The Nokia n95 8GB is a great phone. If you’re Canadian and been itching for a carrier branded version complete with carrier customizations your wait is over.
Rogers just announced that they’re going to be carrying the n95 8GB. It’s going to be 399.99 on a 3 year (not sure if that’s on a Vision plan) or 599.99 straight up. The n95 8GB will be locked to Rogers.
One of the data plans available for it is 20 bucks a month, unlimited on device browsing (using Nokia’s terrific s60 browser), 2500SMS, “100’s” of MMS (the Rogers guy’s words) and unlimited web email. If you sign up on a 3 year then you also get unlimited Vision. The $7 unlimited on device browsing plan is also available.
If you add your own apps or use the Nokia email client (for POP or iMAP) then data is billed per kb (so don’t use your Slingbox unless you have WiFi). I asked how they can differentiate between the different types of data. One guy said they use deep packet inspection (the same thing Rogers uses to throttle bittorrent).
There are the typical Rogers customizations; separate Vision app, Music store that doesn’t work with the built-in music player, that sort of thing. It also appears to come with Telenav (which you have to pay to use) - Nokia’s mapping program is also available.
While I’m not thrilled with the customizations, I’m lukewarm about the plans. The data plans are incredibly limiting but the n95 has a pretty good browser so that makes things a little easier to bear.
May 2, 2008
A while back I tested the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. I wasn’t impressed. It was slow and clunky. Since then, Nokia announced the n800 followed by the n810 and the n810 WiMax Edition. Based on my experiences with the 770 Internet Tablet, I didn’t pay much attention to these new devices. Still, one day I was bored so I thought I’d give Nokia’s Internet Tablet another try. Boy, have things changed…
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April 26, 2008
If you go to your local electronics store, you’ll find most laptops are of the 15.4″ or 17″ variety. These sizes are fantastic if you plan on using your computer mostly at home. However for those who already have a desktop, 15.4″ or 17″ can get tiresome to carry around because they tend to weigh a lot.
For those looking for something smaller there are also 14″, 13″ and even 12″ laptops. While there are some exceptions, 12-14″ laptops typically start at 4lbs. If that’s still too heavy there is the Sony’s TZ series.
The TZ has a 11.1″ LED backlit display, built-in EVDO, built-in DVD burner and tips the scales at an airy 2.8lbs. There are smaller laptops out there but the TZ in my opinion is about as small as you can get without seriously compromising usability.
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April 13, 2008
Ever since I got my first Thinkpad I’ve been a fan of them. My first one was a T41p. It was powerful, fully featured, had a 14.1″1400×1050 display and at 4.5 lb was pretty light for what it was. Next up was a T60. It was similar to the T41p but more powerful and about 0.5 lb heavier. I was looking to replace my T60 with a T61 14″wide screen but when I checked one out, I thought it was a little heavy and thick for my liking.
I contemplated getting a X series many times but the T60 only comes with a 1024×768 display, while the T61 tablet is too deep. Then along came the X300.
13.3″ 1440×900 display, SSD, 3 lb weight, the X300’s got the features I want. Now that it’s here, let’s see how it is.
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April 1, 2008
So I was all set to go out when my wife noticed a funny smell. It turns out I put one of the batteries in my homemade PHS300 battery holder backwards. My batteries exploded, my man purse has a nice hole in it and now I’m looking for a place that sells the PHS300 and ships to Canada.
Remember, if you make your own battery pack, for the love of god put the batteries in the right way!
*update* I just tried plugging my PHS300 back in and it actually still works. Wow!
March 31, 2008
I love my PHS300. Being able to go out and having internet whenever I need it is really liberating. Of course there is one drawback; I’m talking about the battery life. I’ve turned the signal on the PHS down since it’s usually close by. I’ve found that typically I get 90 to 120mins connected time before my PHS300 battery gives up. Battery life is decent but it’s not long enough that I can leave it on whenever I’m out. I have to turn it on whenever I need it and remember to turn it off when I’m done.
When I’m out I usually bring a Toshiba Libretto (a small laptop with a 7″ display) plus the PHS300 and my modem. I carry it all in my man purse.
After reading a thread at EVDO forums, I was inspired to try making an external battery pack for my PHS. Rechargeable AA batteries have a voltage of 1.2 volts. 4 AA’s connected in series would yield a voltage of 4.8 volts which is close to the PHS AC adapter’s 5 volts. (more…)
March 30, 2008
Here’s a quick background about me and laptops; I love Thinkpads. I’ve owned a T40 and T60. The new T61’s are nice but a bit too porky for my tastes while you can only get a higher res panel on the heavier X61 tablet.
Then came along the X300. It’s screen is larger than the X61 and X61 tablet, it’s got a fairly high res screen, a built-in optical drive (which I’m indifferent about), it weighs slightly less than the X61 tablet and best of all it has a SSD instead of a conventional hard drive. Ever since I first heard about this laptop, I’ve been waiting impatiently to order one. I finally got the chance late last month and after the customary 3-4 week wait, it’s finally here:
It’s slightly wider, shorter and thinner than the Macbook (I’ll try to get a picture with a Macbook Air later).
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March 25, 2008
I love computers. While I love phones my first passion is computers. One of the best things about being the Howard in HowardForums is that I get to buy and test tons of computer equipment. Another plus of being me is that I always need to be connected. Phones are a great way to be connected to the ‘net but the best way is still using a computer. Because of this I have a soft spot for small laptops.
For the past couple of years I’ve been walking around with a Toshiba Libretto. It’s a terrific little computer that allows me to fix any problems that may arise on the site. Still, I’m always on the lookout for something better. I think I may have found it with the Fujitsu u810.
It’s got most of the features of my Libretto (the Libretto has a bigger hard drive, higher resolution display, slightly more battery life, a PC card slot, physically bigger than the u810, has CF and SD card slots) but it’s even more portable.
Oh yeah, the best thing about the u810 is its price. I paid just under $900 Canadian for the u810 compared with over 2 grand for the Libretto. $900 isn’t cheap for a laptop but it sure is considering what other similar computers cost.
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March 24, 2008
As time goes by, more and more personal devices are able to connect to the internet. Devices like your iPod, laptops, phones, etc. With the exception of phones, the connection of choice seems to be WiFi.
Now it’s cool when you’re at home where you have WiFi but when you’re out you won’t always have internet access. You also have to deal with the dilemma of which of your devices you want to pay to get on the net when you’re out. You could connect your phone to your laptop via Bluetooth but what about your iPod? If you pay for WiFi at a coffee shop what happens when you leave?
Here’s where the Cradlepoint PHS300 comes in. You connect your USB cellular modem (or certain phones) to it and then it allows you to share the connection with all of your WiFi enabled devices. It’s a brilliant idea.
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March 18, 2008
Koodo Mobile has been launched! Koodo has three ‘ready made’ plans or you can build your own.
Talk & Text Combo $25/month
Unlimited Text Messaging
Up to 100 Anytime Minutes
7pm Evenings & Weekends
Five Essentials Combo $30/month
Unlimited Nationwide Talk & Messaging to 5 Numbers
Up to 100 Anytime Minutes
Up to 50 Text Messages
7pm Evenings & Weekends
All You Need Combo $65/month
Unlimited Incoming Calls
Up to 1000 Anytime Minutes
Up to 50 Text Messages
7pm Evenings & Weekends
all combos include Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Conference Calling and Per-Second Billing
Head over the Koodo Mobile site to learn more at www.koodomobile.com or check out the Koodo Forum on HowardForums.
live_strong
March 18, 2008
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