[amitkumbhar2282]

i upgraded my phone to belle is my big mistake.i want the anna software back thats it

[roy0175]

nokia belle is 100 times better than anna,every operating system have some bug,may be solved by service pack update,i found 2 issue, back button and menu button sometimes not work even 3 or 4times touch.

[GeminiPhoenix]

---

GeminiPhoenix wrote:

* Renaming the default "Silent" profile conflicts with the dropdown menu function - If you rename the default "Silent" profile to something else (Ie, "Loud"), and also change the profile settings (such as turning the volume right up), then this renders the silence feature in the dropdown menu redundant! You can still select the "Silent" function from the dropdown menu, but it will activate / deactivate whatever profile occupies that second slot, regardless of whether you have it set as silent or something else

---

This seems to be confusing some people, so I'll try and re-word it a little better so it's clearer to understand

Currently, Belle comes with four default profile settings. Each of these is designated a position in the list, where "General" is #1, and "Silent" is #2 etc. If you create a new profile setting, it will be assigned a position beneath "Offline", with the first new profile created assigned #5, and so on...

The new dropdown taskbar has a button feature which says "Silent". This is intended as a quick way to activate or deactivate silent mode, but what it actually does is act as a shortcut to the default "Silent" profile, which is assigned to position #2

Still with me?

Now if you decided to change that default profile to something more to your liking - For example, you add your own ringtone, increase the volume, and rename the profile to something of your choosing - Then the taskbar shortcut button will only activate or deactivate this profile, and won't actually silence your phone as expected

It still says "Silent", but if you've changed the parameters for the #2 default profile, then it won't actually have a silencing effect!

Ideally, you should leave the default "Silent" profile alone for the taskbar button to function properly, but not everybody wants to create extra profiles

[GeminiPhoenix]

Something else I've noticed:

* eMail menu text size unaffected by settings - Even though I've set my text size to "Small" via the main settings, it doesn't seem to affect the eMail menu text which is still large!

* Handset does not vibrate when certain widgets are touched - I have also noticed that several widgets don't seem to vibrate when touched, with some only vibrating when touched a second time. I like my handset to vibrate whenever I touch a simulated button, to let me know that it has been touched and that the handset recognises this interaction.

Some widgets, such as the Settings (shortcut), Clock, Music Player (shortcut), Calendar (shortcut), Calculator (shortcut), Contacts shortcut), Gallery (shortcut), Camera (shortcut) etc don't seem to respond with a vibration. However, other widgets DO respond with a vibration, such as the Notes (shortcut), Messaging (shortcut), Mail (shortcut), Web (shortcut) etc. The exception is the Profile dropdown, which doesn't initially respond, but responds when you select a profile from the menu...

Why do some widgets vibrate, and others not? They should ALL vibrate when touched!

I would also like to reiterate that I don't have a problem with Belle as an operating system. I think it's definitely a step-up from Anna, and the majority of the issues I have are mainly regarding the presentation and UI.

I know several people have complained about the text underneath the homescreen icons - This doesn't personally bother me too much, and makes the interface a little less cryptic, but I can understand why it would annoy others. My suggestion for Nokia is to perhaps give us an option to show or hide this text, and that way everybody is happy.

It's all about the options. OPTIONS, OPTIONS, OPTIONS! Where are our options?

I feel that there is a distinct lack of options with Belle. We're given dozens of ringtones to choose from (does anyone even use pre-loaded ringtones in this day and age?), yet why aren't we granted an equal amount of effort for everything else? For example, why aren't there a dozen different options for the clock? Or different options for the music player widget?

The settings menu should be crammed full of options which cater for everybody. If something has been changed from Anna, then we should have the option to have a "Classic" design, or the newer Belle design.  Likewise, we should be able to personalise EVERYTHING. Just like Android or iOS. Don't like seeing the alarm icon on your screensaver screen? Then there should be an option to hide it. Want the dropdown taskbar to display with a touch instead of a swipe? Ok, that should be an option too! Prefer your camera buttons on the right instead of along the bottom? Well, you get the idea...

