Sharp design is pencilled in by D&AD judges

Published by Ian Delaney on April 25, 2012

belgravia knife

GLOBAL – This is the Belgravia Ceramic Knife made by Edge of Belgravia. It’s a rather gorgeous looking piece of kitchenware, so perhaps it’s no surprise that it was nominated for an award by leading design organisation D&AD (Design and Art Direction).

It didn’t win the coveted “yellow pencil” for product design, though, an award that’s reserved for design that’s “outstanding, rather than merely brilliant”.

Instead, those awards went to the Tip-Ton chair, a design that’s not only eye-catching, but also good for your back:

Tip Ton chair

The only other yellow pencil winner in the product design category was something our readers will be quite familiar with. The Nokia N9.

Nokia N9

We’re absolutely thrilled at this award. We knew the Nokia N9 was a beautifully designed product, both inside and outside, but recognition from an authority like D&AD is no less exciting anyway. And we’re sure that owners will be delighted to know that their smartphone has been identified as one of just two “outstanding” product designs released in 2011.

Nokia’s own design chief, Marko Ahtisaari, was foreman of a jury of designers and creative directors that decided the Product Design category, however he naturally abstained from judging Nokia’s own products.

We’re also delighted for our fellow winners and nominees, and we have to concede: the Tip Ton chair is better for sitting on than the N9 and the Belgravia knife makes a much better job of chopping vegetables.

Check out the other nominees for yourself and let us know what you think.

Comments

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WF5RDUGP22TCVJZLOWFIKFE3FQ Alin

    What do you have to say Mr. Elop??? I want to see you in a press conference and report that the N9 took the award, but Lumia 800 did not!!!!

    • http://conversations.nokia.com Ian Delaney

      Let’s be fair. The Nokia N9 came out first so it’s more likely to win a design competition than a model sharing a very similar physical design that came out later. 

      • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

        I don’t see why the Lumia should ever win such an award. Hardware and software obviously don’t match each other at all (simply because hardware was made for MeeGo Harmattan).

        Lumia 800 was also nominated at D&AD for its hardware design (which of course mainly honors the original N9). But the yellow pencil goes to interactive design, which praises swipe, software and interaction with hardware.

        WP has never been good in winning anything related to good software design and won’t do it in the future, except if Apollo brings so radical enhancements… 

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WF5RDUGP22TCVJZLOWFIKFE3FQ Alin

         True, N9 is the REAL Nokia phone, all the others (Lumia 800,900) are just tries to push the windows platform but in vain and does not deserve to win such award

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WF5RDUGP22TCVJZLOWFIKFE3FQ Alin

         BTW, the article is intented to make as little impact as possible: why don’t put “N9″ in the article? why dont mention it in the begining of the article? every lumia article has “Lumia” in its title!!!! I sick and tired of Nokia push on Windows Phone, but its own babies are left aside.

        • steelicon

          What he said! @iandelaney:disqus  you should put NOKIA N9 on the main title of the article!

        • steelicon

          What he said! @iandelaney:disqus  you should put NOKIA N9 on the main title of the article!

      • Prasenjit Bist

         when Mr. Elop says N9 design refined in lumia 800 it makes me laugh u know he sud say N9 design compromised with clutters a and buttons…

      • Prasenjit Bist

         when Mr. Elop says N9 design refined in lumia 800 it makes me laugh u know he sud say N9 design compromised with clutters a and buttons…

      • Anonymous

        Why have we STILL heard zilch about Meltemi?
        New management doesn’t seem to care about this supposed next billion strategy.
        If they did your Qt ecosystem would be looking FAR healthier by now.
        Or we’d at least know in clear terms what the path ahead towards re-invigoration looks like.

      • Anonymous

        Why have we STILL heard zilch about Meltemi?
        New management doesn’t seem to care about this supposed next billion strategy.
        If they did your Qt ecosystem would be looking FAR healthier by now.
        Or we’d at least know in clear terms what the path ahead towards re-invigoration looks like.

      • Anonymous

        Sorry Ian, but you’ve got this article all wrong.

        The N9 did not win the Yellow Pencil for Product Design, it was in fact awarded the Yellow Pencil for the category of “Interactve Design for Products” – that’s “interactive” as in the UX, not the physical design (as stated, won by the chair).

        The awards committee, when awarding the N9 the Yellow Pencil for Interactive Design, stated that they liked the way “the gesture based swiping does away with physical or virtual buttons on the homescreen”.

        So, even if the Lumia 800 came out before the N9, the N9 would still have won the Interactive Design for Products award, as the committee clearly felt the Swipe UX to be superior to all others, including the Metro UX.

        And the chair would still have beaten the 800 for the physical design award.

