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hey mates
been a while since i last posted here. after my xda2, i've been using a mio a701. i was then given budget for a new office phone so what the heck i tried out the n95. here's a review after a month's worth of use:
1) battery - if you're a heavy user of bluetooth, wifi, internet, etc...then chances are you're going to charge this almost every night. the bat was okay and i think it could hold it's own for around 2-3 days. i did try out the media player and after like 2 hours of use the battery went down to almost half (from a full charge). i just ordered 2 extra batteries from ebay...good thing their cheap at 2.00usd each.
2) camera - one of the reasons i got this unit. excellent quality given that it's using carl-z optics. the 5 megapixel is quite good and the flash does work wonders. thing is, the camera can also drain the battery if used continuously. yup, the battery is the number one gripe for the n95. however, i was able to buy this little accessory while in hong kong:
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yup, it's a zoom lense. the package comes with a crystal case and from there you attach the lense holder at the back. you have to be careful before you stick it in. the surface comes with a special adhesive. you have to be careful you put the holder in the right position else you risk having an off-centered lense. once attached, the zoom lense slides into the grooves and there you go. i tested it myself and i must say i was impressed with the telescopic feature. you can then remove the zoom lense and keep it in the padded pouch. i was also able to buy a tripod which clamps the phone in place. regular camera tripods allow you to screw the cam on the holder. for the nokia, the tripod has a padded clamp which holds the unit in place.
3) speed - around 9 years ago i was using a nokia 8850 before i switched to ppc units. i'm still getting used to the fact that i have to use the keypad...and no more stylus for me to pull out. other than that the speed of the unit is quite good. applications start out fast. i tried opening several applications at once and it was able to cope without slowing down.
4) media player - i loaded my mp3s on the micro-sd...paired the unit with my r-35 itech headset and there you go...the a2dp works great. i also shut off the bt app and tried out the stereo speakers. although we're not talking b&o quality here the sound is quite good. i think the speakers have been set so as to prevent the speakers from blowing out. in other words, i cranked up the volume to the max and it showed no signs of distortion. it was loud enough to be heard but of course i would expect that the sound would be drowned out when you're in public (like in a bus or a crowd).
5) sliders - the dual slide system...in my opinion...is not as handy. sure it's an added feature..but when you slide it to the right the screen goes on landscape and simply opens up to the animated menu. this is the same menu which pops out when you press the right bigger button while in portrait mode. from there, you have press the central select button to activate the media player.
6) tv-out - the unit can be plugged into the tv and use the screen to display whatever you want. in this case i also loaded a 3gp file of the movie "happy feet"...and to be honest i was quite impressed. it was like having a mini-dvd player. you can also use the tv to display photos or whatever
7) gps - one of the reasons why i bought this unit....but i wasn't as impressed. if you're a hard core navigation user, then better stick to using ppc gps applications. here in thailand i've been using gps to get around as i'm not a native of this country. i've been using powermap v7 for my mio and i was always happy with it. for the n95, the application is called "maps". you then have to install "maploader" into your pc to enable you to download all the maps you need. the pro for this is the maps are free. the con is that you have to pay for navigation services. although the maps application can provide navigation, it will not give you voice directions. you have to pay for this feature...and it comes in plans. it's not a 1-time payment deal...when you pay it can be for 1 year, 2 years, etc.
paying involves connecting to the internet via your gprs /wifi or whatever method you use. although i'm honest in saying that i'm fortunate the company pays for my phone bill, if you're a regualr plan user this can be a burden.
another thing about the gps is that the antenna is on the bottom of the phone. you would have to tilt the unit around 45 degrees in order to get a signal. i would recommend that you switch to landsape mode so as to allow the antenna direct access to the sky.
getting a signal is okay if the sky is clear. while inside the car, i saw some delays and difficulties in getting a satelite signal. i bought an extra gps-receiver and that boosted the connection speed. although there are symbian gps applications like route66 or tomtom, unfortunately the maps are still limited.
don't get me wrong, i like the n95. however, i'm also keeping my mio as i use it for gps applications. overall it's a good phone and i see myself keeping this for quite some time. i was thinking of getting the ameo...but the size factor is what's keeping me from doing so.
cheers
EDIT, 05/15/11:
Note: You will only care about this app. if you own a Sony Ericsson LiveWatch device!
v1.2
* Now with several more, aesthetically pleasing watch faces and hands
* Upload your own png file as /sdcard/livewatch.png (girlfriend picture, pet, etc.) -- Beware! The LiveView device is very picky with encoding, color set, etc.
