The launch of the iPhone has revived discussions and interest in the Nokia 770 and N800 Internet Tablets. It has even been rumoured Nokia will launch an Internet Tablet with built-in telephony functions. This would probably be the quickest way for Nokia to respond to the iPhone challenge. Alternatively they may decide to adapt the Symbian-based Nseries range to accomodate the tablet form factor by adding touch screen functionality and modifying the hardware design (as proposed by All About Symbian in the article I’ve seen the future… and it will look a lot like an iPhone). In fact, Sony Ericsson is even better placed to do this with their UIQ 3 range which already features a touch screen. One thing, however, is clear : the iPhone has firmly put the “tablet” form factor on the map : a device which maximizes screen size and is centered around the internet / browsing experience. By the way, the N770 ( 2006 OS version) and the N800 already feature the so much hyped iPhone touch screen finger keyboard! Admittedly, Apple has taken it forward by adding intelligence and error correction.

In fact, there is project going on to implement the very iPhone keyboard on the N800:

An important convergence related question remains though. Does the iPhone represent yet another attempt to define the ultimate convergent device? Or will we see the tablet form factor being established as a complimentary device to the main smart phone - mainly for internet use at home, while the traditional much smaller smartphone form factor - as e.g. in the N95 - remains the main device used while mobile (as discussed here). The latter strategy is clearly what Nokia had in mind when launching the Nokia 770. But the launch of the iPhone may well reopen this debate.

In the mean time the Nokia 770 is offered by Expansys at a discounted price of 73 GBP which makes it an incredible bargain, especially when considering that its successor - the N800 - only marginally performes better as can be seen in the following comparison:

Conclusion

The launch of the iPhone has put Nokia’s Internet Tablets back on the map. They are well placed to provide a user experience very similar to the iPhone. As already mentioned in the previous post, enhancing the Internet Tablets with telephony may at the same time be the opportunity for Nokia to fully embrace mobile linux.

Openmoko is a GNU / Linux based open software development platform. And now the first Openmoko phone - the Neo 1973 - has been launched. It comes in a Base and an Advanced version, the latter including the Openmoko development board. Price is respectively 300$ and 450$. Hardware and software are completely open and developers are encouraged to experiment with both. The Openmoko philosophy is described on the website as follows: ” Ubiquitous computing means more than computing wherever you wander: it means knowing the locale, weaving seamlessly into the local fabric, and vanishing.Devices disappear when developers have unrestricted access to hardware.” This is a clear reference to the iPhone, the software and hardware of which are currently both closed.

The hardware specs of the Neo 1973 are quite impressive, e.g. the 2,8 ” touch screen has a VGA resolution (640 x 320), something we are still waiting for as far as Symbian phones are concerned. Similar to the iPhone, the Neo 1973 does not have a keyboard and only 2.5 G is supported. This is the first revision, the next revision may include Wifi, 3D motion sensors, graphics accelerators, a camera and a faster processor (currently a 266 MHz Samsung CPU) and will be available later this year.

However, the Neo 1973 is not the first Mobile Linux implementation. TrollTech has launched the Qtopia greenphone last year and similarly offers a complete development environment: ” the Qtopia Greenphone is a Linux mobile development device open for unlimited software innovation. Offered as part of the Greenphone SDK, it makes Linux-based applications easier to build and faster to bring to market. This powerful GSM/GPRS device provides the perfect platform for creation, testing and demonstration of new mobile technology services and ships loaded with Qtopia Phone Edition”.

And more is coming. Several industry efforts are aiming at creating guideline specifications in oder to stimulate the open source community members to invest in mobile linux projects:

The Linux Foundation

The Linux foundation has created the Mobile Linux workgroup (MLI) the mission of which is to accelerate adoption of Linux on next-generation mobile handsets and other converged voice/data portable devices.

Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum

Extract from the press release:

June 11, 2007 — Demonstrating the growing momentum of the mobile Linux market, The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum announced today the publication of specifications, that are part of LiPS Release 1.0, whose complete delivery is planned by the end of 2007. In addition LiPS unveiled a roadmap of additional specification areas to be developed through 2008. These LiPS Release 1.0 specifications documents represent the first public deliverables from working group activities since LiPS’ founding, and will help to improve interoperability across the Linux-based mobile telephony ecosystem – from software stack suppliers to mobile device OEMs to regional and global wireless operators.