        • Anonymous

          I’ve tried to point that one out to them, but apparently clarifications aren’t needed.

        • Anonymous

          I’ve tried to point that one out to them, but apparently clarifications aren’t needed.

      • Anonymous

        Sorry Ian, but you’ve got this article all wrong.

        The N9 did not win the Yellow Pencil for Product Design, it was in fact awarded the Yellow Pencil for the category of “Interactve Design for Products” – that’s “interactive” as in the UX, not the physical design (as stated, won by the chair).

        The awards committee, when awarding the N9 the Yellow Pencil for Interactive Design, stated that they liked the way “the gesture based swiping does away with physical or virtual buttons on the homescreen”.

        So, even if the Lumia 800 came out before the N9, the N9 would still have won the Interactive Design for Products award, as the committee clearly felt the Swipe UX to be superior to all others, including the Metro UX.

        And the chair would still have beaten the 800 for the physical design award.

      • Anonymous

        Ian,

        Have you no SHAME? How some of you guys sleep at night I will never know You’ve been reduced to a hireling and should just resign if you had any DIGNITY :(

        • Anonymous

           Easy there that’s a bit harsh…

  • Prasenjit Bist

    exactly alin u asked my question Mr. Elop let N9 and lumia play out ppl choose wat they want and then u get cash be happy do not ry to spoon fed the customer

  • http://twitter.com/sucopataruco Andrés Fraga

    It’s an “outstanding” product and a clear good example of well develop industrial design. Using the long years experience, they made the design from zero based on the user and the relation between software and hardware. I don’t know many product where this relation have been so close.

  • http://twitter.com/sucopataruco Andrés Fraga

    It’s an “outstanding” product and a clear good example of well develop industrial design. Using the long years experience, they made the design from zero based on the user and the relation between software and hardware. I don’t know many product where this relation have been so close.

  • Anonymous

    Big congratulations to the people that brought the N9 to us, despite the fog of 2011 and all those “announcements”. Great job, amazing phone, Nokia’s best creation by far.

  • Anonymous

    Big congratulations to the people that brought the N9 to us, despite the fog of 2011 and all those “announcements”. Great job, amazing phone, Nokia’s best creation by far.

  • Anonymous

    Big congratulations to the people that brought the N9 to us, despite the fog of 2011 and all those “announcements”. Great job, amazing phone, Nokia’s best creation by far.

  • Ibrahim Ali

    awesome phone awesome art! Mr Elop! i hope u get fired :) no offence, but it is reality,

  • steelicon

    Congratulations Nokia N9 team! Pure Nokia tech!

  • steelicon

    Congratulations Nokia N9 team! Pure Nokia tech!

  • http://twitter.com/Hdrules Hradayesh Nimavat

    If current Nokia management use to say Lumia 800 is first real windows phone(oh wait…no front camera and still?) then I guess it is fair enough to say N9 is The REAL NOKIA PHONE

  • Anonymous

    Familiar with the N9? Err no, sorry, I have only reads about that phone, because Nokia refuses to sell it here in Spain.

    • Anonymous

      Yes, Nokia seems to have forgotten that they have to sell what the customer want to spent money for… 

  • Anonymous

    Familiar with the N9? Err no, sorry, I have only reads about that phone, because Nokia refuses to sell it here in Spain.

  • Anonymous

    Why does the article not mention the interactive design category it was in?
    That’s far more significant than the other category….
    Afraid that might detract from your new “one horse wonder”? (WP)
    Which Nokia had very little hand in actually engineering…

    • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

      Probably… Microsoft forbids Nokia to mention in any way how superior MeeGo OS is, even though everyone knows. But that’s what happens if you make a pact with the devil :(

    • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

      Probably… Microsoft forbids Nokia to mention in any way how superior MeeGo OS is, even though everyone knows. But that’s what happens if you make a pact with the devil :(

    • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

      Probably… Microsoft forbids Nokia to mention in any way how superior MeeGo OS is, even though everyone knows. But that’s what happens if you make a pact with the devil :(

    • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

      Probably… Microsoft forbids Nokia to mention in any way how superior MeeGo OS is, even though everyone knows. But that’s what happens if you make a pact with the devil :(

  • Anonymous

    Why does the article not mention the interactive design category it was in?
    That’s far more significant than the other category….
    Afraid that might detract from your new “one horse wonder”? (WP)
    Which Nokia had very little hand in actually engineering…

  • Anonymous

    Why does the article not mention the interactive design category it was in?
    That’s far more significant than the other category….
    Afraid that might detract from your new “one horse wonder”? (WP)
    Which Nokia had very little hand in actually engineering…

  • Anonymous

    be proud! it’s your’s, its the last REAL nokia phone which could have had the chance to change everything!

