Re: iPod Touch (threads merged)
 

I think it's in the comments, but OpenMoko looks quite good - arguably better than Hildon.

My point is that Nokia haven't done such a good job with Hildon and the apps on the Nokia - there are a number of mistakes and inconsistencies in the NIT UI to the point where Nokia don't have the right to yet challenge the community to prove they can do it better.

Re: It's over
 

The new 8GB N95 and N81 (announced last week) are all black, and look great - for me, a definite improvement on the original silver/plum N95. From comments I've seen so far elsewhere, the reaction has also been very positive. Maybe Nokia are getting the message... all black is the new grey with silver trim. :)

Re: iPod Touch (threads merged)
 

On Ari's blog, he said I didn't interpret that comment as necessarily relating to Nokia's UI at all, but to open source projects in general. In that regard, I agree with him. I think lack of a well-designed, efficient, and attractive UI is a common complaint of open source projects. I think Ubuntu in particular has made some strides in this area precisely by having a strong central control over the look and feel of the UI. I'm making some really broad generalizations here, but I've seen this argument come up a lot.

That doesn't mean that corporate produced UIs are necessarily any better. I'm sure we can all think of many different examples of a poorly implemented UI that was made worse by the fact that it's closed source and difficult to change.

Re: It's over
 

Holy crap, that's EXACTLY what I need on my N800 right now!
Seriously, that kicks the snot out of what Nokia's done with Hildon on the N800 and they should seriously look at implementing it in future firmware upgrades, even if it's only as a selectable option from the control panel.

THe big problem with Nokia is that when they do try to copy Apple - and the recently disclosed touchscreen Nokia phone and the U.S. flagship stores prove beyond a shadow of a doubt they are desperately trying to copy Apple - they find they can't follow through.
Case in point: the employees at the U.S. flagship stores are phucking *****s when it comes to Nokia phones. When I was in the Chicago store I overheard one of the sales people in there telling a potential customer that the N80 and N95 had wi-fi whereas the iPhone didn't. I walked over and told her that was wrong and that perhaps she should actually do some proper research before spouting off incorrect information to customers. Then I had to show her the wi-fi settings on the phones she was trying to sell.

Now, walk into any Apple store and ask a technical question about an iPod or an iPhone or any of the computers they sell here and you'll get a good answer pronto. The folks there know the products they sell.

And Nokia needs to seriously hire some decent PR flacks that KNOW how to excite and wow a crowd without actually trying. That's what the great Stevie-J does at his keynotes and presentations. Those things are timed down to the minute, well-rehearsed beforehand, and everything is setup and ready to go long before Steve takes the stage. Almost nothing goes wrong during his performance.
If I had ever given a presentation or briefing like OPK does then I'd be out of a job by now. And I work in frickin' government IT where that's considered a tertiary skill at best!
He's the frickin' lead frontman for a global mobile phone (now "computer"?) company and his presentation skills suck!
Just like we expect more from Nokia's devices and software we expect more out of their leadership as well.

Anything is possible now and even the DeLorean is making a comeback.

Re: It's over
 

As a Nokia stockholder I'd love to turn that around - with just a bit more consumerization the N800 could have gotten maybe 3% of the iPod market, instead of .0003%

And don't flame me too bad, cause I do love my N800 ( and 770 ) but have there even *been* significant NIT sales to date?

The ingredients for sucess of the NIT are there, they just have not been mixed properly imho. C'mon Nokia, put some lipstick on this pig!

Re: It's over
 

Does the new model come standard with a flux capacitor? If so I'll take one... money won't be an issue (not after the first trip anyway).

Re: It's over
 

No reason to flame. You're right, IMO.

Re: It's over
 

The reaction to the announced Sprint/Nokia N80x WiMax device will be interesting in light of the iPod Touch launch - sales were never going to be stellar as it's a new service (WiMax) and I'm guessing Sprint is just one of several service providers in any given region, and existing contracts may restrict initial take up to some extent, but comparison of the new device with the iPod/iPhone will be inevitable.

Will consumers see the value in the N80x+WiMax, or will consumers prefer the more limited but more attractive ("cooler") functionality offered by the Touch (and even the iPhone)? Maybe the N80x+Wimax with a decent sized in-box memory card (8GB?) and a new multi-coloured finger friendly UI will stand a fighting chance. :)

Re: It's over
 

Could be worse, it could be a Microsoft product.

Re: It's over
 

Classy! Hot pink and rhinestones... nice (better be careful what I say, it might be popular where Tex is from...*) :)

Haven't Microsoft shut down the Zune business unit yet, or is that announcement scheduled for tomorrow? :)

* I'm referring to the rhinestones...

EDIT: The comments for the Pink Zune article on engadget are quite amusing - great move by Microsoft to launch a special edition Pink Zune on the same day Apple relaunch their entire iPod range... :)