Nokia reveals phone testing routine

by  GSM Arena

Ever wondered what kind of testing the hardware of the phone gets before being released on the market? Today Nokia released a video showing more details about its testing facility and the testing process itself. The footage is from one of the 11 Nokia test centers documenting some of the more than 200 mechanical tests that each phone goes through before hitting the shelves.

As you might have guessed the tests vary quite substantially. The everyday use tests include placing the device with a shaker with hard particles to simulate placing your handset in a bag or a pocket with things such as key rings. Splash resistance is also checked to make sure that a cup of spilled coffee isn't going to ruin your evening by turning your phone in wreckage. Dust resistance is also properly inspected.

Bending and twisting tests • dripping water test • dust box test

The resistance to various weather conditions is also examined. Those include extreme hotness and coldness, humidity and continuous exposure to sun, which might cause bleaching.

The funniest part is the robustness testing when they simulate dropping the phone on the concrete, twisting it and applying strong pressure to it. Admit it - it is a nice thing to look at when it is not your phone that gets tortured.

Scratching test • dropping test machine • humidity test

Finally the phone keypad endurance is tested by special robotic arms that simulate several hundred thousand presses on each key. We wonder if Sony Ericsson did this test for the S500 and W580 that earned their sorry reputations for having faulty keypads.

Keypad durability test

We certainly hope that thanks to this intensive testing the endurance of the Nokia phones will improve. It is not too long since some of even the highest-end phones of the Finnish manufacturer used to have paint that is easily peeled off and frames a bit too fragile.

And here goes the video from Nokia for you to enjoy some extensive phone tormenting.



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It's great to know the quality assurance behind gadget/s that we bought!  I also agree that it's nice to look at these different types of testing as long as it is not my phone. =)

To read more GSM news go to GSM Arena

Google offers voice-based search on Nokia S60 handsets in India

According to TelecomTiger Correspondent

Google India today unveiled voice-based search services on Nokia S 60 handsets such as N86, E63 which will now be available with Google Mobile App incorporated in them helping faster use of Google Search application.

Google claims the application is developed according to Indian accent. It also has a smart suggest feature which offer suggestions on search terms query, thus minimizing typing in case one is using the mobile key board resulting in faster completion of the query term.

Announcing the launch Vinay Goel, Head of Products, Google India said, “There's no denying the importance of search by voice in India, and the extension of Google’s search by voice feature to more mobile handsets is a natural next step for our mobile strategy. Speech is one of our key innovations in the mobile space out of the India engineering center. With millions of new mobile users being added every month Google Mobile App’s  will provide them with a quick and easy way to get the required information whenever and wherever they need it. With the launch of this service for Nokia S60 handsets we would be catering to a larger segment of mobile users, as a significant number of Nokia phone users are on the S60."


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Faster use of Google Search application is definitely a plus in mobile handsets!  And providing a tailored service is another plus!...since Google claims that the apps is developed according to Indian accent.  Good job! B-)

Images Taken with Nokia E63

The following are some of the pictures taken with Nokia E63.
Settings:
Image quality: High
Image Resolution: 1600x1200
Flash: Automatic
Night Mode: Off
(All pictures were taken during night time)

 

Camera Review

Now, let's talk about the camera of Nokia E63. If you are the type of person that uses camera from your mobile phone a lot , taking pictures of everyone from fx terminals to MRT/LRT,PUJ's, during gimmicks [of course], etc., and then upload them to all your networking sites, if that is one of the most important stuffs in your daily activities, then I'm sure you'll need  a relatively high-resolution camera...and I guess you'll not be fond of the camera of Nokia E63. Because it has a 2-megapixel camera only. That said, a 2-megapixel camera is not that low.  For me, if I want, and I need a very-high-resolution camera to use in my profession,  I'll buy a digital camera!  B-) For me a 2-megapixel camera in a mobile phone is fine for taking pictures to be uploaded @ facebook! =)

{I'll put some pics taken by Nokia E63 on my next post}


...anyway, to enlighten us, here are some Nokia E63 camera reviews:

According to softpedia:
The 2-megapixel camera has only basic setting and features functions like self-portrait and LED flash. Perhaps the camera is one of the weak points of the device, but this isn't meant to be a camera phone after all. The interface of the camera doesn't come up with anything new and keeps it all simple. The maximum resolution that you can use to take pictures is 1600x1200 pixels, while the maximum resolution for movies is 320x240 pixels.