While other organisations focus on the optimization of the Linux kernel for use in mobile phones, LiPS concentrates on the standardization of the “higher layers of Linux that enable the applications and services that device manufacturers, third party software vendors and operators rely on increasingly to differentiate their offerings from competitors and generate revenue”. Specifically, it aims at avoiding User Interface fragmentation as it exists with e.g. Symbian with its many UI versions and subversions (S60, UIQ,…).

Limo Foundation

The website describes the mission of LiMo as follows:

Limo was created by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone and aims to be the first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices, the Foundation Platform, a Linux-based, open mobile communication device software platform providing key benefits for the mobile industry including lower development costs, increased flexibility, and a richer mobile ecosystem - all of which contribute to the group’s ultimate objective of creating compelling, differentiated and enhanced consumer experiences. The Foundation’s purpose is to advance the creation, evolution, promotion, and support of the Foundation Platform and to cultivate an ecosystem of complementary products, capabilities, and services.

Ubuntu Mobile

Sponsored by Intel, Ubuntu aims to derive an operating system for mobile internet devices using Ubuntu as a base and taking advantage of the new low-power processor and chipset architecture announced by Intel.

Conclusions

It looks like too many organisations and industry initiatives are competing on the same level which is causing fragmentation similar to what has happened with Mobile Java. But it is clear Mobile Linux is gathering momentum. The question remains who is waiting for yet another mobile operating system while it becomes increasingly apparent mobile web applications are the way forward. However, it may still not be too late for Linux to make an impact on the mobile device market, taking advantage of the lessons learnt from other mobile platforms.

Equally important is to see what the attitude of the mobile device market leader - Nokia - will be. Will Nokia start initiatives to build a Mobile Linux based phone? They already gained experience through the Mobile Linux based Maemo platform on which the Nokia 770 and 800 Internet tablets are based but which does not seem to create enough momentum among developers.

The launch of the iPhone in the US has seen levels of hype never witnessed before - dwarving the already impressive launch campaign of the Nokia N95. Regardless of the ultimate success of the iPhone (and there are already more than half a million sold in a couple of days) the iPhone is already a success for Apple merely due to the enormous amount of free publicity and media coverage. This alone will also undoubtedly boost the sales of other Apple product (laptops,…).

Amongst this hype it is increasingly difficult to obtain objective information about the merits, flaws or potential of this device as everybody is drawn into the collective hype hysteria. On one hand according to the many Apple supporters the iPhone is the best mobile device ever made. Even more established research companies are forced to write positive reports about the iPhone, in fear of being left behind in this mass hysteria. On the other hand, according to die hard Nokia/Symbian or other platform fans the iPhone is not even worth much attention.

Objective observations

1. The design of the iPhone hardware is both original and extremely good looking
2. The build quality is excellent (casing, display,..)
3. The CPU is very performant at 62o MHz (compared with the 320 Mhz of the top Nokia smartphones such as the N95)
4. The no buttons user interface is innovative but the jury is still out on how user friendly it is
5. As for now the iPhone is a closed system not allowing third party applications to be installed
6. Wifi connectivity but limited cellular high speed data connecticity (only Edge supported , no 3G/HSDPA)
7. Closed hardware
- only allowing Apple accessories (e.g. most of the 3rd party headphones cannot be connected)
- battery cannot be replaced
- no additional memory card slots
8. 4 or 8 Gigabyte internal memory
9. Average battery life time
10. Screen resolution : 480 on 320 with a screen size of 3 ”
11. High price tag of 600 $ , only available via premium operators

Comments

The screen real estate is maximised by letting the display use the entire size of the device at the cost of the absence of a hardware keyboard. This is certainly very clever as most mobile devices are used to read information (such as e.g. during web browsing, navigation, etc…). Still, for web browsing a horizontal resolution of at least 640, preferably 800 would have been better.

