DISQUS

S60inside · 8 months ago

Mike, you are fully right with the N82. I think there is no competitor in the near future. The new devices offers not much new features and the big negative point is the missing xenon flash. So I think my N82 will stay a very long time with me (currently I own it for 14 month) ...

matthew bennett · 8 months ago

Mike,

I agree that you're right on with this one. While I've never had an N82, I still think my N95-3 is the best Nokia ever built. I totally agree that the N82's Xenon flash has not been bettered by Nokia, and that the newer 5MP cameras on the N96, N79 and N85 are not as good as the N95 and N82. I'm sticking with my N95, just because I already own it, but the N82 is *the best* imaging device from Nokia.

On a positive note, my friend tnkgrl took some low-light shots on the N86 at CTIA. She reports that the flash and lens are looking good! Maybe we'll have some N82 competitors soon.

Mike Macias · 8 months ago

Wow Matt, that's some great news about the N86. I'm looking forward to
seeing the camera samples.

Stephen · 8 months ago

Contrary to what Matthew has said, if you read other reviews online, it seems as though the N85 at the World Mobile Congress was actually the camera off of the N85. They (I believe it was GSMarena) used their microSD card and took the picture, uploaded it onto the computer, and the info on the pic said it was taken with an N85. Although it is not in production yet, I still have my doubts on the N86 being the best Nokia cameraphone, as it doesn't even offer xenon flash..

matthew bennett · 8 months ago

Actually, I did not take any pictures with the N86 at CTIA. tnkgrl did, but she said she did not transfer the pictures to her own device because the security cable was in front of the lens.

If I recall correctly, the pictures from the N86 from MWC did list itself as an N85 in the EXIF data. I'm sure someone more connected than myself can verify or deny this statement. I'm hopeful that the N86 camera will be "good enough" due to it's use of EDOF, which is a buzzword to me, that I do not fully understand. Word on the street is that it's a good camera. I suppose we'll need to wait for the shipping firmware before we make the call.

I'll be uploading the video version of talking with tnkgrl #9 soon, in which we discuss our findings from CTIA. There's an audio version on tnkgrl's website now, if you can't wait to hear our opinions on the N86. Admittedly, tnkgrl is much more knowledgeable on imaging than myself.

Aaron · 8 months ago

I think it's because the original plan was to brand the N86 as the 'N85 8MP", so the prototype products were with the 'N85' in their exifs.

carlitos · 8 months ago

The n82 it's the mobile with the best hardware and the worst software. Simple as this.

The camera and the gps are awesome and they work PERFECT, the camera in discos/nights is awemose and the gps works everywhere, but the software to use them are a pain!!! you have to use google maps cause the nokia software gps is horrible and use resco photo image or another cause again the nokia soft takes a billion year to read just 2 photos and 1 video!!!

And the same for music. Incredible cristal clear sound in speakers and headphones but again, the software is simply a piece of crap.

Just can't uderstand how nokia can make such a great hardware and such a bad software. The n82 could be a much better mobile with decent software.


I wish i could install android, linux or something on my dear n82 :(

Peteter Pan · 8 months ago

Good post! Exactly my points! You forgot to mention the poor and outdated sms/messaging application...

flopjoke · 8 months ago

They aren't even trying to improve the new models.. they're making them worse. N82 is an excellent device. I don't think I'll buy the N97.. although I'm looking forward to N86. I'm not gonna buy it obviously (My SIM card loves my N82 lol) but I wanna see if all this hype about N86 becoming the next camera phone is true or not. Personally, I've tried Samsung Innov.. even though it's 8MP, I think the pic quality is like N73 images.. yeah, no use of 8MP!

suyog · 8 months ago

@Mike, great to see people giving it's due to N82, I really don't think Nokia has released succesor to N82. N86 doesnt look like top imaging device at all.
I hope we may see something like N87/88 soon, candybar,xenon flash all goodies.

lysine · 8 months ago

I'm probably going to get a N97. QWERTY is just too hard to live without. E71 is nice and all but that's even more of a stepdown to me, and I'd like a touchscreen. I will miss the N82's camera though.

I'll probably supplement the N97 with a Nikon D300 and have that with me all the time in my bag.

Yusry · 8 months ago

My N82 has bleeding pixels, and it grows. I have seen another report in the internet with similar symptoms.

