'Upgrade' to Nokia N70

[Guest Dr Who]

I have used a C500 for the last 18 months but since the latest upgrade to that series is only iterative (no 3G for instance) I thought I would try the N70. What a mistake!

Specific problems I have had are:

1) My GOD it is sssssllllllllooooooowwwwwwwwwwww. The worst offender was the web browser. Visited a page I go to a lot on my C500, which takes ages to load over GPRS but displays instantly, using the N70 which downloaded the data instantly but then took about 2 minutes actually showing the page. And it was generally very slow to transition between apps. Rubbish.

2) CallerID didn't work properly. My contacts were synced from Outlook but most numbers wouldn't ID - I would just get the number flashing up. Except the missed call list shown from the Orange Home Page COULD identify the call, saying 'Mr X - missed call at', but then if I went actually in to the missed call app then it was just the number NOT the name. Can only be a software error. I checked ones that did work against ones that didn't and there was no difference in the number format, name format, type of call, caller group, etc, etc its just some would ID and others wouldn't. Rubbish.

3) In Network connection you can only select Dual or GSM NOT UMTS only, which HAS to be a revenue thing. I have a 3G only data package so by forcing me to use Dual when my 3G signal dips rather than me not having connectivity it will automatically pickup using GPRS, which is billed at something like £4/Mb out of contract. You don't have to have this happen very often to clock up a huge bill.

4) You can't change the Home Page from the Orange portal. Or at least I couldn't figure out how to. I tried manually redefining the home page, selecting 'use current page' option, deleting oragne world and various methods. And still as soon as I open Home from the Home key, Web by pressing and holding 0 or by going into menu-Web it would open the Orange portal. Again a revenue stream thing - it just so happens to have about 200k of data on that home page, it is even 40kb with image loading turned off.

5) You can't remap the Home key. I can get to the internet by pressing and holding 0 for 1 second, why do I need another key? I would rather have instant access to my contact for instance rather than having to press down-right-click.

6) You can't search your contacts using T9. Everywhere else on the phone you can change the dictionary but not here. In fact mine defaulted to T9 for INPUTTING contacts which I really don't want, but at least you can change that.

It is a shame because there are things I really DID like - the connectivity to a PC is SO much easier than using Activesync. For instance people can spend days just getting syncing via BT working on activesync (and it can still be intermittent) and with the Nokia PCSuite it took just a few seconds. The sync function itself is painfully slow though and unacceptable since this has been a problem for at least 4 years. Setting up a modem is also time consuming under Activesync, but dead easy with the Nokia. The camera is also useable on the Nokia, unlike the Windows equivalents, which is nice. But other than that it was a completely underwhelming experience.

I have no idea what the N70 is like with Nokia firmware, or other operators, but it is complete shash on Orange. I am now likely to get a C600 but I WANT 3G and preferably WLAN. The Nokia N80 offers 3G and WLAN but will it be on my shopping list? Not unless someone can show me that it works properly!!!!!

[Guest Peppermint Hippo]

Guess its all a matter of opinion. I've a C600 and will probably be swapping it for an N70 which i prefer! Horses for courses hey? ;)

[Guest Dr Who]

Guess its all a matter of opinion. I've a C600 and will probably be swapping it for an N70 which i prefer! Horses for courses hey? ;)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting. Have you actually spent much time with the N70? I found it to be very disappointing in use. Call quality was good and signal strength better than my C500 but even the phone application was slow! Going into contacts often took several seconds even with nothing else open on the phone. The camera took pictures about 2 seconds after the shutter noise and the gallery application took absolutely ages to load an image from the memory card. Very, very underwhelming experience and I can't believe this is considered state of the art in terms on Nokia and Symbian phones.

[Guest TigerNet]

...I know what you mean Dr...I have been playing with the N70 for a while and have now gone back to the SP5m....I found the Nokia slow and unweildy...not intuitive at all...the 3G did not give me the benefits over the SP5m...

Cheers

Nick

[Guest mark4130]

Im using the C500 and the N70... the N70 is a better "phone", the C500 is a better "device".

The N70 has a better camera, the C500 has better media player abilities.

The N70 has been ruined by the Orange homescreen, the C500 is brilliant for playing with homescreens.

Im tempted to go back to using the C500 all the time, the N70 is now the 3rd different model I have had during the time I have owned the C500... and each time I end up going back to the C500!!

[Guest Peppermint Hippo]

Interesting. Have you actually spent much time with the N70? I found it to be very disappointing in use. Call quality was good and signal strength better than my C500 but even the phone application was slow! Going into contacts often took several seconds even with nothing else open on the phone. The camera took pictures about 2 seconds after the shutter noise and the gallery application took absolutely ages to load an image from the memory card. Very, very underwhelming experience and I can't believe this is considered state of the art in terms on Nokia and Symbian phones.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not had a massive play with the N70 (just used a mates) but owned a 7650 and 6600 and used a 6630 and 6680 at work so quite familiar with the set up. I just prefer the S60 setup over the Smartphone setup. Me and Windows Smartphones have never got on. Yet I love Windows Pocket PC Phones!