The absence of a hardware qwerty keyboard (though there is an on screen finger touch keyboard which has many provissions to speed up typing and make less mistakes) firmly positions the iPhone as a consumer device. This may be a missed oportunity, the addition of a stylus may have compensated for the lack of a keyboard (as it allows much faster text input compared with using your fingers).

Though the device is positioned as a music and video media device heavily inheriting from the iPod, the 4 and even the 8 GigaByte built-in memory is not sufficient, certainly when looking forward to the future.

The highly specified CPU speed is a very important benefit.

The current lack of support for 3rd party applications reduces the iPhone to a mere feature phone. On the other hand the number of mobile web-based applications (Google, bloglines,…) is steadily increasing somewhat compensating for the lack of local third party applications - at least when you are within a Wifi or Edge coverage area.

Conclusions

There is no doubt that the iPhone will be very popular among the Apple afficionados. The objective of 10 million devices sold by the end of the year should be easily attainable. It is less clear what the potential of the iPhone will be beyond that 1 % market share. The device may be just too innovative and certainly too expensive to be attractive to a large part of the mass market. But then again, this is most probably not the aim of Apple: just taking the high value part of the market will make the iPhone a very profitable device already.

However, the main merit of the iPhone may well be to become the first breakthrough convergent mobile device which will firmly introduces mobile web browsing, messaging, media and navigation and as such will play a huge role in moving the mobile smartphone market ahead to greater acceptance and penetration something Nokia/Symbian devices have not yet been able to achieve.

All in all, the lesson to learn is that the projected success of the iPhone has more to do with design and user interface innovation combined with clever and aggressive marketing than with the mere technical benefits and features of the device. It requires a company like Apple to show how technology has to be designed,packaged and marketed. Unfortunately, there are too many examples which are proof of the opposite : super technology, badly packaged and marketed even worse.

Fring is a mobile Java client available for free for a large number of devices. Fring supports Skype®, Google Talk™, MSN® Messenger, SIP and Twitter. However, Yahoo!®, ICQ® are not supported!

Importantly, Fring also supports Skype Out services!

Fring is easy to set up and use. It can be configured to start and sign in to all subscribed services at boot time.

Alternatives for Nokia S60 devices

Built-in IM

The built-in IM client can be used in conjunction with the Yamigo service as explained here.
One of the main disadvantages of the built-in IM application in S60 devices is the lack of support of Wifi! Clearly, this application is in need of an urgent upgrade!

Agile Messenger

Agile Messenger 3 costs 44.95 USD and supports MSN®, AIM®, Yahoo!®, ICQ® & GoogleTalk®. Skype is not supported!

IM+

IM+ is available for 29.95 USD and supports MSN®/Windows Live Messenger™, Yahoo!®, AIM®/ iChat, ICQ®, Jabber® and Google® Talk. A separate client IM+ for Skype software is now available for 12.95 USD but requires the installation of companion software on the desktop.

Conclusion

Fring is currently the best Instant Messenging application for S60 - at least if you are not using Yahoo or ICQ as they are not supported. Fring is free and supports Skype. The available alternatives are either prohibitively expensive or lacking basic functionality (e.g. Nokia’s built-in IM client does not support Wifi). Fring is another step forward towards a complete mobile experience, calling and chatting for free from your mobile device.

Internet radio streaming has been around for a long time on PCs and laptops. However, the latest trend is radio streaming going mobile. Though mobile radio streaming was already available on the earlier S60 2nd edition smartphones, it is only with the integration of Wifi on S60 3rd edition devices that radio streaming has become more widespread as Wifi allows to avoid the high mobile operator data connectivity costs .

While it is possible to enjoy the benefits of radio streaming on S60 3rd edition via free players, the best solution is currently offered by Lonely Cat Games in their recently launched music player LCG Jukebox.

The free Internet Radio solutions are described here and here. They are based respectively on the built-in RealPlayer which supports internet streaming (.ram format) and the free open source S60 Radio Internet client.

The built-in RealPlayer is limited to play streaming links via the Gallery application.

The open source S60 Radio Internet client does not much more than demonstrate the feasibility of radio streaming on S60 3rd edition devices.

