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Sam. G600 vs Sam. G800 vs SE K850i vs Nok. N82 vs Nok. N95

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Posted by: d4005

I've narrowed down my choices of phone to just five phones. These appear to be the only phones that meet my main requirements which are:

(1) 5MP Camera with Flash
(2) 640x480x30fps Video Recording
(3) microSD card slot
(4) video player (mp4 or wmv)
(5) mp3 player
(6) good battery life
(7) good sized video screen at 320x240 in landscape viewing mode
(8) oh yeah, it should be a phone too

Things that will certainly sway the decision in favour of one or the other of my shortlist:

(1) size (mostly the length and depth)
(2) bigger screen and more colours is nicer
(3) ability to buy cheap battery on ebay for under $10 (like I did recently for my V3)
(4) support of a larger capacity microSD card

I plan to use it on all european GSM frequencies, but not 3G. I don't care about download speeds (edge) etc.

Here are the things I've noticed...

The N82 and G600 are the two slimmest, but they also are the two with only 2.2" screens. The other 3 all have 2.4" screens.

The G600 and the K850i seem to be best on battery life.

The N95, K850i and G800 seem to have the best camera (mostly due to the xenon flash).

Only the G800 has 3x optical zoom.

The N95 can support 8GB microSD, the G600 only 2GB, and I think the other 3 are all at 4GB.

I'm finding it hard to eliminate any from my shortlist. Whenever I find a negative point, they make up for it by being smaller/thinner and lasting longer on the battery. When one starts to lead out front for it's capabilities, it's battery and size bring it back in.

I'm stuck.


Posted by: samsung.user

The n82 has a 2.4 inch screen. And the n95 doesn't have a xenon flash.

K850 - Poor camera, buggy phone, max video at qvga 30fps, best battery.

G800 - Looks good on paper but a flop of a phone. Max video 15 fps at qvga.

G600 - Best phone for value. Pretty good image quality, bright LED flash. Max video 15 fps vga or 30 fps qvga.

N95 - Biggest screen, several models to choose from, no xenon, great camera. Max video 30 fps at vga.

N82 - Xenon flash. Best camera quality. Max video 30 fps at vga.

You should narrow your choices down to n95 and n82. They both have dedicated graphic chips so video recording is very good quality. Also carl zeiss optics so the best camera. Symbian phones so many 3rd party apps. Gps so you don't get lost, wifi. They have it all.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by samsung.user
The n82 has a 2.4 inch screen. And the n95 doesn't have a xenon flash.
The reviews I've read say the n82 has a 2.2" screen. Well spotted on the xenon flash, I'd mixed up the two nokias in that respect.

Quote:
Originally Posted by samsung.user
K850 - Poor camera, buggy phone, max video at qvga 30fps, best battery.
Aaah, I hadn't considered that the quoted video record fps wouldn't be at the highest resolution. This is important as this will be a convergence device for me, meaning I can leave my Casio Exilim EX-S500 camera at home (which I bring quite often for the 5MP images and the 640x480x30fps video, so if the new phone doesn't offer that combination, then I'm likely to keep bringing the Casio with me).

Quote:
Originally Posted by samsung.user
G800 - Looks good on paper but a flop of a phone. Max video 15 fps at qvga.
Again, good to know. It might seem a trivial thing to some people, but it's one of my top 3 requirements. This new phone needs to replace my phone, camera and portable video player. It needs to do all 3 things well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by samsung.user
G600 - Best phone for value. Pretty good image quality, bright LED flash. Max video 15 fps vga or 30 fps qvga.
Let down on the video again. I can't imagine that LED flash being up to the job of indoor shots in dimly lit (but not dark) rooms.

Quote:
Originally Posted by samsung.user
You should narrow your choices down to n95 and n82. They both have dedicated graphic chips so video recording is very good quality. Also carl zeiss optics so the best camera. Symbian phones so many 3rd party apps. Gps so you don't get lost, wifi. They have it all.

