I got my hands on several 3G handsets. One of them happens to be the Nokia N80. It’s not out on the market yet but sometimes work has its perks…

I’ve had it for a couple of days but haven’t had a chance to really play with it due to some other stuff. So let this serve as a first look/impression of the N80.

I’ve stopped being a Nokia fan when I started using Sony Ericsson phones. Having now tried the N80, Nokia is starting to reel me back in. The N80 shares the same sliding design of Nokia’s first Series 60 phone, the 7650. I’ve never been really a fan of the slider since it’s a bit cumbersome to text with but with the N80 I’m willing to let it slide. The demo unit I have is black but I’ve heard that it might also come in silver.

Measuring at 95.4 x 50 x 23.4 mm, it’s small for a slider but still a bit thick to comfortable fit in pocket. Then again I’m probably just not used to these types of phone. Having used small phones for the past few years. But I have a feeling that people who come from Series 60 phones won’t have a problem with the size.

The display of the N80 is measures at 352 x 416 pixels with 262,144 colors. The higher resolution results in a finer graphics. Although I find the screen still not bright enough. Comparing it to Motorola screens, this one is still dark.

One thing I love about the N80 is the inclusion of WiFi (802.11g) capabilities. It took me several minutes to figure out how to connect the phone to our WiFi network here at home. Chalk that up due to the fact that I didn’t have the manual. Well even if I did I wouldn’t have probably read it either… I got to surf some web sites through the phone’s browser. One word… Awesome. For a phone browser the N80’s was wicked. It showed some cool features such as a preview of the whole page with a rectangle box outlining where in the page you are. It also has a mouse pointer, same as what you’d find on a desktop. Although while the browser was impressive to an extent it did crash on several sites. Still not sure why this happens though. The N80’s browser is built on Safari Webcore technology.

I wasn’t able to test the 3G capabilities because, one I don’t have a 3G Sim and I was told there wasn’t a 3G signal here at my place. Oh well…

The N80 is quad band so it will fair well with road warriors. It features GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and either 1900 (US) or 2100 (Europe) WCDMA radios. This baby can travel.

Software. The phone features the latest iteration of the Symbian OS, ver 9.1. The latest OS features better standard apps, a new user interface and support for higher screen resolutions.

This baby comes with a 3MP camera which produces decent photos. I haven’t fully explored the camera functions but the controls really start to feel like a point and shoot digital camera. It works on landscape mode with the shutter positioned as where you’d expect it on a point and shoot camera.

All in all, the N80 is a great phone so far. I’ll let you know if this impression holds up as I get to play with it more in the coming days.

I must say that when I first saw the K600i I wasn’t too thrilled about the design. It looked too simple. Then as I was using the K600i, it kinda grew on me. I was reminded why I like my Powerbook in the first place, because of the simple but detail oriented design. Plus the build quality of the K600i is superb. The phone feels really solid and well built. The keys although they’re a bit small feel sturdy.

The 260k color TFD screen is bright, crisp and easy on the eyes. Perfect for viewing the animated icons, looking at images and for video calls. Not to mention for playing games. I liked the the Vijay Singh golf game that came pre-loaded on the K600i. I’m not much of a gamer but I was quite amazed at how they can make the 3D games for phones now.

Once 3G becomes widely available here in the Philippines you’ll be able to make full use of the K600i’s dual cameras. A video call button on the side makes video calling a one-click deal.

I also like the the lens cover that activates the 1.3 megapixel camera when opened. The camera is quite good considering the small package.

Features such as wireless connectivity (bluetooth, infrared), usb connectivity, FM radio, media player, organizer, calendar, etc. come standard on this phone.

All in all at 4.1 x 1.8 x .8 inches and 105g, this is a great phone in a small package. In fact this is a great candidate to replace the K700i that I use. (more…)

I initially bought a few songs so I could just try out the “buying experience” on iTunes. I decided to get “Clarity” by John Mayer. I love John Mayer so his song was naturally my first download. Several songs after I was addicted…

I was done with songs…. Now to try the videos on iTunes… Believe it or not it took me a few days to decide on what to get. I didn’t want to waste my precious credits on something that I really didn’t like all too much. I eventually decided to get the Battlestar Galactica Miniseries. It wasn’t an easy decision. The miniseries wasn’t sold by pieces. I had to buy the whole thing. After much thought I decided to get it. The price? A whopping $15.99. What the heck, I really wanted to see the darn miniseries. So I bit the bullet and bought it. Around 2 hours after, I had the miniseries transferred to my video iPod.

I really didn’t think that I could stand to watch the whole thing on the iPod but it I did. In part because of the story and in part because watching it on the iPod ain’t half as bad as I thought it would be. It’s actually quite bearable.

The 2.5″ LCD screen of the iPod is quite bright and clear. Supporting a resolution of 320×240 at 30 fps, watching a show on the iPod is the same as watching it on a regular tv. In fact if you hold the iPod several inches from your face, it’s the same as watching a show on a 14″ tv around 5 to 7 feet away.

Sure there are other video players out there that can rival if not beat the video quality of the iPod but coupled with the iTunes store, the whole “video experience” it can provide is quite amazing.

I can easily find videos for the iPod on bit torrent and it wouldn’t cost me a thing. However having experienced buying videos on the iTunes store, I can say that for shows that I really like, I’m willing to cough up the $1.99 price for regular shows. Apple has made the whole experience seamless. From the ease of buying a video, to the speed you can download the video, all the way to how easy it is to move it to the iPod makes the price worth it. Case in point.. I now have all the episodes of Battlestar Galactica on my iPod. Sure.. I had to buy extra pre-paid cards but I feel it’s worth it.

I’d love to hear your comments. Fire away!

Kidding aside, I’m really happy to be a guest blogger. I write from time to time for the magazine and now it’s my chance to write in via blog medium.

Here’s a little something about myself. I’m the Creative Director for a small start-up called Sparkplug Studios. We basically do web, graphic and print design. I love technology and I’m very grateful to have been exposed to it years back. It’s given me a chance to do a lot of things, meet great people, etc..

You see, I suffer from a rare disorder called Pompe Disease which gave me a disability. Through technology I was able to transcend my disability and improve my productivity. To find out more about Pompe and how I live with it, visit my blog at www.fightpompe.com

I hope that in the coming days, I’ll be able to share with you what I think would be newsworthy mobile/tech stuff. If you want to reach me for comments and/or suggestions, I can be contacted through juan@sparkplug-studios.com.

See you and let the blogging begin!