She also complained that her phone’s so old that she feels embarrassed to be seen with it on the MRT.  So I scouted around for a new phone & finally decided that the new Nokia Asha 303 would suit her. 

Got it from the Nokia Store at Century Square at SGD249 (without contract).  The S40 OS was easy to use – didn’t take much effort before I ran through with my mom how to use the phone.  I think she should be able to copy fine.

My mom also wanted to find out how to download games so I showed her how to navigate the Nokia Store.  I think it’s good that my mom isn’t a techno-phobe.  Heh. 

Now I’m thinking of getting a new phone for myself – but there’s no phone out there that inspires me!  First of all, I highly doubt any handphones in the market now has a better camera than my Nokia N8.  In fact, apart from my ancient Nokia N82, I don’t think there’s any other phones that has a Xenon flash installed.  Once you’ve used a Xenon flash on a handphone, you would never want to use a LED flash ‘cos the latter just whitewashes the picture.

I also want a phone that can multitask, which means the iOS is out.  I find Android hard to use (struggled with the interface on my dad’s Samsung) so that pretty much leaves me with buying either a Symbian or Windows device.

Nokia hasn’t really launched any Symbian phone that can trump the N8… so that narrowed down my consideration to the Nokia Lumia 800 which runs on Windows.  Sadly, although the Lumia 800 has a much faster processor, the camera pales in comparison with my N8’s… and Windows doesn’t allow users to customise the phone as much as Symbian (I can’t have multiple profiles, ringtones, message tones, homescreens, wallpapers, etc installed on Windows).

That brings me back to square one.  Sigh.  How how?  Nokia, will you launch a 2nd generation N8 please?

That said, I’m also not used to the restrictions iOS imposes on people. I don’t like how I’m forced to sync entire folders if I want to add photos or music to my iPad. I don’t like not being able to use Flash cos many retailers such as Coach and Fitflop have sites that require Flash. I don’t like the way iOS highlights/ selects text. I miss my cursor keys that I’m accustomed to from my Nokia. I don’t like how I’m forced to paste/ embed pictures in e-mails or how I can’t attach files to them. These are basic things that I’ve gotten so used to on my Nokia handphone that I’ve practically taken them for granted.

My conclusion after using the iPad 2 for 1.5 weeks is that this is gonna be an interim device for me – till someone manufactures a great Windows based tablet. And, I think I’m still going to use Symbian/ Meego handphones for a while… till they die out entirely…

What i do like is its portability. Will be using it mainly for blogging on the move, checking Weibo, viewing videos of my bunnies and Angry Birds!!! Haha. Ok. It’s almost 3am. Gotta sleep. Going to be a zombie tomorrow!

Last weekend, my boss was watching his son play/ wade in a swimming pool at Sentosa. He had instructed his son to stay on the steps of the pool cos his son was too short to wander into the pool, plus the boy doesn’t know how to swim.

Unfortunately, the boy got curious after a while and decided to thread beyond the last step. Sure enough, he lost his footing and his head went under water. My boss immediately ran to the pool to yank his son out. In his haste, his wallet and handphone went into the pool as well!

My boss saw the screen of his Nokia 6700 fizzle and die. He went to the washroom, took apart the phone and used the hand dryer to blow dry the phone. After he got home that night, he continued to dry the phone using a hairdryer. Amazingly, the phone was revived. My boss then turned to his wife who uses an iphone and said, “Don’t think your iphone would’ve survived.” Heh.

My boss is now a firm believer of Nokia products, though I wouldn’t suggest anyone dunking their phones ever!

I sent an e-mail to Text100, which is the PR company in charge of Nokia’s branding & PR in Singapore.  This was my e-mail.

==================

Hi,
 
I know you guys are the PR company handling Nokia’s branding, etc, so this really isn’t directed at you.  However, it appears to me that the Nokia Customer Care in Singapore is outsourced and the helpdesk folks are really really crap.  Is there any one who’s really from Nokia that can look into this?  My request is a very simple one actually.
 