  • Anonymous

    be proud! it’s your’s, its the last REAL nokia phone which could have had the chance to change everything!

  • Anonymous

    be proud! it’s your’s, its the last REAL nokia phone which could have had the chance to change everything!

  • Anonymous

    The last real OS inovation from from Nokia. If it was one of the “Loonias” that got the award it would have been plastered on the from page of Conversations by Nokia. This web-site should be renamed WP by Nokia…
    It seems that Nokia is ashamed of some of its products…

  • Anonymous

    The last real OS inovation from from Nokia. If it was one of the “Loonias” that got the award it would have been plastered on the from page of Conversations by Nokia. This web-site should be renamed WP by Nokia…
    It seems that Nokia is ashamed of some of its products…

  • Anonymous

    And when will Nokia finally release this winning device all over the world?

  • Anonymous

    And when will Nokia finally release this winning device all over the world?

  • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

    The awarded Belgravia Ceramic Knife was used by Elop to push it cowardly into N9′s (and Nokia’s) back… 

    • http://twitter.com/Hdrules Hradayesh Nimavat

      lol……other use could be to check quality of Gorilla glass!

    • http://twitter.com/Hdrules Hradayesh Nimavat

      lol……other use could be to check quality of Gorilla glass!

  • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

    The awarded Belgravia Ceramic Knife was used by Elop to push it cowardly into N9′s (and Nokia’s) back… 

  • http://twitter.com/capricotwi04 Caprico

    The awarded Belgravia Ceramic Knife was used by Elop to push it cowardly into N9′s (and Nokia’s) back… 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WF5RDUGP22TCVJZLOWFIKFE3FQ Alin

    Nokia, you should print the awards for the N9 and 808 PureView on their package to let every one see them in the store when they take a look at the phones!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WF5RDUGP22TCVJZLOWFIKFE3FQ Alin

    Nokia, you should print the awards for the N9 and 808 PureView on their package to let every one see them in the store when they take a look at the phones!!

  • Prasenjit Bist

    First some rants reserved for so called good wishers who are hiding knives under the shawl but so impotent and coward that they can not come out and one such idiot is Tomi Ahonnen, partially i agree about Symbian fiasco that happened… hut after that every thing is bull shit…

    Next okay i am cool now :-) many many congratulations to Nokia industrial designers and the Swipe UI designers.

    There is a big request from millions across the world who really want to buy a Nokia N9 , and Nokia I always believed ur brand stands for connecting people to what matter most to them, and yet u deny the millions a joy to hold the Nokia N9, why not sell this device tell people its not dead boss how cud it be its a part of the 3rd pillar called future disruptions. Nokia why not why???? f any one from Nokia really cares about loyal fans and cares of consumers and this conversation is not a one way jolt please reply back i want to know. why millions are denied the joy to hold this babe the best OS in the world and best UI… Qt is part of ur next million Nokia store is there all Qt apps running on Symbian are compatible with UI tweaks only and u say this device wont sell in this country that country, please Nokia N9 is ur one flagship a year with all disruptive tech kind of wonder that people will wait eagerly when and wat will be the next release and u guys are damn on not using it……

    please Nokia wat will make u listen to us…. u want ppl to come and sit outside espoo and shouting u want us to jump from Eiffel tower or kill ourselves wat will make u understand we want to enjoy maemo harmattan we were shown a promise a golden dream of magical device and that device is N9 and when the dream realized u cheated on ur fans by not giving it a world wide release.

    let me as a consumer decide i want lumia or N9…. let windows phone be mass market smartphone, N9 be for those who love magic beauty elegance….. please Nokia please do not kill N9

    also as @yahoo-WF5RDUGP22TCVJZLOWFIKFE3FQ:disqus said please advertise the awards that the 808 pureview , Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 and the sexy N9 got, samsung advertises in India saying their crap galaxy note won some nonsense ndtv gadget award whose jury are basically 2 idiots who can not tell wats CPU stands for and yet sit as jury and give awards,

    where as your devices got the coveted TIPA award, the CES award and so on…. which matters and can not be purchased.

    so i want to see the TIPA award mentioned when i go to buy the Nokia 808 pure view.

    and i also wish to hear out on Mae-mo Harmattan and Nokia N9…

    with lots of loves and best wishes for every one in Nokia and the world of Nokia. 

    regards,
    Prasenjit

    • http://conversations.nokia.com/ Heidi Lemmetyinen

      Prasenjit, we really appreciate getting your comments and feedback, but can you please watch your language? This is a corporate blog, which means we can’t allow profanities or personal attacks on people (doesn’t matter whether they are at Nokia or elsewhere). Please read our comments policy for reference: http://conversations.nokia.com/comments-policy/
      - Thanks!!

