Tag Archives: 5800

Nokia’s 5800xm in Sept. 2010

I’m probably apt to lose the few subscribers I have left in blabbing on about my Nokia 5800.. though my intentions are good, and hopefully you can see the subject and skip it if you don’t like :)

I’ve wanted to write for a while now a quick note on the usefulness of this device, namely because Amazon had the price down near $220 which was on par with an iPod Touch.  At $220, in September of 2010, I feel that this phone is still a pretty great bargain, and also relevant in the current market, depending on the circumstance.

Con: the bleeding edge

It’s clear to say that anyone who wants to be on the bleeding edge of technology might want to shy away from Symbian^1 at this point in time.  Android has a lot of clout, as does iOS; and while Symbian gets the job done, it’s certainly not working at the same level as these other platforms in terms of tech glam.  I’d argue that in many cases, though, that doesn’t particularly matter.  Android 2.2 is out now, as is iOS 4.. though many current Android devices aren’t even up to v2.2, and an iPhone this year will handily be beaten out by next July’s release.  It’s a bit of a losing cycle, unless you are willing to shell out loads of cash at regular intervals.  There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, though it’s important to keep it non-pathological, and to keep an eye on the bank account lest it quickly drip away.

To me, at least, Symbian signifies utility.  Battery life is generally quite good.  Games generally aren’t that good.  Stock systems, such as free turn by turn navigation, media capture, and phone call quality are all great.  Third-party apps which allow you to make farting sounds in various semi-tones; or to access web content which wasn’t adapted for the mobile web properly, aren’t quite as easy to find.

I do have a feeling that Qt is going to help launch Nokia forward; and Meego + Symbian^4 has promise in being able to get towards the fads that other manufacturers are cashing in now.  Again, however, I don’t think any of that particularly matters.  My 5800 doesn’t have that sky gazing app or the new game with 3d graphics.. though I can still get to that Wikipedia article in quick time, navigate to a friend’s house even sans a 3G connection, and keep in touch over any networks that I’ve joined.

Back to reality: subsidies and wallets and data hogs

At the end of the day, what matter most is how much cash is coming out of the wallet in order to help us live richer, not poorer, lives.  In the US, carrier subsidies are mostly king.  It’s rather insensible to drop more than $200 on a phone, when the Samsung Galaxy S is $200 on a two year contract, and AT&T offers $15/month data plans for 200MB.

Now here’s some math: take $15/month over the course of two years, and that comes up with $360.  $360 was previously the base premium which moved the data plan from $15/month to $30/month over a two year contract for the privilege of having a smartphone.  At that point, the $200 phone was realistically $560.

Today it’s possible to save that cost and keep the $200 phone nearer $200 by staying under 200MB/month (on AT&T).  I’d be interested in seeing the numbers on that, per user and perhaps per platform.. though I have doubts any of that will be released.

Good WiFi / 3G data management is quite important in this case; and in my case, being around WiFi I was able to cut out my data plan entirely with my Nokia device by entirely disabling the 3G connection from my SIM.  Calls and texts came through fine, though any bits and bytes were WiFi alone.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen this advertised for any platform, though I wish it were pushed more often.

My point here is that it’s important to add everything up.  A $200 contract phone can easily rocket up past $500 for a replacement.  That’s a rather significant discount, added in strictly because there’s that much money and more coming into their pockets via the monthly service payment.  Early termination fees are likewise rising up for similar reasons.

Conclusion

I don’t know that at this stage I’d personally recommend going into any Symbian^1 device for more than $240 unlocked.  There’s a lot of movement in the mobile space right now, and whatever is out today will be surpassed in a short number of months from now.  All this flash is rather interesting, though I’d like to stress the importance of stepping back and keeping an eye on the wallet with a broader perspective of the market as is.  It’s easy to get sucked into the hype, and sometimes harder to see the cheaper less sexy piece of electronics that might do everything you’ll need and more.

Moving up: 0577454 to 0574994

I’ve had my Nokia 5800 for well over a year now.  It shipped and stayed with the 0577454 product code, which meant I got rather reasonable firmware upgrades until it hit the wall at v40.  I held out for a long while, hoping that 0577454 would be updated to v50 or v51.. but I finally bit the bullet and did the un-warranty-less: I changed my product code to 0574994 and have then been able to reap the benefits of the v51 firmware.

The process was simple; the benefits, well worth it.

There are a number of guides out there which can tell you the process, though this particular forum post from nokia5800forum.com served me particularly well.  Please check out that top post, though the long and the short is that you run one program which changes one bit of information on your phone; and from there you can use the Nokia Software Update software to move on up.  Ovi Suite for some reason didn’t see the update, ergo the need for NSU.. though all told it was a 30 minute exercise that I wish I had done months ago.

