they got the location of the power connector right ...

Update
There is a detailed review of the C6 on mobile-review (thanks for the photo), showing that the power jack is definitively on the bottom. But there is a micro USB port at the top. As mobile-review assumed, this could mean that the C6 might not support USB charging. This would definitely be a shame. When I am at business travels, I hate to carry a bunch of power connectors with me and try to charge as much devices as possible via USB. So hopefully, the proprietary connector at the botton is just an option. But at least, there is a power jack at the bottom, making it possible to build drop in car kits for it.

iPhone vs 5800 Update: RSS and ReadItLater

My RSS newsreader 'Reeder' is one of my busiest iPhone apps. This is how a perfect mobile newsreader should look like. When browsing the news, sometimes I stumble over longer articles which I would like to read with more time and display space when I am back home. This is what ReadItLater is for. From my browser or newsreader, I can mark the URL's and read them later.
This works good on the iPhone. Reeder can mark news for ReadItLater. And ReadItLater offers a great iPhone app to sync my reading list. If I like to, I can sync large articles with images when I am at home via WLAN. And I can read them on the road, even without any network connection. This works perfect for me, 5 points.


Looking at the 5800, things look different. I could not find any S60 newsreaders which a comparable to Reeder (or eg. NetNewsWire) on the iPhone. And none of them offer any integration with ReadItLater (or the comparable Instapaper). When looking for an ReadItLater S60 app, they point to their website, which will run on the 5800's browser. So one could copy an URL from the newsreader of his choice and put it on the reading list via the web interface. This is clumbsy but at least it works, so one point for that. Gravity, one of the only S60 apps that matches the iPhone apps in design and quality adds a second point for allowing to put URL's from Tweets into the reading list.

So my points for RSS and ReadItLater integration:

iPhone: 5, 5800: 2

Summary:

iPhone: 106, 5800: 96

iPhone vs 5800 Update: Audible

Now having switched to the iPhone 3GS for more than half a year, I found some more aspects to compare them. A smartphone has to elimiate the need for a separate iPod, which I use it mostly for Podcasts and Audiobooks.
Though I buy some Audibooks on CD, sometimes I download them from Audible like I did two weeks ago to get Dan Brown's latest Lost Symbol in an unabridged edition. The Audible integration is perfect with the iPhone, 5 points for that. But I found out that there is no officially way to get Audible books on S60 6th Edition devices. OK, one could burn the whole book on CD and re-rip it, but eg. the Lost Symbol contains of more than a dozen CD's, which adds the costs of the CD's and lots of work. At least, there is a way, but I would not want to do that. Only one Point for S60 5th for the option via CD-reripping.

There is an Audible player for S60 3rd Ed. called AudibleAir which offers over-the-air (OTA) downloads. But this is not available for 5th Ed right now, while we are hoping to see Symbian^3 next month. Even on my E51, I did not manage to get AudibleAir to do something useful. The installation is awkward. It is a Windows executable, which installs the software on a SD-Card, so it will be installed when the card is inserted into the device. But this did not work for me. On Audibles help pages, I found the jar-file ... AudibleAir is a Java application. This means, it is constantly asking for permissions several times. At least I manage to login to my Audible Account and browse my library. The app could be switched to German, but failed to display German Umlauts, showing some funny special characters instead. In the End, the application failed to download any of my audio books, but giving me some communication error instead.

So adding to my comparison chart:

iPhone: 5, 5800: 1

Summary:

iPhone: 101, 5800: 94

Ovi Thunderbird Plugin: This is lame!

I have just finished my Blog post about Nokia's Ovi development is too slow. Then I installed latest Ovi Suite 2.1.1.1 to try out Sync with Thunderbird address book. Trying to sync just gave me an error, but at the last startup I got the reason (see screenshot above). I am running the actual Thunderbird version 3.0.3, but Nokia's Add-on seems to be made for some other versino. Hey Nokia, this is lame! Mozilla users are typically on the latest version, using the built in auto update. And minor updates don't necessarily have to break every plugin. See my Lightning plugin. I have this running for weeks, if not months, through all Tunderbird releases from 3.0.0 to 3.0.3. But Nokia failed, but hey, maybe in six months or so they will have an Add-on for Thunderbird 3.0.3. When everyone moved to 3.1.

