My first experiences of the Nokia N81 were extremely positive, and initially they continued to be so. It is marketed as an entertainment device and Nokia has made efforts to ensure that there is a rich entertainment experience out of the box.

N-Gage

Three N-Gage games are pre-installed (trial versions) and these do highlight the potential of this platform in the mobile form factor. The Fifa football game is stunning and on it’s own is enough to ensure immediate recognition of N-Gage as a viable alternative to dedicated handheld consoles.

Music

The Nokia Music Store is well thought out and the included free credits are a nice touch. I found the entire experience to be on a par with iTunes on the iPod Touch, and was more than impressed with the set up. There are some issues such as a smaller database and DRM, but it is a genuinely positive experience.

Camera

The camera is merely a 2MP affair with an LED flash, but it is still better than the majority of cameras from HTC and Palm. For an entertainment device, a 5MP camera could be expected, but I can cope with the one built in to the N81.

Speed
 
In normal use the N81 is pretty quick, and MS Exchange syncing in the background causes no slow downs at all. I also dallied with Nokia Maps and was impressed with what it had to offer. It still feels unfinished, but potentially could become one of the big boys in the mobile navigation sector.

Call Quality

This has always been one of Nokia’s hallmarks, but in the case of the N81 I struggled to get a loud enough sound during calls. No matter how many settings I tweaked, I simply could not make it loud enough for my needs. This is a shame because the speakerphone is good and the sound is clear, but there is definitely an issue with loudness (it could just be the phone I had though).

Internet

The internet experience was much more impressive than I expected. Wi-Fi connected first time for me and when it was not available 3G worked well. The included web browser is one of the best on the market, and I personally rate it very highly. The mobile web experience on the N81 is excellent and a joy to use- make sure you have an unlimited data plan though.

Battery

No complaints here, but that is because I use a Palm Centro at the moment which suffers in the power department. I discovered that 3G does not have a dramatic effect on the battery, and that a normal charge is more than adequate for 2-3 days usage.

PIM

As per usual, the standard S60 3rd Edition calendar and contacts applications never fail to disappoint. They are so basic, yet Nokia has made few efforts to improve them at all. So much investment goes in to GPS, cameras, fitting every possible feature into a small phone and design considerations, yet it refuses to do anything with the PIM functions on it’s smartphones. I do not understand the reluctance to add extra functionality to these areas, which would cost little yet potentially bring in more ex-smartphone users from the Palm and Windows Mobile sides.

Navigation

The S60 3rd Edition operating system lends itself well to navigation through dedicated keys, and has certainly grown on me over time. You may have to undertake a few more key presses than with other systems, but it is acceptably fast in normal use.
Conclusion
 
The N81 is without doubt an ‘entertainment’ phone, and it excels in this regard. It is also capable of smartphone functions, but the standard keyboard and non touch screen hamper this somewhat.
 
The N81 is not the phone for me, but the potential of Symbian looks brighter to me than any other mobile operating system at this time. If they can come up with a QWERTY keyboarded device soon, which is expected, they could really do something big in the corporate market. The N81 has some features that simply blew my socks off!

Nokia Download! extended for games and leisure is a new article at AAS. I tried this set up on the N81 and it is very impressive indeed.

In Download! on most Nseries devices there's: a new games catalog 'Try for free', a collection of fairly decent native [or at least ported through a runtime] S60 games from 3D Arts; Shockwave Minis, mini-games across a variety of genres; a new catalog of Jamster games (probably all Java); SNAP Arcade, in-house Java game creations from Nokia; 'Just for Laughs', a 'fun' video player and downloader. Can you spot something else new in your device/market? Lots of screenshots below, by the way.

Touch screens have the Midas touch for growth, spurring a flood of competition, technologies and OEM interest. iSuppli has predicted global shipment revenue for the leading touch-screen technologies will rise to $4.4 billion by 2012, up from $2.4 billion in 2006, as presented in the attached figure.

"Catalyzed by Apple's iPhone, sales of touch screens using projected-capacitive technology are growing dramatically," said Jennifer Colegrove, senior analyst for emerging displays at iSuppli.

"Projected capacitive touch screen technology is more durable and has better transmittance than the more commonly used resistive technology. More touch-screen manufacturers are developing and commercializing this type of screen. Furthermore, the average pricing gap between the capacitive and resistive display types is dwindling, making the technology more attractive." More at cellular news.

Today's free eBook is A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange by Beth Bernobich- "Like every other visitation room in Aonach Sanitarium—and Simon knew them all—this one was painfully bare, with narrow windows set high in the walls. In spite of the brilliant September sunlight, the air felt chilled, as though the thick glass had leached away the sun’s vitality, and a faint astringent smell lingered, a hospital smell that Simon associated with having his tonsils removed when he was twelve. He shivered and wished he had kept his frock coat with him.

Across the room, his sister sat cross-legged on the floor, her white gown billowing around her thin body.

“141955329. Times two. Exponent 25267. Add one.”

Gwyn spoke slowly, enunciating each syllable with painful care. Even so, her voice sounded furry—a side effect of the drugs, Simon knew.

“1031980281. Times two. Exponent 25625. Subtract one.”

When Gwyn first began these litanies, Simon had immediately recognized the numbers for simple primes. As the months and years passed, however, the numbers swelled to fantastical lengths, surpassing all the known tables. Simon could only assume these were primes as well.

Tara Gwyn Madoc. Twenty-three. Her age too was a prime number, as was his. Twins who had once been so close..."