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Is this Sony Ericsson's year? |
jmcomms
Joined: Mar 12, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Jonathan Morris
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The N91 and N93? Have you SEEN either of these phones?
We had a N91 in June 2005, and it was on the front page of our July 2005 issue! Even then, we commented on it being rather bulky, with a fiddly keypad and feeling cheap.
A year on, we've got the final version, and it takes nearly 2 seconds to start playing a track. Hard drives are NOT the solution for small storage, like 4GB, hence Apple going for flash memory on the nano.
Now the N93 was shown to us in Berlin and that IS an impressive phone for its featureset, but it's bigger than the N90! There's no Xenon flash and the processor is too slow, so every button press results in long delays as you see the screen drawing itself. Oh, and the little joystick is incredibly fiddly in camera mode.
Don't get me wrong, Nokia are making excellent phones - but they're also churning out dross too. The N73 I've now got for the weekend is great, apart from a joystick that keeps selecting everything as I love up and down. It's enough to make the damn thing almost unusable.
Why are Nokia always making a mess of the Nseries devices? Each one seems to get a little bit bigger!! We had a N92 when Nokia entered the Mobile News Awards, and this is great for a TV - but they're forgotten that it's also a mobile phone! I am not sure a camcorder shaped phone, or a pocket-TV shaped phone is the answer to convergence!
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Jonathan Morris
Technology Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone and gadget magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2006-05-19 22:32 ] | |
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shaliron
Joined: Jan 15, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Melbourne, Australia
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At least SE is making quality mass products 
A wooden spoon is a spoon made from wood. Source: WikipediaWinner of: Best Thread (Huge SE Portfolio) 2007, Best Post (Huge SE Portfolio) 2007, Best Signature 2007, and 2nd Best Nickname 2007. |
*Jojo*
Joined: Oct 15, 2003
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Minimum of 5 years before they (:se:) see themselves on the helm . . .
[addsig] |
jmcomms
Joined: Mar 12, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Jonathan Morris
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SE are trying to expand, and they're doing so. Sales are rocketing and they're making money.
However, I doubt they're trying to catch up with Nokia. To do so would be very hard and risky. It's not just about making millions of phones to match Nokia's line-up but also getting the distribution support. Nokia has established the relationships with the networks, the distributors and the dealers. You can't just walk in and say "Hey, this is better than that - sell this".
Nokia could fight back by undercutting them, and SE would be punished. Remember, Nokia don't sell direct to you (well, maybe a few via their web shop!) but to the trade - and they're after making money. Nokia phones make them money. It takes time to gain their trust, but that seems to be happening.
For now, they're going after the markets where Nokia aren't strong. They've done an amazing job with the K750 and the W800. In fact, with the Motorola RAZR and the K750, I wonder how Nokia actually did in the mid range? Will Nokia end up being the network for making entry level phones and high-end Nseries phones that are technically wonderful, but often too big to be taken seriously by the mainstream?
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Jonathan Morris
Technology Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone and gadget magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2006-05-20 12:20 ] |
peejay
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: 40
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I'd say there are too many "coming soon" phones at the moment, and not enough realities we can really buy. I'm waiting for a P990 for 6 months! I would not mind a W950 or a M600, but they are not available either.
In essence, perhaps they should concentrate more in pipelining their products to the market, rather than presenting them a year before they are actually born. Can't see the sense in that.
W950 stops me from buying a W810... and so on. |
jmcomms
Joined: Mar 12, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Jonathan Morris
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To be fair, the problem with the M600, P990 and W950 are down to the delays in getting UIQ 3 fully stable.
Look at Nokia with Series 60 3rd Edition!! The N91 was in our magazine in July 2005 - only on sale now. The 3250 was launched in the autumn of 2005 and hasn't been on sale long.. The N80 hasn't really started shipping in large numbers.. The Eseries devices were delayed.
Of course, now 3rd Edition is stable (ish) they're all coming out at pretty much the same time. It's now incredibly quick and easy to bring out more 3rd Edition devices - and Nokia are (the N72 and N73 will be out in July, and the 5500 and E50 will follow about the same time too).
However, SE want the M600 out first - to give it a chance before the P990. The keyboard is a big risk (I think it's too hard to be seen as a replacement to a BlackBerry - their biggest potential market) so it needs all the help it can get. Once the P990 comes, even though it's bigger, it's the one people will want (it has the camera and WiFi too).
The W950 is an odd one. It's not the easiest device to use as a phone, and 4GB flash memory is all very good - but by September a 4GB MS Pro Duo will be no more than $150/£100 to buy. It doesn't have a camera, and isn't that small (slim, but wide). I find it amazing that I'm saying this when I thought in Barcelona that this was definitely my next phone! With so many new Walkman phones since then, they've almost made it obsolete!!