N95 - Biggest screen, several models to choose from, no xenon, great camera. Max video 30 fps at vga.
If it was on features alone it'd have to be between the two Nokia's then. The N95 is a bit chunky though. Oh that 2.8" screen though on the N95-2, it has a lot going for it, and the uprated battery and improved GPS sensor location too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by samsung.user
N82 - Xenon flash. Best camera quality. Max video 30 fps at vga.
Well there ya go, best camera and equal best video with the N95. It fairs quite well on the size against the G600 and K850i too.

I gotta get myself to a phone store and get my hands on these two. If the N95 doesn't feel as chunky as it seems just researching here online, then I might just fancy that over the N82. It gains 4mm in thickness and 3mm in width but loses 13mm in height courtesy of the slider.


Posted by: Topy

Btw there is great camera video recording review about these 5mpx camera phones in gsmarena.com. Cant give a link.... iphone


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Topy
Btw there is great camera video recording review about these 5mpx camera phones in gsmarena.com. Cant give a link.... iphone
Thanks a lot, great tip. The article over at gsmarena does a great comparison of the phones I'm considering for photos and video. It's pointing me even more towards the N82 now, if I wasn't there already. They better bloody have one in the shops I go to tomorrow so I can get my hands on one.


Posted by: samsung.user

http://www.gsmarena.com/grand_five_...eview-206p3.php

The LED flash of the g600 even produces more light than the xenon flash of the k850 and viewty.

You can see the wonderful picture the n82 created on the last set of night photos. The rest of the pictures taken with the other phones would be tossed in the garbage.


Posted by: jyng

Just a question. I am trying to determine if i should get an n82 or a n95. How do they compare battery wise? What about in terms of music quality, is there much of a difference?


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by jyng
Just a question. I am trying to determine if i should get an n82 or a n95. How do they compare battery wise? What about in terms of music quality, is there much of a difference?
I don't see a reason why they'd be any different in terms of music quality. All the reviews I've read say that they really are basically the same phone, just peripherally different (size, flash, slider vs candy bar, screen size).

There are some battery stats here:
Wikipedia page for the N95
Wikipedia page for the N82

Of course that doesn't tell us a real-world experience of what it's like trying to make it to the end of the day with one when you take 100 photos, listen to 2 hours of music, watch 90 minutes of video and play a game for half an hour. I know my Razr V3 suffers badly if I play games on it for a long time.

I also wonder things like .... can I listen to music constantly while occasionally taking a photo or shooting some video ? Can you snap a photo while also recording video ? This is the kind of info that only a user who's tried it can tell you.


Posted by: d4005

Just got back from a few phone stores. My findings ...

The Samsung G600 is small and cute. I can see why some might prefer this.

The Sony Ericsson K850i looks weird and outdated. There's no way that's under consideration for me anymore.

The G800 was fairly nice, but that sliding lens cover felt like it would break off. Overall it didn't impress me. Maybe it was because I'd seen the N95 first.

The Nokia N82, which I was expecting to be slim and cute, somehow didn't seem half as good as I thought it would. It's long and thick (useful for other things in this world, but for a phone). It didn't appeal to me like I thought it might.

The Nokia N95-1 was the big surprise for me. A good half inch shorter than the N82 and not noticeably wider. The thickness was nowhere near what I was expecting. I thought it would feel overly thick and chunky, but not at all. It felt just right, exactly right in fact. If there wasn't a better phone in the store, then this would have been the choice.

There was a better one though. The Nokia N95-8GB (or N95-2 as it's sometimes called. OMG that thing is sexy. That 2.8" screen and the dual slide action, and the total lack of a chunky feel as I'd built myself up to expect. I would have bought one there and then but that store (in Germany) wanted 869 euros (700 quid in UK money and 1200 US$).

End of quest! That's it right there. The N95-8GB is the next one for me. Now I just need to find me a reasonably priced one. It might involve waiting 6 months. I can handle that.

I accept the Flash isn't the best, but I can live with that based on the rest of it being so awesome. Having seen one in the flesh, I now see why it's got the popularity it has.




Posted by: jontymisra

^^ N82 or N95, cant go wrong with either of the two.


Posted by: RogerPodacter

the n95 is surprisingly small once you see it in person. i think its the perfect size ergonomically to fit in palm of your hand.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerPodacter
the n95 is surprisingly small once you see it in person. i think its the perfect size ergonomically to fit in palm of your hand.
That's exactly what I thought today when I got my grubby little paws on one for the first time. Up until then I'd been convinced it would seem bulky.