      • Prasenjit Bist

         Heidi, I apologize for my language okay… but I am still o get the answer from Nokia that millions wish to seek.

      • Prasenjit Bist

         simply getting feedback and comments are no use, are u really caring and implementing or even evaluating what Nokia fans want… so far it seems to be NOT SO, the answer is a big NO

    • http://www.davidar.org Jonathan Davidar

       I agree with you Prasenjit. The baseline “Connecting People” is becoming rather misplaced with Nokia’s disconnecting marketing strategy. I have never heard of a company making an award winning product – even before the award – and refusing to market it. Only marketed in 14 countries. That is the same status today. If Nokia continues down this path of ruin, ruin is what it will become. I would buy the N9 if you put an office app on it and sold it with a roll-up graphene keyboard. But of course, with the Trojan horse, all you are going to get is Lumia this and Lumia that. I tried the Lumia 900 and the Windows phone interface. It doesn’t even compare to my Nokia E62. Well, so much for brand loyalty. All those of us who have spent over 10 years with one brand are rewarded with chunky, inelegant Windows tiles. Let consumers choose. Sell both products everywhere. I suspect Nokia is worried about the N9 becoming a runaway success which is why the article itself as you pointed out does not mention N9 in the title. Wake up Nokia. If you sell all your products globally, there is still hope, I hope…

      • Anonymous

        Even if they suddenly turned around & marketed it heavily/aggressively now it’s too late.
        The Harmattan & MeeGo proper team’s have been so under-resourced for so long that there’s many missing major features (still better than wp7x, but that’s not saying much), & far too many nasty bugs.*
        Plus the Qt ecosystem as-a-whole is much smaller/weaker than it would’ve been, too small arguably.

        If the orig. strat. had remained full throttle since last Feb. we’d have had the N950 just before the N9, & there’d have been a 3rd & final Maemo6x ph arriving on shelves in many countries within the last mth or so.
        The 3rd one would’ve made up for the N9/950′s somewhat anemic hw specs (especially CPU/GPU/DSP, & far beefier overall than the 900).
        And by that point Maemo6x (MeeGo-Harmattan) would’ve been more feature-packed, & far less buggy.
        Then going into the 2H of 2012 would’ve been a whole host of x86 (medfield) & ARM devices using pure MeeGo, mostly phones, but also some other form-factors.

        Nope Elop’s plan has already worked, there’s no going back to Maemo/MeeGo for the top-end,
        And any remaining credibility Symbian had has been trashed for the mid-end too.
        Symbian did have to go LT, but it could’ve been handled far more effectively.
        And Maemo/MeeGo was needlessly totally killed-off for the top to mid-end.

        *especially meego proper, it’s had almost zilch resources since last Feb.

      • Prasenjit Bist

         Thanks Jonathan… It really seems so that there is a new Nokia that believes in doing exactly opposite to what the Old loved Nokia stood for….. It’s a shame that despite of people demanding a N9 class device and even influential people on web guys like u admiring the possibilities of N9… the Nokia Team is not listening….. Its a shame. If it continues so I can tell u ppl will feel ashamed to buy Nokia devices…. With N9 they had such great possibilities but they are screwing up, future disruptions wat a joke will the company survive till then we have cash yes u have but if u continue burning u will run out…. I do not understand what black magic has MSFT done on Nokia that they can not see the truth.. Good Lumia 900 is selling well in USA but can Nokia share the sales fig why not if they are so good or is Nokia expected 500k units and sold 600k units… Windows is a great strategy buy why to champion some one else’s platform kill ur own creation….

        Mae mo was Nokia’s finest contribution to Linux and @jalyst:disqus i will differ from u mate… Qt has moved to open source good Nokia can not kill it now as its community governed so guys at Nokia can get eaten by the sharks in sea after they jumped from the burning platform but Qt is safe and that is the beauty of maemo with Qt they can still correct their course as their is a huge community, also i do not agree amemo lacks in many features that OS is awesome in UI the best USP and second is more feature packed than the iOS and its only platform that can get sexy back to Nokia and win back lost loyal customers…. Let ppl choose as i said many love Nokia Lumia let them buy it and those who want maemo let them have it…… who is Elop to teach us wat we want… in simple economics if the brand does not give wat ppl want they die and ppl move on.

        I am already about to make a move and will be happy i did it rather than sticking to a brand being run by morons who can see the reality but still pretend not to see it who try to teach ppl….

        But having said all these things I do not mean Windows is bad good but me ego sud be another alternate to those who do not like windows and if Nokia does not gives it , people will leave them and that is good….

        There still a chance for course correction Mr Elop and Team Nokia before you hit the ice berg…

        Hope the language has been good after all its a corporate blog and I really look forward to the answers for my questions in the previous comment.