[Guest Dr Who]

Not had a massive play with the N70 (just used a mates) but owned a 7650 and 6600 and used a 6630 and 6680 at work so quite familiar with the set up. I just prefer the S60 setup over the Smartphone setup. Me and Windows Smartphones have never got on. Yet I love Windows Pocket PC Phones!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have you tried the N70 on Orange? A LOT of people think that the Orange Firmware on the N70 is causing many problems and eating system resources, possibly leading to most of the problems I encountered. For instance they have removed Opera from the phone forcing you to use the shan Nokia one which is locked to the Orange front page. You can of course install Opera but how many average users are going to do that???

I am not overwhelmed by the Windows Smartphone OS, which is why I wanted to try the N70, but the Orange N70 was very, very poor in comparison to my ancient C500.

[Guest Peppermint Hippo]

Have you tried the N70 on Orange? A LOT of people think that the Orange Firmware on the N70 is causing many problems and eating system resources, possibly leading to most of the problems I encountered. For instance they have removed Opera from the phone forcing you to use the shan Nokia one which is locked to the Orange front page. You can of course install Opera but how many average users are going to do that???

I am not overwhelmed by the Windows Smartphone OS, which is why I wanted to try the N70, but the Orange N70 was very, very poor in comparison to my ancient C500.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not had the (dis)pleasure of trying the N70 on Orange. Any S60 Symbian device on Orange is crippled with the appalling homescreen which destroys it. Why they won't let you switch it off like you can on MS Smartphones is anyones guess. If you go for a S60 Symbian device, just make sure its not Orange branded.

Luckily all my S60 devices have been vanilla sim free models.

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

I have a 3G only data package so by forcing me to use Dual when my 3G signal dips rather than me not having connectivity it will automatically pickup using GPRS, which is billed at something like £4/Mb out of contract. You don't have to have this happen very often to clock up a huge bill.

My understanding of Orange data tariffs was that there is no difference between 3G and 2.5G data, they can't tell the difference (this is what they told me when i upgraded to a 3G phone in Feb, and wanted to check it was ok to use my 3G 1000MB data bundle in my C500 ;)), both 3G and 2.5G phones use the same access point.

Back on topic though, Symbian phones have never been of much interest to me. Some of the event capture and processing seems a bit more intuitive than Smartphone (delivery reports for example), however it really fails in other simple, basic areas, for example, when was that text received? I have to go to a menu and open an option AND scroll down to find out!

[Guest Dr Who]

Peppermint Hippo - apparently the non-Orange N70 is a different beast - if it does run much faster, as most people suggest, what was going through Oranges mind when they decided to cripple it. Oh yeah, I forgot these are the same people who took WLAN out of the C600.

Hey Mono. Yeah, it is true about the data tariff thing, that was my bad. But they didn't bother telling me that.

True, but at least you can 'select all' when deleting text messages and send a business card out of the box. I wanted to like the N70, mostly because I want to get an N80 when it is released. Now I am back to waiting for an SPV with 3G and WLAN.............

[Guest Dr Who]

Peppermint Hippo - apparently the non-Orange N70 is a different beast - if it does run much faster, as most people suggest, what was going through Oranges mind when they decided to cripple it. Oh yeah, I forgot these are the same people who took WLAN out of the C600.

Hey Mono. Yeah, it is true about the data tariff thing, that was my bad. But they didn't bother telling me that.

True, but at least you can 'select all' when deleting text messages and send a business card out of the box. I wanted to like the N70, mostly because I want to get an N80 when it is released. Now I am back to waiting for an SPV with 3G and WLAN.............

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Had a play with an O2 branded N70 and I have to say it is better. The home screen is much more intelligent (access to contacts on right hand soft key for instance) and Opera is light years ahead of the inbuilt Nokia browser (which is the only one bundled with Orange). However opening the contacts is still slow unless the application is already open. Moral of the tale? The N70 is crippled on Orange.

[Guest Jay3gsm]

Moral of the tale? The N70 is crippled on Orange.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You've hit the nail right on the head with that comment. Orange are doing a good job of ruining the reputation of some good handsets with the way they are crippling the firmware. Try the N80, it has a lot of promise. Just don't try the Orange version!

[Guest Dr Who]

You've hit the nail right on the head with that comment. Orange are doing a good job of ruining the reputation of some good handsets with the way they are crippling the firmware. Try the N80, it has a lot of promise. Just don't try the Orange version!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

May just get the Orange N80 and then send it away for flashing to debrand it. Stupid situation really.

[Guest Jay3gsm]

May just get the Orange N80 and then send it away for flashing to debrand it. Stupid situation really.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is very stupid. Luckily for those who don't have a helpful Nokia service centre nearby there are services online that will rebrand a Nokia. Well worth £20 to get it done.

[Guest robbiehales]

I got myself a N70 to replace my M500 (to big for my pocket with the job i do) but Ive had nothing but problems with it. It randomly reboots, its slow as hell and not to mention the anoying ring tune reseting problem (although a friend showed me a fix) all in all its a little disapointing. But I do love the Talk Now function !