This is my complaint:
 
My N8 came with a Channel News Asia app which allows me to read the news (note – this is not the WebTV app).  The app became unstable and kept hanging so I uninstalled it.  Thereafter, I was unable to find the app on Ovistore.  I contacted Singtel who said I had to refer the matter to Nokia.
So I emailed Nokia.

1. Joyce T. told me to download the app from Ovistore & copied & pasted some standard instructions on how to download apps from Ovistore.  This obviously shows she doesn’t even know what apps are available on Ovistore which is unacceptable.  Even if she doesn’t know all the available apps, surely it wouldn’t kill her to check before replying a customer?

2. After I replied stating that this app is not available on Ovistore, Arnie S. replied saying he has validated and the app is indeed not there.  Didn’t I say it already?  Why repeat information that I gave to Nokia back to me?  Arnie S. also suggested that I updated my firmware.  Another stupid suggestion because the N8 has no firmware updates to be done. The much hyped PR1.1 is not out yet.  There was a software update but that was only available today – after Arnie S’s suggestion. 

3. I replied again informing Nokia that my firmware is currently the latest version.  I also asked if Nokia was 100% sure that the CNA app will be restored if I reinstalled my firmware.  Yen G. replied affirmatively and told me to do a backup of my N8 before reinstalling the software.
To prove to Nokia that it wouldn’t work, I did the software update.  And it doesn’t work.  So what happens now?
 
 
Regards,

==================

The best thing is, Nokia actually sends surveys to people who have written to the helpdesk for help.  Well, I gave them the worst grading possible for every single question in the survey.  I also reiterated the above in the survey.  Wonder if anything will actually be done?

The last time I gave them a damning survey, the research company handling the survey called me from the UK.  They made 2-3 calls actually and seemed genuinely interested to find out more.  I applaud them for that and I noted that the no. of staff in their helpdesk has doubled since then (that was about 2 years ago).

Unfortunately, quantity is obviously not quality.

I have to confess that my e-mails to the helpdesk staff were sarcastic but  my tolerance limit was breached 2 years ago. 

Argh.  When can Nokia improve their customer service?

First, why are users in Singapore restricted to English, Malay & Chinese?  What can’t I install a myriad of languages like in the iOS?  I’m told I need to go to Nokia Care Centre to get them to install additional language packs.  Isn’t this a waste of my time & the care centre personnel’s time?  If it can’t be preinstalled, at least let it be downloadable online!!

My second peeve is with the T9 keyboard.  For words that I input into the dictionary, sometimes, when typing a sentence, the word is auto-capitalised mid-sentence.  My previous Nokias never had this problem!  Darn annoying to have to select the small caps version of the word.  Grr.  I gotta find time to feedback to Nokia about this!!

===============
[Update]
Read this review about the N8 http://rickycadden.com/2010/11/nokia-n8-review/ and I must say I totally agree about the annoying bit about the punctuation inconsistencies! Hope it gets resolved in the next firmware. For now, I’m happy with using Swype to type longer texts (it’s nifty & fast) while I memorise how to get the right punctuation due to the inconsistencies.

Here’s a pic of my iced mocha in Sepia tones.  Nice retro looking pic. 

I had the caesar salad with blackened salmon.  It was delicious!

Azure had this egg crab tart.  There were strong hints of lemongrass in it… so the dish was very “Thai” to me.  Heh.

Booze Queen had this chicken for lunch though the name of the dish escapes me now.  The spinach cooked with garlic was really good.

The 3 of us also shared this friends fries with truffle oil… salty… but darn yummy!

After the super filling lunch, I thought I would be full & sleepy in the office.. but I was wrong.  ‘Cos I’m being irritated and kept awake by a colleague who brought his baby to office YET AGAIN.  I seriously don’t know why people bring their kids to work.  If your kid can shut up, fine.  But it’s damn blardy annoying to have a wailing baby in office.  I don’t want to take any calls now ‘cos it’ll be so embarrassing for clients to hear a crying baby in the background – not professional at all!