Who cares if this makes the software download a few MB larger. Who really gives a damn about MB's anyway? I think most people would rather have a better user experience than save a few MB's of memory!

[nevcpa]

also, flash player d0esnt w0rk anym0re when playing youtube vids. D0es s0me0ne have a s0luti0n to this pr0blem? I w0ke up this m0rning to find out that i c0uldnt play you tube vids anym0re on my smartph0ne.

[bumblebirra]

GeminiPhoenix,
I've also noticed that there might be a bug with vibration and tactile feedback. There have been many times when I've pressed something and thought I hadn't pressed hard enough. I'm starting to get used to holding my finger down slightly longer than normal and this seems to be dealing with the issue for now.

I've noticed one or two apps which used to vibrate as part of their effects, such as the Egg Timer app by Offscreen Technologies, are no longer doing so. I don't know if it's because I've turned vibration off in my currently activated profile? need to check..

By the way, does anyone know what the big red asterisk on some of my icons in the menus? I thought it was to show newly installed apps, because they clear once I open a newly installed app, but they keep reappearing - strange.

I've also noticed that my battery life seems to be improving gradually. I wonder if it's because it's gradually calibrating itself?

I agree, for what it's worth, there should be more OPTIONS. I quite like the text under the homescreen icons, but I can understand how many wouldn't like it, so it should be made optional.

[atishpareh_hot]

I very Love Belle

I very Love belle Speed

i very love everything in belle

but

why cant change the volume in video player wiht touch the screen?

& why my flv (worked with anna) not play in belle?

& why my nokia n8 image quality lower in compare with anna?

image is very dim & noisy

and why CAF not working? auto focus cant focus correctly?

Nokia Pls answer

sorry about my english 

[millicurie]

The new text messaging interface - More specifically, the text messaging menu. For some reason, Nokia have assumed that everybody texts using the Conversations feature, and has relegated everything else to a secondary menu option to show the various text message folders. To me this is a big no-no! I like to be organised, but I don't want to keep having to switch to folder view whenever I want to manage my texts, especially when this used to be the default view when I hit the text messaging button!

Me too.  I absolutely hate the new texting interface.  The back arrow is where the send message used to be.  I constantly press that thinking it is to send message.  So poorly designed.  Nokia really needs to learn how to interface software...don't make user re-learn everything with each upgrade.  

Also, the New message page now is missing the phone book feature so you can't look for address anymore.  Extremely inconvenient.  

[n8paul]

I kept pressing the back arrow instead of send

but I also think it makes more sense for the back arrow to be where they put it on Belle  so im happy to get used to it.

[kmawds]

Well my system won't even show the update as available so I don't have it yet. I didn't like Anna when that came along, they messed MAPs up completely. Then they made cryptic icons that I still have to pause and think what they are before I tap them. Music is stored in the most ludicrous way, it beggars belief, did they have some primary school come up with that Idea? and the music player is naff anyway so I use tunewiki - far better app.

All I want is a faster experience than Anna and when I tap (and it vibrates) it actually launches the app rather than not doing so I have to tap again.

The headphone issue worries me though. I have expensive 'phones I use with it.

ahh http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/nokia-belle-update/nokia-belle-update-availability waiting for O2 approval :/

[GeminiPhoenix]

And a few more issues I've found with Belle...

* Camera shutter sound doesn't play when in a custom profile - The camera shutter sound only seems to play when in the "General" profile. If you're using a custom profile (one where the sound isn't silent), then the camera shutter sound does not play. Previously with Anna, it did...

* Camera doesn't show fullscreen when 12mp mode is selected - If you're taking pictures at the maximum resolution (12mp), then what you see on-screen is displayed in 4:3 ratio. Before the update, it was fullscreen regardless of whether you were taking 4:3 or 16:9 pictures!

