Nokia N80 Tips and Tricks

Oct 18 2006, 10:23am CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Nokia announced the compact 3G Wi-fi mobile phone N80 in November 2005. I mentioned a couple of times that I was waiting and waiting for this phone from O2 here in Germany. I have it now since about 2 weeks. I stumbled over some hurdles to get the N80 to work as I imagined it to work. Here are some tips and answers to questions I had to solve. Maybe they help your N80 experience.

1. Where is the cool Nokia Web Browser?
I mostly wanted the N80 to get my hands on the new Nokia browser that comes with Symbian Series 60 3rd edition. When I first used the phone I nearly flipped out because the browser sucked big time.
It took me a while to find out that the browser icon on the main screen called Services is the WAP browser and not the new Nokia Web browser. This browser is well hidden under a folder called 'My Own'. Bloody Hell Nokia! Tell your service providers to ship the N80 with the Web browser on the main screen. You are hiding the best feature of this phone. I found several questions why the N80 browser sucks on discussion forums. So I am not alone with this. Additionally the shitty WAP browser looks the same as the new Web browser to make sure everybody is confused. To solve this mess I moved the Web browser from under My Own to the main applications folder. Update: Puneet S. suggested that you also can use the media access button, where on the right is also the web browser linked. I am really happy with this browser. It is fast. I can browse I4U (see photo) like I do on my PC. The zoom out is great. The N80 screen is fantastic.
The new S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 Nokia announced yesterday actually solves that issue by merging the two browser into one. 2. Can the Blue blinking LED be switched off?
The answer is no. The LED starts blinking when the phone is in sleep mode to tell you that the phone is still on. Nokia, please, please add a feature in the next firmware update to turn this LED off. Nobody needs it and it keeps people awake at night. It is not even a soft blinking, it is a harsh flashing. The best solutions are either to connect the charger when keeping the phone next to the bed, turn it over or use black or silver fingernail color to paint the LED. Upate: I4U reader Puneet S. says that he has turned off sleep mode and that the battery life is not affected that much.

3. How to determine which Firmware your Nokia N80 is on?
The current N80 firmware is V 4.0623.0.41. You can see the version when connecting the N80 to your PC and right click on the N80 icon in the Nokia Phone Browser under My Computer. Or you can press *#0000# on the N80 and it will display the firmware version (Thanks Puneet S. for the tip).

4. How to upgrade the Firmware on your Nokia N80?
Nokia offers the Nokia Software Updater (download) for Windows XP that enables you to flash your N80 firmware. You can also go to Nokia service centers to have it done. FOTA (Firmware update over the air) is supposedly in the works.

5. Why is the battery life so short?
Check if you have Show availability under Settings/Connection/Wireless LAN set to Yes. Set it to never. I have now stand-by of a couple of days. With the Show availability switched on the battery was empty after 12 hours. Update: Puneet S. suggest to decrease the screen brightness by a notch and switch to GSM only mode. He gets a 2.5 day battery life with moderate talk-time.

6. How to protect the N80?
The N80 looks well made, but somehow I feel I need to protect it to keep it save from scratches. I decided to go with a crystal clear case, as these ad only a little bulk and do not hid the looks of the phone. These cases sell for a couple of $ on eBay. Updates: I4U Reader Roger S. went with a case from Krusell, because he needed a belt clip. Puneet S. just protects the screen with the typical clear plastic screen guards. He thinks the case is robust enough.

If you have questions or another good tip for the Nokia N80 please email me.

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Luigi Lugmayr
Luigi is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com. Luigi posts regularly on LuigiMe.com about his experience running I4U.