Both solutions involve manipulating internal files to add radio stations and do not seem to be very reliable. Not all streaming formats are supported. Also, the user interface is extremely basic.

LCG Jukebox

LCG Jukebox offers the following advantages:

- supports both mp3 and ogg format
- built-in sleep timer
- minimized information on phone’s idle screen when switching to the background
- automatic download of album art images and lyrics
- 10 band equalizer

Most importantly the Internet Radio Streaming works very well, in fact LCG Jukebox is currently the only reliable radio streaming solution for Nokia S60 phones. It accepts a variety of formats and URL standards.

However, there are some shortcomings in the music player e.g. only search by folder, not by artist or album. See review by All About Symbian.

SpodTronic

Worth mentioning is SpodTronic, a free Radio Streaming player which only allows you to play sponsored radio streaming links. SpodTronic has an excellent user interface and produces excellent sound quality. The streaming is also very reliable. While the choice of featured radio stations is quite wide, the lack of being able to add your favourite stations is a major shortcoming. See AAS review.

However, the business model aimed at by SpodTronic is quite interesting. Realising it is quite difficult to make enough money out of selling software, they are targeting the revenue payed by the advertisers: the stations selected to feature on SpodTronic. While it remains to be seen whether this new business model will work, it does point out a possible direction in which mobile applications and content will evolve : a model based on advertising!

Conclusion

Radio streaming has now been extended to the realm of smartphones, at least when used at home via Wireless LAN. Away from home it remains a very expensive option as it consumes large amounts of bandwidth, unless your operator offers a flat data tariff.

There are currently 4 solutions for S60, three of which are free. However, the commercial LCG Jukebox solution is clearly the one to buy in terms of quality, ease of use and supported formats.

Some interesting business models are emerging based on advertising such as SpodTronic.

One of the most intriguing questions in telecommunications currently is about when and how mobile broadband networks will evolve. There are several contendors and it is not yet clear if one of them will emerge as the winner or whether there will be concurrent solutions.

On one hand the telecoms industry (under the coordination of the 3GPP and 3GPP2 standardisation forums) supports the efforts for a gradual evolution from 3G to HSDPA trying to protect historical investments in mobile network infrastructure, on the other the IT/Internet world/ Computer industry (with Intel as the main supporter) is backing IP/Ethernet-based Wimax , an extension of the Wifi standard and representing much more of a disruption in the mobile network environment.

What is at stake is the future growth of mobile data which is intrinsically linked to the availability of affordable and widespread mobile broadband connectivity. Most mobile killer applications are Internet based on-line applications e.g. web browsers, location based traffic information, push e-mail, photo upload, video and music download,…and the emerging world of telematics or machine to machine communication for payment (vending machines), remote control, sensors,….These new applications and technologies will not take off without cheap and preferably standardised mobile data connectivity.

LTE

While HSDPA keeps evolving towards ever greater speeds (up to 7.2 Mbps), 3GPP’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) plan prepares the next mobile radio technology which breaks with the past, introducing MIMO antennas, OFDM air interfaces and an all IP core architecture (SAE). Unlike HSDPA, LTE will require huge investments in new network equipment. A lot of LTE standards await finalisation, and LTE will not get to market before 2009. Also, intelectual property issues may delay the whole process.

WiMAX

Ever more initiatives emerge to deploy (free) Wifi networks covering large areas in cities (e.g. by wireless broadband operator The Cloud in the City of London). Some Wimax trials are underway. According to In-Stat WiMAX chipsets will grow form 300000 units in 2006 (the majority of which fixed WiMAX (802.16d)-compliant) to 21 million units in 2011. The first PCs with integrated Intel WiMAX chipsets are announced for 2008, an evolution similar to the development of WLAN (Centrino). There may still be issues with the availability of suitable spectrum and the interworking with 3GPP’s core IMS and SAE network standards.

