Ovi Store is a pain to use

It is crazy how laggy, unresponsive and at times plain stupid Ovi store is compared to Apple Apps Store! And this is considering the fact that i use my ipod touch once every month while i use Nokia daily for the last 5 years!

Wake up Nokia developers!

Nokia N86 8MP Part 2: number pad, sides, back, slide mechanism

The number pad of the N86 is one big improvement over that of N85. In many ways it reminds me of Sony Ericsson's number pad. Each key is separated (by quite a bit) from the rest, is largely rectangular with oval ends in shape and the travel is relatively good. It was pretty hard on initial use but with time it got looser and the travel became better.





The sides are sparse of buttons. On the left side of the phone are the two speakers, volume rocker and the camera button. The volume rocker interestingly only has one bump to indicate the Up volume. Initially i thought it was a bad decision but it turns out to work perfectly fine -- now i don't get confused while fiddling the phone when i am on the line as to which is Up or Down button. Good decision.

The camera button is way way way too stiff. I makes me miss my terrific N79 camera button. But again maybe with use the stiffness will lessen.

The speakers seem pretty small and both are on the left side of the phone. The density of the mesh design is pretty high and that makes for a sweet design. Function wise, i don't think the speakers are loud enough (as compared to N95, 5800) but suffices and the treble is way too high. There is however absolute clarity without crackling even at max volume.

On the right side, there is only the keypad lock button -- an utter waste of space since there is a keyguard function in the software. Besides, who could possibly depress the front buttons when they are relatively stiff? I would have prefer the microsd slot to be placed here (YES THERE IS NO MICRO-SD CARD SLOT! This is my second biggest gripe about the phone. Check below for my biggest one!) Give me the N79 micro-sd slot cover design anytime!





I love the plastic used on the back cover. It is almost as comfortable as that on N95 which was velvety.This is almost in line with that so feel the N86 is a treat. On the back are the camera module. The camera lens cover is slightly rubberised so sliding it to reveal the lens is a breeze once you apply a wee bit of pressure.

There is a kickstand. It is active so you can decide what program to be launched with it when you activate the kickstand -- wise decision. Structurally i find the kickstand too flimsy. I also wish that the tilt angle of the stand can be adjusted and perhaps it can be spring released rather than again needing for one to pry it out.






MY BIGGEST GRIPE about the N86 8MP: there is no release button for the battery cover like that of N79/85/95 so you will need to pry the back cover off like some cheap phone. I wonder if it will stand the test of time. I just hope it is covered by Nokia warranty.

On the top are the usual Power button, slot for 3.5 mm headphones and usb slot. This phone charges by usb only and when it is be charged, there is a white LED beside it that lights up -- nice touch.

Nokia N86 8MP: Initial thoughts on front fascia

The heft (149g) aside, holding and touching this latest Nokia phone was a joy. It is so rare for Nokia to produce a Nseries phone that is more beautiful than an Eseries one! Indeed, i might even find this phone to be more eyecandelicious than the Sirocco series! (As an aside, if you are coming off from a light phone like i was with N79, it might take a while - say a day - to get used to the weight.)



The front fascia is essentially hardened dark grey glass with an OLED screen. This slab of lovely glass is framed by dark chrome. My gripe is there is enough room for a 2.8 inch screen (although then the ratio of the screen can't be 16:9 then i suppose). The OLED screen when indoors is as good as N85; but where it shines is outdoors. Legibility outdoors is surprisingly good -- i usually only set it to Level 2 of the brightness of display and it is good enough to read the screen when i am outdoors!

Beneath the screen are the left/right selection keys which are wisely inconspicuous as the material is transparent plastic. Unlike the N85 where these keys are on the same plane as the screen, these buttons are nicely elevated like N82 number pad buttons or the N79's left/right selection keys.



Beneath these buttons are the call/end buttons which are made from the same plastic but are in green and red respectively. These 4 buttons are already a cut above the usual crass quality of Nseries buttons; the Dpad however is another issue altogether. It speaks class: a narrow ridge of chrome serves as the navigation keys while the confirm key is sunken in. The confirm key is made of a material that feels somewhere between glass and plastic. The design of the Dpad makes mistakened presses unlikely. What is really interesting is that the confirm key can hardly be seen as it is sunken but yet the press on it are so assuring. A design marvel indeed!

Unlike the N85/N79 and N82 where the Cancel (C) button is on the same plane as the screen, on the N86, it is raised like the left/right soft keys. The multimedia key (which i like) is now missing from N86.

The menu key is my favourite key design-wise. While it is placed a slight bit lower than the other buttons, it is still easy to feel for and locate without looking. It is tilted 45 degree unlike the other buttons which are either horizontal or vertical. While the other buttons look ordinary, the same can't be said for the menu button. It is metallic with many minute holes: when lights passes through the holes, the effect is beautiful!

So far, the N86 8MP is really impressing me! I will write more about it soon!