Get a chance to win smartphones with Nokia and Gameloft’s promo

Take out your gaming caps ladies and gentlemen and get a chance to win exciting prizes from Nokia Philippines and Gameloft. By simply downloading liking Nokia Philippines and Gameloft's Facebook page and download a free Gameloft demo game from the Nokia Store your oft to win either a Nokia 808 PureView, Nokia N9, Nokia N8 or other exciting prizes. Just look for the app on Gameloft’s Facebook page, or you can directly visit http://store.nokia.com or http://store.nokia.mobi, if you’re using your mobile phone.

You can choose from a wide variety of free mobile games including The Avengers, Harry Potter DH Part 2, The Dark Knight Rises, Lego Batman, Real Football 2010, Diamond Twister, and UNO.

After you finish downloading a game, make sure to register to make your entry count. Just head on to the app on Gameloft’s Facebook page and type in the following: your name, email address, mobile number, demo game downloaded, Nokia device used, and your handset’s IMEI number.

Each download corresponds to one entry, so download as many Gameloft games from the Nokia Store to increase your chances of winning. You can also spread the word and invite your friends to download games to unlock more prizes.

Promo ends on September23, 2012. One unit each of Nokia 808 PureView, Nokia N9 and Nokia N8 are up for grabs, and several Gameloft USB flash drives, shirts and ID lanyards will also be given away to the lucky winners who will be chosen via electronic raffle.

For more information about this promo, visit Nokia Philippines Facebook Page or Gameloft's Facebook Page.

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Grab the Nokia N9 for 1 Peso at Smart Telecom

Sale alert ladies and gentlemen, pick up the all powerful and one and only Meego device in the mobilephone space for 1 piso over at Smart Telecom!

Most probably the craziest sale of the season with the Nokia N9 having a top of the line hardware and a critically acclaimed software. Its a win-win situation for buyers.

The phone's 16GB and 64GB variant can be availed under All-in Plan 800, a type of plan that can be fully customize to consumers likings. Consumers can select services down to the last peso with the following offers; Unli Call and Text Packages and Mobile Internet Plans.

The beautifully designed Nokia N9 features an intuitive user interface that's controlled with a simple swipe. Everything on the phone works between three home views, the Applications, Events and Live Applications that enable people to navigate through the smartphone easily and get to their favorite content faster.

Other features include:

· 3.9-inch AMOLED screen made from scratch-resistant curved glass
· Easy single-tap pairing with NFC-enabled accessories such as the Nokia Play 360 wireless speaker and sharing of content through NFC technology
· An 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor and wide-angle lens for HD-quality video and photo capture, and large lens aperture for great camera performance even in low-lighting conditions; easy capture and share of images and videos with social networks
· Mobile Internet radio*, with a great range of music out-of-the-box and no fees or account creation necessary, available for the first time as part of the Nokia Music offering; just press play. And the music sounds even better on the first smartphone to come with Dolby Digital Plus decoding and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology.
· Free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice-guided maps for more than 100 countries and in more than 50 languages
· Top social networking, communication, entertainment and gaming apps preloaded for a hassle-free out-of-the-box experience
· Global and local apps available through Nokia store for further personalization and new discovery opportunities

Read my full review of the phone HERE.

So what are you waiting for, go grab the Nokia N9 at the following participating SMART Stores:

Megamall • North Edsa • Shangrila • Greenhills • Mall Of Asia • Festival Mall • SNIAR I lower Ayala • Rockwell • Dagupan • SM Baguio SM Clark • SM Pampanga • SM Dasmarinas • Sta Rosa • SM Cebu • SM Iloilo • Davao Ponciano • COO

For more details, please call *887 (for SMART) or 8488877 (for landline). Offer good while supplies Last, handsets are subject to availability. Promo runs June 19 to 25, 2012. DTI NCR Permit #5194 series of 2012.

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9 Tips On How To Pack More Effectively For The Holy Week Or Summer

During Holy Week or summer vacation we want to travel to different destinations to have fun and relax. But sometimes, traveling becomes a pain when we want to bring almost everything and fit it in our luggage, when they don’t.

At times like this, consider the essential things that you need to bring along. Enjoy trips to the fullest with all the right stuff in your bag, and top it off with the Nokia N9, an amazing all-screen smartphone that gives you the fastest access to the things that matter most to you. Keep in touch with your family and friends, be entertained while on the road, stay updated with travel advisories, capture special moments in high definition photos, and switch between activities with a single swipe.

