The Nokia Lumia 800 and Windows Phone Mango 7.5 make a formidable combination. Beautiful build quality, gorgeous display, immediate responsiveness and an extremely elegant operating system (clearly better in many respects than iOS5). I bought the phone 5 days ago to replace my painfully slow iPhone 3G. Despite this praise however, the phone is going back today, replaced by my shiny new iPhone 4S – “what?!” I hear you say – well read on.

Walled Garden

I own three Apple devices. Impressed by their usability and integration, I have maintained a passionate, yet tempered, perspective on new products. I am yet, for example, to find a good use-case for an Apple iPad. I am disappointed with their high profit margins, anal smugness (eg “Genius Bar”) and their ‘lollipop’ retail mentality. Their market dominance too worries me as a lever for even high profits and stiffling of healthy competition.

Microsoft & Nokia, the underdogs?

Android doesn’t impress me (generally for their reputation as being laggy), so the Windows Phone seemed the logical choice. Influenced by all the positive press about the OS (Mango, WP7.5) and having made a shortlist of applications that I couldn’t live without (only one was missing), I took the plunge. I really want to see Microsoft succeed with this platform because it’s slick, intelligent, absolutely beautful and fluid. Historically too, I was always a fan on Nokia, and I wanted to support their committment to a new platform.

Nokia Lumia 800 Review (vs iPhone 4S)

What follows is really just a hit list of things I liked and did not, however the short version is that Microsoft let it down – that, and the fact that the ‘grey market’ version of the phone (from Hong Kong) was hamfisted by its lack of Nokia Drive (one of the killer features for me), Nokia Music and few things like screen capture. In any case, what follows is a little bit of insight into a phone that I almost cried to lose.

FEATURE
	I love Contact Management – contacts from all your accounts (GMail, Twitter and Facebok) are intelligently linked (can be edited) in a way that creates the ultimate merged contact list from you can do anything (SMS, email, phone, Facebook chat, Tweet.
	Makes iPhone contact management look positively prehistoric
	I love the phone controls – toggling ring and vibrate (whilst not a simple switch like iPhone) are brilliant – touch the volume the controls and a touch area reveals which toggles between the two simple modes
	iPhone sets the standard (matched by Nokia)
	I love the size and form factor – it’s thin, light and the controls are logically positioned. I wouldn’t go for a Lumia 900 because this 3.7″ is perfect
	The iPhone feels heavy and much more fragile (for all it’s corners)
	I love the application integration – clicking link in an email launches the browser, the browser contains a phone number (which you dial), the phone call ends, you add the phone number to your contacts — but then you want to get back to your email, right? — easy: just go back-back-back and the OS seemless steps back through your previous applications – brilliant!
	So much better than iPhone’s ‘back to home’ mentality where one is forced to return to the home screen to do anything.
	I like that it comes with a case – and not some crappy plastic thing, a nice snug moulded case that barely
	$39 for a bumper Apple, really?
	I loathe the gutter – the home screen gutter (on the rght) was always the reason I didn’t buy the phone (I guess I was hoping they’d get over it) – it’s a complete waste of space.
	The iOS interface may be showing its age, but at least it used the whole screen
	I dislike the GMail integration – no “send as” different email; folder navigation (except for filing). Multiple calendar support is via a hack whereby your masquerade your phone as an iPhone.
	iPhone sets the standard
	I loathe contact capacity – whilst phone itself can easily handle my 4500 contacts, Windows Live Contacts (with which you can sync the phone) is limited to 1000 contacts. The way I got around was to download the “Go Contact Sync Mod” which is tidy little utility that syncs your Outlook contact list to GMail – once there, Windows phone syncs your contacts to your phone and (for its adept integration of contacts), makes all these details available in the “People” title. Don’t beleive Microsoft’s suggestion that syncing contacts is completely supported.
	The iPhone 4S looks after my contact quite well, though it does not even offer an option for syncing it to say GMail (perhaps at least MS deserves points for trying).
	I am disappointed with Microsoft’s support for the device – the online environment supporting the phone is severely fragmented and confusion – Windows Live, windowsphone.com, XBox live, MSN live. OS updates, even on an unlocked phone, are subject to the issuing country (which is the reason I couldn’t get Nokia Drive on mine – I had to wait until Hong Kong got the update, because that was th purchased location)
	iTunes may be a behemoth, but it least it manages everything in one place
	I am disappointed by the Zune software – whilst it is a beautiful bit of software, there is one glaring omission and that is its inablity to sync contacts (see above).
	iTunes is slow, but it works. However Zune does handle all forms for media- even stuff it doesn’t sell.
	I am disappointed by SMS screen – whilst sexy as hell, being set on a dark background makes the keyboard hard to see and messages muddy as a result (it kind of reminded me of finding my way around a darkened room with a torchlight) – as a result, message seem somewhat diminutive on the page. Furthermore, after composing a few messages in low light, you actually start to suffer from retina burn. This is not true however of Email – it’s set on white, and lovely. Why couldn’t SMS be like email – gorgeous!
	The SMS environment is not as sexy but much more usable.
	I love the screen – whilst the whites are dull (possibly intentionally so for the starkness of typing text on a white screen in low light), the colours and blacks are breathtaking on account of the AMOLED screen.
	The iPhone 4S screen is possibly the best LCD out there, but Retina Display or not, it’s showing its age.

