New poll - features you didn't get

In this week's poll we'd like to know what are the features you wanted to have but are not available in N95. If you can't find your favorite feature(s) in the poll answers, share your thoughts and your list of features you didn't get by leaving a comment to this posting.

New poll - N95 features

This week's poll is about N95 features. Tell us what features you use regularly. You can select multiple features.

Nokia SportsTracker

When I was checking the Nokia Betalabs site today, I noticed that the list of application shows that Sports Tracker has received the last update on Nov. 22, 2007. However, if you follow the links to the download page, you'll notice that the latest version is actually v1.71, which was published on March 20, 2008. Visiting the Nokia Research Center Sports Tracker page gives you more information. There have actually been six updates since Nov. 20, 2007.

It was great to see that Sports Tracker, one of my favorite applications, has been updated recently. However, it would be nice if you could trust the version/update information on the applications list of the Nokia Betalabs site and not have to dig deeper to find our if a new version is available or not.

Two new polls

To speed things up, this week I decided to add two new polls. In the coming weeks, I'll be adding two or three new polls and I'll also always leave the previous weeks poll(s) visible. Once we are finished with all the polls, I'll post a summary of all your answers.

New poll - firmware version

A new poll has just been published. We'd like to know which firmware are you using in your N95-1.

New firmware - V21.0.016

New firmware for N95-1 was released on March 26. For more info on what's new in this version visit AllAboutSymbian.

For the first time I had problems after updating the phone. I did everything just like with the previous firmware updates. I took a backup of my data before updating and then restored the backup after the update. Something went wrong this time because after the update process I couldn't access my text messages. I could see the list of received text messages but I couldn't open them. Also some of the other settings were not restored.

It's time for your opinion

N95 is a great phone but it also has many things that could be improved. Nokia has already released specs for N96, the successor to N95. According to the specs, N96 is most likely going to receive it's share of critique.

Now it's time to see what N95 users really think of their phone. Starting today, there will be a new poll each week. We'll ask your opinion on N95, it's features and what you think is missing from your phone.

The first poll is about battery life - probably the most criticized feature of N95. Give us your opinion and we'll combine your answer into specs of what N95 or it's successor should be.

Nokia Maps 2.0 available

Nokia Maps 2.0 beta has been announced today at Mobile World Congress. This is a great update for Nokia Maps application. It's still beta and therefore not supported by Nokia Care. For more information read Ricky's preview on symbian-guru.com. To download, visit Nokia Beta Labs.

Nokia Maps is taking maps and navigation experiences to the next level and introducing Walk - pedestrian navigation, in addition to Drive - world class car navigation, multimedia city guides, satellite maps and other innovative features. With free maps of more than 150 countries, over 15 million points-of-interest, the world is in your pocket. Don't get lost or choose to get lost in the right places to explore, and let Nokia Maps show you the way.

Location Tagger

Nokia Betalabs has released another great beta application called Location Tagger. It allows you to automatically tag your location data to your pictures. GPS coordinates are saved to the EXIF header of the JPEG file. This application is intended to give you a sneak preview of features that are planned to be integrated into your phone. Looking forward to future firmware updates with these features implemented.

Top 5 free applications for N95 - updated list

I first made the list of top 5 free applications for N95 in July. A lot has happened since then and I think it's time to update the list.

TOP 5 FREE APPLICATIONS FOR N95

1. RotateMe v2.0 - This is a beta version but the final version should be released soon. RotateMe jumps straight to first place on my list. It's a great tool that allows you to switch from landscape to portrait mode automatically by tilting the phone.
   
2. Google Mobile Maps - The latest version of Google Maps supports the internal GPS receiver. It also shows your an estimation of your location even if you don't have a GPS signal.
3. SportsTracker - New version of Sports Tracker was launched in November and Nokia also launched Nokia Sports Tracker Beta Web Service.
4. Widsets - Widsets is not really a single application but a platform for mini-applications called widgets. Widgets bring you content from your favorite websites to your phone.
5. Opera Mini - Great web browser if you don't have an unlimited data plan - Opera Mini helps you save money by reducing the amount of data transferred

New firmware version now available

Firmware version v20.0.0.015 is now available for Nokia N95. Lots of improvements including new camera software, new version of Maps application and most importantly Demand Paging. I just installed the new firmware and I can confirm that demand paging really makes a big difference. The phone seems so much faster now.

Nokia N95 Software version 20.0.015 released - 26 November 2007

This software version includes battery, stability & performance improvements enabling you to run faster and longer - giving you up to three more hours of music (up to 30% increase, from 9h to 12h of music playback). This release also includes a new version of Nokia Maps which provides faster positioning, faster Map Loader, and free 3-day navigation. Free N-Gage demo games are included and other games are available via Download! With the Nokia Music Store now live in the United Kingdom, users can enjoy the convenience of instant over-the-air downloads, regardless of where they are.

After updating your device software to 20.0.015, and restoring your personal data, you can optimise the menu layout by installing the New_Menu_Structure.SIS file. Download and install this file to rearrange your menu layout specifically for SW 20.0.015. Reboot your device to see the menu changes.