Posted by: amangill

Sad that the n95-8gb dosent feel the same way, me persoanlly i think im going to ditch the n95 8gb for the g600 just because of its price under 300


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by amangill
Sad that the n95-8gb dosent feel the same way, me persoanlly i think im going to ditch the n95 8gb for the g600 just because of its price under 300
I'll take it off your hands for $100 ... deal ?


Posted by: amangill

Quote:
Originally Posted by d4005
I'll take it off your hands for $100 ... deal ?


ahaa more in the 360-400 range i at lesast need enough to buy the g600


Posted by: d4005

What the hell ? I just found out that the N95-8GB doesn't have a microSD slot. They actually REMOVED it when changing from the N95-1. That totally removes it from my short list. The info is here

It looks like the N95-3 is (for me) much better than the N95-8GB. I'd rather have a microSD slot than having 8GB built-in any day. I like the idea that I can take several 8GB cards with me on long trips and never run out of video. The -3 also gets to keep the built-in video editor. I can't imagine why they're remove that in the -8GB model.

Crap, why did they do that? They totally screwed up my plans. I don't want an -8GB at all now. I'm even bringing the N82 back into my thinking.

It's so bloody hard choosing a new phone. I wish they were like computers where you could run a configurator and get the one you really want. Modular phones! that's what I wanna see.

Does anyone know if the N95-3 would work on european/UK GSM networks? I'll never switch to 3G so I don't care about that.


Posted by: JonnyBruha

Sure. You can set any of the Nokias to operate on GSM only even if a compatible 3G chip is present.

The choice seems simple to me. The UI on S60 smartphones has kept me coming back for years now. Do you like sliders or bar phones better? The Samsungs and the Sony don't really come close, but like you said, it's not necessarily all about the amount of features.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by JonnyBruha
Sure. You can set any of the Nokias to operate on GSM only even if a compatible 3G chip is present.

The choice seems simple to me. The UI on S60 smartphones has kept me coming back for years now. Do you like sliders or bar phones better? The Samsungs and the Sony don't really come close, but like you said, it's not necessarily all about the amount of features.

Good to know. I'll pick up a N95-3 next time I'm in yankeeland

I like the dual slider action of the N95 over the N82 having now seen them in person.


Posted by: d4005

Well, I've been back and forth on this, but here's my final analysis after several weeks looking at these phones:

Samsung G600:

Pros: Looks, Size
Cons: Max 2GB microSD, Bad Camera Reviews (No Xenon)

Samsung G800:

Pros: Front Looks, Camera Lens (3x optical zoom)
Cons: Rear Looks (flimsy camera slider), Max 4GB microSD, Camera (Not as good as Nokia)

Sony Ericsson K850i:

Pros: ? None ?
Cons: Ugly mofo, Bad Camera Reviews

Nokia N95-1:

Pros: Looks, up to 8GB microSD, video editor, "good" camera
Cons: Battery life, No Xenon Flash, general phone performance

Nokia N95-8GB:

Pros: Looks even better than N95-1, phone performance better, battery life better
Cons: still no Xenon Flash, no microSD slot at all, video editor gone

Nokia N95-3:

Pros: Looks, up to 8GB microSD, battery life better
Cons: still no Xenon Flash, only available in U.S.

Nokia N82:

Pros: Up to 8GB microSD, battery life good, Xenon Flash, video editor
Cons: Candy bar design (not my personal preferred style)

Summary:

I can't buy either of the Samsungs because the camera is second rate with no Xenon Flash and worse than that, we get maximum 2GB or 4GB microSD card. The Sony Ericsson goes without saying that it's ugly and wins nothing in performance. The N95-1 is pretty good, but has bad battery life, no Xenon flash, and I've read apps run slow on it. The N95-8GB which improved things for apps and battery life, but they ruined it by removing the microSD slot making it an immediate drop-out from my shortlist. I wouldn't care if it had 32GB, it's not flexible/expandable. The N95-3 is a good half-way solution by having the improved battery life, but not losing the microSD slot or video editor, but it's only available in the U.S. so isn't all that accessible. That leaves just the Nokia N82. It has the elusive Xenon Flash, wins the photo and video shootout against all the others. It also has the good battery life and the 8GB microSD slot. The only thing I don't love about it is the candy bar design, but I'd rather have a phone that does everything I could want perfectly but doesn't look great, than have one that looks great but doesn't work well. It's also not even the most expensive one, so that helps.