* Flashligt! (Why not?) Click the select button, then touch the top border.
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EDIT, 04/27/11:
Make sure you download it from the market:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.voilaweb.mobile.liveview.livewatches
***
I am going to talk about a plug-in I wrote for the Sony Ericsson LiveView.
However, if you guys wish to discuss development for that device or how to make it work better, this is also welcome because it is both intriguing and under-represented (and a bit maddening at times)
Anyway, I was flabbergasted when I realized that there isn't any straightforward "watch" plug-in for the LiveView so in a couple hours I figured out how to use the SDK and created one.
I am not releasing it yet and I will only make it available it there is interest for it and I get the appropriate permissions from the people whose art I have used for this proof of concept app.
By the way, more face and hands art would be welcome!
A few (terrible) screenshots:
My LiveView was sent from the website i ordered it from, today=) I would really such an addon=)
And i can make you some artwork if i get something to work with=)
Oh, that's good.
I hope it works well for you. The device losing its pairing can be quite aggravating.
On the other hand it is a breeze to develop for; actually simpler than writing a home screen widget.
A friend of mine got it last week and said that he had lost his pairing once since he got it set up.
To me no development is a breeze i know squat about programing
But as said i would love to make you some graphics you could use so that you can release this=)
^^
I just received a sms from my post office that my LiveView had arrived
and here are a little graphic preview of some artwork you might use(?) It shows the whole thing, background, minute hand and hour hand=)
I really think you should release this addon
Ha! I like it a lot, in fact.
Can you post it as three files as described at http://www.voilaweb.com/lv_faq#createtheme?
Oh, and I updated the OP with a link to the beta apk
Will do, Just have to make some minor changes as the big and short hand are the same. and also added some indicators on the clock face.
Edit: Also, will you support this addon? i mean like bugs and stuff?
I guess, I will have to, yes
So, anyone go any feedback for me?
hey man.
i just installed your app from market and it's looking great.
i guess you can make a clock with digits or maybe a digital one.
it still disconnects but at least i have a watch
one other thing maybe you can ad an always on screen option
MrJay, first off, thanks for your feedback
The "always on" option would be nice but I invite you to think about this some more...say until your device dies on you because its damn battery is already too weak for the plug-in's current version
EDIT: OK I really don't want to sound negative. The device is really nice. I just wish it had better connectivity and battery life.
In fact, the tricks I read on how to force it to reconnect using AutomateIt, etc., end up sucking battery life like crazy.
The only thing i have to say about this addon, is that its a bit slow to update when i wake the screen. might take a sec before the clock shows the correct time.
Other than that, i love it
Thanks Marius.
Yes, I know about the 1 sec. delay it's due to sending as few updates to the device as possible, to improve battery life.
But maybe I could slightly alter this behavior for a "wake up" event.
BTW, I hope you guys are using the version from the market! It's free, but more likely to get updates than the one on my blog.
cyansmoker said:
EDIT: OK I really don't want to sound negative. The device is really nice. I just wish it had better connectivity and battery life.
In fact, the tricks I read on how to force it to reconnect using AutomateIt, etc., end up sucking battery life like crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i stopped using automateit. it didn't do that much and yes you're right about the crappy battery life .
anyway keep up the good job. it's a nice to have application.
I ordered one of these devices today after seeing this post, fantastic plugin! this is perfect for when I'm at work, seeing as I work outside and don't have time to check my phone for any updates, much less the time. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Where can I order this I'm interested I live in California if that makes a difference
Well, Spitfire, so do I. I ordered from these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004E2V4NM and it was shipped from Florida.