Want to have a worry-free vacation? Here are tips on how to save space in your bag and pack more efficiently.

1. Be smart – Think about what items you might be duplicating. Instead of bringing along several devices like MP3 player, HD video recorder and digital camera along with different chargers, save space by carrying along one handy device – the Nokia N9. This amazing phone has all these functions and more, not to mention a brilliant camera with 8MP auto-focus Carl Zeiss Optics, with 2x LED flash – better than many digital cameras!

2. Make packing a priority – Don’t be hasty when packing for your vacation. Make a list and check that you have packed the most important items first – like passport and money – before moving onto the non-essentials. Set reminders on your phone to make sure you don’t forget anything important!

3. Share the load – If traveling with a friend or partner, see if there any items you can share like toothpaste and hairdryers. Take only one of each to save more space for your other essentials.

4. Pack your apps – Make sure you pack the best apps on your phone to help save space in your bag. The Nokia Store features all the best apps for travel – like city guides so you don’t need to bring heavy guide books, Nokia Maps so you always know where you’re going, language guides, currency converters, flight trackers and much more!

5. Leave space for souvenirs – If you’ve followed the tips above – like using the city guides on your phone rather than bringing a separate guide book – you’ll have saved some space in your bag for stocking up on souvenirs on the way home!

6. Wear large clothes for traveling – Wear your bulkier clothes to keep the weight of your bag down. If you plan on bringing a jacket, keep it on instead of putting it in your bag. By doing this, you not only save bag space but also stay warm on the plane!

7. Check the weather – Check the weather before you depart using apps like WeatherHere. This free Internet enabled app allows users to see current weather and forecast for the next three days of their current location or a city that you’re about to visit. This is will also help you plan your outfits so that you don’t bring a jacket if it’s going to be sunny all week!

8. Make a list of itineraries – Plan your activities and research about your vacation destination to help you plan the things you need or need not bring. You might want to bring some mosquito anti-repellant lotion if you’re sleeping in the broad outdoors or leave your scuba gear if there’s a rental store nearby.


9. Check hand baggage rules – Call the airline or check online the hand baggage rules and regulations before you go to make sure you’re up to date on their latest liquid allowances and other restrictions because these often change.

Yes you can have a stress-free and travel-light vacation with your handy Nokia N9. The Nokia N9 is available in white, magenta, cyan and black colors.

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Nokia N9 Full Blast

I was able to visit Cagayan De Oro City 4 days ago and very happy to find out that Nokia N9 is already selling in all retail shops around the city. Nokia Flagship Store in Limketkai Mall offered the phone for PhP25,500 for the 16GB variant and PhP29,500 for the 64GB while other retail outlet offers it a thousand less from the above mentioned.

To be very honest, I really missed the phone, obvious proof was my unusual fiddle of the display dummy for a few minutes, to rekindle the memories maybe or just wanting to fell that haunting hold again. I might not be able to afford the phone at the moment because I still have to finished my laptop installment but who knows.

My Nokia N9 fancy will definitely be challenged by Nokia Lumia 800 having the same design and to be offered anytime this month or next month so its going to be a huge weight-out for me. Both phones offer an interesting Operating System gaining positive feedback from everyone.

I've just observed though that the phone did not gain commercial support from Nokia Philippines as compared to Nokia N8 when it was launched two years ago but even so, I really want to stress the phones overall performance here and want to recommend it to everyone. The phone is worth every penny spent you visit any Nokia retail store and grab yours.

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Top 10 Mobilephones of 2011

It’s time ladies and gentlemen for the dreaded yearly countdown of the Top 10 best mobilephones of the year. Last year was unexpected because my runaway winner is a mid-range device with a not so powerful specifications. What it has is the total packaging from being useful to being the most affordable without sacrificing to much features. You can read the blog post HERE.


So which phones will make it to the elite this year? Could it be as mentally challenging or emotionally disturbing just like last year? Read on…

10. Cheery Mobile Magnum HD

This is a living proof that high spec's phones should not be expensive and unreachable for the mass market. For just PhP15,600, you will get the following, 4.1 inches TFT WVGA Capacitive screen, Android Gingerbread, 1Ghz processor, 5.0 MP Camera with Flash, 720p HD Recording, WIFI among other specs that you can find in a PhP27,000 Android devices, but less the hardware of course being not so reliable with a possibility of a broken signal or a broken phone itself in 6 months or less. Ask the Cherry Mobile owners, they knew better.