Look on the bright side.. I think SE are now in a position to bring out more UIQ devices - quicker than before. We may well see a slimmer P990 device announced before year end.
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Jonathan Morris
Technology Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone and gadget magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2006-05-21 00:05 ] |
BobaFett
Joined: Jan 06, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Kamino (wish it would be Lund)
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sE is far away to be the nr1 ( however it doesnt count much imo ). they still have so much to learn... the first step is: try to release a fone wthout bugs, or at least discrease the nr of bugs, instead of offering new fw versions every single week.
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figurt
Joined: Aug 17, 2005
Posts: 89
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SE's year...mmm dont really think so, nothing really innovative has come from SE so far... i await the w950 ~ touch screen.
k800 doesnt really impress me much, just seems like k750 version e!
to be number one in sales, it needs to have more brand awareness (the walkman phones seem to be doing this), but i believe the problem is the lack of exciting phones, i remember when the z1010 was released, yeah it was a top end bulky phone, not that many were produced, but it was like wow clamshell! two screen!
earlier in the thread someone wrote
"/Agree
making the best phones = #1 in my book.
Anyways rather be the one to have the unique cool phone, then the same boring Nokia"
This cracked me up SO MUCH!
k700~k750~k800~w800~w810~that gold looking w phone!
really UNIQUE SE phones!
boring nokia? n73? n80? n91? n92?
wifi doesnt seem so boring,
-se should also invest on better material for phones! plastic is nasty!!!!
making best phones? SE? i dont care, as long as somebody is!
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neonismo
Joined: Oct 18, 2002
Posts: 254
From: Melbourne, Australia
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It might be SE's year, that is of course if they actually decide to release any phones this year! How long has the P990 been delayed now? Sheesh!
This message was posted from a K750 |
*Jojo*
Joined: Oct 15, 2003
Posts: > 500
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With the latest  achievement . . . I'll say, 4 more years . . . before they will meet the summit! |
Adewale
Joined: May 22, 2006
Posts: 1
From: Nigeria
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Sony Ericsson has been doing it ever since on noticed. And now I am proud to say this year is meant for Sony Ericsson and years to come I believe Sony Ericsson will still be in Limelight.
There is nothing like Achievement |
bavlondon2
Joined: Jan 28, 2006
Posts: > 500
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Quote:
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On 2006-05-19 23:30:24, jmcomms wrote:
The N91 and N93? Have you SEEN either of these phones?
We had a N91 in June 2005, and it was on the front page of our July 2005 issue! Even then, we commented on it being rather bulky, with a fiddly keypad and feeling cheap.
A year on, we've got the final version, and it takes nearly 2 seconds to start playing a track. Hard drives are NOT the solution for small storage, like 4GB, hence Apple going for flash memory on the nano.
Now the N93 was shown to us in Berlin and that IS an impressive phone for its featureset, but it's bigger than the N90! There's no Xenon flash and the processor is too slow, so every button press results in long delays as you see the screen drawing itself. Oh, and the little joystick is incredibly fiddly in camera mode.
Don't get me wrong, Nokia are making excellent phones - but they're also churning out dross too. The N73 I've now got for the weekend is great, apart from a joystick that keeps selecting everything as I love up and down. It's enough to make the damn thing almost unusable.
Why are Nokia always making a mess of the Nseries devices? Each one seems to get a little bit bigger!! We had a N92 when Nokia entered the Mobile News Awards, and this is great for a TV - but they're forgotten that it's also a mobile phone! I am not sure a camcorder shaped phone, or a pocket-TV shaped phone is the answer to convergence!
_________________
Jonathan Morris
Technology Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone and gadget magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2006-05-19 22:32 ]
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Its merlery your opinion that it feels cheap. Its mostly made of stainless steel. If you want to talk about cheaplymade phones ask a few w810 owners whos paint of coming of the d pad.
Im sure the stats still show that nokia sell the most phones and as for the gripes on the n range handsets remember this:
According to Nokia Podcast (during announcement of "Multimedia Computer") the VC did mention *50million Nseries was sold in 2005 (N90+N70 alone which of cause equivalent sale of all SE phones in the same year - fact of N90 really outsold K750i)
*50million out of 264million all Nokia phones sold in 2005. (source: IDC)
Now SE have had it ok up till now because they have had autofocus but im interested to see how they maintain sales now that Nokia use autofocus in the new n phones. No only that but the n93 has optical zoom aswell.
And if it bulky, well again thats a personal choice. The k800 is pretty ugly aswell and to be honest it doenst d much in the way of new technology that the K750 didnt apart from being UMTS.
Not everyone will go for the n93 but with VGA recoding it will attract a lot of phone buffs. And if youve had a p910 or a100 size wont bother you as you will get used to it.
