Nokia X7 review - The phone from outer space

When the Nokia X7 arrived to my home, courtesy of the nice folks at WOMWorld, I wasn't there to receive it as with almost every package that comes with my name on it. So my wife received the package. I usually ask her to open up the package and plug the phone into the charger so I can use it fully charged when I get back home. When I get home I usually find the phone still connected to the charger lying on the kitchen table. So, I go and grab the phone and start playing with it. The day I got the X7, I had a "WTF?" moment when I got home... The phone wasn't there where all phones are left my wife for charging. So, I scratched my head, and I asked her where it was. She told me that the battery was almost full, and she didn't plug it, but she used it the entire day, shooting photos and videos of my kid, and playing Angry Birds on it. My jaw dropped! It was the first time I've seen my wife being so enthusiastic about a phone. And a touch phone none the less! She's a sworn enemy of touchscreens. She completely ignored the C7, E7 and N8, but she could not resist the X7. And after I held it in my hand I understood why. It has something, that just attracts you to it. it may be the design, it may be the way it feels in your hand. Bottom line, it's a joy to behold.




I usually shoot an unboxing video for every phone I receive, but I barely got 15 minutes of use of the X7 that day, and shot the unboxing next morning while my wife was still asleep, otherwise I might have waited for a few more days.

The X7 doesn't have the camera that the N8 has, doesn't have the sliding keyboard, the Clear Black Display, or the front facing video camera, but it has personality, and it's just a beauty. It's sleek, and I'm talking SE Xperia Arc-like sleek, but much stronger and much better build quality than the Xperia. Because of the design of the phone, the screen seems to be even bigger than it actually is. And the design, makes it look like something from outer space, which made me wonder which planet did the DHL guy came from :P

No one can accuse Nokia of lacking originality and innovation when it comes to design. These days Apple sues Samsung because of "rounded corners with one button" phones. They should take a look at what Nokia does design-wise and innovate instead of wasting time and money in courts.

Back to the X7. The phone is equipped with the same EDoF 8MP dual led flash camera like the C7 and E7. It cannot be compared with the 12MP AF camera of the N8, but still holds it's own, even indoors.

The phone has an unbelievable balance between size and weight. It feels solid, and just fills the palm of your hand.




The display is very bright, but the X7 does not have ambient light sensor. Maybe it was meant to be that way since it's an entertainment phone and most of the times you'll be holding it in landscape mode, and the light sensor may get covered up by your hand.

So, the X7 doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the E7 or the N8, but it quickly became my favorite.

Another thing I liked about the X7 was, and you're gonna think I'm out of my mind, the fact that the touchscreen is not insanely sensitive like the E7's. It does not register a click after the slightest of touches. On the E7 I got a lot of accidental clicks, but with the X7 it never happened. Maybe this is one of the reasons I favor it over the E7.

I got a lot of WOW's at work when I showed up with the X7. And for good reasons.

The picture quality is good, not best, and the HD video recording is very good, as I was expecting from a Symbian^3 device. But the device really shines when you're playing games. It's a whole new experience. The phone seems to be designed to be used mainly in landscape mode, held with both hands. Angry Birds just got better on the X7's screen.

The gaming side is enforced by the two games that come preloaded, Galaxy on fire and Asphalt 5. Both play very well on the X7.

Unlike it's S^3 brethren, the X7 does not have any internal storage, but it has an SD expansion slot and it comes with an 8GB SD card preinstalled. You might think about getting a larger SD card if you plan shooting HD videos a lot, because they tend to eat up your SD space.

HARDWARE

There's not much to be said about the hardware, it's about the same as on every other S^3 device, besides the screen and keyboard.

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Resolution: 360 x 640 pixels, 4.0 inches
Gorilla glass display
Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
Memory: 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM
Expansion: microSD, up to 32GB, 8GB included
Size: 119.7 x 62.8 x 11.9 mm, 85 cc
Weight: 146 g
Stereo speakers
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support
Camera: 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, EDoF(full focus 40cm to infinity), dual-LED flash
Video: 720p@25fps
OS: Symbian Anna
CPU: 680 MHz ARM 11 processor, Broadcom BCM2727 GPU




The box comes with a micro-USB charger, a first for Nokia Symbians. The X7 uses only the micro-USB port for charging, being the first Nokia that does not use the classic Nokia pinhole charger.

The box also contains a micro-USB data cable, and a set of earphones.




On the top of the X7 you can find the micro-USB port, the 3.5mm jack port and the power/unlock button. Unlike previous Nokia touch phones, this one does not have an unlock knob, the only to unlock it is by the unlock touchscreen button. This is more in line with modern smartphones, even though I have to say I miss the unlock knob.




