A Few Questions Before Buying the N8

B

Bernese Love

New member
My contract with Sprint ended two months ago and I'm currently using a Palm Pre. I've been looking at the N8 for some time, but I have a few questions before I decide to pull the trigger.

1. For the Pre there is an application called Ampache Mobile that allows me to stream my music and video to my phone from my home computer over wifi or cell service. There is no "middle man" for this program and it's all dependent on my home network and my computer being the server. This means no cloud-style server where I have to upload my music and video collection and pay fees. I really love this application and I would like to know if there is something similar for S^3.

2. Can you resize photos on the N8 to make them easier to send to other users? For example can you take a full resolution photo and then reduce the size to say 640x480 before emailing it to someone?

3. I'm probably going to go with AT&T for a provider as they have pretty good service here in the metro Atlanta area. Really all the carriers have good service here, but the AT&T service is faster on the data side compared to T-Mobile in my area. It's my understanding that I can use the basic data plan since the Nokia N8 is unlocked and not in the AT&T system. Thus meaning they cannot tell if it's a smartphone or not. The difference in price is $15/month so I would like that option if it's possible. Do I need to buy an AT&T basic phone and swap the sim or can I just go in and tell them I have my own phone and select a cell and data plan and then put the sim in when I get home?

Thanks for the help. Looking forward to the N8. I like the USB OTG function and the way you can view all content on the phone via HDMI and not just some things the way Android works. It's going to keep me from having to lug my laptop around for video presentations.
 
No answers yet? Seems this forum is not as busy as it once was.

Anyway, here goes.

  1. I have not used any application like this, but a quick Google search comes up with a few hits such as KulaByte (in this case, a Java application). Not sure if you will use/need this as much with a N8 though, since there are various other media options available (video/audio podcast application, various internet TV/Radio clients, and 16GB internal + up to 32GB expanded storage for your own music/video).

  2. Sure. In fact, when sending photos directly from the Camera application, you are asked whether you want to resize them before sending.

  3. Sure. I got an AT&T "dumbphone" (though it my case it was not actually that dumb - the Sony Ericsson C905a) on contract, along with an unlimited data plan for $15/month, and use that in my N8.

    Technically, AT&T are able to tell that you are not using that original phone -- and in fact, are largely able to tell exactly what type of phone you are using based on several characteristics, including your phone's serial number. (The first few digits specify manufacturer and model). They have in fact used this information to "upgrade" Nexus One users to a smartphone data plan (to "serve them better"), and would likely do the same if you plugged your SIM into an iPhone, BlackBerry, etc. So far, they have not done likewise for Symbian devices however.

    (Nokia/Symbian are also generally more conservative with how their OS uses data, compared to, say Android. Case in point: Nokia Map uses very space efficient "vector data" representation of maps, caches this on your phone, and even allows you to preload entire countries or continents, while Google Maps (also the version with navigation for Android) downloads several layers as graphic images in real time, without any option for preloading. Just a speculation on my part, but this could play into how AT&T at a corporate level decides to treat the various Smartphone OSes.

    One nice aspect of Symbian is that unlike iOS, Android, WebOS etc it retains nearly all features and capabilities associated with standard "feature phones": A J2ME environment, and complete Bluetooth stack. It allows you to tether your phone's internet connection with another device (e.g. computer, iPad, etc) for mobile access on the road - either via Bluetooth, USB or via WiFi (using JoikuSpot). It exposes its filesystem both natively (in a File Manager) and via Bluetooth and USB (so you can browse your phone's filesystem from your computer). Oh, and definitely the data plan price. ;)

I'm overall quite happy with my N8 - but then again I am a long time Nokia user, and a geek at core - not too afraid of technical challenges. (I prefer Debian GNU/Linux for my computing needs, for instance). I think that most people will find the N8 a bit harder to use than an iPhone or even an Android device. Also, while its hardware capabilities are definitely unmatched, and while there are a handful of unique features and applications available for it, you will find that in terms of sheer access to high quality applications for specialized purposes out there, it does not come close to an iPhone/iPod/iPad ownership.

Also, in true Nokia fashion, even their best device (this one!) still has its own set of bugs and shortcomings, and they are incredibly slow with any sort of firmware update. The major ones for me are a couple of shortcomings in the Mail for Exchange client, such as the inability to Accept/Reject meeting invitations. (This seems to be an oversight, because every other Nokia/Symbian device at least has this).
 
Hmm...I wish Rogers in Canada were as lenient on data for the N8 as AT & T. If I were able to use the Rogers "dumbphone" $10 unlimited data on the N8, I would overlook all the other shortcomings of Symbian!
 
Very well said, HLorri!

Very little to add ...

1. Is there, perhaps, or will there soon be, a version of Sling's player to achieve what you would like to? You can also, always consider more geeky methods - like the Winamp home media server capability that you access with any MP3/Shoutcast/PLS capable app on the N8 (TuneWiki, Nokia Internet Radio etc). Never tried it for video, but audio used to work OK even with my REALLY weak 6650.

2. You can use something like Pixelpipe or Shozu to automatically define "destinations" (email addresses, Flickr, Picasa, Youtube ...) with specific sizes/resizing etc that each of those respective destinations prefer and upload-once for multiple destinations.

3. Perfectly described.

Let us know what you end up doing, and if you get an N8, how well (or not!) it replaces your Palm, for your needs.
 
I was almost thinking no one was in here anymore.

Thanks for all the answers. The Mail for Exchange bug is a bummer, but not a deal killer. I get a lot of those and I also use that function to schedule conference calls which I have often. This was something the Pre lacked for a while, but has since been fixed. It's a shame because I really like WebOS, but the hardware is really lacking. I will report back as soon as my N8 arrives and I get a few days to try it out. Does anyone have a preferred retailer that accepts returns just in case it turns out I do not like it? I usually do Amazon or Newegg, but not sure how they handle cellphone returns. In the meantime I'll find a regular AT&T phone on craigslist to swap the sim with.
 
I have always wondered about the sling player, are they only for NA? Otherwise one would think that with the number of Nokia phones in Europe and Asia it might be a good idea to make one for Symbian. Especially since it is apparently so easy to port an app to Symbian after the introduction of QT?
 
Well it looks like this one is going back. The hardware is fantastic and the camera really is a gem. The biggest issue I have is with the browser. I heard it was bad, but I didn't think it would be this bad. Slow and a little clunky are two things that come to mind. Opera was a little better, but with no flash support I really don't want to have to use two different browsers on my phone. I think I am going to wait on the Xperia Arc to come out before getting another phone. From what I have read and seen on video the camera will be really good, not N8 good, but better than what's currently out. In addition SE seems to have learned from their mistakes and they are removing the Mediascape UI and just running it as a widget. This makes it much easier for them to upgrade to future version of Android. Speed also won't be a factor with the processor they are running.

Just to specify I ran the browser test side by side with my Palm Pre. It doesn't have flash support so I made sure to play fair by loading the same non-flash sites on both phones. My Pre is running on an overclocked processor to 800mHz. I also ran the test over wifi. My Pre was consistently faster and navigating forward and backwards through pages was much easier because all it takes is a swipe to the left or right in the gesture area. As you all know it's not that easy with the S60 browser.
 
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