      • Anonymous

        @google-21852740fef01b5abe2a6339f04b9dd0:disqus

        ["also i do not agree amemo lacks in many features that OS is awesome in
        UI the best USP and second is more feature packed than the iOS"]

        There is no way Maemo 6x is more feature packed than iOS.
        It’s not far behind, but it is definitely not more feature packed.
        What I meant in my last post, is that if the team hadn’t been downsized 90%+
        It would certainly be more feature packed than iOS/Android by now.
        And more importantly, it wouldn’t have some of the nasty bugs it still has.
        Having said that, they’ve done an amazing job with the limited resources they have.

      • Jack Wang

        Nokia should sell as many N9′s and Lumia 800s as it can… I guess these models are either limited by OLED supplies (a Pentile notwithstanding) or not very profitable because of the cost of a Samsung-monopolized screen. It’s not like Nokia or other developers are optimizing their UI for OLED efficiency anyway. And pentile OLED isn’t as good as RGB IPS LCD in rendering Cleartype text.

        There’s something resembling an N9 firesale in China (CNY2300~2700) now as they clear the way for Lumia 800C (CNY3500), as if they couldn’t push both.

        I seriously think Nokia should move on with a fresh batch of designs. The N9/Lumia 800 is getting long in the tooth (unless you’re Apple who can rest on its laurels). It’s also too heavy, Pentile, no SD card, no removable batteries, and typical. Surprise us with smudge-free matte touch screen (like Fujitsu STYLISTIC Q550 tablet), sub 100g weight, 128GB microSDXC compatibility, splash-proofing, or perhaps even a Wacom pen… then we will know what the Nokia tablet is like and BUY BOTH!BTW, when are you gonna fix Conversations so that I can log in with my Nokia account? What’s wrong with you people, don’t even support your own users?

        • Anonymous

          Agreed… I’ve observed it elsewhere too….
          There’s def. a coordinated effort to phase the N9 out as the Lumias arrive in numbers.
          There’s no genuine effort to continue to sell BOTH aggressively.
          But that’s not what senior management will say in another quarter+.
          And still the N9′s not allowed into the 12 big economies w/HDI that were exclusive to the Lumias.

          • Jack Wang

            N9/Lumia 800 is typical for its sealed battery, designed to be obsolete after 2 years; the oil smudge on the touchscreen (perhaps like the matte Fujitsu Slate?); no video over Skype (no front camera); huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color; typical camera image processing quality (wasted Carl-Zeiss)… but I guess Nokia will try to push the envelope next time. for their sake they replace it with a fresh new model in June, rather than sit out the 1 yr product cycle. The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.

          • Anonymous

            “sealed battery”

            Hardly typical, it’s a conscious engineering decision.
            It has it’s cons and it’s benefits…

            “oil smudge”

            No idea what you’re talking about there.

            “no video over Skype (no front camera)”

            N9 has a FFC & there’s no reason why it cant support Skype video, it’s purely political.
            The software framework is already there to be used.
            It already supports GTalk video chat…

            “huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color”

            No idea what you’re talking about, huge compared to what.
            Beauty is a subjective thing, some may prefer the design/aesthetics, some not.

            “typical camera image processing quality”

            Well, it’s within the realm of okay, certainly comparable to many marquees.
            Certainly it isn’t anything like 808PV or some Sony’s.
            The N9′s actually improved heaps though, unlike the 800/900.
            And will get better now that FCAM support’s been added.
            And it’s manged to improve despite the team being downsized 90%+ since Feb 2011.

            “The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.”

            Oh don’t we know that…..
            The irony is there would’ve been a maemo6x device out now that had overall specs slightly better than the SGSII.*
            Then from June onwards it would’ve gotten really interesting, with ARM/Medfield devices of various form-factors.

            *all core components slightly better, screen notably better.
            It would’ve had most of the things missing from the N9.

          • Anonymous

            “sealed battery”

            Hardly typical, it’s a conscious engineering decision.
            It has it’s cons and it’s benefits…

            “oil smudge”

            No idea what you’re talking about there.

            “no video over Skype (no front camera)”

            N9 has a FFC & there’s no reason why it cant support Skype video, it’s purely political.
            The software framework is already there to be used.
            It already supports GTalk video chat…

            “huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color”

            No idea what you’re talking about, huge compared to what.
            Beauty is a subjective thing, some may prefer the design/aesthetics, some not.

            “typical camera image processing quality”

            Well, it’s within the realm of okay, certainly comparable to many marquees.
            Certainly it isn’t anything like 808PV or some Sony’s.
            The N9′s actually improved heaps though, unlike the 800/900.
            And will get better now that FCAM support’s been added.
            And it’s manged to improve despite the team being downsized 90%+ since Feb 2011.