9. Nokia E6

I have been very vocal about the phone being my dream form factor, QWERTY plus capacitive touchscreen, and up to now it still is but the problem with the phone was that, it doesn’t have the jest or the "buy me" factor that’s why it’s almost on the bottom of my list. First and foremost, the screen lacks the size that I would have wanted it to be, 2.46 inches is way off the normal screen size. It would have been better if it has the least 3.0 inches with a 360 x 640 pixels so it’s compatible to all applications for Symbian Anna. Secondly, it has a sub-par camera with its 8MP and Full Focus feature taking regular photos only, but nonetheless, it has a superior hardware cover, the best business apps in the market and the best value price. Nokia just have to add a few tweaks here and it will be perfect.

8. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

If we talk about the looks, this phone is the runaway winner! It really look beautiful but holding the phone and using it speaks the other way around. It’s uncomfortable to use and Timescape User Interface (UI) on top of the Android Operating System is rather confusing than helpful. In fact among the Android phones, Sony Ericsson’s UI implementation is the most boring and unattractive. Have anyone even care to tell them that it’s the main reasons why they lag behind in the Android race? But nonetheless the phone has the following specs to brag about, 4.2inches LED-lit capacitive screen, 1.4Ghz SnapDragon Processor, 8MP autofocus camera with HD video recording, WIFI with DLNA among others. And it cost a fortune as well.

7. Motorola Droid RZAR

Yes it’s the RZAR branding alright, that’s why it made it to my Top 10 list. I never question the hardware of a Motorola phone, it will definitely last long unlike any Samsung devices. Motorola made it sure that the phone inherits the character that made the RZAR line-up famous a decade ago, thin dimension yet very solid. And rather, Motorola phones must be the only choice for anybody getting an Android device because it’s now own by Goggle and if there’s one company that Goggle favor in the future, it will be their own.

6. Nokia Lumia 800

This phone is indeed the first real challenge to the Apple iPhone and Androids because the fanboys did all it best to discredit the phones presence. Come to think of it, they belied the phones sale standing, they tried to inculcate the thought that it’s uninteresting and they want it to be dead before it gets even release worldwide, how stupid was that? Maybe they just can’t accept the fact that it’s better than iPhone when it comes to user experience and Android when it comes to system implementation. I’m not fully sold to the phone rather being a copycat to Nokia N9’s hardware design but I’m interested in getting one being very much talked about. Agree?

5. Samsung Galaxy Y S5360

The phone has the unreliable Samsung hardware that might broke after 6 months of use but hey, its is dead cheap for a device with the following specs and features, 3 inches capacitive touchscreen, 860Mhz ARM processor, Android Gingerbread, 2MP camera, WIFI among others. I call it the first touchscreen phone that is truly for the masses. But again as mentioned earlier, buy in your own risk.

4. Amazon Kindle Fire

Will it’s not a true phone in real sense but you can call anybody using the device via Skype or other social applications so its phone in technical sense. Confuse, I am too but it made it as far as number 4 on my best lists for the year. The baseline is of course the price being affordable but it gained more weight being technically good and feature-riched. It has the specs that most of the tablet costing PhP27,000 or more with only a quarter of its price. Just count the difference!

3. Apple iPad 2

That’s a tablet to, moron! But again it’s a phone base on my definition. So why the iPad2 then? Well among the tablet in the market at the moment, this device is no less than the crown jewel being unchallenged by let say Samsung Galaxy Tab or Acer Iconia or Blackberry Playbook when it comes to user experience and features and you know the most hilarious thing about these competing tablets? They are priced the same as that of the iPad2 even if they are less in everything else! How stupid was that?

2. Nokia Asha 303

The phone made it almost to the number one spot by simply becoming the phone that Nokia E6 should have been hardware-wise, a bigger screen and undoubtedly stylish. Its the phones hardware and form factor that made this phone outstanding and the specs and the price were just supporting attributes even though it only cost PhP6,400 and has the following features to brag about, capacitive touchscreen, I GHz of processor, 3.2MP camera, WIFI among others. It must be further improved by adding more size to the screen, like .4 inches more?