Posted by: Evan

the G600 is very very crappily built. plasticy. I have one, I broke one.


Posted by: d4005

I just couldn't do it. I couldn't buy an N82. I was in the store again today looking at an N82 and it's just too ugly and big.

So I've gone and ordered the N95-3 from America. I'll be able to pick it up next week (unexpected trip). It has the "good" changes from the N95-1 (battery life/performance) and not the "bad" changes (removal of microSD and video editor).

Plus it cost only about 300 GBP ($600). Can't wait

Does anyone know if the demand-paging can be installed in the N95-3, or if it's already built-in ? Plus, I assume if it doesn't have the video editor, I can install it.


Posted by: JonnyBruha

It has the video editor, but demand paging is supposed to come with a firmware update.

Couldn't you have just ordered it from Tigerdirect.com and had it sent to Germany? I don't know if they ship internationally, but it would save you a flight and they have it priced at $499 (USD).


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by JonnyBruha
Couldn't you have just ordered it from Tigerdirect.com and had it sent to Germany? I don't know if they ship internationally, but it would save you a flight and they have it priced at $499 (USD).
The taxes and import duties would be a killer. It'd bring the price up to about $1,000. I'm not flying out there just to get it , it's just an unexpected trip to san diego.
Thanks for the TigerDirect tip


Posted by: homi mike

Quote:
Originally Posted by d4005
The taxes and import duties would be a killer. It'd bring the price up to about $1,000. I'm not flying out there just to get it , it's just an unexpected trip to san diego.
Thanks for the TigerDirect tip

Yeah, I was in the same situation like you and the N95-3 is just the best phone among those choices, in terms of price, performance and flexibility.

Another note, you can also order from buy.com if you will be in San Diego, they usually ship the stuff out from their Southern California warehouse, which is like like 1 day delivery time, but you will have to pay tax though (~8%), just if you don't wanna wait for a 5-day ground delivery from tigerdirect


Posted by: noservice2001

what's the verdict?


Posted by: JonnyBruha

He ordered an N95-3.

Quote:
Originally Posted by d4005

So I've gone and ordered the N95-3 from America.



If anybody needs help with applications or anything, feel free to PM me.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by JonnyBruha
If anybody needs help with applications or anything, feel free to PM me.
Have you got a link to an introduction to S60 life? I imagine I'll want to download a few apps, but I doubt I'll be pushing it far. A .wmv player would be cool, and any free games that are around. I'm sure I could find something if I googled it, but if you know the best places to go, that'd be cool


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by noservice2001
what's the verdict?
Myself, JonnyBruha and homi_mike all think the N95-3 is the best.

For me. it's the size/look/shape of the N82 that puts me off so much that I'm willing to go with the N95-3 despite it having a weaker flash, and it not being available in europe.

The N95-8GB isn't an option with having no microSD slot. That 8GB would fill up quickly with photos, music, recorded videos and imported videos (from PC for entertainment). Once it's full, that's it, game over. No grabbing a second or third 8GB card out of your pocket with that one.

Judging by amazon.com and their little thing that shows what people who searched for actually went and bought, most people stateside seem to agree with me. The N95-3 outsells the N95-8GB significantly. Not that I ordered one from there, Jonny's tigerdirect.com link came just in time


Posted by: JonnyBruha

I actually just found it even cheaper. Dell has it for $489 with free ground shipping in the States.

The best place to browse applications is either Handango or my-symbian.com. Allaboutsymbian.com is a great resource for S60 related news and updates and I'm fond of pizero.net's themes. (Other people like P@sco's, but I don't care for them).