The only reason the n90 dint sell better than it did is because it was luidcrously over priced when it first came out (1700 Euros i think) but Nokia stated that the n93 will go for an unsubsidised price of 550 Euros.
To be honst mate ive had nearly ever phone under the sun and ive always found mag reviews to be usless. Forstly ass most of the time you get early versions of the phone but becasue sometimes you are biased. The best reviews come from people who buy the phones when there out. Until the n93 is out no one can comment. Im also waiting for the samsung z710 which should give SE competition too as it also takes bettr video than the k800. |
jmcomms
Joined: Mar 12, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Jonathan Morris
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Hey, you're entitled to your opinion - but I should point out that I was IN Berlin for that presentation.
I know the figures, and I've already had a N93 and now a N73 to preview. Now, be honest, apart from firmware issues, the hardware is not going to change between now and release!
The N90 wasn't liked because it was too big, and had a slow processor. The N91 is too big, and nobody I know likes it (and they're not in the industry). The N92 was a great proof-of-concept, but it's not going to sell because it's a TV first and a, rather poor, phone second.
The N93 may find a market, but Nokia are backing the N72 and N73 as their big sellers. I can see why, and the N72 (and maybe the 5500) are the ones I'd be backing as the successful models. Eseries will do well too.
Nobody is saying Nokia are going to lose to SE or others anytime soon, but don't say SE are lagging behind. The K800 is only the first Cyber-shot phone, so it's early days. I bet they'll push to get the technology in a smaller handset, while Nokia are sticking to Series 60. Only the 5500 and E50 are getting to an acceptable size for the masses.
A lot of the other sales of smartphones are by coincidence. Nokia flooded the market with the 6630, and many other Series 60 phones have sold to people who don't even know it's a smartphone. But, the N70 is a great bit of kit and deserves to do as well as it does. In fact, it's the N9X range that I see as being the one lacking. It's more 'Look what we can', and I bet even Nokia aren't really expecting many sales. However, the halo effect is beneficial for the whole brand.
Few other manufacturers can afford to build kit they're not really going to push (e.g. 7700 and the first 3G phone - 6650?) beyond the network operators.
Finally, I know what you mean about some journalists, but I've been writing about mobiles since 1991, both consumer and trade. I've done many courses, and sold phones for nearly 7 years too. I am honest in my reviews, and our magazine will give a phone 1 star if it warrants it - even when everywhere else is happy to give everything 70% or above to play safe.
FWIW, we awarded the N80 5-stars because it's a great all-rounder. The N90 and N91 will NEVER qualify for such an accolade.
_________________
Jonathan Morris
Technology Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone and gadget magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2006-05-23 02:07 ] |
bavlondon2
Joined: Jan 28, 2006
Posts: > 500
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Fair enough mate. To be honest the battery life of the n80 is quite poor and the lack of autofocus doesnt please me either. But the n73 and n93 user new Li Po batterys so that should improve it. .
As your in the industry may then you can help me. Nokia said at that conference that they were aiming to start shipping by July. Is the feasable considering the delays with the n80, n91 and n71 (which is still yet to hit the uk but apparently out elswhere in europe).
Does the fact that the n93 has already been FCC approved increase the possibility of it being on time as Nokia are intending. July seems optiomistic but is it possible that this time Nokia will release a phone when they state it. |
goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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On 2006-05-19 20:30:35, scapevlocity wrote:
but it's sad that SE's following the Nokia route by segregating phone features. 
*sniffling*
(still lamenting over the lack of AF on the W850... yeah, yeah: "why don't you get a K800 instead? ... well why did they put AF on the first walkman phones if they're gonna take it away in the end anyway? whatever happened to convergence?)
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What most people are forgetting is that the biggest selling phone of 2005 on the high street in the UK , (not including the phones that businesses contract out to their workers), was the
k750i/w800i/D750
This phone even outsold the awful Scroto RAZR.
2005 was a good year for because previously it didn't have the broad portfolio that it needed, which is why you seen AF in Walkman handsets.
2006 will see emphasising more on Imaging and Walkman and why not! Walkman has been a huge success for them.
@bavlondon
bav wrote:
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The k800 is pretty ugly aswell and to be honest it doenst d much in the way of new technology that the K750 didnt apart from being UMTS.
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I think the K800 is a definite improvement on the K750 even without 3G.
Your saying that
- Autofocus with
- Xenon flash
- BestPic™ and
- Image stabilization on both Camera and Video recording
isn't either new technology for a cameraphone or an improvement on the K750i?
If so then I would like you to tell us what the hell is!
[ This Message was edited by: goldenface on 2006-05-23 11:21 ] | |
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Posted: 2006-05-19 23:30