1. Nokia N9

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m still bounded by the charm of Nokia N9 two months since my free trial with it ended. It just proved how alluring the phone is because it continuously hunt me with its enigma; the superior hardware, unibody design, curve glass display, the bright AMOLED screen with ClearBlack Display technology that makes the icons looks afloat, the three panel system that’s so easy to use, among others, it’s like a phone that was made almost to perfection, only that its running Meego, the Operating System that will cease to exist in two years’ time or more. But I don’t care if it does, as long as I get satisfaction I need when I’m using it. Would that be the best thing that matters most?


Comments and violent reactions are welcome.

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Nokia N9 or Nokia Lumia 800? So similar yet different

If you were confuse which one to buy, then your part of the millions of people worldwide who were caught in the crossfire between two equally outstanding device both hardware-wise and software-wise with one running Meego operating system while the other, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

I myself was confuse at the moment and could not decide which one to pick yet but it’s inevitable that I have to choose only one because financially, I cannot afford both. To make things easier for me, I have jot down a few criteria to consider base on my use and preference, you might as well create your own or consider mine and my views. Read on!


1. Price – In whatever dilemma that comes up involving smartphones, my decision would always fall down to price and affordability that is why I made this my top criteria of choice. Come to think of it, how can I choose a phone that I cannot buy, it must be within the price that I can afford. Between the Nokia N9 and Lumia 800, N9 came out first so it will definitely enjoy the normal market price movement which is a mark down from its initial introductory price. But then, this remains to be seen as the world preps up for Lumia 800’s worldwide release. It might be offered lower than the Nokia N9 or higher. Until Lumia 800’s official local price gets known, these criteria remains unsettled for the time being.

2. User friendly interface –This includes the easy navigation throughout the system which includes the fastest mechanism to send SMS, to call, to surf the web and to socially connect. System must also have a clear and non-confusing mechanism of doing tasks, a fast rendition of touch commands among others. At the moment, the Nokia N9 satisfies this impressively with its 3 Panel system. I have not tried Windows Phone yet so I cannot comment about it making this criteria undecided for now, though I can see videos of the Windows Phone Mango's interface and find it to fiddly with its tasks mechanism of having to do more commands to be able to achieve what users want, I still have to personally try it because I might be wrong.

3. Multitasking - A huge area for me to consider since I'm a peerless multitasker when it comes to smartphone use. Mostly, I open 10 or more application at the same time so needless to say, I need a phone that can handle this easily. So far, Nokia N9 has an edge being designed encore as a true multitasking behemoth while Windows Mobile 7 just got its multitasking feature recently so it might not be as solid, smooth and effective as Meego.

4. Customizable - What I like most about Symbian is its limitless customization from themes, applications, wallpapers, etc., even to the point of changing the systems behavior and mechanism just for the heck of it. Call it geeky but yes, it’s an adventure worth trying, all for the sake of wanting to try something new at the same time wanting to different from the rest. Sad to say, both phones did not inherit the Symbian legacy, they are either less customizable or more restricted. My basis for whoever wins these criteria, whichever breaks loose the most, not literally meant of course.

5. Applications - The fourth of the most important criteria. The phone must have a lot of applications to install, and it’s not just any other filler applications, it must be with the most usable ones. As I mentioned on the customizable criteria, I love trying everything on my phone, well, it also applies here, I like to try all possible applications that I find interesting, then ditch and malign it afterwards on the blog, kidding aside but really, applications are like steers, it helps user's life more better and easier. The more apps you can choose, the more option you have to make your phone work for you.

If we do a mathematical count, Lumia 800 has the advantage over Meego having more apps on Windows Marketplace, very much logical since Windows Phone Operating System is older, but on the argument of whichever has more usable ones, that I need to assess when I get to try a Windows Phone device.

6. Media Unlimited - The phone must be able to support all the possible media files in the world for movies, music, eBooks among others. And it’s not just support; it must be able to play them flawlessly like no other can. Nokia N9 got what it takes less the .pdf reader, for Windows Phone, no comment yet.

7. Graphics and Effects - I want a phone that will woe friends and acquaintances with the coolest effects and graphics. Nokia N9 have them though but not much, while for Windows Phone, based on the videos I've seen so far, is also very much capable but I'm not sure which one has the most number of effects and which one implements it the coolest.

8. Games - So what makes Nokia the number one phone manufacturer for decades, it all started with Snakes. People were scrambling to get the phone years ago because they can play on it. Now, the battle of games on mobilephone continues. The phone that can handle the smoothest 3D graphics on the most number of HD games wins. Nokia N9 has a jest on smoothness and graphics rendition but I doubt if it can handle the count.