Have you updated this with any new themes?
Ive been away over the easter and haven checked in here for about 2 weeks. also i've been flashing a lot of ROMs lately so havent gotten to hook up my liveview yet. Will look in to it today th0=)
Can someone make a theme like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9GTkImEwQ&feature=player_embedded#at=20
(watch the video it has a bunch of different themes as well)
Droidish said:
Can someone make a theme like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9GTkImEwQ&feature=player_embedded#at=20
(watch the video it has a bunch of different themes as well)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome design. I fear that the LiveView's limited resolution will not be able to display something this complex, though. Not even something as good-looking as a TikTok
Hi all, I have recently acquired that gadget and this is my experience
I must start this review confessing that I am a quite intensive user of headphones, either it's radio, podcast or music.
For that reason, I found very interesting the opportunity to try this device, not only for being wireless (they use Bluetooth), but also for their bone conduction tecnology (the same used by the famous and expensive Google Glasses). The sound is transmitted through our bones and not through our ears cavity.
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External Appearance
They are made on plastic and the touch is very agreeable. On the right side can find the “Play/pause” button, on the left one, another button for calling (hang up, down and voice assistant). Finally in the rear part the is a microUSB adapter for charging, the On/Off switch and two small buttons for volumen and track change.
Specifications
Bone conduction technology
Bluetooth V3.0+EDR with profiles HFP, HSP, AVRCP, A2DP
NFC Connectivity
Stereo sound, with high sensitivity microphone
High-speed data transfer (24Mbps)
Intelligent power saving system
DigiCare splashproof design, suitable for outdoor sweaty sports
Ergonomic and including and adjustable band for different head sizes
Only 50 grams of weight
Working distance 10 meters
Frequency 20-20Khz
Impedance 32Ω
Receive sensitivity 88dBm
Battery de 260 mAh
My experience
Between the different advantages present on this technology, the first one that could be highlighted is that, since we don't introduce anything into our ears, the potential damages are clearly reduced, so less intrusive than traditional earphones.
In addition, it prevents of having bacteria inside the ears, and, something that surprised me, it doesn't block the sound while talking or listening to music, so if you are on the street, you continue hearing other sounds like traffic.
After using them continuously for more than one week, I can clearly say that the advantages mentioned on the above paragraph has fully convinced me. Specially because I guess my ears are quite special and so, I find uncomfortable almost every earphone... or they fall all the time.
In the past week and something, I have used those Digicare DO walking, running and riding the bike and, they didn't fall down at any moment, and the sound was always good.
The quality of the audio is very good, not only listening to music, but also during calls, even while going on the bike.
The battery duration is most than acceptable, it has last for several hours (like promised) using for music and doing long calls (more than 1 hour).
Another aspect I was a little bit doubtfully was the position of the buttons, BUT at the end the user experience has been great, very easily accesible all of them, the ones next to the ears (play/pause and calls) respond very quick to a simple touch, and the ones in the back are very easily identifiable, even wearing gloves.
Last the Bluetooth works excellently, the pairing was the quickest I've seen in the last gadgets I've tried (other earphones, speakers or between phones,…) and even when we change to another phone, once the Bluetooth enabled it connects really fast. The other good point here is that we can connect 2 phones simultaneously.
Points to improve
For sure not everything is good on this review, so here some aspects that Digicar should improve for future updates or versions.
The NFC is clearly improvable, it worked... but sincerely it wasn't quick, neither simple. I tried with 2 different smartphones (including Galaxy S4) and I only could detect the headphones with one of them.
They come on universal size. I have a small head, so I feel like I have too much "hanging behind" and it is a little bit uncomfortable with the coat or scarfs. It's true that the elastic belt to adjust it works well, and the position for a good audio quality, but still too much plastic hanging... maybe it would be a good idea to have two different sizes.
Voice assistants (Siri, Google Now, Cortana...) work but, sincerely don't help, or at least I couldn't make them understand as well as when you talk directly to the phone. I worked very well to sat "Call number 123456789", it dialed and the conversation quality was very good. But when asking about football results, or something to add to my calendar, it captured other noises in addition to my voice (I guess the micro is really sensible also for that) so Siri didn't finish capturing.