I don't want to become a Nokia basher. I would love to see Nokia getting up to speed and fix those annoyances. As I wrote earlier: get some more developers and then just do it, Nokia.

What Ovi.com needs

Nokia does not get tired to state, that they are in the transition from a device company to a device and services company. But as time goes by, any results won't show up. Look at Ovi.com and the success they made the last two years. What success? Yeah, that is the point. Nokia is blogging about what optimizations they made to their internal structures and blahblah.

But Ovi.com does not move forwards. With all the 1000nds of people working for Nokia, they seemed to forgot to hire some developers. The output is minimal. Beeing a software devlopement project leader and team leader for many years, I am sure I could generate more output with a few handfull of developers.

Nokia started late in the internet services arena. But if you are late, you should hurry. Nokia instead started late and moves slower than the rest of the field, loosing ground every day.
Apple has been late too, but Mobile me became a somewhat service for iPhone users, though also Apple has much room for improvement.

Ovi.com instead is very limited. Using a Mac and an iPhone with Mobile me, I could edit my contacts and appointsments whereever I want. They are completely synced over the air. OK, on Windows, it only syncs to Outlook, ignoring Windows Live Calendar and Contacts which is probably the default for all non-Outlook users on Windows. There is definitely room for improvement here. Mobile me's iDisk can be mounted via WebDAV, giving me access from all my Macs and PC's, at home and at work, as well as from my iPhone.

So what should Nokia do? Make Ovi.com from a 'me too' offering to a first class service. And not only for your own devices. Make it the best service for anyone, even those who don't use a smartphone. Give it great calendar and contact sync services for Windows, Mac and Linux users. Support the most important smartphone platforms, at least Blackberry, Symbian, iPhone Android and now MeeGo. The forums around the world are full of users looking for an appropriate sync service.
If the service will be great, you could even make money on it. Give away basic quantity, say a number of contacts, appointments etc, for free. And give a much higher quota, or a flatrate, to Nokia device owners.

Sun donated their CalDAV code to you. Use it! Make the calendar accessible via CalDAV asap. There are many users out there, looking for an alternative to Google Calendar for whatever reason. A CalDAV server can be used from the Mac Calendar, Mozilla Sunbird and Lightning on any platform. The iPhone supports it natively and Symbian^3 will hopefully too. But this won't be enough. Talk to Microsoft and license ActiveSync protocol, even Google did. Get all the Outlook users out there, and of course all the iPhone, Symbian and Windows mobile clients. And support Windows Live Calendar, this is now the default on Windows 7, as I wrote above.

And for the contacts: if you will support ActiveSync, you will already get a good amount of devices to support. And for the rest, the Ovi sync application will be appropriate. But don't forget Windows Live Contacts. And also support the Mac Contacts application directly, I don't want to sync my contacts on my device first, to get them onto my Mac. Make an Ovi sync client for integrating Mac and Ovi contacts directly.

Regarding email, just give us IMAP and for the push-mail junkies ActiveSync as an option. This could be an option for Nokia for a paid premium service. No problem. But POP mail is lame, when used from more than one device.

In summary, this would be a service, I would pay for. I now give my money to Apple and their Mobile me, but it is a closed shop. No CalDAV, no ActiveSync, the Outlook sync is lousy and it won't work on any other mobile device than the iPhone. We Gadget lovers DO switch our devices from time to time and I don't wan't to change my complete infrastructure behind it every time. So there is an opportunity to leapfrog Apple with their Mobile me and offer the better service even for iPhone users! And many of them pay 69,95 €/$ a year for the Mobile me service.

Nokia was late with Ovi.com and is still behind. But there is an opportunity to make it a first class service. Just hire some additional developers and do it.

