The idea of an FM receiver in the iPhone has excited many a commentator over the last several years, because sometimes, you’ve got to set aside podcasts and iTunes and just listen to the radio.  The hyperlocal nature of terrestrial radio makes it a cultural staple, yet it’s conspicuously absent from the iPhone.  Apparently, that may be changing when iPhone 3.0 hits some time in the next 8 - 10 months.

And how about song-tagging, so you can purchase the currently-playing song from iTunes.  Some folks think High Definition (that is, digital) Radio is required to do this.  Actually, the text labels embedded in most FM broadcasts should be sufficient to drive links to iTunes Music Store…. if this was Apple’s style.

iHeartRadio and similar apps already pipe HD-quality data into the iPhone (over 3G)–and those don’t offer links to the iTunes store. If an FM chip is coming in iPhone 3.0, it will probably be used first and foremost for navigation-related features like traffic advisories and weather, and if we get radio out of the deal (like on some of the Nokie N-Series phones), then it will just be a happy little bonus.

Me, I’ll take photo messaging and a camcorder app, please.

Tags: camcorder, fm, gps, hd, hd radio, iphone, itunes, navigation, nokia, radio, software, video

If there’s one company that can go toe to toe with Apple in the smart phone space, it’s not RIM, and it’s certainly isn’t Microsoft.   That’s right, it’s Nokia.  With the impending release of their 5800 XPressMusic phone, complete with touch screen and a one-year-free all-you-can-eat music download service, it certainly deserves a look by potential iPhone buyers.   But the question is whether or not this 5800 is the revolutionary advance Nokia needs to compete with the iPhone, or if it offers an over-engineered, offputting user experience like many previous Nokia products.

On paper, this thing is killer, though:

• GPRS/3G data network support
• Bluetooth
• WiFi (802.11g)
• 8  or 16 GB SD storage card (an option I sincerely wish Apple had included in the 3G iPhone)
• Video out (cool!)
• Touch screen interface. Not sure if it’s going to do gestures or multi-touch.  It does claim tactile feedback, probably by means of vibration, etc.
• 3.2″ display (iPhone has 3.5″)
• 3.2 mpixel Zeiss camera, like those in the N-Series (this will likely spank the iPhone’s camera, which is 2.0 megapixel and pretty piss poor)
• A self-facing VGA camera for video calls
• Maps application with GPS and voice-guided navigation. (Also an iPhone spanking feature)
• Headphones
• Symbian S60 version 5 operating environment (an upgrade to the OE used on the E-Series and N-Series phones)
• Free unlimited music downloads (not rentals) for one year (Windows Media, DRM’d)

Tags: 5800, camera, hardware, music, nokia

But is Nokia still in the same market as the iPhone?

When I first toyed around with the iPhone 3G, I thought to myself, man if Nokia could only bring this level of usability to the massive featureset of the E-Series and N-Series, they might just have the perfect portable device. And provide Apple with some competition.

It appears that Nokia may be inching in that direction, but not according to traditional means.  Friend Dameon has written about some interesting changes to Nokia’s line of Internet Tablets on his excellent blog, Joy of Gadgets. Among the improvements are HSPA high speed packet access support and the total open-sourcing of the tablets’ Linux-based OS, Maemo.  Still no word on whether the next-gen tablet will have a 3G radio (as opposed to a 3.5G unit) in it, but we’ll find out soon. It also remains to be seen if the devices will become phones.

Of course, while Nokia’s developments always *look* exciting, the market often concludes that their high-end phones are either too convoluted or too incrementally evolved to be accepted en masse. Here’s hoping they get the usability issue figured out.

Tags: hspa, nokia

Nokia’s N-Series phones are excellent geek hardware, and, depending on who you ask, the best cell phones money can buy.   The new flagship in the N-Series is the N96, and, while it’s not exactly an iPhone killer, it does have three features we wish the iPhone had.

The first of these missing features is removable storage. While just about all of the N-Series devices have a small removable storage slot. That extra gig would really go a long way, especially on the iPhone, whose iPhoto and iTunes apps tend to overflow its 16 GB solid state storage.

Another feature we’d love to see on the iPhone is the digital television tuner that comes standard on the European version of the N96.  With the iPhone’s large screen, watching TV would be more fun than on the N96’s little postage stamp screen.

Of course, the iPhone’s camera leaves a lot to be desired, while the N96 sports a Zeiss Optics 5+MP job with a built-in flash. And it will record video, to boot. Let’s see if  Apple is able to work any of these features into the next iPhone bump.

Tags: camera, n-series, nokia, storage

After thoroughly batting around my iPhone vs. Nokia post the other day, James Body of TruPhone concluded during yesterday’s Squawkbox podcast that my comparison was like asking a carpenter to tell you which is better: a hammer or a screwdriver.  Now, carpenters need both tools. But when you’re talking smart phones, do you really need two of them?

Another friend, Ken Camp, offered that he and his wife make 4 or 5 hour phone calls.  Talk about keeping a marriage fresh!  I can’t even talk for 40 minutes on the horn with my girlfriend.  Then again, Ken and Sheryl are hyperconnectivity evangelists.

Have a listen to the podcast of the Squawkbox session–it’s fantastic.

Tags: nokia, podcasts, squawkbox