9. Support - The phone must be fully upgradable system-wise. It cannot be denied that Nokia is focusing much of its resources on the Windows Platform at the moment; this is equivalent to limitless support and future development while for Meego, the system is doomed to be axed. Though Nokia made a bold statement of support to Meego and Nokia N9 in 2 year or so, uncertainty still looms of its future. Nokia also argued that with the fast evolution of smartphones at the moment, a user can only take hold of its phone for two years, then after that, they will find another one. True, in a sense to a few with lots of money to spare but how about the rest of the majority? I myself would cling to my smartphone for as long as I can if I don’t have a budget for upgrade.

Well, I hope this blog post help you decide, as much as I want to give a definitive choice, I'm really can't, it would be unfair for Lumia 800 and Windows Phone as a whole, I need to try it first. Just keep posted.

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Tap into something new on Nokia Phones with NFC

Get ready to experience the easiest and fastest way to connect and interact with other devices as Nokia introduces Near Field Communication (NFC) in its new range of smartphones!

NFC is an innovative technology which allows contact-less data exchange between two devices in close proximity to each other. It makes it easy for your phone to instantly pair, share and tag with other mobile devices and accessories through a simple tap!

Share your favorite photos or videos with friends and family or pass on contact details quickly with just a tap on the phone you want to pass it to. Enjoy the best musical entertainment alone or share in a party by pairing with compatible headphones and speakers. Have hands free conversations while doing other things by connecting to a compatible headset.

Enter a whole new world of exciting content with NFC tags. Download the latest trailer or songs by tapping the poster you see on the street. Find out the color and sizes available for that must-have jacket with a tap on the in-store display or get directions to the coolest restaurant in town from its interactive ad.

Taking apps to the next level, NFC also allows you to feel the excitement of multiplayer gaming. Tap into the challenge of Asphalt 5 or Angry Birds Magic with your friends.

NFC enabled smartphones include Nokia 701, Nokia 700, Nokia 603, Nokia C7 and Nokia N9. Compatible accessories are Nokia Play 360 wireless speaker, Nokia BH 219 headset and Nokia BH 505 stereo headset.

For starters, enjoy convenient NFC service for your smartphones with Smart’s Tap Share program. Inquire about your prepaid balance or download mobile content such as news, music, and games by simply tapping on NFC-marked posters in select Smart Wireless Centers and Smart Stores nationwide. This means you don’t need to memorize lengthy keywords, codes, and URLs to enjoy Smart’s service.

To avail of Tap Share, existing Nokia C7 users can update their phone software by going to their phone’s update menu or by connecting their phone to their PC via Nokia PC Suite.

Ultimately, Nokia makes mobile experience more enjoyable and convenient with just a tap.

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Mobilephone Price Watch, Pre-Christmas 2011

Most of you where probably planning to buy something for yourself, friends or love ones for Christmas, well, if mobilephones is part of the list, then set your eyes here to find their current market price.

Lets start with the highly regarded and no less than the best mobilephone in the market for 2011, the Nokia N9. The cheapest store price you can find will be around PhP23,500 for the 16GB variant and PhP27,500 for the 64GB variant. Nokia N9 is also currently offered FREE at All-in Plan 3,500 and Unlimited Data Plan PhP2,000 on Smart Telecom. Nokia Flagship stores and eBay power sellers offers it a thousand more than the store price.

Of the Nokia phones currently sold in the market, the one year old Nokia N8, the current camera king comes next in the Nokia price hierarchy. The cheapest store price you can find will be around PhP17,500, merely the same to that of eBay.ph's power sellers. It is also currently offered FREE at All-in Plan 2,500 and Unlimited Data Plan PhP1,500 on Smart Telecom, Sun Cellular offers this FREE on Elite Plan 2,500, forget about Globe, they suck for not offering this phone in their line-up. Nokia Flagship stores offers it a thousand more than the store price.

Then came the E-series flagship, the Nokia E7. Even if it has a better specs and feature than that of the Nokia N8, the phone is currently being offered less, the cheapest store price is currently offered for PhP17,000, very much similar again to eBay.ph power sellers. The phone is FREE at All-in Plan 2500 and Unlimited Data Plan 3000 at Smart Telecom, Globe and Sun doesn't offer the phone. Nokia Flagship stores offers it a thousand more than the store price. I will flag this as the best buy among the phones, you will get more than what you pay for.