The iPhone 3 GS strikes back

As I already mentioned when comparing the iPhone 3G to the Nokia 5800, there are some changes to come. In the meantime, Nokia launched the Ovi Store and now my brand ne iPhone 3 GS ist here. So it is time to check the ratings, here is what has changed:

Hardware

Display

On my first test, I found the displays quite comparable. But now summer is there and I found that the 5800's display is nearly unreadable in sunlight which will result in 1 point penalty.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 5

Camera

As I presumed, the iPhone's camera did now match the one of the 5800 with 3 megapixel, auto focus and video recording. Both do not match the N95 (which I would rate 4 points) or the N86 (5 points).
Rating: 5800: 3, iPhone: 3

Speakers

The sound of the iPhone's speaker just blew me away. I can't tell, if I have been dumb when I tested them the first time, or Apple did improve them for the 3GS. These speakers a definitely at the same level like the 5800's.
Rating: 5800: 5, iPhone: 5

Battery Life

Though still the weak point of the iPhone, Apple has improved it on the 3 GS, so it will gain a second point.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 2

System Software

Operating System

Though the iPhone still does not offer multi tasking, it now has the notification service, which might be enough for many use cases. It still has no user accessible file system, but on the other hand this takes away a huge amount of complexity from the average user. And with the new mobile me iDisk application, Apple has created an easy way of accessing any kind of files with the built in viewers. With 3rd Party software, these files will also be editable. Apple still does not support SD cards, but with 32GB the iPhone offers enough memory on board, even more then the 5800 offers with the largest supported SDHC-card which is 16 GB.
On the other hand, S60 5th Ed. showed up to be more inconsistent then the iPhone OS. This did not come to my eye when I first used it because I was so much used to S60. But for someone who will use a smartphone for the first time, the iPhone is the much easier choice.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 4

Phone Application

Now the iPhone has a fast search application, making it much more easy and faster to call a contact from the home screen. The 3GS is faster, so it is no delay anymore after the phone is taken from the ear, so waiting for the hangup button to arrive is no more an issue. And double clicking the button can be configured to get to the phone (this could also be done on the 3G, I forgot to mention). The iPhone with OS 3 became a very effective phone, so it now gains the full 5 pts.
Rating: 5800: 5, iPhone: 5

On Screen Keyboard

The iPhone now got a landscape mode for the keyboard, which has been my main complaint with the 3G. On the other hand, the 5800's keyboard showed up to be slower when turning it into landscape and it is less responsive. But it still has tactile feedback and German Umlats.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 4

UI Navigation

The iPhone OS 3 now comes with Spotlight search when flipping left from the first app launcher screen. And that changes everything. To start an app on the 11th launcher screen, you now could also flip left to Spotlight, type the first 2 or 3 letters and run the app from there. So there is no more need for flipping 10 pages in worst case.
The iPhone also learned cut, copy and paste. And it is built Apple like in a very lovely and usable way. The iPhone still does not allow multi tasking, but working with several apps is now easier than before. And on the other hand, the simple UI of the iPhone is easy to use for everyone, even people who have never used a smartphone before.
S60 5h Ed. has more choices, but also more complexity. I now prefer the iPhone's UI for it's speed and simplicity, but someone who looks for more customization might prefer S60.
It now takes about the same number of steps to get things done on both phones, so it is more a matter of taste. The iPhone lacks multi tasking for user apps, S60 lacks the ease of use and consistency. Overall, it is a draw now.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 4

Customization

The 5800 is still more customizable. But in fact, I really never used it. I never used profiles, exept for the silent profile. The iPhone has a mute button just like my good old Palm Treo. What is a number of different color, font & icon schemes worth, if you don't like any and are just looking for a clean look like the iPhone's.
For me, this is not an issue anymore, so I delete this from my list.

