I finally tried out Nokia Sports Tracker. Here's a screenshot of my workout:

Yes, screenshot. Nokia, in their ever loving wisdom, don't have embeds. You can download a version of your "workout" in KML, but you can't embed your route. Update added this suggestion to Get Satisfaction.

This is a really interesting service that works well - it's got a great S60 app for your phone with various different modes, and pretty much updates your location in real time both on a map on your phone, as well as beaming it online.

The one issue is that it absolutely *drained* the battery on my N95. We actually spent 6 hours biking around for the Vancouver Bike the Blossoms event, and it would have been great to have a log of the whole event. I charged the phone the night before, so I have no idea why it got so completely drained. Oh, right, and there are the usual Nokia-can't-really-make-web-apps issues, like the fact that I can't share a link to a map of the Vancouver area, showing that there are a dozen or so people using it in this area.

Chris Bovard just left a great comment on the iPhone Nano thread -- here's the closer on his post about why he's unlikely to get an iPhone and why he can't understand why everyone is so hyped about it:

My next phone purchase will be N95 8gig because I love my current N95. If I buy another bigger phone it will be a http://www8.garmin.com/nuvifone/ when it is out. I own an older Garmin GPS I use for mountaineering. You can drop it and it goes under water. If Garmin puts this much though into their phone well the iphone will be just another toy.

Maybe time for everyone too look at the big picture instead of yet another Mac babysitter product for the mass.

"Mac babysitter product" is a great post. Except, well, the masses WANT babysitter products. I replied in the same thread -- here's the last bit of my comment:

Food for thought. I am all for competition, so I hope that Nokia continues with Series 60 development and also innovates in their new Linux-based systems (ref: their purchase of Trolltech, which makes cross platform GUI stuff). What these other players MUST realize is that the time has come where the mobile phone is moving BEYOND the bounds of the walled garden telcos, into the open platform of the Internet, and all competitors MUST strive to engage with network and platform effects in order to succeed long term.

The mobile market is one of those areas where so much interesting stuff is happening. I'm glad that we're having these types of discussions.

Yes, I finally got a new cellphone. My Nokia 6630 lasted me 2 years, and has been a great phone. But, I'm finding the need for a smartphone -- calendar, to do's, and email at my fingertips. Hence, sticking with my favourite platform, the Nokia E61 was the best choice for me. If I wanted to do more multimedia with my phone, I would have held out for the Nokia N95, with 5Mp camera and integrated GPS, including geotagging of photos on the fly. *drool* If I had wanted a phone with camera in the same price range as the E61, my pick would have been the Nokia N80 (which is what Kris just picked up to replace his Sidekick).

Regardless...I will miss having a cameraphone. I'll have to see what kind of camera or picture taking workflow will make it easy to still upload photos on the fly.

Even better, I didn't even have to travel to Europe to actually buy the phone. I got it at Cellular Baby, just a few blocks from my house.

My first impression of the phone: fast! The UI is very responsive, and it comes loaded with applications. I haven't had much of a chance to add extra applications. I'll be putting Opera on, even though the built in browser is surprisingly usable in some ways.