My dream form factor, QWERTY Capacitative Candy Bar, Nokia E6 is now being offered with the cheapest store price of PhP13,500. Globe Telecom offers this for FREE on Plan 2,499, this time around Smart and Sun sucks

Nokia 700, the most affordable Symbian Belle with 1Ghz processor is being sold in retail store the cheapest at around PhP13,700. No telecom offers yet for the phone. Well, if you want to experience a better and faster user interface in a pocket friendly pitch, then this is the perfect phone for you.

Then we have the Nokia Asha 303, another QWERTY Capacitative touch candybar phone, my dream phone factor, its currently being offered at around PhP6,450. If you want a fast, powerful yet affordable phone to satisfy your socially connected lifestyle, look no further.

Then the Dual SIM line ups that highly recommend, the Nokia 101, X1-01 and C2-01. All three with different market targets, C2-03 for the young and fashionable, price at PhP4,300, the Nokia X1-01 for the music oriented individuals, price at PhP1,870, then last but the least, my business phone, the Nokia 101 which cost at around PhP1430 on retail stores.

So there you go folks, pick one that best fits your lifestyle. Have a merry Nokia Christmas to all. Enjoy shopping!

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Nokia N9 In Stores Now But On Limited Stocks

A few days after Smart Telecom launched the Pre-order page for the Nokia N9, the phone can now be brought on retail stores across major cities in the country with the official store price tag of PhP23,500 for the 16GB version and PhP27,500 for the 64GB. Quite a competitive price knowing the fact that the phone had an impressive specs and features inside and out.


The phone will be rolling continuously across the country in the coming days just in time for Christmas. It will definitely be a perfect gift to yourself, your friends and love ones.

Nokia N9 comes in four color variants, Black, Cyan, Pink and White. To know more about Nokia N9, read my full review and journal here and watch my hands on video here.

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Nokia N9 Review: One and Only

So lets try a different approached in giving personal view on the Nokia N9, away from the usual hardware and software, in depth, above, below, whatsoever stuffs tech sites does about phones and gadgets, besides, the phone is one of a kind, so lets make it simpler, intelligible and distinct as possible.

I also intended to write my opinion on the phone, two weeks after I handed back my trial device so I would be able to give an appropriate view, far off from its bewitching foray.


Lets begin!

How good or bad was the phone?

Its impressive inside and out, you would really appreciate the phone like no other in the world. Everything is well contoured, well studied and well suited to make a person feel good about life, himself and the world around him. Sounds melodramatic but it celebrates human characteristic of wanting something simple, pleasurable, beautiful and useful.

All you need is Swipe to do all the things you need on a phone, its that simple. You wont need to tap a button nor open folders to find apps nor pinch back, home or whatever buttons on the screen for you to navigate, just swipe.

Pleasurable, since the phone was able to address human tactile instinct by engineering a curve glass display. The bulge on the middle counters the force that people normally exert when swiping thus creating a little friction, while the descending lope going to the ends makes the rest of the swipe act feel snappy and satisfying.

Beautiful, the AMOLED Screen with Clear Black Display, the deep black screen margins, the floating screen impression, the curve sides, the unibody polycarbonate cover, all this makes the phone beautiful and stylish to look at and hold. Feels very sturdy too. User Interface works beautifully as well, touch is very sensitive, swipe mechanism is fluid and the ardent implementation of live graphics is an allure to behold.

Useful, the phone has everything you need in a smartphone, you can surf the web with its very capable web browser that can open heavy websites with ease, you can navigate around the world via Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps, it has clear call reception without antenna problems or drop calls, you can do every possible messaging options currently existing, social connectivity is at its best via the updates panel so you wont need to open individual applications when visiting twitter or facebook, it has a capable 8MP Carl Ziess camera taking good casual still pictures and video, music player rendering the best Dolby surround sound, video player with all the possible formats you can find, 3D game capability with smooth graphics ceding, good battery life lasting a day with heavy use, two days when use lightly, etc. You will get everything you want with countless additional perks, not to mention that you can enjoy doing stuffs all at the same time because of the phones superb multitasking capability.

And the phone is not perfect rather, it also have some shortcomings that were currently being address via updates. For instance, the music player has no capacity to customize personal playlists but I believe this has already been address on the latest firmware update of the phone.

The phones virtual QWERTY is not on par with the best in the market but like the music playlist, this issue had already been address in the latest firmware where the SWYPE input mechanism had been added. SWYPE is no less than the best virtual input mechanism in the smartphone world.