There are few more likes and gripes, like the size of the send button in Email/SMS and the flimsy charger port (mini USB will not stand daily plugging-in and out), but I think I’ve covered the main issues.  I put this review together mainly because the other reviews out there seem not to have fully committed to the phone for a few days testing – that is, they haven’t actually surrendered their old phone and tried to migrate their life across – as such, they miss some of the crucial issues.

Conclusion

If you’ve got less than 1,000 contacts and your country’s version of the phone comes with Nokia Drive, do it – you will not be disappointed. I am genuinely sad (almost regretful) to have to return this phone, but I am sticking the iPhone only until the either iPhone 5 changes the game or the next version of Windows Phone addressed the issues I have outlined above – Microsoft! I want to come back – please get your act together.

If you’re looking for a more technical review, I highly recommend the 8 page in depth technical review from Anandtech.

In this situation, I only wanted to one-way push my Outlook Calendar into Google Calendar – mainly because I am not yet comfortable with these applications safely writing back to my Outlook/Exchange server (and potentially suffering the wrath of my corporate IT keepers) – I am just not convinced that any of things like time zone shifts and invitees linked from LDAP sever

Finding the right product was tricky however, and during the search I stumbled across a couple of duds. So, for those looking to embark on a similar journey, I thought I’d share some notes and experiences.

Google Calendar Sync

This product is promising – a simple task tray icon and the option to sync one-way or two-way.  At a glance, it looks like the perfect solution – however, it has one major shortcoming – it does not allow syncing to a particular calendar in your Google Calendar setup (only to your default calendar). Fail!

ScheduleWorld

This service looked promising but was apparently shut down with the introduction of Google Calendar Sync in 2008. Dead in the water.

SyncEvolution

SyncEvolution looks like it might have legs but is still very much in the developer-realm and developed.  Early days.

reQall

An seemingly impressively-featured product, but it’s simply too hard to positively determine whether it would deliver the required functionality.  A trial of the product is locked behind a paywall (albeit uncharged until 30 days of use). Come on guys, have a little courage – offer your product for trial with a credit card. reQall.com. No free trial / confusing explantion of features.

SyncMyCal

SyncMyCal provides an task tray application that resides on the machine with your Outlook Calendar. To a schedule you select it pushes your Outlook calendar to your chosen Google Calendar.  The service worked reasonably well for a couple weeks (after purchasing it), however some strange issues were encountered (unsynced/unmoved updated calendar items, a “Backdoor.Trojan” infection and  proxy/negotiation issues), support for which was practically non-existent.  I’ve given up on this product (despite paying for it) – when you’re dealing with one’s second most precious data (behind say files themselves), this sort of response (or lack thereof) just leaves me cold.  Woeful support!

MemoToo

Whilst MemoToo can be overwhelming complex (at first glance) and overly complicated, MemoToo does the job quite nicely.  It should be noted that this is more of a aggregated solution rather than a one-off product, but it’s reasonable straightforward.

Whilst it probably started life as an online calendar, contacts manager and file storage application (very AJAXy) for a vast array calendar and mobile phone pairing, I was attracted to this solution because if offered syncing of my Outlook Calendar to a selected Google Calendar.  Granted, it does this in a long handed way – Outlook to MemoTooCalendar, then, MemoTooCalendar to Google Calendar – but so far it’s working very well.

For about $20 a year, ,the price is not unreasonable given the benefits provided.  To affect the synchronisation, you install the free Funambol Outlook plugin – this provides a syncronisation conduit between your Outlook Calendar and MemoToo.