On the right side of the phone you can find the volume rocker and the camera key.

On the left side you have the SD card tray and the SIM card tray.

On the front of the phone you have the ear piece with the proximity sensor, the large 4 inch touchscreen and the classic menu button. There are no dedicated call and hang up keys. The menu button is nicely located in the middle.

On the back we have the 8MP camera with dual-LED flash.

The grids on the bottom corners of the phone hide the stereo speakers. The phone only has 2 speakers, not 4 as it may seem, the top grids being there for design only.

SOFTWARE

The X7 is powered by Symbian Anna, with the additional games I mentioned above. The Symbian Anna review I wrote was done on the X7.

So, how good is the user experience? Well, think about this: It turned my wife who's a touchscreen hater, and who could not use an Android phone if her life depended on it. She loved it, and now she wants one for Christmas. Hope it'll get cheaper by then.

Here is my unboxing and video tour in case you missed them:

Space rocket in illustrator CS5 Tutorial

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create a colorful rocket from simple geometric forms and 3D effects. We’ll use filters like Blur to create smoothness and movement in some of the illustration elements. Effects like Inner Glow will also be used to accentuate the depth of the 3D forms.

FINAL RESULT 

Step 1

Create an ellipse as shown in the example.

Step 2

Drag a vertical guide to the center of the ellipse. Drag a horizontal guide and put it a little below the center of the ellipse.

Step 3

Verify if the guides are locked at View Guides (Shift + Command + . Select the guides and the ellipse, then in the Pathfinder panel activate the Divide effect. This effect will divide the ellipse into four parts.

 

Step 4

Delete three parts of the ellipse, leaving only the superior right part. Fill that part with a red color. That object will be the origin for the rocket body.

Step 5

Use the same technique to create the objects that will be the origin of the rocket wings and the rocket tail

Step 6

Now you will apply a 3D effect on the objects. Start with the main rocket body and the big gray tail area. The gray tail must be placed right below the main rocket body. It’s important to verify that both objects are perfectly aligned at their left side, because the 360 degree axis that will be applied by the 3D effect is based on this alignment

Step 7

Group the two objects (Command + G) and go to Effect > 3D to apply the Revolve option. Rotate the object a little to the right by manipulating the cube image at the options window. When the perspective looks right for you, click OK

Step 8

We’ll now use the effect settings that are now stored in Illustrator’s memory. Select the smaller red object, which has the same form as the rocket’s main body, and go to Effect > Apply Revolve (or press Shift + Command + E). This will apply to the small object the same effect with the same settings used previously on the main rocket body, also keeping the same rotation angle.

Step 9

Now, select the wing object to apply the 3D effect. Apply an Extrude Depth of 5pt. Use the Bevel option to apply rounded corners on the object. Then, apply a Height value of 7pt and press OK

Step 10

Leave the wing above the rocket. Go to the Appearance panel and click twice on 3D Extrude & Bevel to use the 3D configurations. Manipulate the cube at the options window to rotate the wing, setting it in a position that fits nicely with the main rocket perspective.

Step 11

Make a copy of the wing and repeat the same process used previously to set its position.

Step 12

Now you must also make a copy of the small red propeller. Leave each of these propellers at the wings extremities.

Step 13

Now we’ll create the elements for the rocket sticker. You can use geometric forms like the ones used on the example or you can create your own sticker. Remember that its possible to drag to the Symbols panel many elements like images, fonts, patterns, etc. Select the element you will use and, in case you want more than one element, drag one at a time to the Symbols panel

Step 14

Select the rocket body and access the effect settings through the Appearance panel. Click on Map Art in the options panel. In Surface, you can navigate through all the mapped parts of the effect. Keep the Preview box enabled and choose the rocket body area where you want to apply the sticker. In Symbols, you have access to stickers saved previously. Click on a Symbol sticker to apply it to the map

Step 15

To apply the same lighting effect of the rocket to the sticker enable the Shade Artwork box, which is located below the map visualizer.

Step 16

Apply some bolts to the gray rocket tail while still in Surface.

Step 17

Let’s create the rocket hatch. Use two juxtaposed circles. One must be bigger than the other. Center these objects, select them both and go to the Pathfinder panel to apply the Minus Front effect. To create a smaller ellipse make a hole in the bigger ellipse by creating a ring. Fill that new object with yellow.

