Why would you talk down features Brian? I mean wouldn’t you want a 5 MP, video shooting, gps directing, mp3 playing, internet surfing, wifi enabled, cell phone?
Brian, it’s totally understandable that the phone might not be for you — if all you want is a simple, makes-phone-calls-well device, then stick with your RAZR, by all means. But certainly you do recognize that there is a large (and growing) contingent of people that do want a be-all-end-all device that can finally make them stop having to carry around a digital camera, GPS, iPod, PDA, and cell phone at the same time — right?
The Nokia N95 is the closest thing to realizing that goal to date. It’s a great 5MP camera with a Carl Zeiss lens, it’s a very good GPS, it’s a fully-loaded mini-computer/PDA running probably the best smartphone OS out there, it handles audio and video like a champ, it’s infinitely expandable with the memory card slot, it’s got a web browser based on WebKit (just like Safari) and WiFi to use it on — it really does seem to have it all. Yes, it’ll be $800 or so — but lots of people will find that well worth it if the phone is really all it’s cracked up to be.
For me, it looks like a dream device. The only thing it doesn’t have that (I think) I want is QWERTY. I’m not sure if that’s a dealbreaker or not. We’ll see when it comes out on this side of the pond.
I believe that there are a lot of people that feel as though they “want” all of that. I also believe that the number of people who “use” all of that is probably significantly smaller.
I believe that there are a lot of people that feel as though they ‘want’ all of that. I also believe that the number of people who ‘use’ all of that is probably significantly smaller.
I’m not so sure. The Blackberry/Treo crowd is a pretty serious/devoted/intense set of mobile device users. And those things suck compared to the N95…
There is “a” market for it, and it annoys me that when you go to purchase a phone, to get one that doesn’t have some of those devices on it you pretty much have to get the free/$10 junky phone that comes with your plan. (Those may actually have cameras now too.)
I think if someone made a device that focused on “being a phone” and that had the sort of attention to design that you find on the RAZR (maybe minus some of its defects — mine is way too quiet) that you’d find that there is a bigger market for that.
My guess is that when/if Apple releases a smart phone, the first thing you’re going to hear is that “it doesn’t do enough to be considered a smart phone.” The next thing you’re going to hear is the sound of people lining up for one.
You act like there’s not a HUGE movement going on in cell phones right now towards the feature-less, simple phone. There just as many companies trying to make the killer not-smart-at-all phone as there are trying to make the killer smartphone. Have you seen the MOTOFONE?
There will always be a market for a simple phone that just makes phone calls well. That’s never going to change. There will also always be a market for a do-as-much-as-it-can device (which I won’t even call a phone — the N95 is more computer than phone) that fits in your pocket, as well.
I really don’t think Apple will release a smartphone — probably not ever, and almost certainly not soon. The smartphone market is an entirely different crowd than Apple’s typical audience. I think Apple will make a music phone, and nothing more (which will sell like hotcakes for sure, but be totally uninteresting to me personally).
001 // Brian Ford // 12.12.2006 // 4 PM
Eh.
Watching that review I get a distinct…
“But wait — there’s more!”
…vibe from the product.
Doing more — or doing too much?
“Order now and we’ll throw in a VGA camcorder!”
I’m surprised it doesn’t do julienne fries.
002 // Jeff Croft // 12.12.2006 // 4:30 PM
Whatever, man. That thing is everything I ever needed in my pocket, all with Nokia’s kick-ass S60 interface and legendary quality.
003 // Stefan Constantinescu // 12.13.2006 // 4 AM
Why would you talk down features Brian? I mean wouldn’t you want a 5 MP, video shooting, gps directing, mp3 playing, internet surfing, wifi enabled, cell phone?
004 // Brian Ford // 12.13.2006 // 9:55 AM
Sure, if you want to buy me one. (And even then “want” isn’t the right term: I’d “take” one.)
If I had to buy it myself? Nah.
I don’t see myself using the internet aspect of the phone, I have a digital camera that I use and I doubt I’d use the video shooting feature.
By “use” I mean “often enough to justify the purchase (and price) of a phone with the feature.”
I just don’t feel burdened by my current devices and I don’t feel I need to do the things that that phone offers me “more” than I already do them.