Both LTE and Mobile Wimax promise data rates of 15 Mb per second with a range of more than 5 km and at comparable cost. There does not seem to exist an inherent competitive technological or cost advantage in either of these technologies, which means they probably will coexist. Anyway, the radio technology behind 4G and Wimax will be very similar, both based on MIMO antennas and a OFDM air interface and both based on sharing IP-transport. Wimax may however have an edge in that it already supports the ubiquitous IP/Internet standards. As communications including voice are heading for full IP integration this may proof to be a very important factor for the future of Wimax. The model for Wimax is different from the traditional mobile telecom model. It does not aim at overcharging data traffic but looks at networks and connectivity as an enabler stimulating and even subsidising the growth of internet services and terminal equipment. Obviously this model is less attractive for traditional mobile operators which largely depend on traffic revenues.

One opportunity for (ultra) broadband wireless is the replacement of fixed broadband connections.

Conclusion

HSDPA is currently available, offering speeds up to 7.2 Mbps and requiring very little investment as it is based on exisiting 3G radio infrastructure. However, capacity is limited. Both LTE and WiMax are based on next generation radio technology and will require major network infrastructure investments, both in the radio and core network. It is not yet clear which user demands and commercial case could justify these investments. As a consequence, the chances to have any kind of widely available and affordable broadband wireless access any time soon look slim.

With the proliferation of wifi-enabled devices at home (laptops, mobile phones, internet tablets, digital photo frames, game consoles,…) a high performance wireles network becomes very important. While most configurations consist of a simple combination of a broadband modem (ADSL or Cable) and a wireless router (both incrreasingly combined into one device), the more advanced users may want to install multiple wireless access points in order to extend the wifi coverage to the most remote areas of the house or office building (converted attic, basement, garden,…). While the coverage/range of wireless access points has become excellent, it may still be necessary to install one or more additional access points to ensure a good enough speed or throughput everywhere. And as wireless routers increasingly become a commodity item available for less than 50 $ it is now very cheap to do this.

However, when engaging in more complex configurations of routers and access points, unexpected problems arise for which the average user will not immediately find the answer, most tutorials only aimed at the standard single access point configuration (some wizards may even simply refuse to continue the installation when multiple routers are involved!).

Assuming the configuration consists of 1 broadband modem and 2 wireless routers there are several possibilities:

1. “Wirelessly extend the wireless network by using one of the routers in extension mode to boost/redistribute the wireless signal. In this case no cable connection is needed between both wireless routers. However, the disadvantage of this is the amplification of an already weakened signal, which results in reduced signal quality. Also, not all wireless routers include the extension capability feature.

2. Configure both wireless routers in full router mode and link both LAN segments with a bridge. The bridging is necessary as both routers will define there own closed IP addressing space resulting in two separate ethernet networks and thus two “broadcast” domains. The bridging can be implemented either via a dedicated box or via existing features of the routers (depending on the model). This solution is the most complete but comes at an additional cost and complexity. Roaming is not possible in this configuration.

3. Use one of the wireless routers in non-router mode simply acting as an extension hub to the primary wireless router. This avoids the need of a bridge.The second router uses the DHCP server of the first router to get an IP address (IP address will be assigned to devices connected to the secondary router directly by the primary router) and uses the first router directly for internet access. Everything is connected to a single large ethernet network. Everything is in a single “broadcast” domain.

Solution 3 requires the following configuration settings / setup:

1. Connect both routers via a cable between any LAN ports on each router (remark : the internet/WAN port on the secondary router is not used!)

2. Disable the DHCP automatic IP distribution feature on the secondary router

3. Define the IP-address of the second router as different from the DHCP range of the main router but still belonging to the same subnet (e.g. when the primary router has 192.168.1.1 as the LAN IP-address and the DHCP server range 192.168.1.2 till 192.168.1.51 the second router can be assigned the IP-address 192.168.1.52)

On many routers (e.g. Belkin) steps 2 and 3 can be easily executed by selecting the “use as access point” menu item in the router control panel.

4. Use different wireless channels on each router (e.g. channel 11 and 12)

To enable seamless roaming both access points have to be defined with the same SSIDs and wireless security settings must be identical on both APs. The only difference should be the channels. Otherwise you will have to select the correct access point on your device dependent on your location.