I suppose using it more often, Siri (or the others) will "learn" to understand us, and it will work better, but for the moment it's not so comfortable, I go much faster with the fingers
Conclusions
Some months ago, I was looking for Bluetooth earphones and I finally took the traditional ones (inside the ear), first because I didn't know anything about that bone conduction technology and secondly for the price, the difference was considerable.
After trying those ones... I trully think the price is justified. In fact I haven't used the other ones anymore since I receive the Digicare DO, just a question of comfort.
They are currently in promotion at Geekbuying using the promo code PNALFZGX . That's where I got them
Charge to 100% and turned OFF, not standby... over night it went to below 0% (to the point where the charge bar on the screen was red and it took about 10 minutes of charging to make it start showing the green charging animation)
Then, when fully charged, I used it for a little app installing, some basic games, just farting about for two hours - and the battery went from 100% to 82% over that time.
How the hell does it lose 100%+ power when turned off but I can use it for two hours on 20% battery loss??? Time for a new battery, I guess?
It depends how u even charge it.
It matter that much? I just plug it into one of these:
RAVPower 4 Port USB Charger (1 Quick Charge 3.0 Port) Charging Station
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I think it's not an original battery anyway - I managed to get the back off with just fingernails under the edges.
I'll get a new battery and bung it in..
Update:
nah... I think the phone is faulty, somehow.
New battery - charged up 100%..
Phone off, left overnight, checked about 24 hours after charge - still 100%
Phone turned on, used a little until battery showed 92% then turned off again.
FOUR hours later, phone turned on and the battery showed 7%, FFS!!
Sony is becoming a watchword for "****e" in my book....
I think I'll have fun with the phone - take it for a drive and throw it under a road works roadroller... see how flat it can get!
Update:
Sadly, I couldn't find a road roller (dozens of road works... but no one actually doing any bloody work!!) -- so i got a Co-Op truck driver to drive over it, he was happy to, he'd had the exact same issues with his Z3 (small world).
I'd like to say it died a graceful death... well... actually... no, I wouldn't! I hope it died in agony!
"Bwaaa hahahaha!!!
Bloody evil battery sucking POS!!
The screen is interesting - it;s about 8 layers of different things..
There's a matrix layout - possibly the actual display panel itself..
A few layers of transparent stuff that looks like protective sleeving to stop abrasion.
A highly reflective layer - but in the middle.... and another one right at the back. Odd!
And a weird layer which refracts and magnifies the image - when I looked through it at my fingers, they were magnified AND offset to the left AND all wibbly.. I can't understand the point of that part...
Anyway, all dead now - the chips weren't damaged so I took it home and smashed them with a hammer.. Felt good... really good!
battery weird
Fluffbutt said:
Update:
Sadly, I couldn't find a road roller (dozens of road works... but no one actually doing any bloody work!!) -- so i got a Co-Op truck driver to drive over it, he was happy to, he'd had the exact same issues with his Z3 (small world).
I'd like to say it died a graceful death... well... actually... no, I wouldn't! I hope it died in agony!
"Bwaaa hahahaha!!!
Bloody evil battery sucking POS!!
The screen is interesting - it;s about 8 layers of different things..
There's a matrix layout - possibly the actual display panel itself..
A few layers of transparent stuff that looks like protective sleeving to stop abrasion.
A highly reflective layer - but in the middle.... and another one right at the back. Odd!
And a weird layer which refracts and magnifies the image - when I looked through it at my fingers, they were magnified AND offset to the left AND all wibbly.. I can't understand the point of that part...
Anyway, all dead now - the chips weren't damaged so I took it home and smashed them with a hammer.. Felt good... really good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sme problem replaced the battery and now volume button does work....arrrrrrrrrrr
June - that might have been done when the back was prised off - the volumes are near the edge where you have to work the back plate off.
If you can still get the back off - try this: back off, turn phone on, listen to music (so you can monitor volume) then gently wriggle the button as you press it.
