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Nokia 5510 - Cell Phone and More
matthew.thompson writes: "Nokia have released a phone to give the RIAA nightmares - it includes built in MP3 playing AND encoding and an FM stereo radio - so you can MP3 up tracks from the Radio or from an external source via a line in jack. It's also got a full qwerty style keyboard and GameBoy Advance style layout. RIAA headache inducing features here and piccies etc here." I'm not quite sure how this works - Nokia's page says the gizmo plays "secure" mp3 files, which sounds to me as if it is crippled. Here are some hi-res photos. Update: 10/11 12:59 GMT by M : Ahh, my misreading. It says "secure AAC and MP3 files", and apparently "secure" is intended to apply only to AAC. According to the FAQ, the phone is crippled - only stores crippled AAC files, not unencumbered mp3's. A shame.
Devices that do everything are usually pushed aside in favour of an individual device that does something.
I like that kind of 'modularity'.
-
And the Angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots! The cries of the carrots!"
Do we really need to carry this much technology? My thought is that its too much for one unit to handle. Probably have to reboot it every now and then when it crashes. I want my phone to provide good phone audio when I call people. I want the battery to last as long as possible so I can call people on the phone. I want good range, SO I CAN CALL PEOPLE ON THE PHONE. If I want music/MP3 I'll get a walkman or a Rio.
Don't Tread on Me
I don't like how this cell phone that doesn't really have any new features at all (phones with mp3 players have been available for almost 2 years).
get this much exposure, while the technically more interesting solutions (GPRS, built in bluetooth, POP3 and SMTP client etc.) like the Ericsson T39 and the upcoming T68 doesn't.
the only thing new about this thing is the keyboard and the poor stand by time.
Anyway, to end the controversy: Much like the Nokia Music Player, the 5510 plays both AAC (the proprietary, "secure" filetype) and MP3. The MP3 player is NOT crippled in any way. You copy the file from your PC to the player and that's that. (It holds 64MB, just like the regular Nokia Music Player).
Blue skies, Barthy Burgers, girls...
It's a great device, a novel new design, has plenty of new devices, but until we upgrade our wireless capability in N. America, we won't be using it for a while.
Availability: Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific in the 4th quarter of 2001
I say we go the DoCoMo route, insted of WAP anyways. Plus, where's the PDA functionality. It seems more a gameboy than a business tool.
--- RFC 1149 Compliant.
so it won't upset the RIAA. why don't people check these things *before* posting them.
see here for the availability and operating frequencies. duh!
The MP3 features are nice, but it's great to finally have a full keyboard that doesn't require a stylus to operate (ala Palm-ish phones). The only real, cool feature IMHO. I love my Nomad, don't play handheld games much and not interested in being in Nokia's "club".
... ahh ... err ... phone?!
There does need to be some significant improvements in *power* options if we are supposed to be convinced to be electronically tethered 24/7. I doubt the 2hrs claim will be the norm for most folks.
All the next rev needs is Java, integrated GPS, color screen and old Nintendo/Atari emulation. Now *that* will be a great
Mind the gap...
but maybe it could become more cooler if Nokia worked together with some PDA-company (Best choice would be Palm IMHO). They could reduce the keyboard's size be building one of these in it to make more room for the screen.
Devices is this one allready excist but most are a PDA that you can make phonecalls with or a cellphone that remembers your appointments.
Easy. The big mobile phone manufacturers (Nokia, Ericcson, Siemens) are all based in Europe where we have GSM-Nets. Surely they will first produce a phone which can work in there home countries. And GSM won't work very well in the USA (except the few GSM1900 nets).
:-) This will change with the emerge of UMTS however.
Face it: The USA had the first mobile phone networks but this is also the reason why you are using long outdated technology. Sometimes its better to be late but get good new technology
Great, just another gimmic to attract the younger croud. As I walk around, I'm seeing a ton of teenagers with no more reason for a phone than to "stay in touch with all their friends". It's more like be bothered consitantly and cause headaches for everyone else because they can't talk quietly.
It's not just kids either. I walk around a major University here in the US and practically everyone has them and is always on them. It's the first thing they do out of class. It's what they do on the bus. It's become a cult and a horrible addiction.
I'm not saying cell phones aren't important. They have many great uses and I plan on getting one as soon as I graduate (not enough comfortable capital yet because of rising education costs) for work and long distance (much cheaper!!!).