Well, I can still live with that. Which means, I'm not the only one suffering from the bleeding pixels. I just hope Nokia Care will change my LCD because I haven't dropped the phone a single time at all. I'm just plain disappointed my clear screen got pixels that are stuck.

george · 8 months ago

The N82 is a rock. It has been the best all-around phone I have ever owned, and I have probably owned over 25+ phones since '99. Except for the buggy software/firmware, the phone is about as good as you can get on the market today. Look at newegg-- the price of the black N82, hasn't hardly dropped since I purchased the phone 7 months ago. With Nokia Messaging working much better, it meets about every need I have. If your looking for a smart phone with the ability to add many different types of apps in a bar form factor, this is the best. The bar form factor is the only style that I continuously come back to. I know every company is trying to jump on the full touch screen or the slide-out, but nothing beats the solid bar phone.

I probably would have moved to the N79 if it came with xenon flash and graphics accelerator-- if simply for the slimmed down body. My eye is on the E55. I have thought about the E71, but it is still too big for me. I think that the E55 with its 1500 capacity battery is going to be the next purchase. That phone looks amazing. I know that I will be sacrificing a great deal with regards to the camera, but that is why I will have my N82 or actual digital camera.

My musts in a smartphone now are: stereo bluetooth, push email support, ability to add different apps from many different sources, 3.5 headphone jack, interent wi/fi for my skpe/fring calling, video playback and recording, mp3 and software, good camera, and GPS-- specifically one that I can use my Garmin, so that I don't have to pay a subscription or have signal to use.

The N82 pretty much has all of this as does the E55 if and when it is released. The E55 will have the slim profile and much longer lasting battery. I go through my battery by days end-- I live in the US on T-Mobile.

Bring on the N82 specific forum! Let me know what you all think of the E55.

Jaime · 8 months ago

absolutely right, there's a lot of great phones coming out this year, but there's no better imaging smart phone out there right now or in the near future than the N82.

Mega pixels is not all that you need for a great photograph, especially in low light situations, until nokia or some one else brings an other xeon flash powered smart phone, I'm keeping my N82

FritzPinguin · 8 months ago

Don't forget the 6220 classic, more or less a N82 (yes, it has Xenon) without WLAN. Great phone, I bought it for a friend who doesn't use Wireless. I will keep my N82 probably for another few years :-)

Aaron · 7 months ago

haha, i like your new avatar (IE). lol

Sam · 8 months ago

The N97 looks like an amazing phone. I'd love to pick it up and have partnered up with my 82. Only thing it kills is the xenon flash. Other than that, it's a big bump almost everywhere else. Full QWERTY, touchscreen, bigger screen, bigger, memory. It's ridiculously expensive though. Might wait it out for a few price drops until it gets picked up lol. It's hard to say I'd sell my n82 to go towards the n97 because the xenon flash is a pretty big deal since I take most my pictures at parties. BUT n97's night video would probably be a lot better. So torn with this decision!

Ed · 8 months ago

I'm trying to decide between N82 & 5800. The N82 is undoubtedly the best *imaging* device, but there's more to a phone than photos. The 5800 boasts a higher resolution screen, a larger screen, QWERTY, longer battery life. I won't even get into superfluous goodies like a touch screen & stylus w/ handwriting recognition. Postage stamp screens & T9 input are very low-rent. A great camera doesn't make up for small screen, T9, lower battery life, lower resolution. Can anyone give me an unbiased reason why, aside from one issue (the camera), the N82 is better than the 5800?

snubmoggy · 8 months ago

Sam - totally agree with you on the N97.

Ed - the N97 will have the best of the 5800 and the N82 - only without the xenon flash!!

It will be incredibly annoying if this amazing looking phone will be let down by crappy LED.. heres hoping they've made it good. It does look to be an awesome phone though.

Stephen Angelo · 8 months ago

The n86 looks promising, it takes better pictures under low light, the variable aperture is great, the wide angle lens is a welcome addition but eh led sucks, n82 xenon captures more clearer picutes than n86' blue greenish tinged led flashed photos..
The n97's cam might be just the same as n82 withut the flash..
I'll really be hanging on to my n82, no 'good enough' phone to match what it can do yet..

Alfred15 · 8 months ago

Mike i just Bought me a new black N82 and i think the phone is awesome, but i have a problem with the nokia maps. I know this isn't the right post for questions but couldn't find the right option sorry guys. Every time i open nokia maps i can't see the actual map, i have all the options but in the area where i would have been seen the streets and such i only see yellow, i can search for things like gas stations and stuff and they appear in the screen but not the map itself. So far i haven't updated anything, and just got me the internet service with t mobile here in USA. Thank you and sorry again.