            “The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.”

            Oh don’t we know that…..
            The irony is there would’ve been a maemo6x device out now that had overall specs slightly better than the SGSII.*
            Then from June onwards it would’ve gotten really interesting, with ARM/Medfield devices of various form-factors.

            *all core components slightly better, screen notably better.
            It would’ve had most of the things missing from the N9.

          • Jack Wang

            The N9/Lumia 800 has user removable screws?

            What a long-winded way of denying one’s faults… I’m sure some inside Nokia love your defense, but not the many customers who bought Samsung instead. You don’t have to understand that.

            In the N9 they decided to outdo Apple by eliminating user replaceable battery, expandable memory, and buttons (on the facade).

            I said nothing about aesthetics, but since you brought it up, “beauty” is about the only thing that differentiates a Lumia 800 from a TYPICAL HTC. As for the N9, feel free to pin your hopes on the potential of an abandoned platform with an outdated CPU.

          • Jack Wang

            The N9/Lumia 800 has user removable screws?

            What a long-winded way of denying one’s faults… I’m sure some inside Nokia love your defense, but not the many customers who bought Samsung instead. You don’t have to understand that.

            In the N9 they decided to outdo Apple by eliminating user replaceable battery, expandable memory, and buttons (on the facade).

            I said nothing about aesthetics, but since you brought it up, “beauty” is about the only thing that differentiates a Lumia 800 from a TYPICAL HTC. As for the N9, feel free to pin your hopes on the potential of an abandoned platform with an outdated CPU.

          • Anonymous

            “The N9/Lumia 800 has user removable screws?” 

            Of course. It’s not super easy, but it’s certainly quite doable.
            I’ve dismantled iPhone’s, & it’s definitely easier than that.

            “What a long-winded way of denying one’s faults”

            Nope just correcting your misconceptions, which you’re so eager to present as fact.

            “but not the many customers who bought Samsung instead. This you don’t have to understand..”

            I’ve owned Samsung’s, & will be buying the SGSIII very soon, what’s your point?

            “In the N9 they decided to outdo Apple by eliminating user replaceable battery, expandable memory, and buttons (on the facade). ”

            In some respects… yes….
            The OS’s however are 2 entirely different beasts, aside from superficial appearances.
            As I said usr replaceable battery has it cons & it’s pluses, if you dont know why that’s not my fault.
            No expandable memory is an unfortunate omission, the 3rd device would’ve had this.
            The N9 was geared differently, it does partially make amends w/it’s 64GB built-in storage.
            Also USB host-mode will eventually allow a clunkier form of expandable memory.
            Still, it would’ve been much nicer to have that third device now.
            Alas it’s a heady industry with lotsa power plays lately, so things didn’t evolve that way.
            I don’t see how no buttons on the facade is some kind of regression, to the contrary.

            ["I said nothing about aesthetics, but since you brought it up, "beauty"
            and Nokia Maps are about the only things that differentiate a Lumia 800
            from a TYPICAL HTC."]

            Sounds far more absolutist and fanboyish than me.
            Me I just work on experiences I’ve actually had with devices.
            Make/model, even raw specs, are just part of the overall equation.

            ["As for the N9, feel free to pin your hopes on the potential of an abandoned platform with an outdated CPU."]

            I dont, I appreciate it for what it is right now & for what might have been.
            And for it’s remarkable resilience, despite all the limitations & obstacles thrown before it.
            But I don’t expect many to appreciate that unless they know the full history of Symbian/Maemo.

            It’s okay for others to have slightly different opinions to you.
            You don’t have to resort to personal attacks just because you don’t like those opinions.
            The irony is my viewpoint isn’t hugely diverged from yours.

          • Jack Wang

            I see you’re into nuts and bolts, tedious conjecture and ceaseless quoting. Perhaps that’s why you take it as a personal attack.

            I am of the opinion that the Lumia 800/N9 has typical industrial design choices. If you feel the need to defend that from every tangent, have fun.

          • Anonymous

            And you’re perfectly entitled to have a opinion…
            IF it’s informed by experience/knowledge garnered from using devices.
            Otherwise you’re doing everyone (including yourself) a disservice.
            No defense needed here, just more well-informed/robust debate.

          • Jack Wang

            The N9/Lumia 800 has user removable screws?

            What a long-winded way of denying one’s faults… I’m sure some inside Nokia love your defense, but not the many customers who bought Samsung instead. You don’t have to understand that.

            In the N9 they decided to outdo Apple by eliminating user replaceable battery, expandable memory, and buttons (on the facade).