The camera performance is sub par among the 8MP phones in the market but would be enhance in an upcoming update. Its far out from the images I took with my Nokia N8 but good enough for casual shooting.

The Meego operating system being new doesn't have many applications like the others and so users will have to deal with whats currently available. I'm very particular on applications and personal customization so this is huge set back on my part. But nonetheless, the transfer of QT base Symbian applications is in works, so it won't be long enough to see this apps working on Nokia N9. Then we also have Myriads Alien Dalvik that would allow Android apps to work on Meego, both systems are Linux base so it wouldn't be difficult to connect.

The phone also has a bland standby page, but knowing that Nokia had the Sleeping Screen for Symbian, it wouldn't be to long also for them port it to Nokia N9 and Meego.

The phones speaker is not loud enough, often than not, I missed a few text messages and calls because I did not notice the phone ringing on my pocket. Would it not the main reason why we have a mobilephones was for us to be contacted anytime, anywhere and in any given situation?

How was the phone compared to others? Does it have bragging rights?

To tell you frankly, even my iPhone freak friend envies it wishing that iPhone would look different one of this days, and it was the first time he appreciate a Nokia device that I trialed, a huge check mark for Nokia N9. Digging deeper on the User Interface, you wont never find a phone that is simpler to navigate than the Nokia N9 with its 3 panel implementation. Plus its something new and exciting for people who have been using iPhone or Androids because both phones have almost the same UI implementation. You will enjoy more than a bragging rights, Nokia N9 is fresh and its different.


Is it worth buying?

In the current world where everything looks and feels the same over and over, it would be great to find and own things that sets you apart from the rest. iPhone has been there for 5 years with great User Interface, Android is mimicking it to death that it did everything it can to be iPhone like, Symbian is trying to be like Android with its upcoming Belle, Windows Phone 7 can be found on several manufacturers, all this cycle is becoming irrelevant with differentiations becoming less and less germane, Nokia N9 cuts the cycle and thats why its worthy.

Buying a Nokia N9 is not an absurd endeavor as others would wanted it look like as Nokia pulls its plug on Meego in a matter of 5 years or so, its more like enjoying a wonderful technology thats comes ones in a lifetime.

Will I buy the phone?

Given the right budget, yes with all conviction. We are currently living a complicated life, I want everything else to be simple and fun.























Nokia N9 Browser












Nokia N9 Pre-installed Games

















Nokia N9 Pre-installed Applications























You can find my Nokia N9 Hands on Video Here and the rest of my Nokia N9 Journal, News and Updates here.

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Nokia N9 Pre-order Page Went Live, Phone is FREE on Smart Unlimited Data Plan 2000

The most beautiful phone on earth is now available for pre-order!

Ongoing until November 18, 2011, you can get your hands on the Nokia N9 before everyone else does by preordering online at www.nokia.com.ph or http://smart.com.ph/nokia-n9/. You can also check my Nokia N9 journal here for my personal experiences on the phone.
The beautiful, high-tech phone comes with the most amazing value-laden plans available from Smart.

Get your Nokia N9 on the following Plans:

FREE - Smart’s Unlimited Data Plan 2000 (16gb) and 3000 (64gb)
Cash out of P1,200 - All-in Plan 3500 (16gb)

What’s more, once your preorder application for the Nokia N9 is approved, you will receive a limited edition Nokia Wireless Music Receiver for FREE! This great innovation liberates your digital music libraries from mobile to home stereos using the Bluetooth technology.

Stylish and very modern, the Nokia N9 is designed to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone: use apps, stay up to date with notifications and social networks and switch between activities through a simple gesture -- a swipe.
The Nokia N9 boasts of carrying the latest smartphone technology including a polycarbonate body, which enables superior antenna performance for better reception; 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor, wide-angle lens, HD-quality video capture and large lens aperture; free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice guidance in Maps; video play in true 16:9 widescreen format and surround sound experience; and the Near Field Communication (NFC), which allows users to easily share images, videos and music in between devices by touching them together.

You can pick-up your new Nokia N9 at Smart Wirless Center on November 21, 2011.

Be one of the first to own a bold, all-screen Nokia N9 device. Preordered Nokia N9’s are available in Black, Cyan, and Magenta.