The familiar Google Maps are now available on your mobile in the form of a Java application. By choosing Java Google clearly aims for the the mass market, as almost all mobile devices are now Java enabled.

It can be downloaded by pointing your mobile browser to www.google.com/gmm.

When launching the application an existing access point has to be selected. Google Maps is an on line application which downloads maps, directions and locations when required. There is no local caching -except of the current map view and directions. This is the main shortcoming of Google Maps.

The quality of the maps is excellent, they are based on TeleAtlas and NAVTEQ.

The Google Maps application

The application is very easy to use both via the options menu and via shortcut keys.

A unique feature is the satellite view, not available on any other navigation software.

The start and end point of the navigation can be searched for online via address information or can be indicated on the map.

Navigation instructions are clearly displayed.

Conclusions

As mentioned above, it is not possible to save maps or directions locally on your phone for off-line use. When maps and directions for a certain trip would be cached locally, it would be possible to download/configure the navigation at home via a free wifi-connection, and then navigating via the turn by turn instructions when on the road, limiting the communication costs. This mode of operation is currently possible with Smart2Go.

Obviously there is also no link with your current position via a GPS receiver and no turn by turn voice instructions, but this may be the next step for Google in order to take on the Satellite navigation market. The opportunities for search advertising are tremendous and as such mobile Google maps and navigation is a natural extension to Google’s current activities.

It looks like Nokia’s Smart2Go - challenging a lot of navigation software companies - could in turn be challenged by a proposition from an even more powerfull player. It is just a matter of time to see this happening. It is another step towards satellite navigation turning into a commodity product - if not entirely free. Google’s ultimate objective is to take control of the on-line navigation advertising revenue. The only limiting factor - as for so many mobile applications - is the availablity of affordable mobile operator data plans or more widespread distribution of free wifi access points.

Sony Ericsson has launched the P1 combining all the good things from the M600 (small form factor, full keyboard) with the rich features of the P990 (Wifi, Camera,…), phones which both suffered badly from their shortcomings. This makes the P1 a very interesting proposition. In fact it is now the most complete Symbian smartphone in such a small form factor, including both one handed (soft keys,..) and two-handed use (touch screen with stylus). It also features a very large amount of RAM memory, up to 4 times as much as the P990.

As a consequence - especially with the addition of a camera - the P1 should also be very succesfull with consumers, the M600 having been narrowly focused on the messaging/business segment. This looks like a real test for UIQ to see how it will be received by the consumer market. The P990 obviously was a phone for a very specific segment of power, PDA like users which had been faithfull to the P800/P900 series. The M600 was a pure messaging device. The W950 was positioned as a music device, again leaving out camera, Wifi,…

The P1 does however come as a surprise as the expectation was that Sony Ericsson was going to launch non-touch screen versions of its UIQ interface such as the Z8 of Motorola (as announced by SE itself). Surely these phones are going to be announced soon.

Main specifications and features

- Size: 106 x 55 x 17 mm
- Weight: 124 grams
- Dual function keyboard, full alpha-numeric
- Choice of text input method including handwriting and word completion
- Push email enabled including support for Exchange ActiveSync™ and BlackBerry® Connect™
- 3G (only on P1i, not one P1c)
- Integrated WLAN and VoIP enabled
- 3.2 megapixel camera with business card scanner
- Large 2.6” touchscreen
- 512MB Memory Stick Micro™
- Document editors and readers
- 160 MB User Memory (internal)
- FM radio RDS
- availability : Q3 2007

Comment on handset segmentation

About a year ago segmentation became very popular in high end and smartphone devices. There was an acceleration in the design of handsets for very specific markets: business devices with full keyboards (Nokia E61, Nokia E70, SE M600,..), camera devices (Nokia N93) and music devices (Nokia N91, SE W950). Segmentation was taken all the way to leave out basic features such as the camera or wifi.

Since a few months we have seen a real change in this strategy. Again focus is on convergence, designing smartphones with as many features as possible appealing to a large audience.

