Still haven't found a Christmas gift? Nokia N95!

So, you are looking for a Christmas present for family and friends for under $800 but can’t decide what to get? You are thinking maybe a digital camera, a multimedia player, or a handheld GPS? Or maybe you are thinking a cell phone for someone who is contract is coming to an end? Well, how about a great unlocked Nokia N95 mobile phone deal from nokiausa.com?

So what is an “unlocked” mobile phone? It is simply a mobile phone that does not require a contract or SIM card from a particular wireless network carrier. So the person to whom you give the N95 as a present to can choose their own network carrier.

Why the Nokia N95? Well, for starters, the N95 is one of the best smart phones on the market, and you can get a good unlocked Nokia N95 deal from nokiausa.com at $699 for the original 2GB version while the newer N95 8GB is only $80 more. Either one is safely under $800!

The Nokia N95 is also the most feature packed smart phone around with a 5-megapixel camera, a multimedia player, multimedia recorder, and assisted GPS, to mention a few. But it is also excellent at all these features, and it is a mobile phone on top of it! It rivals stand-alone digital cameras, entry level digital video recorders, mp3 players and handheld GPS sets. Best of all, it is all these devices in one!

The N95 is also one of the most desirable smart phones on the market so it is sure to please! The original version is still a good deal but I had shell out the extra $80 for the N95 8GB model deal for the extra memory.

The last firmware update for was Version 12.0.0.013 that was released in June! I know there was a Version 12.0.0.014 firmware update but that was a regional specific update for Asia. The point is, it's been a long time and after using the N95 for a couple of months now there are a couple of things I think needs fixing. Not that I'm very impressed with the phone, just certain things can be better!

For starters, the keypress bug where certain key strokes go unnoticed is a pain! It's a real bugger when sending text messages and makes using Quickoffice is a pain too. It's been fixed in the Asia Pacific firmware update so it should be fixed for us too!

Then the multi media menu must be upgraded to the one on the Nokia N95 8GB, which is much faster! They're essentially the same phones, so that also should not be a problem.

The camera can also be made faster. After all, the camera is a major feature contributing to the N95’s success. A faster camera would improve the N95 no end and make really worthwhile for everyone!

I'd also like to see search integrated into the standby screen like in the newer Nseries phones.

I suppose we could throw in a few extras, like a new multimedia menu, but I'd like to see the first four issues sorted out. If you recon I missed something, feel free to add it in your comments.

Powerpoint on Nokia N95

The Nokia N95 is a great smart phone and although it’s a multimedia smart phone, it can be made into a great business too quite easily with all the applicationss available for it.

I’ve recently discovered a great little Symbian Series60 application called PhonePoint over at youpark.com. PhonePoint turns your mobile phone into a Bluetooth PowerPoint controller so you can use your mobile phone for PowerPoint presentations instead of standing by the laptop and using the mouse or keyboard. I run IT workshops quite often, so this little app’s become a firm favorite. I can now use my Nokia N95 to remotely move forward, backward and restart my presentation. It frees me from the laptop and allows me to interact more with my audience, which make for a much better and a much more attractive workshop.

You need a Symbian Series60 smart phone like my N95 of course but the application can also be used on the Nokia E60, Nokia N70, Nokia N90, Panasonic X800, Samsung i520, in fact, any smart phone that runs the Symbian Series60 OS. The other requirements are:
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 or later.
• Windows XP or Windows Vista.
• Bluetooth PC support.
These shouldn’t be a problem as most laptops have Bluetooth support, run at least Windows XP, and a much newer version of PowerPoint.

If you make PowerPoint presentations often, I’d recommend this app. The app sells for only $20 but can down load a free trial from youpark.com.

Unlocking My Nokia N95 Followup

Yesterday I got Martin Lock, who sold me his N95, to contact T-Mobile for the unlock code. I'm happy to report that everything went well and we received the code a few hours ago. I've entered the unlock code and can now use my existing SIM card. For those of you who aren't fortunate enough to know the person they bought their N95 from, there's still some hope. I've discovered that there are quite a few website that offer an unlocking service for about £35. Just do a search in Google for 'unlock Nokia N95 T-Mobile' and they'll be there near the top.

I'll be sharing my experiences with the N95 in a while, so stay tune.

Unlocking My Nokia N95

I've found these instructions to unlocking a Nokia N95 at the Nokia N95 Phone blog. Its for unlocking a N95 that was bought through Orange. According to the blog, you need to get a Orange Pay as you go SIM to get an Orange account, put £20 on the account, call Orange to tell them that you want to unlock your phone and give them the IMEI number of your phone. Then wait for them to send a letter containing the unlock code, enter it on the phone and your N95 is unlocked.

Unfortunately it's a bit different for T-Mobile. For starters, you need to be the original owner of the phone. Luckily I got the phone from a friend so that was no major problem, but it could be if you buy through ebay or something, so ask the buyer to get the unlock code first! Anyway, the original owner must call T-Mobile, explain why they want to unlock the phone, pay £15 for the unlock code. The original owner must make the request because T-Mobile will want to verify their name, mobile number, home number, and the last 4 digits of their SSN. Then it's a matter of waiting for T-Mobile to send an email containing the unlock code, enter it on the phone and it's unlocked.

Hopefully we get the unlock code in the next few days then I can use my existing SIM card.

My Cheap Nokia N95 Phone

I've heard some good stuff about the Nokia N95 and yesterday I managed to pick one up at half the retail price! Ok, it's second hand, and I got it from a friend who's Nokia N95 contract at T-Mobile ran out. It came without the microSD memory card and the ear phones, but at that price, I'm not complaining! I'm quite thrilled with getting the phone, I mean it won the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) award for 'The European Media Phone of the Year 2007-2008', and the TIPA award for the 'Best Mobile Imaging Device in Europe 2007'! And on all accounts it’s a great phone!

For starters, the N95 is quite ergonomic and small for a phone with so much features! It also feels quite light and fits nicely in my pocket! The softish back cover is also easy to grip. Then the phone has a big 2.6 inch screen so browsing the internet on it should be quite a pleasure. I've heard that its video playback and music playback is excellent. And that its 5-megapixel camera is so brilliant, some people are ditching their stand alone digital camera! I guess they'll be ditching their MP3 player as well when the Nokia N95 8GB is released, but that one will be just too expensive for someone like me. My 2 GB microSD card will have to do. I've heard that the sound quality from the built-in stereo speakers is quite good but I haven't been able to use it yet. I need to get it unlocked first.