Why use MemoToo as the middle man?  Well, it seems that the Funambol plugin must interact with a Funambol Server in order to then synchronise with Google Calendar – i.e., the Funambol Plugin cannot talk directly to Google Calendar (what a shame!) – as this explanation points out, rather convolutedly, in the case of the [now defunct] ScheduleWorld, which operated in the same way a MemoToo does).

So far, I’ve observed only a few limitations:

• whilst syncing between Outlook and MemoToo can be configured down to 5 minute intervals, subsequent synching from MemoToo to Google Calendar can only be done hourly, daily or weekly (presumably this is a bandwidth cost issue for MemoToo)
• long-winded set-up, although stick with it and follow the instructions carefully – it’s worth it
• the web interface is unorthodox, however once setup, you really don’t ever need to visit the deal with the web view
• the Funamobol Outlook plugin is locked down to show “two-way” synchronisation – buried deep within the sychronisation logs (of MemoToo) is an option to change this to one-way (where as it should be located on the Setting page)

Unorthodox but functional toolbar

MemoToo offer a free plan, monthly and yearly payement options (significantly discounted).  Though I’ve only had onecontact with Support, the response was very prompt and helpful.  Looking good so far.

Have you had a different experience? If so, please add a comment.

The Southerly, as is it also known, is not unique to Sydney, however, in Summer when it rolls in after a hot day, it is the most welcome event one can hope for.  My friend Gavin recently brought this poem by his mother to my attention.  They have graciously allowed me to republish it.

“Southerly Buster”

by Lilian May Donald

The leaves stand stiff and dry,
Or folded in sad, scorched rolls against the heat.
The west wind’s searing breath
Devours all air and moisture, which are life.
Then the wind rests,
Leaving the world sucked dry.
The sky looms grey, and steel-grey lies the lake.
The stricken world scarce breathes, fighting for life.

Then on the far grey water falls a shade –
A swift on-rushing shade with fringe of spray,
Driven by a crescendo blast of wind –
The trumpets of an army come to save!

The cold wind rushes onward from the south,
On in tumultuous haste across the sea,
A messenger from far Antarctic floes;
Born where the icy blizzards sweep the snow,
Roaring in deep crevasse, o’er desolate waste,
Gathering moist ocean air upon its wings.

Swift flies the water, darker glooms the cloud.
The valiant gums bend low in gratitude.
Then a strong army marches in swift advance
On far-off headland, over the wild dark lake,
Its close ranks tramping down the racing waves –
The million marching footsteps of the rain.

(Lilian MayDonald 1914 – 2005, Published with the permission of the Donald Family.)

Well Rounded

“Well rounded” doesn’t even start to describe this movie. Jackie Weaver’s much-celebrated role as the matriarch of  large family of criminally-inclined ‘boys’ is not the award winning role that the movie’s PR company has decided to promote, but her role is pivotal and mesmerizing. Ben Mendelsen, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton and newcomer James Frecheville excel themselves in their roles and a dysfunctional and yet highly effective armed robbery team (of sorts). “Team” kind of  overstates the organic nature of their level of organisation, as you’ll see.

The score, the withheld dialogue and the brilliant in-situ cinematography is such a hallmark for Australian cinema, I fear for its successors – you have quite a task ahead of you.

Other notable mentions, while we’re talking Australian Cinema, are The Square and Beautiful Kate.

Watch the Special Features

David Michod, the director, has clearly invested the best part of ten years into this movie. The special features on the DVD, ‘The Making Of’ (together with his short film “Cross Brow”) are as engaging  as the feature. Do watch it.

The story is apparently centered (and I do mean centered, not based) around a seemingly random shooting of two police officers in a quiet suburban Melbourne street in the 1980s. That anchor is, in and of itself, nothing more than that … an interesting focal point … because [thankfully] the film doesn’t get billed as “based on a true story” type trite.

I look forward to David Michod’s next feature – and even though we might have to might have to wait sometime, something tells me it’ll be well worth it.

Aussie cinema – we’ve arrived!

IMDB 7.6/10

In a word, it is just that. A story told from the time-disjointed perspective of two young hapless lovers, whose directions in life hit an abrupt cul-de-sac. One, happy to ‘be’ as he found his match, the other restless for what could have been.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams do a stellar job.  See it with someone you love.

It isn’t all hearts and kisses, but it is sweet .. bitter sweet at times.