Does anyone agree with me? It seems like there's more people out there that don't have a need for them - especially the younger croud. Live life; meet new people - like the people sitting next to you in the bus; and get off the damn phone.
Why does Nokia care if the file format on the phone is "protected" or not? Is there some kind of phone-to-phone transfer capability that opens up the opportunity for "piracy"?
If I have an MP3 file and Nokia software converts it to "protected AAC", I can [technically] still share the old MP3 copy with half of the planet via P2P, right?
I realize the whole question is academic because the phone is not going to be in the US anytime soon.
Personally, I have no use for a music player in my phone, but I can imagine college students who might want lightweight, multi-function devices. I'd rather have MP3 capability in a PDA.
The battery life on this phone/music toy must be pitiful.
According to the FAQ:
Can I play downloaded MP3 files on the Nokia 5510?
Yes, the Nokia 5510 can play MP3 files in protected format. Copies of the downloaded music files are added to the Nokia Audio Manager database. Nokia Audio Manager encrypts the music files and downloads the protected MP3 format to the memory of the Nokia 5510.
In what format is the music saved in my hard disk?
All the songs are saved in encrypted AAC format.
So it looks like the Audio manager encryps mp3's before they get sent to the device. Which also means that you probably can't download and play then on another machine. It also probably means that the format on the device is NOT mp3. more like AAC format, which is exactly the reason why I haven't got a Sony Memorystick walkman...
Maybe what you saw has been changed by the marketing folks to conform to 'industry standards'?
/b
[Please type your sig here.]
The music formats supported by the Nokia Music Player are AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), secured with InterTrust digital rights management technology, and MP3.
By providing AAC within InterTrust's DRM system, distributors can not only rest assured that the codec will be used appropriately, but they may now offer innovative DRM-based licensing models for the technology.
Nokia 5510 * Availability: Europe, Africa, Asia * Operating frequency: EGSM 900/1800 networks in Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific
No mention of a US version as far as I can find.
Sounds like this item is pretty much inline with RIAA rather than being their nightmare.
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
Can I play downloaded MP3 files on the Nokia 5510?
Yes, the Nokia 5510 can play MP3 files in protected format. Copies of the downloaded music files are added to the Nokia Audio Manager database. Nokia Audio Manager encrypts the music files and downloads the protected MP3 format to the memory of the Nokia 5510.
From reading the spec, the poxy thing has 64Mb for MP3 storage, an FM radio, and still has annoying bleepy ringtones rather than sample-based ones like (at least) Sony mobiles have.
No sign of IR data in the specs either, which is more or less standard in other Nokia WAP phones...
Nearly, but not quite. (add smartmedia or CF support to the wishlist)
"don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
In order for me to buy a phone, it needs to be two things 1) shiny, and 2) small.
I love Nokia phones, esp the two I have, the 8860, and the 8890 - and they pass the "smaller than my penis" test. and they are shiny as all get out.
but this monster looks huge. how exactly are you to carry it around? and only a small part of it is shiny.
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
United States GSM-Systems are on 1900 MHz not on 900 or 1800 like the european ones (900+1800 were already used in the united states). So you need a GSM phone which can work on 1900 MHz or a triple-band which can work 900/1800/1900. This phone is only 900/1800.
Alright, in europe, every youth carries a cell phone, its a requirement...well at least in sweden and finland. So, if they can get music out of it also, then thats wonderful. That means not having to carry a minidisc along with the cell phone, and with tight pants all the craze, there isn't much room for a plethora of devices.
Two, there is a massive element of irony that this phone, with its full keyboard, will sell beautifully on the deaf market. (The irony being that it plays music)...SMS is a HUGE thing for deaf people, who can use their cellphones to communicate to full potential, and a full keyboard is a godsend for them.
Its a grand product.
Heck, even fishball vendors (the ones who sell food-on-sticks on the sidewalks in urban places) and jeepney drivers (i.e. public transportation guys) actually own cellphones here, and they use it mainly for SMS messages (frequently pronounced by Filipinos as just "texts")
It's the simplest way to keep connected in this side of the world. Then again, SMS is pretty cheap here at PhP1.00 (around US$0.02) compared to a cellphone call at PhP6.00/minute. You also get hundreds of free messages per month, too.
Pet peeve: Profane people propagating perfunctory pedantry.
It may be a neat gadget, but this lady on their page is having way too much fun with it.
If I ever reach a point where this phone can give me that much joy, I'll have bigger issues to address in my life.
//ct