WHY I LOVE THIS GIG

A blogger's job is never done. This month I had the task of reviewing a mobile phone sent to me by Nokia. Specifically, the Nokia X6 music touchscreen smartphone. Nose to the grindstone, I poked, prodded, charged, loaded, and listened and I can now give my verdict.

This regular-sized sucker's pretty cool. Almost the same size of my earlier cell phones and quite a bit lighter, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much. But I was wrong.

Turning on the mobile brought me to an appealing comprehensive 3.2 inch splash screen where I was able to navigate through the several categories of music player, media and supports. Audio files, messaging, dialer and contacts are all available from this screen. Navigation to each is simple by running your thumb or any other favourite finger across the screen. I was most curious about the audio (since I am, chiefly, a huge music lover) so I checked that out first. Having loaded a few of my favourite MP3s. Sound was all right, not too great. And even when it was bumped up by enhancements made through the equalizer it didn’t really sound too awesome. That was pretty much the only drawback noted here. The navigation between artists, albums and songs is trouble-free.
Next, I tried the video. It was crystal clear and the details are sharp.

The storage – 16 GB - is impressive. The rechargeable battery stays alive for quite a while (the box advertises 35 hours of music playback time and I've found nothing to prove that wrong). Stereo headset is provided, as well as a car charger cable and a phone holder. A USB cable is made available as is additional software. Of course, I can tell you much about that. I installed the music I love listening to when I’m at the gym or on my way to the office. Add your media files through the Nokia Ovi Suite and you're good to go.

Perhaps the greatest selling point? The OVI services. One of them being free downloads from the Nokia Music Store and the 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics - I know, I know who really cares about cameras in phones... but I’ll tell ya what, it's nice to have the option.

I love the way this phone operates. And if you're in the market for a nice phone that everyone else doesn’t have or won't break the bank, this is a good deal. My final admission. I've had this thing for a couple of months now. Who knows how it'll work over time. From my point of view, you're getting a lot of features for a pretty awesome price.

It's also probably worth mentioning that I love reading or checking my blog and other blogs from this phone.

And if you're wondering what to get all those people on your Christmas lists, give this a try. You can check the phone out at http://www.nokiax6.org
Some additional info can be found at YouTube.

At first I thought I'd just show you my mobile phone. Then I had an idea...

HI!!!!

My disappointment at realizing I’m a full 48 hours further from the weekend than I’d been led to believe was quickly tempered by the fact that I discovered a new band called ‘Pomplamoose’ (The name of the band derives from the French word ‘pamplemousse’ – incidentally which is from Tamil pampa limāsu meaning generally grapefruit) with a little help from Facebook. In fact, as soon as I got home, I got a copy of the songs, and am happily listening to it right now. And it’s good. (And, yes, I’m a dork. I’m a big dorky girl who thinks this is one of the best things since sliced bread. I think this cover originally sung by the band - Earth, Wind and Fire, ‘September’ is slightly different but good and has everything I like about this band and I’m going to listen to it over and over and you can’t stop me!

Ahem. Before we delve any further into the closet of my Musical Preferences, let’s move on to more important things. The music!