And here's a camera review from gsmarena:
the Nokia E63 is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera with fixed focus, LED flash and self-portrait mirror. You can't really expect much from a 2 megapixel snapper especially given the Nokia E71 3-megapixel unit was quite disappointing.

Much like the Nokia E71, the E63 camera lens lacks any lens protection. This means that the glass above the camera lens will get scratched in no time unless you use a carrying case at all times. The lack of a dedicated camera key is also a downer.

The camera user interface is very simple and strange in the same time mainly because the viewfinder window does not fit fullscreen. The camera interface is the basic Nokia one (as seen on Nokia 6210 Navigator or Nokia 5320 XpressMusic) and even has fewer options than the one on the Navigator. For example - there's no Panorama mode and the options toolbar hosts fewer shortcuts.
 

SOURCE1
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Nokia Messaging

I have been studying/researching about Nokia Messaging.
Because I am so confuse if it's free or not!!!?!
I went to my network service provider customer service to ask.  They just said browsing the web is Php10/30mins.  Yup! I already know that.  But I'm talking (and asking) about Nokia Messaging (originally called Nokia Email).
That is, pushing your emails to your mobile phone; send and receive emails automatically.  So, why am I asking them?  Because the access point is thru their network.

So, to enlighten us, here's a review
from http://will.ph/nokia-messaging-review/

Nokia Messaging Review
01 Jul 2009 • 12:08 AM

It has been a few months since I purchased Bruce, my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone, and after a few software upgrades,
I notice that performance and usability has been improved. That, or I simply got used to the user interface. So far, I’m happy with it.
With the launch of the Ovi Store, Nokia’s application site, I can now further enhance and extend Bruce’s usability.

One of the apps I installed was Nokia Messaging,
a free application that lets you “send and receive email automatically from up to 10 personal email accounts, each in its own easy-to-use mailbox.”
When I launched it, it asked me if I wanted to connect to the network. I said Yes, and it connected via 3G. I have a WiFi network at home,
and was puzzled by it not asking me how I want to connect to the network. I cancelled the configuration and put it in the back burner for a while.
Until today.

So I recently configured my Ovi Mail account with Nokia Messaging. Take note that the two are entirely different services.
After a few minutes,
it was up and running. I was confused with the email I received when I decided to activate my Nokia Messaging account,
something I wasn’t expecting to do for an app. I mean, why should I need to activate an app that is basically a simple email client?
The email also mentioned that I’m currently using Nokia Messaging on a trial basis. This confused me further.
An app that was listed as free in the Ovi Store now says I’m using it in a trial basis.

However, after some research, I found out that what I installed on Bruce, the Nokia Messaging App, is free,
while the account that was activated was the Nokia Messaging Service, in which the latter will be offered by the Operator in the future.
Here’s where my speculation starts: the Operator will handle data transfers of emails,
checking the 10 personal email accounts that was set up in the Nokia Messaging site, and then pushed to the App. So essentially, this app is free,
while the service of checking those emails and letting you know if there’s new email by connecting to the app,
is still on trial basis and will eventually be bundled with an Operator’s subscription plan.

In my humble opinion (and know that only my opinion is humble),
the Nokia Messaging service shouldn’t be bundled with subscription plans as I assume it will use push email,
and a lot of S60-based Nokia phones still aren’t capable of handling this. At least, that’s how I think it works.

All in all, I’ll just enjoy this ride while it lasts.

Source: Nokia Messaging FAQ
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Now, here's another review, a small part taken from the article
Accessing Gmail from Nokia S60 Phones
by Scott Yang

Nokia Messaging

Nokia Messaging is a push-email-like service provided by Nokia, and currently they are offering free trial and it allows you to manage up to 10 email addresses/accounts.

What I like about Nokia Messaging:

    * Pretty responsive due to being a native executable. Good message listing view. Very concise message view.
    * Very flexible sync options to provide you a push-email like experience.
    * Good integration with the rest of the system. For example home screen notifications. Contacts. Etc.

What I don’t like about Nokia Messaging:

    * Sync chews battery. A lot. It also chews through your data usage, which can be costly.
    * Not Gmail-enough. While it claims full Gmail support, I don’t get conversation view between sender and receivers. Label obviously does not work.
    * Delete emails from Nokia Messaging actually does not delete that email from Gmail, but move to “All Mails” instead. It should have used IMAP command to move it to the Trash for deletion. So I ended up have to go back to the desktop version to delete all the unwanted emails.

Another issue — who knows how much Nokia is going to charge this?