First of all , the crucial error to leave out the camera in a number of business devices was rectified (Nokia E61 upgraded to the E61i and the M600 to the P1). Surely the manufacturers have finally found out that business phones also serve as consumer phones outside busines hours…This is clearly illustrated in the communication on the Sony Ericsson site:

“The Sony Ericsson P1i combines business with pleasure in one stylish, compact package.”

“After work compatible: When you unwind after work, the Sony Ericsson P1i stays on duty. Listen to music. Snap a picture with the 3.2 megapixel camera. Or just relax with a game.”

Secondly Wifi also seems to now have become a standard feature of high end phones.

The N95 takes this one step further, adding even more features to the smartphone such as a built-in GPS receiver (including navigation software), stereo speakers,….And there are signs the built-in receiver will become a standard feature of all high end phones too.

Segmentation is still important but in a more subtle way, mainly via the smartphone form factor (keyboard, screen size) , design and branding (e.g. Walkman brand of SE) , operating system and user interface (touch screen UIQ versus softkeys S60) and offered third party applications. As seen in other cases segmentation is a difficult exercise, often destroying market opportunities in the process. It now seems the handset market has learnt its lessons from the segmentation hype - as so many others before - and has now adopted a more sound approach to it.

Conclusion

The P1 is a very welcome addition to the Symbian smartphone market. It is the most complete Symbian smartphone in such a small size in the market and should allow Sony Ericsson to bring some welcome competition to the Nokia S60 dominance.

The Nokia E61 retains the top position in Nokia’s Eseries range of Symbian S60 smartphones. The large landscape screen and full keyboard within a robust monoblock form factor keeps attracting a large user base, from the seasoned business user to the advanced consumer. It is accompanied by a downgraded low cost version - E62 - and is now complemented by the E61i, an upgraded and embellished version of the E61, with the addition of a camera, some changes in keyboard and buttons but above all with a more sleek look.

All three devices perform very well at tasks which require or benefit from either a large screen, a full keyboard or both. They have also been designed with advanced communication features.

Top 10 use modes

1. Push email

The E61 is positioned above all as a messaging device with a dedicated email launch key and push e-mail capabilities based on the free “Mail for Exchange”. The main alternative is RoadSync. Push email solutions also allow to synchronise calendar items and contacts.

2. Web browsing

Built-in S60 web browser. Main alternative is Opera and the free Opera Mini.

3. GPS Satellite Navigation

Route66 is the best value for price offer. The main alternatives are the free Smart2Go (Beta) and TomTom.

4. E-books

Mobipocket is the main e-book reader with an increasing range of titles available.

5. Office documents

The built-in document and sheet applications allow both reading and modifying Microsoft Office Word and Excell documents. Essential for viewing email attachments.

6. RSS feeds

The S60 web browser has a built-in news feed reader. Several alternatives exist such as e.g. Headline.

7. PDFs

The Adobe PDF reader is available as a free download.

8. VOIP

The E61 has built-in VOIP capability. Several companies offer VOIP services e.g. Sipgate.

9. Notes and lists

Notes and lists are important PIM features. The built-in versions are quite basic (no groups features, no synchronisation). SafeNote from EksiKalori is a good alternative (groups, customisable fonts, encryption,…) but no desktop synchronisation/backup. Currently in Beta for S60 3rd edition. There are a number of list applications available but none of them offer PC backup.

10. Digital Clock

Use your E61 as a Digital Clock.

The E61/E61i/E62 excel in each of the tasks described above due to the large screen, keyboard, form factor and voice capabilities. Though nearly all of the tasks except VOIP can also be be executed on other Eseries or Nseries devices, the user experience will be much less appealing.

When looking at how superb the E61 is at each of the 10 tasks described above, it has a bright future ahead. Many of its Eseries companions feature rather exotic form factors ranging from experimental keyboards such as the E70 with its foldable “wing” keyboard to the rather clunky laptop like communicator (E90) addressing a very specific segment. The E61 however combines simplicity with functionality.

One area where the E61 does not excel at is multimedia. Listening to music and especially watching video is certainly possible but cannot be compared to the superior multimedia experience of Nseries devices. Fortunately the E61i now comes with a camera.

However, when it comes to organising your personal or business life the E61 is second to none!