            I said nothing about aesthetics, but since you brought it up, “beauty” is about the only thing that differentiates a Lumia 800 from a TYPICAL HTC. As for the N9, feel free to pin your hopes on the potential of an abandoned platform with an outdated CPU.

          • Anonymous

            “sealed battery”

            Hardly typical, it’s a conscious engineering decision.
            It has it’s cons and it’s benefits…

            “oil smudge”

            No idea what you’re talking about there.

            “no video over Skype (no front camera)”

            N9 has a FFC & there’s no reason why it cant support Skype video, it’s purely political.
            The software framework is already there to be used.
            It already supports GTalk video chat…

            “huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color”

            No idea what you’re talking about, huge compared to what.
            Beauty is a subjective thing, some may prefer the design/aesthetics, some not.

            “typical camera image processing quality”

            Well, it’s within the realm of okay, certainly comparable to many marquees.
            Certainly it isn’t anything like 808PV or some Sony’s.
            The N9′s actually improved heaps though, unlike the 800/900.
            And will get better now that FCAM support’s been added.
            And it’s manged to improve despite the team being downsized 90%+ since Feb 2011.

            “The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.”

            Oh don’t we know that…..
            The irony is there would’ve been a maemo6x device out now that had overall specs slightly better than the SGSII.*
            Then from June onwards it would’ve gotten really interesting, with ARM/Medfield devices of various form-factors.

            *all core components slightly better, screen notably better.
            It would’ve had most of the things missing from the N9.

          • Anonymous

            “sealed battery”

            Hardly typical, it’s a conscious engineering decision.
            It has it’s cons and it’s benefits…

            “oil smudge”

            No idea what you’re talking about there.

            “no video over Skype (no front camera)”

            N9 has a FFC & there’s no reason why it cant support Skype video, it’s purely political.
            The software framework is already there to be used.
            It already supports GTalk video chat…

            “huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color”

            No idea what you’re talking about, huge compared to what.
            Beauty is a subjective thing, some may prefer the design/aesthetics, some not.

            “typical camera image processing quality”

            Well, it’s within the realm of okay, certainly comparable to many marquees.
            Certainly it isn’t anything like 808PV or some Sony’s.
            The N9′s actually improved heaps though, unlike the 800/900.
            And will get better now that FCAM support’s been added.
            And it’s manged to improve despite the team being downsized 90%+ since Feb 2011.

            “The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.”

            Oh don’t we know that…..
            The irony is there would’ve been a maemo6x device out now that had overall specs slightly better than the SGSII.*
            Then from June onwards it would’ve gotten really interesting, with ARM/Medfield devices of various form-factors.

            *all core components slightly better, screen notably better.
            It would’ve had most of the things missing from the N9.

          • Anonymous

            “sealed battery”

            Hardly typical, it’s a conscious engineering decision.
            It has it’s cons and it’s benefits…

            “oil smudge”

            No idea what you’re talking about there.

            “no video over Skype (no front camera)”

            N9 has a FFC & there’s no reason why it cant support Skype video, it’s purely political.
            The software framework is already there to be used.
            It already supports GTalk video chat…

            “huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color”

            No idea what you’re talking about, huge compared to what.
            Beauty is a subjective thing, some may prefer the design/aesthetics, some not.

            “typical camera image processing quality”

            Well, it’s within the realm of okay, certainly comparable to many marquees.
            Certainly it isn’t anything like 808PV or some Sony’s.
            The N9′s actually improved heaps though, unlike the 800/900.
            And will get better now that FCAM support’s been added.
            And it’s manged to improve despite the team being downsized 90%+ since Feb 2011.

            “The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.”

            Oh don’t we know that…..
            The irony is there would’ve been a maemo6x device out now that had overall specs slightly better than the SGSII.*
            Then from June onwards it would’ve gotten really interesting, with ARM/Medfield devices of various form-factors.

            *all core components slightly better, screen notably better.
            It would’ve had most of the things missing from the N9.

          • Jack Wang

            N9/Lumia 800 is typical for its sealed battery, designed to be obsolete after 2 years; the oil smudge on the touchscreen (perhaps like the matte Fujitsu Slate?); no video over Skype (no front camera); huge bezel disguised by 2 tone color; typical camera image processing quality (wasted Carl-Zeiss)… but I guess Nokia will try to push the envelope next time. for their sake they replace it with a fresh new model in June, rather than sit out the 1 yr product cycle. The 610 and 900 are typical, too, no new technology that improved on the last 12 months.

      • Jack Wang

        Nokia should sell as many N9′s and Lumia 800s as it can… I guess these models are either limited by OLED supplies (a Pentile notwithstanding) or not very profitable because of the cost of a Samsung-monopolized screen. It’s not like Nokia or other developers are optimizing their UI for OLED efficiency anyway. And pentile OLED isn’t as good as RGB IPS LCD in rendering Cleartype text.