IMDB 7.9/10

With an absent father and a withdrawn and depressed mother, 17 year-old Ree Dolly keeps her family together in a dirt poor rural area. She’s taken aback however when the local Sheriff tells her that her father put up their house as collateral for his bail and unless he shows up for his trial in a week’s time, they will lose it all. She knows her father is involved in the local drug trade and manufactures crystal meth but anywhere she goes the message is the same: stay out of it and stop poking your nose in other people’s business. She refuses to listen, even after her father’s brother, Teardrop, tells her he’s probably been killed. She pushes on, putting her own life in danger, for the sake of her family until the truth, or enough of it, is revealed.

Source: IMDB

Harsh

Certainly it is harsh (punishingly so) at times, but the whole story and perhaps the scenario of hardship presented (which I assume to be an accurate portrayal) is so visceral that you find yourself fully-engaged for the whole movie. Nothing is overplayed and every character is exposed just enough that you very quickly feel an empathy with one or more of the characters.

Nothing is lost on DVD, but for an extra layer of reality, watching it in HD really draws you into the ‘stage’.

Forgettable

What movie did I see again?  Honestly, it’s that forgettable.  Great to watch (in as much as it’s a fun ride), but certainly not a good ‘date night’ for you and your brain. Whilst there’s a fairly heavy expectation placed upon the watcher to know something about the original story, it was probably fairly thin in the first place, so this installation feels [curiously and perhaps aptly] just like another frame of a meaningless, albeit visually stimulating and interactive, console game.

The film is presented, buy its own admission, in a mix of 2D and 3D by design (they say).  If you decide to give the movie a go, I highly recommend removing your 3D glasses during the 2D scenes in order to properly appreciate properly the full colour depth (3D glass really suck the life out of the average cinema gamut, don’t you think?).

Oh, and ‘young Jeff Bridges’ is good , very good … but still falls into that uncanny valley territory – almost, but not quite.

While we’re Talking 3D …

It’s just not worth the bother – is it?  I mean, sure it adds a extra layer of depth, but the glasses frames, the loss of colour and extra cost seem to cancel out the any benefit provided by the 3D gimmick.

I first saw Toy Story 3D, after which I was convinced that my brain was full capable of interpreting the implied depth of any scene without the aid of glasses – I mean, isn’t that the whole point of depth-of-field (and focal planes)? – to cue the brain to the depth dimensions of any given scene. In Toy Story 3 particularly,  it was as though the 3D glasses were obscuring some of that subtle ‘background’ content for which Pixar is so famous (what hints of future Pixar installments did I miss?).

Confused but Fun

Downey Jr puts in a solid performance (not exemplary though) and Galifianakis puts in his usual curious and comfortably-wrong repartee (of which I don’t imagine tiring anytime soon) . Whilst the movie is well paced and generally curious (though not hilarious), the writer seems confused about what he wants it to be – a comedy, a drama, a road movie or a romp.  Ultimately it’s fairly well balanced mix of the three.

Maher set up the clip…

“But, you know, they had Maria Shriver and John McCain… Speaking there, and Maria said, “Pat, you are home. You are safe.” And McCain said, “You will see Pat again when a loving God reunites us all with our loved ones.”

Then came a clip of Richard Tillman speaking at the funeral while nearly crying ..

“Thank you for coming. Pat’s a fucking champion and always will be. Just make a mistake, he’d want me to say this. He’s not with God. He’s fucking dead. He’s not religious. So thanks for your thoughts, but he’s fucking dead.”

If Richard’s integrity is anything to go by, Pat was quite the loss.

The whole show can be heard here (start 12m 10s)

Sourced (in part): Newsbusters
Image source: Wikipedia under CC licence.

Firefox “Well, this is embarrassing” Restore Page

The first time I saw this is, I was mightily impressed by their .. humanity (I guess).

Photo credit: axbom (CC)

DropBox “Grab a Snickers”

After noticing that my uploads were approaching an ETA of a day (hotel wifi sheesh!), I kept checking back to see the latest estimate (who knows perhaps my the neigbouring hotel guest had finished downloading his home movies) .. only to greeted by this little gem. They’re kind like Easter Eggs in programs, but more overt and therefore accessible. I love it too Elaine!

Virgin Mobile Tries it on too!

.. but fails. If you’re accessing your voicemail and you key in the wrong sequence of numbers, a napf, cocky & kitch voice (yes, all those three adjectives) asks you “Feeling a little bit tipsy?”.  This isn’t humble enough for my liking.

But generally with all these, I like the direction.