Mike Macias · 8 months ago

Try loading the maps onto the memory card from your PC

Sent from my Nokia phone

Alfred15 · 8 months ago

Thank you mike, i downloaded some maps from the PC using the Nokia software, then NOKIA Maps somehow became impossible to open, so i then deleted the maps and suddenly NOKIA Maps was working haha. Now i updated NOKIA Maps, got Google Maps and some other feetures. Your Blog is awesome thanks for keeping it up and with such high quality.

Mike Macias · 8 months ago

Glad you got it worked out!

Sent from my Nokia phone

Ian Nielsen · 8 months ago

I've started to used my N82 again after I figured out how to disable that annoying red "what are you doing" photolight! :-)

For me, Sony Ericsson still makes a superior all-round out-of-the-box user-interface (my opinion! ;-), but the N82 is overall a much better hardware platform than especially the C702.

(The night-time AF hasn't really been compromised (if its to dart to focus its usually to dark to photo, or there is a light nearby with the same distance I can focus on))

Alfred15 · 7 months ago

Hi, i have an issue with the PC suite program, i know it's not an N82 problem but it was working well when i just installed it. The problem is that i can't see any nokia device when i click on "explore your nokia device". It just shows the regular windows explorer.

Any ideas? Thank you!

Alphonse · 7 months ago

Hi, i just got me a new black N82 phone and i love it, has everything a cell phone should have and so much more.

Now, i have T mobile and i am wondering if i can use 3G with them. I called them and they said they already have 3G speed and of course the phone is 3G compatible but when i use the data package the phone displays "E" and a couple bars but no the 3G that the manual says will appear when in a 3G network. Do you know if i will be able to use 3G with T Mobile?

When i call them to add the internet service to my phone they said i needed to do some kind of installations or modifications to make my phone compatible to them, not sure if that will give me 3G but i don't want to lock my phone to any carrier, any ideas about it?

I will deeply apreciate your replies, than you!

Aaron · 7 months ago

hi alphonse,
Try changing your network mode. Go to Tools > Settings > Phone > Network. Then select UMTS as the Network Mode. Then try browsing again.

Btw, welcome to the club, congrats with ur new n82. :)

Alphonse · 7 months ago

Hi Aaron thanks for the reply and the welcome. I did as you did said and the phone now says 3G in the left top corner instead of E but can't browse or make phone calls, i get a message that says "no network coverage" but in GSM it works well, just no 3G. I live in the US and my network provider is T Mobile. They insist they have 3G but perhaps the phone is not compatible with them or they are not giving me the right service. I read in another post that Mike has or had T Mobile too was wonder if he or anyone else was able to use 3G with US t Mobile.

Aaron · 7 months ago

There may be no 3G-signal reception. Try it on some other place.

Btw, don't be sorry for posting too much. It's perfectly alright. ;)

Alphonse · 7 months ago

Hi again and sorry for posting too much but, i just noticed my N82's keyboard makes squeaky/creaky noises when i use it even when i touch the keymat cover, it's really annoying but since the phone is new i was wondering if all N82 phones are like that or mine is somehow defective. This make it seem so cheap lol.

Alphonse · 7 months ago

Hey Mike i can't make the N82 work with 3G on T mobile only edge, was wondering if you can? also the squeaky/creaky noises are they normal in all n82 keymats/keypads? I live in houstons, t mobile supposedly has 3g here.

Mike Macias · 7 months ago

T-moble uses different 3g bands. The N82 will only work with AT&T 3g.

Alphonse · 7 months ago

Oh No!!! What a shame....thank you anyway.

N82nostalgic · 7 months ago

I completly agree with the writer of this article
I bought SE X1i , and I previously had silver N82 . I tought that buying X1 will be upgrade , damn I was wrong , it was actually downgrade(size , bad camera , idiotic slider problems , software slowdowns, multimedia problems ) .
If anyone is considering changing this phone you should think twice ,because this phone has it all . And believe me , when some phone has touchscreen or full qwerty keyboard od bigger screen than n82 , it is not an advantage , because at the end it comes down to functionality and this phone is the winner in that area. So just to share an experience....
and ps- I´m getting back to n82 because it is A swiss army knife

kefo11 · 3 months ago

I wouldnt change my N82 for anything available even if they payed me... we will see what will the future bring tho... for now it is everything i want at a phone...