My Favourite Nokia: Ewan MacLeod
I am delighted to have been invited my Mr Symbian himself (the publisher of All About Symbian, Rafe Blandford) to wax lyrical about my favourite ever Nokia handset.
Before I get into the detail, I want to be clear about two things:
1) I've always been a fundamental fan of Nokia, even though I have written quite a lot (principally here) about how frustrated I was with the company, especially in the face of its seeming inability to respond to the Apple and Google challenges.
2) I have owned a lot of Nokia handsets. Dozens at least.
Choosing one is a difficult task, because like many who were readily active with their mobile phones back in the day, I experienced a lot of delight using a lot of different Nokia handsets. Everything from the Nokia Communicator series, to the E-series that rivaled the BlackBerry and then onwards to the N-series and beyond.
But if I had to arrive at one handset that really, really stays with me, it's this one: The Nokia N95.
Or, if you pushed me, it's the Nokia N95 8GB version.
My memory is slightly hazy on the specific differences between the two models - the key aspect for me was that the 8GB iteration felt even better, even more rounded. And it had a more onboard memory. Obviously.
I have very specific memories traveling the length and breadth of Silicon Valley around the 2007/2008 period - when the iPhone had been announced but wasn't shipping and likewise, Android.
Almost everyone I encountered in America used some kind of semi-useless feature phone, so it really did feel as though I was from the future. I remember showing people Shozu running on my N95. I would snap a photo and... like magic... that photo would be transmitted to Flickr within... seconds.
In the background.
Yes.
I could be typing away looking up an address on Google Maps (I kid ye not) whilst the photo I'd just snapped was being transported up to Flickr or my blog in semi 'real time'.
Add in the Gmail app that Google offered for the N-Series devices and it was absolutely ridiculously good.
It felt like a true smartphone, way, way ahead of a lot of the competitors of the time.
Yes, I would text. Yes I would call people. But the photos... oh, the N95 8GB version was very, very good. I've still got brilliant digital memories from the period thanks to the phenomenally good camera.
I think mostly, the key experience for me was that it felt like a true workhorse – an actual smart phone. Being able to snap great quality photos (and video) and then transmit them with 'apps' was really helpful. I remember regularly 'blogging' from taxis, trains and occasionally planes. I'd snap a photo and then write some accompanying text and use the Shozu app to send both to the relevant destination.
With Google Maps and Gmail, I had everything at my fingertips. And the fact it was a slider... that just made it... better. I liked the fact I could use it like a camera, and just look at the screen if necessary (no touchscreen) and then slide down the keyboard to start typing.
T9, by the way... that was legendary. I was really quick with that.
Yes, of course, the world definitely changed after the actual release of the iPhone, Google's first Android handset and the app store 'Cambrian Moment'. But for a period before this, the N95 8GB was truly one of the best smartphones out there.
I see they're still available to buy - second hand, generally - for around 50-60 GBP on eBay. I'm tempted.
Note: If you'd like some further detail, do check out Steve Litchfield's N95 8GB review on All About Symbian from 22nd October 2007.