There wasn’t all that much wrong with v40 for the 5800, though v51 adds some significant improvements.  Namely, the phone is rather bit snappier and some clients are improved.  The Sync application allows for automated Ovi Syncing; the Music Player is updated; the camera operation is faster; and Web, the default browser, is rather significantly improved.  Casual users might deaden my enthusiasm a bit, though I’m personally quite impressed, and I would encourage anyone else who is out of warranty to go through the procedure and see for themselves.

Exchange’ing glances

I’ve used IMAP or POP for about the extent of my email-ing life.  Today, I switched over to Microsoft Exchange for my work account, and I’m all around rather impressed so far.  It’s certainly a Microsoft product, in the cute ways it needs Microsoft Windows in certain instances.. though with the help of Internet Explorer (holding back vomiting sounds) I have some server-side filters set up, a logical folder structure, and an all-around usable system.

One part which is absolute tops is the Mail for Exchange integration in my Nokia 5800.  MfE v3 (grabbed from the Ovi Store) is quite slick, certainly steps ahead of Nokia Messaging and the stock Nokia Email client.  Sync works beautifully, so far, and it was quite simple to set up.  There’s also support for setting vacation messages within the client itself, which I really particularly like.  No HTML support, though for me that’s a bit of a boon.  I don’t want images or Comic Sans in my email; I want to read some text, be able to access attachments, and be done.

SlideIT for S60 5th: pretty good

With all the hype of Swype and similar technologies, I put some money down for the current available Symbian version of this slide-your-finger-to-enter-text system, SlideIT.  It now appears to be available for $3, which is much more of a steal than the $7 I paid for it.. though even at the price I paid, I’m rather glad I made the purchase.  This, and Gravity are, in fact, the only two things I’ve bought from the Ovi store, and as far as I’m concerned they’re a rather good success on both accounts.

Fast and easy

All in all, SlideIT works quite well.  For text messages, Jabber chat, email, and note taking, the slide-to-type mechanism is crazy fast, and easy on the joints, etc.  Prediction is quite good, and you can add in your own shortcuts and words to its dictionary.  It also falls back to a multi-tap type keyboard, for URLs or other text that doesn’t fit well into the predictive format.  I’m also running this on my Nokia 5800, which has a rather narrow and small resistive touch screen; and yet that’s hardly a problem.  As long as you get pretty close to the letters you want, the predictions will do the rest.

Via a very simple application, it’s also possible to easily switch between the default Nokia keyboard, and the SlideIT system.  I haven’t done any hard tests, though it doesn’t seem to be eating up gobs of RAM or other  system resources, either, which is positive.

In my usage, I’ve almost always used the horizontal keyboard.  It doesn’t look all that pretty, though it isn’t awful and covers at most half the screen.  You have two options for placement: at the bottom, or at the top.  In horizontal mode the keyboard takes up the entire screen, though it also wins by having a rather large area for the input preview, as compared with the paltry few lines in Nokia’s default landscape keyboard.

Compatibility / stability

On the whole, SlideIT is quite stable.  I have had a rare case where the default music player crashed when editing ID3 tags, though I wasn’t able to repeat the problem and I’m not entirely convinced it was SlideIT’s fault.

Sadly, there are some applications which refuse to use the SlideIT keyboard.  Gravity seems to resort back to the Nokia input no matter what; as does the official Qt-powered WordPress application.  I’m not sure why this is, though I suppose that in Gravity the messages cannot be all that long; and in WordPress, I can compose some text in the Notes application and then copy and paste.

One final trick is that when composing text messages, the character limits don’t show up when using the SlideIT keyboard, as they do with the Nokia default.  For SMS, which splits at 160 characters, the “solution” is to go to Options -> Objects, and realizing that the number of bytes is the number of characters.  160 and below is one message, etc.

Furthermore, the hardware keyboard in the N97 and similar devices are entirely disabled when using SlideIT, which I imagine would be rather frustrating for anyone with those devices.  It’s not clear if this will be fixed with future versions, though currently, buyer beware.

Conclusion

All told, SlideIT is, in my opinion, a steal at $3.  Even at $7, I’m very glad I made the purchase, though I can certainly see that it wouldn’t be for everyone.  I do hope that Dasur, the creators of this software, continue in its development, and potentially resolve what few issues still remain.  My fingers are happier, and typing is now that much less of a chore.

Nokia 5800: cleaning the screen

I’ve had my Nokia 5800 for a bit over a year now.  It’s a crazy solid device, and has held up after many drops and bumps and all sorts of conditions.  For a while, I tried out some rather cheap eBay cases.. though for the past few months I’ve been using the phone without any protective covering and not having any problems because of it.  The beveled edge may not be quite as cool in the latest smartphone trends, though it does keep the screen from getting bashed up.

