This and That ...

First things first.

This is what I'm writing about. Essentially, its a mini-computer with video-voip capability. Involves a one-time investment of 370$ (was 210$ two months ago), and then you can talk forever for FREE.

Now, let me start sharing my experience with N810. We bought two handsets before leaving for India last year so as to discontinue the Vonage service we were using back then. N810 has got some aud/vid apps. Skype runs on this phone, but only supports audio. There's Gizmo and a custom Internet call application for video. Skype is great for "audio only" calls. However, Gizmo's video is totally screwed up. That leaves us with Nokia's own Internet call app for video-chat which uses the SIP protocol for data transmission.

Our original plan was to give one handset to my parents, and one to my in-laws, while we chat with them through our lappy in US. Skype has no issues whatsoever. The desktop skype works perfectly with the Skype on Nokia. For video-call however, you need a SIP client on your PC to call Nokia. We tried a lot of them - Xlite, Kapanga, etc but they're all flaky. Video doesn't work all the time. There're issues with audio too. So, basically, there are compatibility issues for the Internet call app. We tried making calls between the two N810s we had. Worked like a charm! So finally bought another N810 for ourselves.

Another selling point for N810 is that its got GPS capability. Hmm.. There are a couple of hacks you need to do inorder to use the free GPS software. Otherwise, its okay. Takes a while to get the satellite connectivity. About 5 minutes or so, which I think is quite common among GPS devices. There's basically a free 7-day trial version installed with the phone. Lets say you first used the map application on Jan 1st. This means you can use it till Jan 7th for free. Inorder to use it forever, you have to set the system date anywhere between Jan 1st-7th each time you start the map app. But once it starts, you have to reset the date to the current date, because once it starts communicating with the satellite, it uses the current timestamp. If you dont mind paying some 100$ for 3 years, you can get the licensed version of the map application. Another issue with the free map app is that the text-speech translation isn't fully functional. The device guides you properly, but simply says "Turn left", "Make a u-turn" etc, rather than saying, "Turn left on XYZ Street". The display, however, indicates that the next turn should be made on "XYZ Street".

Besides video-calls and GPS, we also use it for browsing the Internet while at home. Imagine, you just want to browse through the TV listings online while relaxing on your couch, rather than using a heavy laptop for the purpose, you can use Nokia.

Technically, its an I-phone sans cellular/telephone module. Its got Bluetooth though, to connect to your bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. My next goal is to connect Nokia to the Internet thru my cellphone while visiting some scenic place/shopping mall and video-calling my parents back home. Sounds wooowwww!!!

Now, is it worth the investment? 370*3?? Absolutely yes!!! If you're the kind of person, who loves to see your parents every single day. Next time when you plan to visit India, and start shopping around for gifts, give N810 a shot. Take my word, your parents are going to love it more than anything else you take for them. Using the webcam on the computer is not that much of a big deal for most of us, since our lappies are always powered on. But for parents to switch on the computer, and sit before it, with all those microphones and stuff could be painful. Since N810 is more or less like a phone, they can use it with ease.

I'm loving it and so do my parents. Thanks Nokia!!!