Anyone with the 5730 XpressMusic phone?

To be honest, I'm quite surprised that there are not many users of this phone. Maybe its due to the fact that it was released around the same time as the N97 and marketing was downplayed as a result. This is just my guess, but it is evident that there are not many resources that are available out there that specifically supports this phone.

Are you a user of the XpressMusic 5730 too? I would love to hear from you. Do leave your comments as well as any links to any useful sites about the phone.

My Nokia XpressMusic 5730

Its been awhile since I last posted anything as work and personal commitments have kept me very very busy.

Nonetheless, I am excited to review and talk about my latest handset that I own: The Nokia XpressMusic 5730.

Granted, I was all about the N97 before it was launched and was looking very much forward to its release, but in between the wait and it's actual release, I've been doing more research online and, well, let's just say that Nokia has alot to catch up on with its touchscreen interface.

So while the N97 disappointed me, I happened to stumble upon the XM 5730 by chance. It was a recently released phone in Singapore then, and I was very attracted to its physical outlook.

It looks very similar to the N97 with a slide-out QWERTY keypad, but retains a candy bar look with a full numeric keypad when the slider is not in use. Also present are media keys and as a huge plus, dedicated N-Gage gaming keys.

This could simply mean that when I'm not doing long text input, I have the option of using the numeric keypad, and when I need to say type out an email, I can simply slide out the full and rather comfortable QWERTY keypad for a more productive input option.

As a former N95 user, I've become very used to the way things were on the N series, such as the camera and the dedicated music keys, and I felt that the XM 5730 gave me that plus the QWERTY keypad. No touchscreen though, but with such a small screen, it might prove pretty pointless.

You can find out more about the phone specs on the Nokia website, but generally I feel that this phone could actually give alot of other phones that Nokia has a serious run for their money. To be honest, I'm surprised that there is not alot going on about this phone given the specs of this little device. Couple this with a data plan and you can leave your laptop behind. Its really that good.

I'm using my phone right now to type this post, and it's just really comfortable to use. If you're a Nokia user yourself, you would really find it a joy to use the QWERTY keypad to hammer out all those messages online with the same familiar interface. The camera is 3.2 megapixels using Carl Zeiss optics, and images taken with it are very decent and print-worthy. Music quality is definitely better than alot of the phone-players out there as this model was meant to be a music playing device in the first place. And did I mention that it comes with the Nokia Comes With Music service, which basically gives you 1 year to download all the songs you want from it's website for free. Music downloaded however, can only be played back on the computer that you downloaded it from, or from the phone that came with the service only.

What makes it really cool is that alot of the softwares that I used with my N95 is also compatible with this device, so my productivity is either on par or better on this new phone. I'll discuss about the softwares on my next post, but essentially I'm just happy to say that I think that I've found a good replacement for my N95 8GB.

Mobile blogging from Wavelog

This is a test from my mobile phone.

Its been awhile...

Its has been so long since I've updated my blog. Having a job seems to be a big part of the reason. The other reason I guess is that I've played with my phone to the brink of crashing it. There is really nothing much to add on to the wonders of having the N95 8GB. It has served me well, and having it as a wireless internet router using JoikuSpot Premium is always impressive.

Anyway, I must confess, during this period of time, I have been cheating on my N95. Yup. I know. Its not the N95. Its just me. And a third party known as the N97.

The N97. OH MY GOD.

This is the shit right there. For the 1st time, I am actually lusting over a gadget before its being released. Normally, I'll explore some older piece of gadget that is cheaper to begin with, and more stable in terms of usage, but this, my friends, has got to be it. For awhile, at least.

You can google it up first and check it out yourself first. I'll upload some pictures and videos of it when I have a little more time on my hands.

The N97. OH MY GOD.

Hacking V31.0.017

It seems that many people have updated their firmware and are having alot of trouble hacking their firmware. Haha.. Well, I hope that I can bring you good news, as I have trawled around the net and have come up with a solution for those looking for an answer. The V31.0.017 firmware is hackable, although the process is tedious and requires you to really do it manually. You are required to know how to sign your files, and know about certificates. So,if you think you are up to it, here’s the link and I wish you the best of luck in your little endeavour. Do let me know if it works and give others hope too okay?

*Note: To download the files from the link, you’ll have to register for free in the forum.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Hello everybody! Its that time of the year again, where we dish out very unhealthy foods and munch on mandarin oranges for days on end. I’ll be away for awhile to celebrate the Lunar New Year and usher in the year of the Ox, and I want to wish all you people celebrating too a very Happy Lunar New Year, and hope that you and your family will sail through the current bad times with minimum problems and prosper along the way! Gong xi fa cai! Huat ah!

GPS on the N95

Someone asked me if she should get a N95 because it featured a GPS function, and it would aid her in finding her way around. That’s all cool. Except that in the world of global positioning, the N95 fails miserably. I know. I just uttered pure blasphemy against the phone I practically worship. It’s not that it isn’t cool that the N95 packs a GPS chip inside. It’s simply it doesn’t work very well at all, and with a battery life that can barely handle my normal day-to-day internet usage, using the GPS on the N95 would simply deplete it before you can arrive at your destination.

You might also realize that I never spoke much about the GPS function on the phone. It simply, sucks. Here’s the breakdown for you. When you activate your Nokia Maps software, your phone GPS chip is activated, and it attempts to get a signal from the satelites above us. Now, this is quite a mean feat, because you need to have more than one satelite locate your phone, before it can calculate your precise location. To further understand how GPS works, click here.

Apparently, the GPS chip in the N95 is located at the bottom of the phone, which is why to get optimal strength, you have to slide and expose the keypad. And above all, the lock on time for the N95 can be painfully slow. And I mean really really slow. To me, for your phone to double as a serious GPS device, you have to get at least a decent lock on time. A lock on time is basically the time it takes when you start the GPS program to the time it actually finds where you are. In general, a good lock on time without using A-GPS (more on that later) could be a couple of minutes. With A-GPS, it should be a matter of few seconds.

Now, A-GPS is also another feature that is supported by the N95. It stands for Assisted Global Positioning System. What it does is, it sends out a small packet of data (note: chargeable by your telco) much like sending out an MMS, which in turn, tells your phone where you are using the mobile network. Read more about it here. Do note that A-GPS can only aid in the speeding up of the lock on time, as it tells the satalites where to look, and not give you your current location and track you from then on. Most people never like to use the A-GPS function, as it incurs additional cost using GPRS.

However, to get a decent lock on time for the N95, you would most probably have to do just that. Otherwise, you will just have to wait, and at times, you might even have to wait a good 10 minutes or so. And if you drive, do note that the Nokia Maps software doesn’t give you turn-by-turn navigation for free. To activate your voice guide, you will have to pay extra for it. Something that I find very silly. They give you free software and free maps, but if you want to get your phone to tell you where to go, you’ll have to pay extra. To tell you where you are, however, is free of charge.

Those are my gripes with the N95 GPS. It is a great phone, but with so many functions, something has got to give. But not to worry. If GPS is of major importance to you, I can provide you with a cheaper alternative. Stay tuned for my next post for it.

* Alot of people get confused between GPS and GPRS. GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and its the technology that allows you to find out where you are in real time. GPRS however, stands for General Packet Radio Service, and its just a way for your phone to send data in and out. Some services that uses GPRS would be your MMS or mobile internet.