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Why a Nokia Zune phone makes sense

The rumor has been floating around for a week or so now via Zunescene, here’s my take. I think everyone wins in this deal.

  • There’s been no mention of any kind that Nokia will launch Music in the US or Canada and Zune could instantly fill that as that’s where they currently play. Nokia is already cutting deals in other countries (think we are up to 8 now) and Zune could get instant access to listeners there.
  • Nokia would instantly get a social network built around music via the Zune Social, which is compelling yet under utilized by Microsoft. There’s a great sharing and discovery aspect to the Social when you have a subscription which would only be enhanced by adding a real time connected device like a mobile phone.
  • Nokia handsets already support Windows DRM. I can’t imagine it would take very much to update the software to go from Plays for Sure to Zune since they are really based on the same technology.
  • Subscription music rocks! I’ve had a Zune subscription for about 6 months and it’s been an excellent tool in my musical discovery process. I love that I get any album as they are released on Tuesday and regularly use the meta-data they offer to discover more music. I could easily live without Comes With Music (again there’s no mention of this coming to the US yet) and would love to use my handsets as additional Zune’s in my plan.

I actually can’t think of anything bad here. Sign me up!

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Connected in the Toronto Cloud

I’m in Toronto for a few days this week and have discovered that there’s a great (though not free) wireless cloud here offering very responsive access.

The speed is not far from turbo, but it feels like it’s all mine at the moment which is excellent. What’s nice about the access here though is that Boingo has things covered if you have an account. My account has come in handy during my travels the past few months and I love how easily I can auto-connect as I go. I did have issues today on both the E71 and N810, but my laptop detected and connected without even a hiccup. I think there’s something going on with how the network works here as this is actually the first time I’ve had a problem from a mobile device – knowing there was a visible network.

The coverage in Toronto is something I wish I saw more often. Granted this is not a free network, but the access is easy to see and seems to be covering a solid portion of downtown.

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Not seeing any E71 signal issues

Boy Genius Report is reporting that the E71-2 (NAM) has some signaling issues and that your hand can actually impact the signal strength … I’ve yet to see this on mine and am wondering if this is more of a quality control issue with the builds from certain factories.

I’ve used both the E71-1 and now the -2 and have yet to see anything unusual on any front. I get the same coverage I always get from ATT with the usual and known dead spots (thanks for fixing those ATT). I’m in Toronto at the moment and the signal is strong and the 3.5G coverae is excellent. Calls and data are rocking.

My E71 was made in Finland … pop the battery off and check yours if there’s an issue. I don’t have any other theories here, but am certainly curious about devices with the problem.

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Cablevision prepping a Wireless cloud

While NYC won’t be getting a wireless network anytime soon, it looks like I’ll be able to tap into something in Westchester relatively soon. I’ve actually seen a few optimum (the Cablevision brand) hot spots pop up on my commute and there’s one in Katonah where I live, but I don’t currently have access. Not sure if it’s just someone’s wireless home broadband connection or what…

Over the next two years, Cablevision said it will spend in excess of $300 million to make wireless Internet available across its entire operating region, which in addition to Long Island, also includes parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, New York City and Westchester.

Cablevision, the new owner of Newsday, hasn’t yet outlined which region of Long Island would be first to receive service, which it said would be free to Optimum Online subscribers.

On a conference call with Wall Street analysts yesterday, Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge said the company spent $20 million between May and the end of June to begin building the so-called Wi-Fi network, which he said the company will unveil soon.

The service eventually will allow people with mobile computers to access the Internet anywhere Cablevision service is available, but there are plans for more services, involving voice, video and data, officials said. [Newsday.com]

A free network thanks to my cable provider would be actually very cool. AT&T does not exactly seem to be racing along with plans to update their HSDPA coverage in Northern Westchester.

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