I saw this sign outside PS Cafe.

I think we need to hang something like that at our office too!!

(Pictures taken with the Nokia N8!!)

Not sure what practical use it’ll have but it entertains me for now. Haha.

Posted from my Nokia N8

Similarly, I’ve often condemned the iPhone but I hope those who’ve heard my complains realise that the reasons I hate the iPhone are also very personal ones, e.g. I really struggle with a Qwerty keyboard (unless it comes with SWYPE!!).  I also require my phone to take good photos (‘cos I loooooooooooooove snapping photos of my bunnies and of the food I eat and I don’t want to carry my digicam around with me) and the iPhone’s camera sucks (relative to Nokia’s).  I’m also not a person who’s big on games.  The few games that I like are, Raving Rabbids (on my X6), Angry Birds, Bouncing Bricks (and various variations of it) & Monopoly (had it on I can’t remember my N95 or N82 and now on my N8).

Being able to customise my hp is also very important to me.  One of the first things i do everytime i get a new Nokia is to set up Contact Groups (e.g. family, office, hubby & buddies) and set individual ringtones for these groups.  Being somewhat obsessive compulsive, I have had the following phone profile modes for the past 7-8 years, i.e. General Profile (normal ringing tone w/ no vibration alert), Office Profile (a much softer ringing tone), Outdoors Profile (super loud + vibrate mode on), Silent mode (only vibrates) and Privacy Profile (phone only rings when certain Contact Groups call – super important when I’m on leave or on MC).  To date, Nokia is the only manufacturer that has offered me this customisation feature.  I would be terribly upset if I had to use a phone without my customised profile modes.

I could go on for another few pages on why I love Nokia but I think I’ve made my point clear as to why people need to take personal responsibility over what makes them happy.  In my boss’ words – you live and die by your decision.  (Er, though he said that to me when he asked me to decide who to hire).  Hahahha.

Seriously.  I really hate it when people make criticisms without backing it up with hard evidence.  I didn’t take offence then but during lunch with another friend on Thurs, he mentioned that he wouldn’t get the N8 because it’s Symbian.  This is coming from someone who has never tried the Symbian^3 OS and whose Nexus One was in the service centre for the 2nd time over a spoilt on/off button.  And even if we were to talk about the S60 version 5, I really cannot comprehend when people make baseless comments like, “it’s so passe”.  So what exactly about it is passe? 

I strongly believe that there is no perfect phone but there will be phones that suit your individual needs more than others.  For example, some reviewers have complained that there is no QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode for the N8, obviously assuming that the entire world only uses QWERTY keyboard.  Well, I and some others I know, way prefer to use an alphanumeric keyboard and I appreciate the fact that i am given a choice with my Nokia.

Although I have suggested on more than one occassion that Nokia should develop its own push technology like the blackberry or iPhone, but in all fairness, I also have to acknowledge that the Symbian OS is not as battery draining as other operating systems.  For example, I have been running Whatsapp on my N8 and the Symbian Whatsapp requires the 3G connection to be open all the time (the BB and iPhone versions use push technology).  In spite of this, I can still tweet, read Weibo, surf Facebook, play Angry Birds / Monopoly, take calls, listen to music (via loudspeaker) and sms on my phone for about 1.5 days before the battery goes dead (please search online if you want to know the battery life specs).  I’m very sure this is testament of the decent battery life of the N8, as well as the fact that Symbian is not an OS that requires a tremendous amount of battery.

In short, there is no perfect phone.  Different people will have different requirements and expectations of their phones… but if you don’t do research and you don’t test a handphone before purchasing it, and then you complain about the phone being crappy and sell it within 2 hours… there’s only 1 way to describe this situation.  It’s called “user problem”.