As of right now, I have the following installed,

emTube-excellent YouTube application
Y-browser-for all my file organizing needs
ActiveFile-for when Y-browser doesn't cut it
GoogleMaps-when Nokia Maps doesn't cut it (works with internal GPS and tower based triangulation)
Handy Taskman-to replace the default task manager
Screenshot-to show off various views from your device
Smartlight-keeps the backlight lit when any application is open-very handy
Calcium-replacement for the cumbersome default calculator
S60SpotOn-manual backlight application
MWeather-free weather app
Symella-P2P client
SymTorrent-mobile torrent client
CorePlayer-plays almost any video file
ShazamID-identify songs just by recording small clips
vNes-NES emulator
vSun+-SNES emulator
Global Race-gorgeous racing game
QuickOffice4.5 Upgrade-allows you to view and edit Office documents (v5 supports Office 07 files)
SkyeQuiKey-enables faster contact searching for placing calls and sending text messages, with some other neat advantages.

I consider myself to be a light user too, so that's just the tip of the iceberg.


Posted by: RogerPodacter

and dont forget your free VOIP calling truphone. necessity since the n95-3 has built in VOIP calling.


Posted by: bachviet

Quote:
Originally Posted by JonnyBruha
I actually just found it even cheaper. Dell has it for $489 with free ground shipping in the States.

...

I have to pay tax with Dell so it's not a very good deal. I have a coupon to be used at CompUSA (TigerDirect) for $10 off $100, which is expiring today.


Posted by: d4005

I ended up having to order my N95-3 from Amazon.com. I couldn't complete the order at tigerdirect.com, buy.com or dell.com. The shipping address being in the US was helpful (and required), but they wouldn't accept a credit card that had a non-US billing address. So anyone in europe wanting to buy something for a US-based friend/relative, forget it. It's not possible.

Amazon had a silver/bronze one for $499 ($550 including tax and expedited shipping). I'd have preferred silver/black, but that was $599 ($650 incl. tax/shipping). I'll take a less attractive back-colour to save $100 any day.

Thanks to all who've helped me make by decision. I'll be looking at those application recommendations once I get it


Posted by: d4005

Question for N95-3 owners .... Does it really use the BL-6F 1200maH battery? I'm finding contradictory information, some of which says it uses the BL-5F 950maH battery like the N95-1 original does. Can anyone confirm?

Wikipedia page says N95-3 got upgraded to BL-6F just like the N95-8GB did:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N95#N95-3

This Amazon page says it has a 950maH battery
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W9S5J2
Although it is there an N95-3, I suspect that they copy/pasted the text from the original N95-1 and while updating it, they might have missed that.

but then this product description for the BL-6F itself at Amazon says it's compatible only with the N95-8GB:
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-BL-6F-B...01964433&sr=8-1

You can see how I'd be confused. I want to order myself a spare battery and don't want to get it wrong. If it does use the BL-5F, I can live with that, I'll just order two spares instead of one.

A search on ebay certainly didn't add any weight to the argument that the N95-3 uses the BL-6F either, all the sellers mention only compatibility with the N95-8GB (of course they could all be wrong):
http://search.ebay.com/nokia-bl-6f_...nokiaQ20blQ2d6f

Also, has anyone seen any kind of replacement skins for the phone? I'd like to go for the all-black look of the N95-8GB instead of the Silver/Bronze I had to order (because the Silver/Black was $100 more).


Posted by: bachviet

Only the N95-1 uses the BL-5F 950 mAh battery. The N95-2, N95-3, and upcoming N95-4 use BL-6F 1200 mAh battery.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by bachviet
Only the N95-1 uses the BL-5F 950 mAh battery. The N95-2, N95-3, and upcoming N95-4 use BL-6F 1200 mAh battery.
Thanks. That's what I was thinking/hoping would be true. It's a shame you can't trust all these various websites to get it right.

Have any of you N95-3 owners bought one of the cradle/docking stations from ebay? I'm seeing ones that say for N95, and ones that say for N95-8GB. Naturally none of them mention N95-3 as I'm looking at ebay europe. Has anyone got one? Is it compatible with the 95 or the 95-8GB ?


Posted by: aespablo

Just want to say that this is a very nice thread. Im in the same situation as d4005 and all the replies heve helped me narrow down my choices. I found the replies to be reliable and intelligent. My congratulations to those who posted in this thread, specially to samsung.user whose short reviews I found quite helpful. Hope this thread does not end yet. Regards to all.