With that said, I did eventually experience some dust that came in between the screen and the touch layer.   It wasn’t all that much, though I kept seeing it and it was a bit of a bother.

Only warning

The only thing you really need to be careful about in cleaning the top insides of the 5800 is that you do not break the ribbon cable at the top of the device, near where the USB port is located.  If you break this cable, the screen will not work and you’ll need some rather major repairs.  Please note that while I’m giving this advice, it is entirely your fault and yours alone if you do any damage.  All electronics are inherently delicate and need to be handled with extreme care.

Method

With the above warning in mind, it’s not too hard to pry open the top part of the device in order to clean the screen and touch layer.  I hope I don’t have to say this, but before you begin you will need to turn off your device and take the battery out.  It will also rather likely void your warranty; and if you’re close enough to a Nokia Care Center they will do this same process for a small fee without the risks.  In the USA, out of warranty without any nearby Care Centers, it’s not so bad to do as I’ve done.

Using the plectrum which came with the device, very gently pry the right side of the top assembly away from the rest of the phone.  By “top assembly” I mean everything above the small line around the side of the phone, directly above the volume keys, camera key, and MicroSD / SIM card ports.

It will not take any amount of real force.  It should sound as if the device wants you to take this part away from itself, and it should also sound like it will easily snap back in place by pressing the top back into the body of the phone.  Please be gentle.  It worked best for me to start at the right side, where the volume rockers lie, and then to work a bit on the left side, where the SIM and MicroSD cards go; then the bottom..

When you release the top of the top assembly, the only thing holding the two parts together will be the ribbon cable, as described in the above warning.  Again, be very gentle and careful.  You can now clean the screen and the touch layer with either compressed air or an incredibly clean microfiber cloth.

The top assembly doesn’t really rest well, and tends to hang off the ribbon cable.  My solution was to gently rest the top assembly on the phone’s battery, so that there wasn’t as much leverage pushing on the cable.  Gently clean to the level that makes you happy, then softly push the top assembly back into the rest of the phone, starting with the  top.  Everything will click together, and it will be as tightly put together as before you started.

Conclusion

While I am urging caution and care, if you take the steps all together there’s really not much to the entire process.  I also should say that the 5800 is actually more dust-free than many devices I’ve owned, though I’m happy I was able to safely tinker and get inside without any special hardware or unexplained mangling of internals.  Hopefully this’ll help at least a few people who are at least as picky as myself.

YouTube video, from ElAmigoCZE

As an extra help, I found this video from YouTube which shows the process:

MHz for my mobile ..

Upon posting my initial thoughts on the Nokia N8, I received a comment which noted, “if it is an old ARM11 rather than ARM8, it will be slow and will fail.”  This hit me on a couple levels, and after typing a lengthy comment I thought I’d instead make my response into a post which may catch some more issues and debate.

Clock speed as a poor indicator

As I see it, the trouble with any MHz war is that it often misses the point of the capabilities of the chips themselves.  Sure, it is rather easy to say that a modern 3GHz machine is going to beat out a Pentium 200MHz, and by that measure we can extract some meaning.  An order of magnitude is a pretty sizable difference, and assuming that processors are made in about the same kind of way there’s a low enough margin of error to assume that one will trounce the other.

In general, though, MHz are not the all singing landmarks of how well a processor works.  Years ago, Intel had pushed their clock rates up and up, even though they didn’t do quite as much per cycle.  This sold more chips, because the numbers were higher and marketed in a way that convinced people they were uniformly better.

AMD, on the other hand, eventually went towards marketing their chips not by the MHz/GHz, but by performance ratings.  I’m not saying that worked out for them in the end, though the reality is that per-cycle, AMD chips generally did more than their contemporary Intel counterparts.

If you want to read further on the subject, Wikipedia has a good article on Clock rate which is worth a gander.

Efficiency is what will drive the future

The next step for processors at this point is less about the clock speed, and more about the efficiency in terms of power usage.  For years, desktop computers have been plugged into the wall, and they haven’t varied all that much in how much power they’ve consumed.  Indeed, because there haven’t always been quite as many options, with Intel leading the industry by leaps and bounds, we buy and use what’s available.  We may shut our computers off or put them to sleep at night, though since the power outlets are almost always available and plentiful, power hasn’t been that much of an issue.

Mobile devices, to include not only phones, but now laptops and tablets of all sorts, are a different issue.  Our computers are getting smaller, more portable, and, most importantly, untethered from the wall sockets.  While battery technology has improved in certain degrees over the past ten years, we are still rather handicapped by modest power requirements.  The trend, then, is that our processors must be efficient: fast enough to do what we need to get done, but also conservative enough to not require bulky batteries or constant recharging.