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The Nokia N9 User Interface Run Through, Part 1

For the very first time on the blog, I have prepared a run through video which showcase my golden voice, my erratic movements and the most beautiful mobilephone in the world. I did this video a day before the end of my trial so its more like a rush one.
On this video is the thorough demonstration of Nokia N9's User Interface, the three panels, local imbedded twitter application, pre-installed apps and games of the retail version, and my installed ones which I found interesting on Nokia Store.

Anyways, before watching the video, turn your speaker loud so you can hear my diminutive voice. Enjoy! c",



Part 2 coming up, more detailed demonstration per application, stay tuned for that.

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The Nokia N9 Journal: Week Two, The Fathom

If there’s one thing that I enormously uncover these past few days, it would be the potency of Nokia N9’s charm because it had really captured my tech fancy big time. I couldn’t specifically identify the reasons why because the phone is not perfect having found quite a few flaws on it, nor does it have a fancy 12MP camera de Carl Zeiss lens unlike Nokia N8 but everything was remedied by the strength of Nokia N9 as a whole for me to regard it as the Ultimate among the phones I’ve tried.

STOP, LOOK!
On rear view, the phone is exemplary having not met anybody who wasn’t attracted to it. They all have tremendous and unanimous positive reactions to the phone to the point that some wanted to buy it from me but its not possible and I couldn’t help for the moment rather because it’s not sold locally yet but it will definitely be as confirmed by Nokia Philippines and by Smart Telecom who made an announcement earlier that they will offer the phone FREE on Plan 3,500 with a two year contract.


HOLD IT!
The phone even becomes more attractive when you hold it up-close, the thin dimension, the huge screen with deep black display, the curve glass that makes swiping satisfying, the sturdy impression of a uni-body polycarbonate cover among others. It’s a terrific sensation that you can’t figure unless you get to hold it yourself. To hold is to behold as the saying goes.

ROAM AROUND!
Going over the User Interface makes you realized the simplicity of matters, that the best things in life were easy and uncomplicated. The world have witness the rise of Symbian because of its simplicity, then came the iOS being more simpler, and now Harmattan on Meego that powered the Nokia N9, the simplest to date. With the right support, time and confidence from Nokia itself, it can topple iOS and Android in the span of 5 years as iOS did to Symbian way back 2005. Simplicity is the key.

CONTACTS
As mentioned earlier, the phone is not perfect but can be improve as the operating system matures, for instance, on the very basic, Contacts app, the current set up was that when you’re on the contacts page, the search button was located on top of the screen which is not logical because the button grid was spacious enough to accommodate the tab. The current location of the search tab is uncomfortable being difficult to reach.


WHERE'S SWYPE?
I’ve already mentioned this on my other posts, SWYPE should be ported to Meego being incredibly easy to use than the current virtual QWERTY. It wouldn’t be that difficult to port since Nokia has been using SWYPE on Symbian for quite sometime now.


LISTS AND PLAY
Playlist creation on the Music Player, why in the world did Nokia not include this on N9, it’s their strongest music feature on Symbian. Well, they have provided a menu for playlist but its illogical that they miss to add the option to create own playlist. The Favourite playlists wont suffice being non editable as to the arrangement of the songs, all you can do is shuffle and I hate unpredictability on my songs arrangements.











MANAGE FILES
File Manager, Nokia doesn’t want you to play nifty with your N9 files because they intended not to provide a window for such.

BLOGGERS PHONE
This is one of the best features that I love and on Nokia N9, the phones ability to open a heavy websites like Blogger.com and with ease, write and edit my blog posts from the phones browser. I made mention before in one of my blog posts about Nokia N8 being less blogger friendly because you can’t use the phone to write blog using the web browser, well, it’s been address now with the Nokia N9’s browser. I hope this could be replicated on the upcoming Symbian Belle. For the time being, I don’t need my laptop to write a blog post for the day.

TRUE MULTITASKING
With the Nokia N9, you can open as many applications or websites you want and jump on them easily in the applications panel. I'm fun of surfing using my phone, visiting at least 5 websites each time, on my Nokia N8, its clunky possible with in-between freezes every now and then but with Nokia N9, its graceful and fast, just swipe left to open the Applications panel then jump to another open web window, swipe left again and so on, its that easy! No long press needed.


My overall one week experience was unparalleled, its was the first time that I get to use a phone whose is truly beautiful inside and out. As what I've mention earlier, it only needs a little faith from Nokia for the Operating System to work out competitively and succeed. It wasn't a burning platform as Stephen Elop described it to be, it was chick hot. Stay tuned for my unique full review.

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