Step 18

Select the yellow ring and go to the 3D Extrude & Bevel Options. Change the settings in order to adjust the hatch perspective in relation to the rest of the rocket. Also make sure that the lights on the hatch match the lights on the main rocket surface

Step 19

Now we’ll create the dark screen of the hatch. Make a circle filled with black. Then, make a bigger ellipse without a fill color over the black circle. Position this ellipse in order to create an intersection area between the two objects.
Select both objects, go to the Pathfinder panel and select the Divide effect. This next part will make the bigger ellipse. Create a division on the black circle surface. Select the superior part of the black circle and apply on it a black and white gradient. Make sure that the white part of the gradient starts at the center and the black part ends at the border. Now you must group both parts of the circle

Step 20

Go back to the 3D settings and use the Position resource to leave the black screen above the center of the hatch.

Step 21

To create a light effect above the rocket fuselage, make an ellipse part just like in the example, and position it above the rocket

Step 22

Apply on the object a gradient composed of white and opacity zero. This creates a subtle light that makes your illustration more interesting. Apply reduced copies of this gradient in other parts of the rocket, as shown in the example

Step 23

Reinforce the illusion of depth on the rocket by darkening the main body borders. Go to Effects > Stylize > Inner Glow to create a smooth halo around the selected object. For the color options, choose black and for the Mode choose Multiply. Enable the preview mode and choose an Opacity that fits your style. Repeat the process on other parts of the rocket

Step 24

To create a flame that exits the rocket, you can use a flame shaped symbol already present in Illustrator. To access it go to the submenu in the Symbols panel, enable the Open Symbol Library option and activate the Nature library. Click on the flame symbol and drag it onto the main document

Step 25

Give the flame symbol a Vertical Flip. Go to the main menu and click on Break Link to transform the symbol into a form.

Step 26

Create the effect of extreme movement on the flames by using Effect > Blur > Radial Blur. Position the Blur Center at the top of the preview. Choose an Amount value of 70.

Step 27

Maintain the object selected and at the main menu in Object activate the Expand Appearance option. Now rotate and position the flame at the exit of the big gray propeller.

Step 28

Now we’ll create the universe! Start by creating a layer below the finished rocket layer, then make a rectangle filled with black

Step 29

Access the Star tool in the Tools panel and make a small star filled with white over the black rectangle

Step 30

Drag the star inside the Brushes panel and create a new brush with the Scatter Brush option.

Step 31

Use the Brush Tool loaded with the new Star Brush to create a line of small stars over the black background

Step 32

Maintain the brush stroke selected and click twice on the Brush icon to activate the options panel. Now change all the panel attributes by using the Random option. Exaggerate the Scatter attribute in order to make the stars well scattered

Step 33

Once the brush is configured, paint the stars over all the black background

Step 34

Open a new layer between the rocket and the background and make an irregular shape filled with magenta

Conclusion

Finally, apply a blur to the magenta object with Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. This will increase the emphasis on the rocket illustration. The final image is below

Protecting Your Work at Home Time & Space

As a work at home mom with young children, my writing time is limited and I have to make the most of the hours I have allotted to my online efforts. I've found that I am able to be most productive when my writing schedule is clearly set, family members are aware, and I make every effort to protect my work time and space -- and you should, too. It will make all the difference in your success or failure as an online writer or internet marketer.

 The first objective is to set a schedule for your work hours. Determine what's practical, keeping in mind your ideal time of day (are you a morning bird or does your brain function best at night?) and family schedules. For my situation, it works best for me to work from 5:30-8 a.m. three days a week. I also get some additional work time on other mornings if I'm up early and the kids are sleeping, but three days out of the week, my husband is "on-call" for the kids in the early hours, supervises morning routines and gives them breakfast as I finish up my writing time.

Make sure family members (down to the little ones!) are aware of your planned writing/ working time. Conversely, be fully present for them when you aren't working, minimizing computer time when it's not productive, and your kids will be more respectful of your set work hours.

You'll find that even with a set schedule and plan, you'll need to make an effort almost daily to protect your work at home time and desk/ office area from intrusion, distraction and even your own laziness. To that end, remind family members as needed that you're working, and you'll be able to talk/ help in 10 minutes, an hour -- at your designated stop time. Do not answer the phone while you're doing your work. Do not check your email unless you need something specific for the task at hand.

Keep your work desk neat as a pin -- you will find yourself much more productive when you have a clean, ordered space that feels professional. 

Avoiding distractions online -- unnecessary email checking, reading news or forums unrelated to your work at home daily tasks, and other time-wasting traps -- is crucial for your success. Keep yourself on track by writing a short list of items you need to accomplish at your next work session, after finishing the day's tasks and while everything is fresh in your mind.

I keep my daily tasks list in a notebook stored in my top desk drawer. Each morning, I take it out and keep it by my computer as I work, reminding me of what's next and giving me the satisfaction of checking off items I've accomplished.

How do you protect your work at home time and space to increase your writing income?