After having spent 20 months with my Nokia N95 it was time for a change. That change was to take the form of a Samsung Omnia SGH-i900 mobile phone.

What a terrible mistake!

I go to write a message and it rotates, I try to scroll the screen and it zooms in, I try to quickly search for my friends name in my contacts and it takes for ever.

The other day I went into a mobile phone shop and I overheard the guy in front of me complaining to the shop assistant about how hard the Omnia is to use and can he exchange it. Get in line mate.

Review of the Camera

My sole reason for choosing the Omnia vs iPhone is that it had a great 5MP camera. The camera takes for ever to take a picture and the quality is not good. I took my Omnia out with me on New Years Eve and boy is that flash bright! Too bright. All the pictures come out with a weird white glow.  *sigh*

Review of Windows Mobile Device Centre

After spending 2 days looking around the internet for people experiencing similar problems and getting nowhere when trying to connect their mobile phone to windows mobile device centre I gave up. I reinstalled my entire laptop and suddenly it was working. If anyone has a solution by the way to the WpdRapi2.dll and WUDFRd.sys driver installation problems get in touch! *sigh*

with the solutions to the WpdRapi2.dll and WUDFRd.sys driver installation problems I reinstalled my entire laptop. Suddenly it was working. *sigh*

Review of Omnia Interface

I know that some reviews talk about how the Samsung updates to the Windows Mobile operating system have improved the interface but I beg to differ. In short, it is unusable without the stylus. It is about time Samsung learnt a few lessons off the iPhone – people don’t want to carry round a stylus and they don’t want to have to tap their screen with their fingernails. *big sigh*

I tried to fall in love with the Omnia

Despite all this I tried very hard to rekindle my flame with the Omnia. I even installed Spb Mobile Shell which is an absolutely great piece of software for improving the unusable Omnia interface. Unfortunately it was not to be.

My Solution

I put my phone on eBay and sold it. Part of me feels sorry for the next owner. Part of me doesn’t because I’m moving on to an actual usable phone next – the Nokia N85.

Goodbye Omnia you will be missed. Not!

Have you ever wondered how best to use your Nokia Nseries phone? I have had my N95 for over 18 months and have been actively seeking out all the alterations I can make to improve my phone. In this guide I will cover the applications and tweaks that I have come across which will have the biggest impact to your experience. This guide will not cover some of the smaller changes. For that I recommend the N95 Best Tips and Tricks.

Software

Opera Mini

Much faster than the default browser and easier to use -  especially when looking at websites not originally meant for a mobile phone. To download head to: www.operamini.com on your mobile. The main site I visit is Evernote mobile which has all my notes such as todo lists, shopping lists etc.

Nokia Communication Centre

Is a great bit of software that comes with Nokia PC Suite. It lets you send text messages from your computer and look through your messages.

Google Maps

While Nokia Maps 2.0 is a huge improvement to the first version, Google Maps still prevails as far more useful. To use Google Maps you should have some form of data allowance call plan as Google Maps is very heavy on the internet usage.

Google Search

This application basically acts as a shortcut to Google mobile search but it saves you the time it takes to load up the internet browser.
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Fring

Fring allows you to connect to your instant messenger client and message people on the go. I found this particularly useful especially when travelling abroad for keeping in touch with people. The best part about Fring is that you can log in to Skype and call other users for free.

Customise

I have two rules for this. Firstly I want to make my most often used applications the most accessible. Secondly anything that can be considered to be clutter is out of my sight. There is no definitive answer to how the menus should be arranged. If you find yourself clicking through too many menus all the time to find a certain application then maybe its time to move it to the main menu. Ask yourself: how can I make this easier for myself?

I personally prefer having more programs on the main menu which is why my Google Mail and Google Maps link is just a short scroll away rather than hidden away in the applications folder. Bookmarks wise I have deleted all the unecessary bookmarks (Though unfortunately you are stuck with the default folders Nokia adds to the phone – my only solution to this is move them down to the bottom of the bookmark list)

Finally familiarise yourself with the Tools > Settings > General > Personalisation > Standby mode > Shortcuts menu which controls what programs you get when you use the scroll pad. Personally I have the calculator and converter hooked up to left and right. If I press up then the internet browser loads up to the Evernote notes page.

Update

This is about using the latest version of PC Suite and keeping your phone firmware up to date using Nokia Software Updater (NSU). Recent benefits from firmware updates include longer battery life, faster menus and better camera performance. The most recent version is v30. Though currently on o2 phone network in the UK I am only able to get v21. When updating firmware you should make a backup of everything and to make it easier for yourself you should store all your applications on your memory card so they are not lost when you perform the update.

Backup

To backup things such as notes, contacts and calendar events Nokia have released My Nokia Backup. I find this the easiest way to backup my most important content as all it requires is a quick sync (Tools > Sync) and everything can be backed up wirelessly. To backup things such as Pictures you should use the tools within Nokia PC suite.

For £16.95 they delivered within a few days and my phone was back up and running.

I also needed a battery cover because the sellotape on the back of my phone would probably start looking a bit shabby after a while. I opted for Amazon and went through a third party (888 accessories). The battery cover was the genuine thing.

Obviously I know the battery life on the N95 is very poor so here are some tips:

1. Upgrade your firmware to the latest version because that really helps (Using Nokia update)
2. Don’t leave applications open after you have finished with them
3. Turn Bluetooth off
4. Turn your phone to GSM mode only or whatever mode you need for your region.
5. Read up on: WikiHow