You might just have broken a teeny little solder joint between the button and the wires.
A lot of us use car cradles that clamp onto the phone. Although I use a very minimalist clamp buy Kenu, some car clamps can run almost the full side length of a phone.
I'll be curious to see if these set off the Edge Sense when you clamp your phone in and if it's going to be a problem for people. I haven't seen a single person bring this up in a review or online, but it's one of the first things I thought of.
Fortunately the clamp I use is very minimalist and I can set it to clamp higher on the phones edge, so maybe above the squeezable area, but I know some have fuller sized clamps.
Yes I know you can set the sensitivity of the squeeze to initiate the desired function.
I never thought of this. I guess I will see once I get my phone
Simply you'll have to disable edgesense directly with in the quicksettings. An item is here to enable/disable it when you want as you do with wifi for example. But I have to admit that if you don't disable it, edgesense engage the action you set and you often have the photo app launched :/
Fre$h said:
Simply you'll have to disable edgesense directly with in the quicksettings. An item is here to enable/disable it when you want as you do with wifi for example. But I have to admit that if you don't disable it, edgesense engage the action you set and you often have the photo app launched :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a quick access toggle in the notification bar pull down to turn Edge Sense on and off?
Yes there is one toggle :
https://imageshack.us/i/pnktR3vfp
The clamp force of a smartphone holder is not big. So u think there will be no issues here.
notice the included case is cut out almost the entire edge length. Partially for buttons of course, but partially for edge sense space.
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*justintime* said:
The clamp force of a smartphone holder is not big. So u think there will be no issues here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Kenu one I use is extremely strong, but either way... putting it in and out of a clamp might set the edge sense off. Hopefully there will be Tasker integration and then maybe you can set up a profile so that if you're attached to the Bluetooth in your car that shuts off the edge sense functionality.
Just get a magnet-based mount system. Problem solved. They work great. I wouldn't ever go back now that I've switched.
Bright idea: Use your car dock to set up a shortcut to start your phone's car app! (Win/win)
I've been using slipgrip mounts forever, though they are device specific so I change it every time I upgrade phones. Grabs by the lower corners and one tab mid-point.
Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
cool idea
If your using side grip mounts in your car with the HTC U11. Grab a few of the NFC programmables and use some triggers(macros) to disable the Edge Sense before mounting, and another to enable it when you take your phone out of the side grips (maybe on a keychain). I'm finding the Edge Sense useful for now. It's a gimmick now, but maybe other options will pop up. You can launch MacroDroid with the short squeeze and do a lot more with Edge Sense.
Just pull down notification bar and toggle off edge sense while it's in an edge grip cradle. Lol
Sent from my 2PZC5 using Tapatalk
I use a car mount like this. Doesn't falsely trigger edge sense when I put the phone in. My edge sense setting is about slightly below medium setting.
I have Kenu plus.... will have to see....
If you are looking for a great looking cradle this is a very nice one.
Solid.. Nice design and no edge sense "problems"
Rock autobot cradle.
OK, got my phone yesterday and had tried out Kenu Plus this morning on the way to work. The mount grip triggered the Edge sense, but it displays a message saying "release to launch or keep pressing to cancel". So, it detects the pressure but will not trigger any actions. I am just worried how that constant pressure will affect the lifetime of the physical edge sensors...
I am interested in this one, seems like it doesn't apply any pressure to the edge sensor...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item-img...48866.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000017.2.xuebZ4
I have a car mount which squeezes the sides.
when i pop it in, the graphics come up to indicate that it senses a squeeze, but after a few seconds, it realises that its constant pressure, and not a squeeze per-se, and times out. No impact on use.
sephstyler said:
I have a car mount which squeezes the sides.
when i pop it in, the graphics come up to indicate that it senses a squeeze, but after a few seconds, it realises that its constant pressure, and not a squeeze per-se, and times out. No impact on use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here, see my previous post, just worry about long term effect on the sensors.
Actually now that I have put the Spigen clear case on, it kind of reduces the pressure and the phone doesn't sense the squeeze at all.