My 2008 N-Series Wishlist

I see a few others around the net have been posting up their wishlists for Nokia in 2008, so I thought I would follow suit with my own list for what I'd like to see happen to N-Series devices. Anyways, enough with the preamble, here they are in no particular order:

Optic zoom solution?

Optical zoom on flagship N-Series devices. There are a few solutions out there that could facilitate the inclusion of optical zoom without blowing out device size - click here for a discussion of one such solution.

Xenon flash and lens protection standard on all high-end handsets.

Snappier UI in general, but with particular emphasis on the camera application.

Larger, higher resolution screens - N-Series iterations sporting the touch interface should meet this need.

Now thats a sexy form-factor

A flagship level N-Series QWERTY please! For my money the Helio-Ocean styled QWERTY 'landscape slide' is the best option as it doesn't destroy the aesthetics of the form-factor. Just make sure the top row keys are nicely accessible, its a simple thing, but a design error that crops up with stupifying regularity from a myriad of device manufacturers nevertheless. 

Improved TV-Out implementation - would be really nice to have the ability for users to select the TV-Out resolution for applications. I use my N95-1 quite a lot for the productivity side of things, I'd really love to be able to view/edit word/excel/powerpoint/PDF documents and browse the web at a decent resolution.

More RAM. Now don't get me wrong here, the increased RAM that Nokia began using in response to criticisms leveled at the N95-1 is great and now multi-tasking is a breeze. . . but. . . you still can't watch a full length movie at 640x480 via TV-Out without problems. I'd really like my N-Series device to be both my homes multimedia hub, and my portable movie player, but as things stand this isn't a reality.

N-Series devices with mysterious gaming platform on display. . .

Please release the NGage platform in 2008. Please?

While on the topic of NGage - please ensure the release of some games that utilise the 3D acceleration of the higher-end NGage handsets! I understand the need for initial releases to capture the largest potential user-base, hence the inclusion of the N73 and so forth, but I want eye-candy! In all seriousness though, capturing the hardcore end of the gaming spectrum, and winning some credibility for the platform and mobile gaming in general requires this.

The corollary to that last point is that a commitment should be made to include 3D acceleration in the hardware of all future N-Series releases. 

Keep improving the S60 UI, there are plenty of small optimisations still needed to really hone the end-user 'out-of-the-box' experience. Little details like the new text message alert actually displaying the name of the sender, or using the same method to exit from every application really make a difference for users - particularly the less tech savvy.

Improve the backup process. I'm certainly not the only person to have mentioned this recently, but having to reinstall all your software after a firmware upgrade is a real hassle, to mention nothing of the problems faced if a user tries to restore their phone settings across a firmware upgrade.

N82 at Nokiaworld

Improve the build quality. Based on my experience with the N82 at Nokiaworld, I'd say the Nokia has taken a step in the right direction in this area, but there is still a ways to go. While the N82 doesn't creak and feels nice and solid, it still feels like a 'plasticky-toy' in your hands, which is not what users are looking for in a device of that cost. Perhaps the S60 Project Managers could take a look at what the S40 people are doing? The S40 handsets shown at Nokiaworld were rock-solid; I can't say how much I'd love my next N-Series phone if it felt that like in my hand. Let me put it this way: Darth Vader wants an N-Series with metal construction - fail him at your peril. 

Darth Vader's N82

Here's a particularly 'kiwi-centric' wish: Maps updates please! The NewZealand maps are terrible, which is a huge turn-off for new N95 owners here, many of whom purchased their N95 largely on the basis of its GPS functionality. I spoke with the person manning the maps display at Nokiaworld, and he basically just pointed out that Nokia contracts a third party to produce the maps, so he couldn't give me any timeframe around updates. His advice was "just keep checking". This is unacceptable! While responsibility for the actual production of maps may rest with a third party, the overall responsibility for the end-user experience must reside with Nokia. If you talk with users from affected countries, even ones who understand where the maps originate, you won't hear them cursing a third party - its Nokia whose image is tarnished by this. Take note Nokia. For good measure I might mention to this Chad Darth Vader. . .

Well, thats it. I don't think theres anything too demanding amongst that list, and with luck Ovi and the S60 touch UI will bring about the fulfilment of many of my wishes.

Obviously I welcome comments, so tell me, what does your N-Series wishlist look like for 2008?