Today/Standby Screen

A standby screen with more information like upcoming dates is still on my wishlist. At least, Apple added the Option to show notifications on the application icon, thus gaining one additional point
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 2

Audio Player

Apple made only sligth, but effective changes to the iPod application in OS 3.0. It is now possible to change the speed of scrolling through a title by moving the finger up or down. When I hear an audio book, which could be some hours long, it has been nearly impossible to scroll back a minute. I often need this, e.g. when I hear an audio book in the car and a traffic situation required my attention so I missed a minute or so. This was easier on a click wheel iPod, which I prefered until OS 3.0 came out. Now an iPhone (or iPod Touch) is a full replacement for a click wheel iPod. The only drawback, that remains, is that music can only be synced from one computer. If you are using a different computer and have some audio files on it, you can't get them onto your iPhone without erasing all songs on it.
On the other hand, I found that the podcasting app on the 5800 is a complete mess. It does not memorize the last position, it does forget which podcast has been heard. If you hear a podcast on the 5800 until the end, it will mark it as heard. But if you delete it afterwards, which is what most people do, it will be shown as a new episode. This will cost a point.
Rating: 5800: 2, iPhone: 4

PIM

In iPhone OS 3.0, Apple seemed to have fixed the sync problems with Outlook. Though still not as fast as Nokia's PC-Sync, and it does not give a detailed report, it works now. And it has learned how to sync notes with Outlook. So the iPhone is on par with the 5800 now. It also has the possibility of Syncing with GTD apps on the Mac, like Things or OmniFocus. There is no GTD app with sync client for any platform.
So the 5800 has still a faster Outlook sync and gives detailed information, but still lacks calendar categories. The iPhone has GTD apps with desktop sync. Overall it is - again - a draw now.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 4

Email client

Nokias new mail client did not become as good as expected, and even ProfiMail is not as good in rendering complex html formatted mails like the iPhone's mail app. And the iPhone now has learned to type mails in landscape. So the iPhone will get the full 5 points now. As the 5800's mail client is not that good and the new Nokia mail is sluggish, I will rate it down to 4 points.
Rating: 5800: 4, iPhone: 5

Ecosystem

Application Support

Apple's AppStore just became 1 year old and it is without doubt the best application store in the world. The number of high quality apps for the iPhone is just gigantic. On the other hand, Nokia's Ovi store could not keep up with the expectations at all. It is slow and between all the color schemes, background images and music, the apps are hard to find. There does not seem to be anything like the community of iPhone developers and only a small number of 5800 apps came out in the last month. And most of them could not keep up with the quality of the iPhone apps, though there are some like the Twitter client Gravity.
Rating: 5800: 3, iPhone: 5

Car Integration

As expected, the iPhone now supports turn-by-turn navigation, starting with one of my favorite System from Navigon and TomTom to come later this year. Nokia on the other hand upgraded their Nokia Maps to 3.0, giving a better map display with 3D buildings. But it's main issue, the fiddly usage, has not been improved.

Summary

Hardware	5800	Iphone
Display	4	5
Camera	3	3
Speakers	5	5
Battery	4	2
Build Quality	3	5
∑ Hardware	19	20
System Software
System features	4	4
Phone App	5	5
Ringtones	5	2
On Screen keyboard	4	4
UI Navigation	4	4
Today Screen	4	2
Audio Player	2	4
Video player	5	4
PIM	4	4
Web Browser	4	4
Email	4	5
∑ System Software	45	42
Ecosystem
Application Support	3	5
Development Environment	3	4
Car Integration	3	5
Itunes integration	3	5
Online Services	3	3
Newsreader sync.	4	5
Apple TV integr.	0	5
∑ Ecosystem	19	32
Value for money
Price	5	1
Add On's	5	1
∑ Value for money	10	2
Summary	5800	IPhone
Hardware Total	19	20
Software Total	45	42
Ecosystem Total	19	32
Value Total	10	2
∑	93	96

All other aspects, which I did not mention in this test update did not change, so you could use the old version below. Overall, iPhone OS 3.0 and the iPhone 3 GS have many improvements. The first iPhone was just an interesting concept, but could not compete with the established Smartphones. The iPhone 3G and OS 2.x closed up in many aspects, but not all, so the 5800 became the winner of my last comparision. But Nokia has been lazy, all they did was building the N97, which is an improvement in some areas, but a step back in others. And the software is the same in nearly all aspects, exept for the new standby screen. Wow, a new standby screen, useless for anyone not using Facebook, it seems. The iPhone got all these little improvements, which make up a mature platform. For me, it is now the best smartphone in the world.