It's been a while since my last post. First I was on holiday and then traveling for business and there just wasn't enough time to update my blog. I didn't even have much time to follow what was happening in the world of Nokia and N95. What a surprise when I visited Nokia Beta Labs yesterday. The betalabs team has been busy.
There are new versions of:

• Sports Tracker
• NSeries PC Suite 2.0
• Gizmo for S60
• Mobile Web Server
• Wellness Diary
• Device Status

And if that isn't enough, there are completely new application as well:

• Internet Tablet Video Converter
• Advertising Powered Download!
• Nokia Audiobooks
• Mosh Client

Looking forward to test many of these in the coming days.

Nokia Beta Labs

In addition to the not so succesful launh of Nseries PC Suite 2.0, Nokia beta labs has recently introduced three great applications:

• Conversation - "Conversation is a messaging application that allows you to follow your conversations, organized by individual contacts. In addition, the application provides an easy way for replying to messages, and to continue the conversations."
• Share Online - "Share Online makes it easy to post photos and video from your phone straight to your blog, photo sharing site, or other online community. You can control the file size and quality of your photos and video, add text to your posts, and browse to your page to see how it looks once you`re done."
• Device Status - "Nokia Device Status is a self-diagnosis tool that allows you to collect detailed system information both from your PC and your S60 device. Your current device configuration and phone settings are presented in a detailed summary, which you can use to determine the exact cause, if you run into problems."

Keep an eye on Nokia Beta Labs for great free applications for your phone.

Finally - Google Maps with GPS for N95

This is great news for all of us N95 users. The latest version of Google Mobile Maps now supports the internal GPS of N95. To see your location on the map, go to menu and select "Show my location".

To install point your phone's browser to www.google.com/gmm and follow the instructions.

US 3G variant of N95 announced

Symbian has officially announced the US 3G version of Nokia N95.

Some improvements over standard N95:

• US 3G/HSDPA/UMTS
• 124 MB of RAM
• 1 GB microSD included
• higher capacity battery

Sounds good! Unfortunately, just like the N95 8GB, also this version comes without camera lens protection. In my opinion this is a big minus. The lens protector in N95 works really well and has kept my N95 camera clean - no dust and no scratches after months of hard use.

Nokia Maps

Nokia Maps 1.0 has been made available for most of the S60 N- and E-series devices. With this version you get free 3 day trial of voice guidance. There's also a new version of Nokia Map Loader available for download (version 1.2).

To download Nokia Maps or Nokia Map Loader go to Nokia Maps.

New Nokia N95 8GB released today

Today at the Nokia "Go Play" event, Nokia released new phone models, among them the much anticipated Nokia N95 8GB. As the name suggests, the internal memory has been increased to 8GB. The N95 8GB has also been given a bigger 1200 mAh battery compared to 950 mAh of N95. The 2.8'' display of N95 8GB is slightly bigger than the 2.6'' display of N95. You can download the full spec sheet here.
The new phone model looks really good. There's not too much negative to say about the modifications. The only thing I can think of is the lack of camera lens protection. In order to fit in the bigger battery Nokia had to modify the camera/lens setup slightly. Unfortunately that means no more lens cover.

Windsurfing with N95

Windsurfer Finian Maynard currently holds the speed record for sailing vessels. The official speed records are set on 500 meter course. During the last couple of years it has become very popular to use a GPS device while windsurfing. Using GPS you are not limited to a fixed course but can measure speed the whole time you are windsurfing. There's even a web site gps-speedsurfing.com, where you can submit your results.

I decided to test if N95 and Sports Tracker would be of any use while windsurfing. I didn't have any fancy waterproof pack for my phone so I just used two resealable plastic bags - I used two to be safe. First I thought of using just the N95 but for good GPS reception you need to slide it open and that's not very practical so I put a bluetooth GPS in another plastic bag.



Everything was set up and I was ready to go. I sailed for about half an hour and came back to shore to check the log. It worked great. Below is a Google Earth screenshot of my sailing session in Mellsten (local beach here in Espoo, Finland). The fastest speed I achieved was 46.7 km/h. Not too bad for a first attempt and considering my not so speed optimized gear (freestyle board and a wave sail). Sport Tracker allows you to export the log as GPX, XML, CSV and Google Earth KML-format. Click the image to download the track log as a Google Earth kml-file.

Best N95 videos on YouTube

YouTube is full of great Nokia N95 related videos. Here are some of the best I have found.

Phone reviews:
Nokia N95 Review (PhoneArena)
Nokia N95 Review (all about symbian.com)

Here are some of the latest additions:
Golf Distance Measurement with GPS
Copy & paste with an S60 phone
Flying with N95 Sports Tracker

More great videos:
A flying Nokia N95
Nokia N95 - GPS Demo
n95 wireless webcam

Six really funny videos:
N95 vs. iPhone - Ringtone
N95 vs. iPhone - GPS
N95 vs. iPhone - China
N95 vs. iPhone - Internet
N95 vs. iPhone - MMS
N95 vs. iPhone - Camera

New firmware - good or bad

It seems like the new v 12.0.013 firmware works great for most of the N95 users while some users are experiencing problems. After upgrading to the latest firmware some phones seem to suffer from strange LCD behavior, unresponsive buttons and occasional lock-ups. See the two YouTube videos here and here. There's also a thread at Nokia Support Discussions.

According to the discussion at least phones with product code 0548763 seem to be in danger after upgrading to new firmware. Whether it's a hardware or firmware problem is not yet certain. If you have a phone with product code 0548763 you might want to wait for the next firmware version before upgrading. You'll find the product code of your phone printed on a sticker under the battery.