The no front-facing camera argument is valid but I've never used mine. The only camera I've used for video call is the rear one to show people things. If that was possible with Skype on WP7 then I'd be happy enough.

In any case the differentiator of this phone isn't the specs or the price, it's the design, and I think Nokia have done a great job there.

I don't think there's any phone that's as well designed as the 800. The iPhone is style over substance. A fragile glass back and a dodgy antenna. The 800 is supposed to have a superb antenna and the polycarbonate is very robust and it looks extermely stylish too.

The one thing I am disappointed about is the haptic buttons. They'll get all sorts of accidental presses.

I can't see any mention either as to whether this will be one of the phones that supports tethering.

NitzWalsh said:

PerfectPhase said:

*snip*

Ugh - hate the address bar on the left.  Two issues with it:

 

1) Reduces tab space.  This will really suck on netbooks.

2) I frequently re-use open tabs by selecting the tab, then quickly mousing down and clicking to highlight the address bar, then using autocomplete in chrome to resolve the link.  With IE9, now I'm moving the mouse all the way back to the left address bar, there's a lot of wasted movement.

 

Speaking of wasted, all that vertical space.  Really, what is being saved here in terms of real estate with this decision?  It didn't make any sense in the leaked screenshot, and it makes less sense in actual use.  The advantage of Chrome when maximized is even more pronounced, there's no possibly to overshoot your tab vertically, as they're all on the top.  Getting used to that then going back to other browsers is a little obnoxious.

 

Another potential drawback - DirectWrite rendering.  Geez, with certain fonts on some sites it just looks...odd - like it's trying to be more typographically "correct" like MacOSX but just looks like a grayer version of Cleartype with its sometimes more defined, but more "computerized" look of fonts.  It can look better in spots (particularly for medium-sized fonts where Cleartype would not seem to anti-alias them at all), but it's really hit or miss.   Here are some comparisons (embedded images don't work here like 99% of other web forums):

 

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3623/safarimediumtextrenderi.png

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2774/ie9defaultrendering.png

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/6/safarilighttextrenderin.png

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/6325/chromerendering.png

 

 

On the plus size, very, very speedy.  Opening tabs now has no hesitation, sites pop up, scrolling is extremely smooth (Chrome really needs to get with the program here).  Really can't seem to bog it down.  Download manager -yes, yes, yes.

 

Very preliminary results so far obviously, but I can't say I'll navigate away from Chrome at this point.  Chrome still has the superior interface IMO, and while I really like the smooth scrolling, by the time Chrome7 hits they may just have that as well.

 

 

2) I frequently re-use open tabs by selecting the tab, then quickly mousing down and clicking to highlight the address bar, then using autocomplete in chrome to resolve the link.  With IE9, now I'm moving the mouse all the way back to the left address bar, there's a lot of wasted movement.

CTRL+L Sets focus to the address bar. That should save you some movement.

kettch said:

AndyC said:

*snip*

I just wish that switching the taskbar to small icons actually got you more room than it does.

I agree and the fact that the notification badges don't work with the small icons too is a strange decision.

I can only send the Facebook equivalent to email and the status only changes if I have the same contact in Messenger and they are signed into it.

Anyone had a different experience?

As for what I think of the whole thing. The fonts in the Social part of Messenger are too large and render poorly. It would be nice to have a choice to change the font sizes, or even the font.

Also disappointing is that Photo Gallery still does not support the raw photos my Sony DSLR takes. It keeps telling me to download a driver that I have already installed. The driver works for Windows itself but not for Photo Library. Perhaps it's not their fault but I imagine it's in their interests to be compatible with all the major raw formats.

Actually does anyone know the correct channel to send feedback for this Beta?

rhm said:

turrican said:

*snip*

I could understand why the don't sell Blend on its own if all editions of Expression Studio included it, but why would you want Expression Studio without Blend - there are better alternatives to everything else in Expression Studio except Blend.

 

This is the thing. I would've thought that they would want to get Blend into as many hands as possible too, in order to convince people they need it. As it is, at least my organisation, it is considered it a luxury we are unwilling to pay for.

The most ironic thing however is that the version of Expression Studio 4 it provides does not contain Blend, the one tool that can be used in conjunction with VS for "development & design". Why include design in the title if the design tools are not going to be provided?

So much for building pretty Silverlight apps.

CKurt said:

andokai said:

*snip*

Live Sync Wave 3 was an updated Foldershare. This new Live Sync (Wave4) will be based on the Live Mesh code and run on the underlaying Live Operating Enviroment (AFAIK)

Perhaps you're right but I've never seen that claimed. I recall it being said that Live Sync was just a tool while Live Mesh was a platform. Certainly the ability to easily remotely connect to all the computers you have registered does not fold into a synching tool.