005 // Jeff Croft // 12.13.2006 // 10:22 AM
Brian, it’s totally understandable that the phone might not be for you — if all you want is a simple, makes-phone-calls-well device, then stick with your RAZR, by all means. But certainly you do recognize that there is a large (and growing) contingent of people that do want a be-all-end-all device that can finally make them stop having to carry around a digital camera, GPS, iPod, PDA, and cell phone at the same time — right?
The Nokia N95 is the closest thing to realizing that goal to date. It’s a great 5MP camera with a Carl Zeiss lens, it’s a very good GPS, it’s a fully-loaded mini-computer/PDA running probably the best smartphone OS out there, it handles audio and video like a champ, it’s infinitely expandable with the memory card slot, it’s got a web browser based on WebKit (just like Safari) and WiFi to use it on — it really does seem to have it all. Yes, it’ll be $800 or so — but lots of people will find that well worth it if the phone is really all it’s cracked up to be.
For me, it looks like a dream device. The only thing it doesn’t have that (I think) I want is QWERTY. I’m not sure if that’s a dealbreaker or not. We’ll see when it comes out on this side of the pond.
006 // Brian Ford // 12.13.2006 // 11:03 AM
right?
I believe that there are a lot of people that feel as though they “want” all of that. I also believe that the number of people who “use” all of that is probably significantly smaller.
007 // Jeff Croft // 12.13.2006 // 11:18 AM
I’m not so sure. The Blackberry/Treo crowd is a pretty serious/devoted/intense set of mobile device users. And those things suck compared to the N95…
008 // Brian Ford // 12.13.2006 // 11:32 AM
I suppose I should clarify:
Convergence at the software level is something I can handle.
(Bundling email/IM/PDF viewing onto a phone seems less like convergence, and more like the evolution of a phone. Those seem like natural functions.)
Hardware convergence isn’t something I’m convinced people use or really care all that much about.
009 // Jeff Croft // 12.13.2006 // 11:57 AM
You’re not convinced people use their cameraphones?
010 // Brian Ford // 12.13.2006 // 12:55 PM
The fact that some people clearly -do- use it doesn’t negate my assumption that just as many people don’t.
011 // Jeff Croft // 12.13.2006 // 1:11 PM
No, but the fact that some people clearly do use it means there is a market for it, so it makes sense for Nokia to make this product.
Most people don’t need the power that is a Mac Pro — but that doesn’t mean Apple shouldn’t bother, does it?
The product isn’t for everyone, but it only needs to dominate a small niche in order to be marketable and profitable.
012 // Brian Ford // 12.13.2006 // 3:54 PM
There is “a” market for it, and it annoys me that when you go to purchase a phone, to get one that doesn’t have some of those devices on it you pretty much have to get the free/$10 junky phone that comes with your plan. (Those may actually have cameras now too.)
I think if someone made a device that focused on “being a phone” and that had the sort of attention to design that you find on the RAZR (maybe minus some of its defects — mine is way too quiet) that you’d find that there is a bigger market for that.
My guess is that when/if Apple releases a smart phone, the first thing you’re going to hear is that “it doesn’t do enough to be considered a smart phone.” The next thing you’re going to hear is the sound of people lining up for one.
013 // Jeff Croft // 12.13.2006 // 4:16 PM
You act like there’s not a HUGE movement going on in cell phones right now towards the feature-less, simple phone. There just as many companies trying to make the killer not-smart-at-all phone as there are trying to make the killer smartphone. Have you seen the MOTOFONE?
There will always be a market for a simple phone that just makes phone calls well. That’s never going to change. There will also always be a market for a do-as-much-as-it-can device (which I won’t even call a phone — the N95 is more computer than phone) that fits in your pocket, as well.
I really don’t think Apple will release a smartphone — probably not ever, and almost certainly not soon. The smartphone market is an entirely different crowd than Apple’s typical audience. I think Apple will make a music phone, and nothing more (which will sell like hotcakes for sure, but be totally uninteresting to me personally).
014 // Hugo // 12.14.2006 // 5:53 PM
Has anyone surfed with the N95, is it accepting cookies and javascript? Is there another phone which is better for only surfing? Thanks, Hugo
015 // Stefan Constantinescu // 12.15.2006 // 2:44 AM
Anything right now that runs Symbian Series 60 version 3 automatically has the best mobile phone browser on the market.
I have a Nokia E61 and between the built in browser + Opera Mini I’m golden.
The N95 has only one defect: the screen resolution is so low.
And as for Brian: The people who pay the enormous price for the Nokia N95 are going to because they will use all the features the phone has to offer.