About to buy: help me choose between N80 and P990i

M

mrscoxum

New member
Hello everyone.

I've been using the SonyEricsson P910a since 2005. I will be getting a new phone by the end of December, and I was set on buying the P990i. However, I just bought my girlfriend a 6270 last week, and I thought it is a pretty neat phone. If the S40 was that easy to use, maybe S60 with even more app support would be even nicer.

So I looked into Nokia phones after trying Samsung/Motorola/SonyEricsson for 5 years, and I found the N80. It seems to have all of what I'm looking for, especially the most important aspects (good MP3 player, WiFi, the ability to play RM video files). Both the N80 and P990i do those things. But I still have some questions about the N80, and hope that you fine people could help me out here:

1) Is the N80 plastic or metal? The faceplate looks metallic. Is that real metal or just metal-lookalike?

2) The S60 platform should be pretty stable by now. However, are there any problems with the S60 on N80, even with the latest firmware?

3) 90% of videos in my computer are Real Media files (.RM or .RMVB). Do I need to convert them into any different special format for them to play on the N80? Or will they work right off copy/pasting onto the mini-SD?

4) I can't find A2DP listed anywhere. N80 doesn't have A2DP?

5) The slide on the N80. I've found some sideways play problems or the slide becoming loose. My concern is does it have any kind of auto-complete-slide, such that pusing it half way or so will open/close automatically? My girlfriend's 6270 has alittle bit of it, and the 8801 I tried has a very nice feel of that. Again I couldn't find anything on this auto-slide mechanism.

6) I have Nokia theme creator 2.1 for my girlfriend's 6270. Is there a theme creator for the N80? I like to make my own themes.

7) This is very important to me: How is the task/to-do list on the N80? I use it constantly on my P910a, via stylus-input. Is it easy to use on the N80?

8) This is also very important to me: How many different pre-sets for the alarm clock does the N80 have?

9) This is extremely important to me: Can profile settings match a particular blacklist/allow list? Like, rejecting calls from some selected callers in a specific profile? On my P910a I have an app installed called "Magic Profiles Pro", and I can do exactly that, make as many profiles as I want, and allow/block anyone I wish for each profile.

10) How's the size of the picture caller ID? My P910a's picture is full-screen (flip closed, measures over 2" x 2" big) The 6270's caller ID photo is probably 1/4" x 1/4". I can BARELY see anything.


Thanks guys and ladies in advance. I know these are some easy questions for you, but they are really important to me. I also looked into the N95, but I don't really need a 5.0MP camera, and don't need GPS because I have it on my car. The N80 is priced nicely now, so maybe it's time.
 
1) The N80 is all plastic. The shiny bit around the screen is just an effect. However, it looks and feels very nice all the same.

2) My N80 is very stable. The only problems I get are some pictures not loading in the web browser. This happens because the phone has run out of memory. Nothing can be done about this though, as it's a hardware limitation.

3) Don't know

4) N80 doesn't have A2DP

5) There's no spring loaded auto-completion on the N80. You have to push it all the way open and closed yourself. The actual feel of the doing this will be more like the 6270 than the 8801.

6) I believe there is a theme creator, but it's a bit more complex than the one for Series 40. There are also hundreds of themes available on the internet.

7) The task-list is very easy to use. You just press and hold the menu key for a couple of seconds and it pops up. You can then scroll through all running tasks, and select whichever one you want to switch to it.

8) Do you mean, can you set multiple alarms? In the 'Clock' application you can set only one alarm. You can set alarms for items in the calendar though, so that might be a better way of having an alarm sound at a certain time.

9) I don't think so. Profiles on the N80 only change the ringtones, messages tones, email tones, vibration etc. I don't think they can actively select which calls to reject or answer.
 
Thank you very much for the speedy response mrochester!

I forgot to ask 1 more question:

10) How's the size of the picture caller ID? My P910a's picture is full-screen (flip closed, measures over 2" x 2" big) The 6270's caller ID photo is probably 1/4" x 1/4". I can BARELY see anything.
 
there is an aftermarket program available but it's sluggish and sloppy IMO. Not worth it. I wish Nokia would develop their own "full screen" caller ID as the little tiny picture is smaller than the text which makes it virtually useless.
 