CKurt said:

Stebet said:

*snip*

I was also wondering about the changes made to Live Mesh since its now Live Sync. I guess this info well be given thge same time they talk about the developper story ?

 

# Does it have Delta Sync ?
# Will Live Sync still only use the local LAN to sync large files between 2 computers if possible (not via clowd if it does not need to sync to skydrive)
# Does Live Sync have a shell extension like Live Mesh to indicate synced folders and easily sync new folders?

Um Live Mesh != Live Sync. Live Sync == new FolderShare

I look forward to ActiveSync so I can connect with my iPhone.

I have an issue with the Outlook Connector though, it does not allow you to send mails on behalf of other accounts even those this can be achieved via the web client or Windows Live Mail Desktop.

It would also be good if there was a DeltaSync connector or some other way to sync with other mail clients such as Apple Mail as POP is really insufficient in the modern era.

tfraser said:

Hotmail's two biggest flaws:

1. No IMAP
2. Text ads appended to every email

I would use Hotmail through a desktop client if it didn't have these, especially since I've reserved my preferred account name. Sadly though, after skimming through that post I cannot see any mention of fixes.

 

--------------------------------------------------

Looking for a HOT DATE? View photos of HOT singles in your area NOW for FREE!

If you use it through a desktop client then you won't have the text ads.

W3bbo said:

andokai said:

*snip*

The Studio 15 is pretty customisable, I'll agree; however when I tried it only gave me the option of 1366x768, there's no 1080 option. Although the 4-year warranty option is nice as are the other options, including the very nice GPU. When I tallied it up it came to around £950 which is pretty good compared to the other laptops I've been compiling, but as I said, the lack of a high-res display kills it for me.

Hmmm, I guess they've sold out of those screens. If you look at the tech specs you can see it listed. You could perhaps call them and ask if they might be restocking at some point.

If not then take a look at the XPS 16, it's not that much bigger (1cm bigger screen but a thinner bevel) though it is quite a bit heavier.

W3bbo said:

W3bbo said:

*snip*

The Apple Store's back online and I see the changes.

 

The addition of a 33% higher-res display is nice, but only applies to the 15" model and it's still got less pixels than the Vaio Z. They've dropped the cheap 7200rpm upgrade and now it's an extra £112. It's also GeForce 330M across the board with standard-issue Intel HD instead of entry-level GeForce for power-saving mode.

 

...which means the Vaio Z has the same or better specifications for a similar price, except for battery-life (the Vaio Z has 6.5 hours, the MBP has 8.5 hours), but the battery is removable in the Z.

 

It's looking like I'll go for the Z then. But I've still got another 2 weeks before I do anything.

You can spec up the Dell Studio 15 to a very high level for well within your budget but it may not have the build quality of some of the other choices. We recently scored ourselves some Core i7, 6GB, 500GB, 1080p & HD5470 units for a good bit less than £1k. It was a time limited deal though but if you keep your eyes open it will probably show up again.

staceyw said:

elmer said:

*snip*

@elmer.  I am skeptical because many different people have tried this thin client deal before and it never really could catch on and crushed more then a few.  Maybe time is right.  For me no.  If I am going to carry around something, I need more then web and google.

I agree, we've been down this road already in the not too distant past with the iPhone. The original had it's basic functions and everything else was supposed to be a web application. It didn't achieve critical mass until the SDK came out and it supported things like Exchange etc.

This Chrome OS will start in an even weaker position. Will it even have the basic functions? Where will you store your music, movies and photos? Online? That's not much use to you when you're on an plane or a subway. Plus for the most part getting online isn't free. Who wants to pay to access their own stuff?

People say it might be great for a second computer, um, who wants a second computer? Isn't convergence the goal?

Someone else said that it might weaken Microsoft's position. Sure it might, but it may also have the opposite effect too. If Chrome OS doesn't gain traction then hardware manufacturers will have a lot of kit that they can't shift without Windows meaning Microsoft will be in a much stronger position.

Google needs to take its head out of the clouds

rhm said:

Something like the Asus Eee PC T91 but with a multi-touch screen?

You might have to wait for Apple to release an iTablet before other manufacturers "get" mutli-touch. IMO it only really works with a glass-fronted capacitive touchscreen and that's expensive so manufacturers tend not to want to put expensive features onto their products until Apple shows that it's worth it. Even Sony, who until the netbook craze used to get away with charging massive premiums for smaller notebooks, doesn't have anything like that.

Looks like some versions of the T91 will have multi touch screens.

VB Man said:

No, they do not. The stickers all on the palmrests of PCs looks so cheap. Apple sticks to the highest quality. 

Nice pun.

Evil SEO said:

andokai said:

*snip*

"@littleguru: OS X does come with iLife."

Not really: Macs come with iLife, not OS X.