N Series vs. E Series

Written by Matthew Stevens on October 31, 2007 with
In review, Firmware, N Series, E Series, Tips and Tricks, OS, 3G, Software, Hardware, Nokia

My Nokia N95-3 arrived yesterday and already I have discovered a few things that I miss from the Nokia E65. Make no mistake I love the N95-3 for its memory, large screen, and camera just to name a few, but the E65 has a few things that I wish were incorporated into the N95. Some of these kind of surprised me seeing that the N95-3 is a much newer model phone with Feature Pack 1 (FP1). As many mobile enthusiasts have come to expect live with, no device is perfect, some are simply better than others; the N95 certainly fits into this category. Here are just a few differences between N and E Series and occasionally between versions of the same series. For this post I will forgo differences between S60v3 and S60v3 FP1 and save that for another time.

1. Active Standby Plug-ins – The E65 has the option to select/deselect items to display on the screen. By default the calendar with upcoming appointments are displayed, as are tasks, music playing and WLAN scanning status on both series. E Series has an additional menu option under Active standby applications called Active standby plug-ins. Active standby plug-ins gives you the option to select Missed call notifier, Default email notifier, Message notifier, Voice message notifier, Organizer, Act. Standby mailbox, To-do, Music player, Wireless LAN, SIM Services to display below the Active standby Apps; noticed that email was listed twice in the list. Under Active standby plug-ins is Active standby mailbox. Active standby mailbox displays the two most recently received messages for the selected configured mailbox in Messaging while Default email notifier displays how many unread messages there are across all configured mailboxes.
2. Active Standby Applications - While the N95 automatically rotates the screen when switching to the media player and camera, such phones as the N73 can add this functionality with a handy little application called rotateMe. When using rotateMe there is a seventh Active standby Application that is not available in the N95. rotateMe is ultimately a hack of the OS since it gives the device a function that is not otherwise available but if this is an option in the programming why exclude it in the N95? This seventh Active Standby application is only configurable while the screen is rotated, making it an easily overlooked option. I typically programmed this seventh application as the Wireless keyboard application, the only times when I would use the N73 with the screen rotated outside of the camera and gallery functions.
3. Access Point Groups – E Series has this wonderful option to group connections in groups and to prioritize those connections within the groups. Thereby giving the user the ability to let the phone seek out a Wi-Fi network first and fall back on whichever data connection second. Multiple connection types and network types can be added to these groups making the possibilities limitless. N Series is completely missing this option. There is good news however; Access point groups are coming in Feature Pack 2.
4. WLAN Scanning – On the E65 wifi scanning does not need to be set active for the phone to automatically connect to a configured access point when it becomes in range. The N95 only seeks out Wi-Fi access when scanning is enabled, which would not be so bad if there were an option to turn off scanning once connected. The N95 will connect to a defined Access Point (AP) when selected in applications or the browser. Where this instant connectivity comes in handy is for VOIP applications. On the E65 once in range of the AP it will connect and register on VOIP services, making them immediately available, unlike the N95 which is a manual process. Additionally because WLAN scanning is off it helps conserve battery power, making the E65 a battery life power horse compared to other S60 devices.
5. Conference Call – Admittedly I did not have occasion to use this functionality of the E65, however the fact that the phone can be programmed to dial and connect multiple people so easily is a feature that can not be overlooked. I was not impressed with the dedicated conference calling button that cannot be reprogrammed without third party applications. One of the best applications for re-mapping keys turned out to be Tracker by SmartphoneWare. There were others which lacked the customization of the Tracker for nearly every key with the added bonus being able to program combo keys. I.e. ABC + Conference could launch the calendar, while Conference alone launches Jaiku.
6. Other dedicated keys – The E65 like other E Series has dedicated keys for “business” functions. These dedicated keys are a love hate relationship for me. I like that fact there are extra keys giving quick access to “frequently used” functions. I hated that Nokia alone decides what those frequently used functions are for me. Every user is different therefore some may make a number of conference calls but if not that function is useless. The same can be said for the mute/hold, voice recorder, and address book keys. Tracker solves all of these issues, but I should not need a third party application for what should be a built-in function.
7. Network Mode/Network Operator Time – As Nokia has progressed with these two options they have finally made them both function in the N95 without the need to reboot after wards. The E65 can toggle between Network operator time on and off making one more step in the right direction but not Network modes. This could in fact be a function of the FP1 but the N73 can not toggle Network operator time settings without rebooting until one of the most recent firmware updates.
8. Radio – I found it odd E Series includes a music play and then lacks the radio. For stereo a wired headset is required on E Series and for the radio to function on any device, which still continues through the N95-3. In the box of the N95-3 is a two piece headset. The first piece is a music control with just enough wire to act as the FM antenna for the radio, finally giving users the ability to use the radio via a compatible A2DP (stereo Bluetooth) for the radio. The second piece is the headphones that connect to the music control. Both component use standard 3.5mm plugs allowing for the use of nearly headset.
9. A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth) – As Bluetooth has grown, Bluetooth has become a must have feature of smartphones and non-smartphones a like. That being the case it is equally odd to make a phone with Bluetooth and yet lack A2DP. The E65 has the ability to display business presentations, I suppose those presentations either are intended to never have audio or only mono. Perhaps my expectations are too high for a “business class” device and yet it seems so obvious and simple enough to include.
10. Speech – E Series has the built-in functionality to read messages aloud. I do not have much need for this yet I can see a business person needing this kind of functionality while driving for example and yet Nokia must think that consumers for its flagship the N95 would not also enjoy such functionality.
11. LifeBlog – Some may disagree with me, I was honestly and truly ecstatic that the E65 did not have this application installed on the phone. If Nokia wants to include such programs on their devices fine. All I ask is they give me a way to uninstall or at least disable the application as it does reside in the ROM and does not actually take up any memory just being there. On more than one occasion LifeBlog cause me headaches on the N73 endless tracking messages, pictures, videos and whatever else it does. I do not use the application, as such feel I should not be required to have it on my phone. Did not Microsoft get in a lot of hot water over Internet Explorer doing the exact same thing? OK maybe that it is not the exact same thing, hopefully you can see my point nevertheless.
12. BlackBerry Connect – Consumers want BlackBerry connectivity too! One of RIM’s fast growing segments is the consumer market for the BlackBerry solution, so much so carriers such as T-Mobile USA now sell the BlackBerry Pearl in five colors. Interestingly enough Mail for Exchange is available for both E and N series yet BlackBerry Connect is only available for select E Series models.

Update:

13. New Message Nofication - One thing I particularly like about E Series is the message notification. No annoying popup saying 1 new message, new email, new voicemail, etc. E Series just displays it as part of the active display. Again this could be a customization Nokia could offer in Messaging settings.

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