To read more about Accessing Gmail from Nokia S60 Phones,
go to http://scott.yang.id.au/2009/01/accessing-gmail-from-nokia-s60-phones/

If you have any questions about Nokia Messaging or
If you haven't tried out Nokia Messaging get it from http://email.nokia.com
SOURCE

Unboxing Nokia E63

We all love to unbox any electronic gadget!!!
I love this video!  All of us know how it feels like to unbox a mobile phone!!!  Talap! Talap! B-)
Anyway, this is a review by phonedog while unboxing Nokia E63:



SOURCE: phonedog

GPS in Nokia E63?!

Nokia E63 doesn't have GPS! :(

But you still have an option to use a Bluetooth GPS device. 

Here's how:

Navigate with GPS and Maps

Connect your Nokia E63 to a Bluetooth GPS device and find your way with Nokia Maps. Learn how to search for locations and plan your route between them. Browse maps and adjust your settings for navigating. If you are going on foot, know the smart ways to walk to your destination. And don’t forget that you can update the maps you have, and upload new maps of areas you are exploring.

Connecting an external Bluetooth GPS receiver

1. Switch the GPS receiver on.
2. Set up a Bluetooth connection between your device and the GPS receiver.
3. Place the GPS receiver in a position with an unobstructed view of the sky.
4. Select the external GPS receiver when the application opens. The GPS connection is established, and you can start navigating.

Start using and downloading maps

To access Maps, select Menu > Tools > Maps.
When you use Maps for the first time, you may need to select an internet access point for downloading maps. If you browse to an area which is not covered by maps already downloaded to your device, a map for the area is automatically downloaded through the internet. Some maps may be available in your device or memory card.
To avoid data transfer costs, you can also use Maps without an internet connection and browse the maps that are saved in your device or memory card.
You can also use the Nokia Map Loader PC software to download maps. Install the Nokia Map Loader on a compatible PC. You’ll find the software at http://maps.nokia.com.
Downloading maps may involve the transmission of large amounts of data through your service provider's network. For more information on data transmission charges, contact your service provider.

Download maps with Nokia Map Loader
1. Connect your device to a computer with a compatible USB data cable or Bluetooth connection. If you use a data cable, select PC Suite as the USB connection method for PCs, and Nokia mode for Macs.
2. Start Nokia Map Loader on the computer.
3. Select a continent and a country. Small countries may be chosen in their entirety; others have several sub-maps from which to choose.
4. Select the maps or extra services, and download and install them to your device.

Find a location

You have several ways of searching and finding places on Maps. You might know a specific address for the place you are looking for, or if you want to scan and locate multiple places, for example restaurants in the area you are, and you can use the keyword search.

Finding different locations on the Maps
1. A location in the city or area displayed on the current map - Enter the full or partial address of the location in the search field, and press the scroll key.
2. A location in another city - Enter the city and the full or partial address, and press the scroll key.
3. A Specific address, or an address in another country – Select Options > Search > Addresses. You also have to define Country/Region and City or post code for this search.
4. A Keyword search – Enter the full or partial keyword in the search field, and press the scroll key. An alternative way of starting a keyword search is to select Options > Find place > Keyword search.
To set the profile you want to use automatically whenever you connect to the net call service, select Menu > Communication > Internet telephone > Preferred profile.
Tip
If you want to import a location from the Contacts application, select Options > Search > Addresses > Options > Select from Contacts.
Tip
Take advantage of keyboard shortcuts when using Maps.
Left shift key — Zoom in
Right shift key — Zoom out
Space bar — Go to GPS position

Plan a route

You can plan a route with different route points on the map. From the settings, you can choose your mode of transport – Drive or Walk – and preferences for those, which affect the suggested route.
Plan a route and select your mode of transport
1. Open the Maps application.
2. Select a start point on the map.
3. Press the scroll key, and select Add to route.
4. Set your transport mode to Drive or Walk. Select Back to continue route planning.
5. Define your destination and more locations for your route, select Options > Add route point. You can now choose the next route point from different alternatives, such as your current position, My places, from the map or from a search. You’ll see all the route points on your screen.
If you add many locations to your route, you can change the order of the locations. Scroll to the location, press the scroll key, and select Move.
6. When your route is ready, select Options > Show route to see the route on the map.
7. Press the scroll key to Save route, Simulate the route or see Route details, such as the length of the route.
If you have an external GPS receiver connected to your device, you can also choose to navigate to the destination by car or on foot. To start the navigation, press the scroll key > Walk to/Drive to and get guided along the route.

This time, it's not a review.  I'm just providing info for Nokia E63 users.  You could find more information from: http://europe.nokia.com