Back to the Nokia N8, the device is set to have an ARM11 at 680MHz, with a graphics co-processor supporting OpenGL-ES 2.0 (note: for further details on the N8, check out the Forum Nokia website).  D.J., the original commenter, most likely had meant the Cortex-A8, not an ARM8 in his original post; and the Cortex-A8 is certainly a newer chip design than the ARM11.  While it’s probably safe to assume that the Cortex-A8 is a faster chip, I haven’t been able to find any numbers on power efficiency.  These are the kinds of numbers that sound important to me.

Integrated GPUs also important

The second side of the progression of processors is with the GPU, or graphics processor.  Back again to the N8, I found it refreshing that a requirement of Symbian^3 is a graphics co-processor in order to handle graphical tasks.  If I had to pick, I’d choose a longer battery life and boring responsiveness over fancy transitions, animations, etc. in the UI: all of that crap doesn’t make me work any better or accomplish any more.  If the flashiness is going to be there, however, I do think it’s important to be smart about which hardware to use.

In the case of a GPU handling graphical niceties, I then don’t particularly see why I need all that much in terms of a CPU.  The OS depends on lean code that is written properly, and at the end of the day those enhancements will have much greater effect on the reactiveness of the device than the difference between 600MHz and 800MHz.  Symbian may be “old,” though said another way it’s been around long enough to go through iterations and optimizations on a much larger scale.  In that sense, I hope that Symbian does stay old, in certain respects, to avoid unnecessary bloat.  Essentially, having great integer performance can be meaningless in the face of high floating point requirements, and I’m rather confident that the ARM11 in the N8 will be more than enough.

One final note re: GPUs in integrated devices, I find it interesting that the desktop systems are also converging somewhat in this space.  I’m incredibly pleased with my new Intel Core i3 chip, which has a capable, integrated GPU in the CPU die.  The result is that I’m getting 1080p video playback and adequate gaming capabilities without the cost of a video card, in a processor that costs less than $120.  It’s a rather incredible feat, which as time goes on will also find itself in the mobile space more and more as a standard.

Conclusion

All in all, what I’m saying here is that it’s important to take a step back from the tricks of marketing, and to think about mobile devices in many more dimensions than the clock speed of its CPU.  Software, graphics co-processors, and power efficiency are all, in my opinion, more significant indicators of how well a device will perform, and thinking in this way can lead to a better picture about what is actually in play for these future devices.

Video on the go: HandBrake re-encoding

I’ve now had my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for almost a year, though I haven’t used it much at all as a video player.   I bought the 5800 for $260 from Newegg, and it currently is also available in a navigation package for the same price.

HandBrake has been around for years now, and if you’re into watching your DVDs on your computer or any other sort of device, it is about the best choice around.

Two part solution

The Nokia 5800 supports a max resolution of 640×480 pixels in an MPEG-4 format.  It also supports h.264, though only at a 320×240 resolution.  Considering the 5800′s 640×360 screen, I’d say MPEG-4 is the better solution, even though, bit for bit, h.264 is of higher quality than MPEG-4.

Personally, however, if I’m going to make a copy of one of my DVDs, I’d rather have the best quality I can reasonably get, which is beyond both of the above specifications.  I also much prefer using the MKV, AKA Matroska, container.  Why?  MKV supports multiple audio streams in the same file, supports chapter markers, and, most importantly, maintains subtitles without the need to burn them into the image itself.  Ergo, with HandBrake 0.9.4, my default profile creates a non-anamorphic, x264, decombed, RF:20 constant quality, audio (AC3 or DTS) pass-through MKV file with all subtitles included.

When I have this “master” MKV file, I can then take that result into HandBrake and re-encode to a smaller file for my phone.  As is the case with most portable devices, it’s not possible to use the MKV container, so in HandBrake I chose MP4 instead.  Then, for the picture settings I make sure that the width is no larger than 640, and the height is no larger than 480.  All video filters are off, since the decombing filter was already applied in the MKV.  The selected video codec should be MPEG-4, and I’m then using QP:7 as a constant quality of 80%.  For audio, I’ve selected AAC at 160Kbps with a DRC setting of 3.  DRC, or Dynamic Range Compression, is a great feature especially for mobile devices, where ambient noise and headphones can really mess with the ability to hear dialogue.

What’s most stunning about the two step process is that the second encode to MPEG-4 is incredibly fast.  On my Core-i3 system, a 20 minute video was done in a few minutes a piece.  At this rate, it isn’t necessary to store both copies: keep the original MKV, and generate the MP4 with HandBrake as needed.  Further, because HandBrake allows for queuing, it’s possible to set up all MKV files that you need, set them up, and let the process run its course; overnight, too, if so desired.