Posted by: samsung.user

Just keep in mind the k850 isn't as bad as I made it seem to be. Has a new firmware that improves the camera. Still I think the lack of smartphone, gps, and wifi makes it a second choice next to n82 or n95.


Posted by: aespablo

How about the LG Viewty, how would you rate it compared to the phones in this thread? It has a nice large display, and I read that it takes nice photos with it its 5 megapix camera and nicer video. It has a xenon flash.


Posted by: aespablo

G800 - Looks good on paper but a flop of a phone. Max video 15 fps at qvga.



samsung.user, can you elaborate more on why you think the G800 is a flop.

Thanks.


Posted by: samsung.user

All I do is follow the reviews and shootout contests on the internet. Really just relay the info, but add a little opinion.

I will put bands and data speeds aside since that's really a separate area and everyone lives in different areas.

What you want to do is look at that shootout on phone arena I think is the place. One of the best comparisons I have seen. Shows everything, day, night, macro, flash from various distances, etc. Whoever did that did an awesome job and earned his paycheck.

I think they said for both the g800, and viewty that they are sad phones. The xenon flash on those phones are pathetic. And in macro mode with the flash on, it completely turns the picture white, both phones do this, viewty much worse.

The viewty has very good video, the g800 has horrible. Neither are smartphones so you will get bored fast. And the price of both these phones are very close to n82 or n95 and no wifi or gps. I would go for the viewty over the g800.

But, good news. G810 is coming. S60 samsung phone with wifi, gps, 5mp, xenon, optical. Then the i900? is coming too. Windows touch screen with 5mp, and f490. Another 5mp touch dumbphone. Samsung finally got their head on straight I think. They are capable of producing just as good as a nokia phone but with 500 times better looks. Oh, but they have battery issues though. We'll see. Go for the nokia's or wait to see what comes out. Viewty and g800 waste of money I think.


Posted by: aespablo

Again wise words from samsung.user. Thanks bro.

I think the N82 is the best in terms of value for money, however I think it is the ugliest.
Maybe if there was a black version of the N82, I would reconsider.

I will try to wait as long as I can. The G800 just came out here so I think it will be months before we get the G810. Grrrrrrrr...I'm sure you know the terrible feeling of waiting while everyone else is already playing with their new phones.

Best regards.


Posted by: d4005

I'm back. Got my Nokia N95-3 and I'm very happy with it. I much prefer this slider design and the dimensions of this phone when compared with the N82. That's personal preference of course.

It works just great in Europe, but is of course limited to GSM. From what I've read, if I wanted to use 3G (which I don't), then I don't think it would work here. Maybe I'm wrong and it's just "optimized" for US 3G rather than having different frequencies. I won't go into any more detail on that though, it's not something I know about.

To clear up any questions I had earlier in the thread, yes it uses the Nokia BL-6F battery, yes the travel charger supports 100-240volts, and yes it's perfectly happy using 8GB microSDHC cards and displays their size/free space as being 8GB. I was worried a little about that as some reviews said it supports up to 2GB and some said up to 4GB. I haven't filled up the card beyond 4GB yet, but I'm confident it'll be OK if it's able to recognize there's 8GB free on the card.

So if you, like me, are disappointed that the Nokia N95-8GB doesn't have a memory card slot, and you can manage to get yourself a Nokia N95-3 from the states, and you don't care about 3G, then it's a good option.

I would say though, if you're not in a hurry, you might want to wait for the Nokia N96. It has 16GB of onboard memory and retains the memory card slot, and this time they talk about being able to expand it to 24GB (admitting that 8GB cards work). It can also play .WMV files. It's basically satisfying my big criticism of the N95-8GB, the fact that they were stupid to take the memory card slot out. Plus they've thrown in an extra 8GB and WMV support. Other than that though, I don't see what else it offers above the N95-3. I'm surprised they decided to go back to the BL-5F battery for the N96. It doesn't seem like the phone has lots more crammed into the phone and they didn't have space for a 6F. Strange.