1. the faceplate is metal, but the rest of body is plastic
3. most likely will require converting
7. the task list the OP was talking about is the to-do, not current tasks. It's ok imo, it's integrated with calender while previous versions weren't, so creating a new task in the to-do part of the calender is silly that the default "new" item to create is a meeting instead of a todo.
 
if you consider the p990, why not go with the N93.......spec better than both p990 and N80. size shouldn't be an issue as you considered the p990.
 
There are good apps available to provide multiple alarms, block particular calls, and show callers in full screen. I haven't had it tested but I'm pretty darn sure the faceplate on my silver n80 is metal. There is even an app that will add bluetooth stereo capability but it is limited to use with MSI headsets.
 
I think there's an app for almost everything you requested.

1. The N80 is plastic, but the build is pretty solid, so it really doesn't matter. The only thing to worry about is if the slider will fall apart on you.

2. The N80 has gone through enough firmware upgrades that it better be stable by now. Low RAM issues are still present, but they're MUCH better than the P990i, from the reviews I've read and based on using the N80 first hand.

3. You can use SmartMovie or Divx Player to watch videos full screen. SmartMovie comes with its own converter but requires money, versus Divx player which is free, but no converter. You can use Super (a free converter) for use with Divx Player.

4. No A2DP. Sorry.

5. No spring assisted auto-slide. It clicks into place in either position and it's smooth, but you have to move it yourself. It's a good enough design that this isn't a problem though. Like I mentioned, it may come loose over time though, or at least mine did after a month, not to the point of breaking, but it'll start to give a little bit.

6. There are three ways to create themes. Nokia Theme Studio 3.0 (very RAM intensive), Carbide UI Studio (also RAM intensive, but not as bad), or ownskin.com, which is really basic, but it can get the job done.

7. To-Do list has been integrated into the Calendar application on newer s60 phones, so they should sync with Outlook just fine. When adding a new item to your calendar, the option for a new To-Do note will pop up. If the default application isn't enough, there's also Papyrus or AquaCalendar, both of which have MANY more options, settings and views than the default calendar app.

8. The alarm on the N80 is kinda basic. You can set alarms in the calendar that work around events inside of it and there's a separate Alarm app that just does one alarm plus a snooze feature. You can download BestClock and I believe there's a couple more that do much more than this but I don't remember the names. Whatever your Alarm needs, there's an app for it.

9. BlackBaller has been ported as well as Best BlackList, both of which filter out unwanted calls and have tons of settings for things like groups and what not.

10. Best Full Screen Caller, does just that.

What else do you want your phone to do, because the N80 will probably do it for you (shy of take good videos, )
 
i would for sure go with the n80...from what i have heard/saw that the p990 is buggy like hell, and i just dont like the keyboard being stuck to the screen, i would rather it be removeable like the keypad as well.
 
Thanks everyone, you guys are sure full of info

For the task/to-do list, I was hoping for it to NOT be integrated with the calendar. On my P910a I just have a simple task list that I can set priorities from 1 to 9, and check it off as I finish. They are not on any time constraints, and I rarely use the calendar.

Blue13x, the N63 is slightly more than what I would like to spend (current market price is 100+ more than P990i I believe). Also, I am not really that interested in using a flip phone now. I am also not in the need to have a really excellent camera as well.

P990i is still trying to get UIQ 3.0 right, and the earlier firmwares are ultra-buggy. But a guy who I deal business with on a regular basis just picked up a P990i, and after updating to the latest firmware most of the problems are gone.

It's good to hear that there are apps for almost everything I asked for. I'm new to S60 but I've heard about the great software support. UIQ 2.1 on my P910a has a nice collection of apps available as well, but the P990i is just starting.

A big part of why I'm looking into the N80 is the quadband, something that P990i lacks, but makes a big difference for me. I'm around Los Angeles, and will be switching to Cingular by December if not January. My T-Mobile SIM gets 0 bars in my room with my girlfriend's 8801, while her Cingular SIM gets full reception in the same room with the same phone.


You guys took care of most of my concerns, and I'm really leaning towards the N80 now. I guess I'll have to check it out in person to feel the slide mechanism. Are there any places where I can check out the N80 on demo? Those dummy phones don't do justice.
 
i don't think you can set priorities, but there isn't any time constraint. And you can view it as just a list of your to-dos separate from the calender screen.
 
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