        There’s something resembling an N9 firesale in China (CNY2300~2700) now as they clear the way for Lumia 800C (CNY3500), as if they couldn’t push both.

        I seriously think Nokia should move on with a fresh batch of designs. The N9/Lumia 800 is getting long in the tooth (unless you’re Apple who can rest on its laurels). It’s also too heavy, Pentile, no SD card, no removable batteries, and typical. Surprise us with smudge-free matte touch screen (like Fujitsu STYLISTIC Q550 tablet), sub 100g weight, 128GB microSDXC compatibility, splash-proofing, or perhaps even a Wacom pen… then we will know what the Nokia tablet is like and BUY BOTH!BTW, when are you gonna fix Conversations so that I can log in with my Nokia account? What’s wrong with you people, don’t even support your own users?

      • Jack Wang

        Nokia should sell as many N9′s and Lumia 800s as it can… I guess these models are either limited by OLED supplies (a Pentile notwithstanding) or not very profitable because of the cost of a Samsung-monopolized screen. It’s not like Nokia or other developers are optimizing their UI for OLED efficiency anyway. And pentile OLED isn’t as good as RGB IPS LCD in rendering Cleartype text.

        There’s something resembling an N9 firesale in China (CNY2300~2700) now as they clear the way for Lumia 800C (CNY3500), as if they couldn’t push both.

        I seriously think Nokia should move on with a fresh batch of designs. The N9/Lumia 800 is getting long in the tooth (unless you’re Apple who can rest on its laurels). It’s also too heavy, Pentile, no SD card, no removable batteries, and typical. Surprise us with smudge-free matte touch screen (like Fujitsu STYLISTIC Q550 tablet), sub 100g weight, 128GB microSDXC compatibility, splash-proofing, or perhaps even a Wacom pen… then we will know what the Nokia tablet is like and BUY BOTH!BTW, when are you gonna fix Conversations so that I can log in with my Nokia account? What’s wrong with you people, don’t even support your own users?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/KWR5XSX2ADWP2QCG37EOTHAEAU Muesli Bol

    Such a brilliant device indeed. Almost lost it but thanks to the preloaded track and protect i found it again, so glad i had it activated. On the other hand, if had really lost it it I could treat myself to a white version…;)

  • Jack Wang

    Speaking of design, IMHO Nokia should be releasing as many fresh phone mechanical designs/models as Google releases Chrome.

    IMHO that’s exactly the opposite of Apple’s approach, but nowadays may be more viable than it was 3 years ago when Nokia said it should simplify its non-modular model lineup.

    Today Nokia can use standardized SOC and software platforms like Android or Apple with its iPad/iPhone/iPod/TV. Standardized UI ike nHD/Metro. Throw in feature standardization like GPS and compass (your penny pinching with the Lumia 610 is generally good except for the lack of COMPASS) and use material quality/display quality/design elements as PRICE differentiator.

    I repeat: use a standardized motherboard inside, removable battery type A/B/C (3 sizes fits all), COMMON multilanguage FIRMWARE; let material quality, ruggedness, camera quality, physical keyboard, reflection-free matte touch screen options, business/travel/lifestyle usage models be the differentiator.

    And one more thing, throw in a Nokia Bluetooth Bracelet for free.

    • Anonymous

      That’s exactly all one can do in WP….
      Everything’s far more locked down at the lower levels (similar to iOS, cept in Apple’s case it’s “their” OS) than Android/Symbian/Maemo+.

      The only ways to differentiate are:
      *camera+camera software
      *bundled software
      *design/aesthetics
      *one or two other things I forget OTTOMH

  • Jack Wang

    Speaking of design, IMHO Nokia should be releasing as many fresh phone mechanical designs/models as Google releases Chrome.

    IMHO that’s exactly the opposite of Apple’s approach, but nowadays may be more viable than it was 3 years ago when Nokia said it should simplify its non-modular model lineup.

    Today Nokia can use standardized SOC and software platforms like Android or Apple with its iPad/iPhone/iPod/TV. Standardized UI ike nHD/Metro. Throw in feature standardization like GPS and compass (your penny pinching with the Lumia 610 is generally good except for the lack of COMPASS) and use material quality/display quality/design elements as PRICE differentiator.

    I repeat: use a standardized motherboard inside, removable battery type A/B/C (3 sizes fits all), COMMON multilanguage FIRMWARE; let material quality, ruggedness, camera quality, physical keyboard, reflection-free matte touch screen options, business/travel/lifestyle usage models be the differentiator.

    And one more thing, throw in a Nokia Bluetooth Bracelet for free.

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