If money were no object, then I'd be a little disappointed that I didn't wait for it. Thing is though, it's not out yet and when it does come out it'll be highly priced for quite a while. I got my N95-3 for $600 (£300). It'll be 2009 before an N96 can be had for that price.

Many thanks to those that helped me find my way to this phone.


Posted by: aespablo

Please enlighten me on what 3G is and on what occasions is it used and/or needed in a cellphone. We use that term here for a phone that has an internal camera and the capability for you to see the person you are talking to and vice-versa. Is this also what you mean when you say 3G? Thanks.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by aespablo
Please enlighten me on what 3G is and on what occasions is it used and/or needed in a cellphone. We use that term here for a phone that has an internal camera and the capability for you to see the person you are talking to and vice-versa. Is this also what you mean when you say 3G? Thanks.

3G is 3rd Generation. The first generation of phones/cell networks is now referred to as 1G. This was analog networks. Those phones/networks died out in the 90's because the 2nd Generation (GSM) took over. GSM took a long while before it became a worldwide standard and it has 4 different bands (frequencies). The 3G networks started a couple of years ago and has a much higher data rate which is why it can easily support video calls. It also has different frequencies. A GSM phone won't work on a 3G network, and vice versa. Some phones, like the Nokia N95, will work on 3G or GSM.


Posted by: aespablo

Thanks d4005. What phone function is usually used on a 3G phone which cannot be done on a non 3G phone?


Posted by: jontymisra

Quote:
Originally Posted by d4005
3G is 3rd Generation. The first generation of phones/cell networks is now referred to as 1G. This was analog networks. Those phones/networks died out in the 90's because the 2nd Generation (GSM) took over. GSM took a long while before it became a worldwide standard and it has 4 different bands (frequencies). The 3G networks started a couple of years ago and has a much higher data rate which is why it can easily support video calls. It also has different frequencies. A GSM phone won't work on a 3G network, and vice versa. Some phones, like the Nokia N95, will work on 3G or GSM.


I think you are confusing GSM vs CDMA. (Or I'm mis-interpreting what you said)

3G is primarily talked about when you need voice + data over the phone.
The data equivalent of GSM is 3G (W-CDMA) while the CDMA (Non-SIM phones) use EVDO for data.

GSM phones can utilize 3G so long as they have those W-CDMA frequencies (US - 850/1900..EU - 2100).

Hope I made sense.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by aespablo
Thanks d4005. What phone function is usually used on a 3G phone which cannot be done on a non 3G phone?

Anything that needs a high data rate. Video calling, watching streamed TV, watching youtube videos, using it as your broadband connection, google maps, anything that you'd need broadband to do. You could think of 3G = Broadband I suppose. It's not just GSM broadband though, it is a completely new network that has new frequencies and transmitters.


Posted by: d4005

Quote:
Originally Posted by jontymisra
I think you are confusing GSM vs CDMA. (Or I'm mis-interpreting what you said)

I'd go for the "me confusing them" option

I never really moved on from basic GSM. I tend to gloss over (in reviews) all mention of CDMA and 3G and 3.5G. For the "phone" part of my needs of this device, just being able to call and text is fine

I got to retire 3 whole gadgets (4 if I include my old Razr phone) since I got this N95-3. No longer will I need to bring my Samsung MP3 player, Casio Exilim EX-S600 camera/video recorder, Meizu Mini (video) player, and of course the old phone. 4 in1 FTW !! If I used a portable navigation device that'd be 5 in 1. Damn this thing is good.

...and those microSD cards. Wouldn't you just love to take one back in time 20 years and show them 8GB in the size and thickness of a fingernail. They'd freak out


Posted by: RogerPodacter

yeah gsm certainly has a 3g equivalent, its called 3G HSDPA. and ATT has the only network of its kind in the US. well, maybe a regional carrier does too. but of the major gsm carriers, i.e. tmobile and att, att is the only company with a 3GSM network. 3g uses the same air interface as verizon's cdma, its called wCDMA. verizon's 3G is EVDO, and ATT's (or any gsm network) 3G is HSDPA.


Posted by: JonnyBruha

Actually, AT&T's 3G is UMTS, which is the equivalent of GPRS on a 2G GSM network. GPRS is to EDGE as UMTS is to HSDPA.




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