* Messaging tabs aren't optimised for vertical use - When browsing the text messaging folders, the tabs along the top seem to be optimised for horizontal use, not vertical. Depending on which tab you're on, the left or right tabs are sometimes not visible or selectable. Previously with Anna, they would scroll along as you select them, making the next one available

* More difficult Gallery marking - Anna introduced a "Mark Multiple" tick at the bottom of the Gallery, which enabled us to quickly select multiple pictures for sending. However, Belle seems to have done away with this, and has instead replaced it with a "Share" button...

Nokia assume that everybody who owns and uses a smartphone wants to upload pictures directly to social networking sites! Marking multiple items is now a second rate feature which you have to select from the menu. WHY?

Why give us a tool to make our lives easier in the previous update, and then take it away from us in the new update? Why do they assume so much about the habits of smartphone users? All they've done is make the process of sending pictures to my PC longer and more time consuming! A process which was previously one touch and mark is now unnecessarily three touches!

And why are the share and slideshow features prioritised over marking multiple items?

[GeminiPhoenix]

---

millicurie wrote:
Me too.  I absolutely hate the new texting interface.  The back arrow is where the send message used to be.  I constantly press that thinking it is to send message.  So poorly designed.  Nokia really needs to learn how to interface software...don't make user re-learn everything with each upgrade. 

---

n8paul wrote:

I kept pressing the back arrow instead of send

but I also think it makes more sense for the back arrow to be where they put it on Belle  so im happy to get used to it.

---

This annoys me so much, and I too keep pressing that damn back button as it's where my brain is telling me is where the send button is. However, like you say, the back button is nw in the logical place, so we just have to re-learn everything. We can't really complain about something they actually did right, even if it does mean accidentally sending our texts into the drafts folder...

Where the text messaging folders are concerned, there should be an option to prioritise either the Conversations feature, or the Folders. That way, regardless of how you prefer to text, everybody is catered for

[GeminiPhoenix]

---

kmawds wrote:

Well my system won't even show the update as available so I don't have it yet. I didn't like Anna when that came along, they messed MAPs up completely. Then they made cryptic icons that I still have to pause and think what they are before I tap them. Music is stored in the most ludicrous way, it beggars belief, did they have some primary school come up with that Idea? and the music player is naff anyway so I use tunewiki - far better app.

All I want is a faster experience than Anna and when I tap (and it vibrates) it actually launches the app rather than not doing so I have to tap again.

The headphone issue worries me though. I have expensive 'phones I use with it.

---

Some of those issues have been neglected from the very start! 15 months I have suffered the dreadful music player, and I'm sure it annoys everybody by not having Artists and Albums separate! They also promised us a user definable equaliser which never surfaced...

The new colourful and cryptic icons that came bundled with Anna were indeed a frustration. I don't like my phone all lit up like a fairy's parlour with bright colourful pink buttons! They should have given us the option to use the old classic Symbian^3 set of icons, or the new colourful Anna set of icons

I think that is why they've added text to them now, to please those who thought they were too cryptic, but in the process they've annoyed people who think the text ruins the aesthetics. It seems you can't please everybody! However, like with the icons, they should have given us an option to show or hide the icon text

In regards to a faster experience, it is. For some reason, Anna's UI became sluggish, requiring multiple presses in order for the touchscreen icons to respond. It was never like that with PR 1.2, and it isn't like that with Belle. Although as I have mentioned already in this thread, a lot of the widgets seem to only vibrate if you touch them hard enough. If you just gently touch the icons, the app will still launch, but there won't be a vibration. SO there's obviously an issue still in regards to that...

[metal_might]

hello geminiphoenix and others.

very engrossing reading, your posts.

i really really will be very very happy if nokia folks give us any indication that they're listening, and that they'll deliver a patch to belle soon, quite very soon.

i have subscribed to this thread to track the same.

thank you for raising this thread, my vote for your being a hero to voice all of our agonising experiences with belle.

[dog8myscreenie]

@GeminiPhoenix

Thanks for all of the effort you're putting in to this. I've actually only recently purchased an N8 (which was updated to Anna on the day of purchase), due to the fact that I'm a loyal Nokia user, and I wasn't confident enough to delve into the unknown realms of Windows Mobile just yet......

Like you, I really do not like the Anna music player. I used to be able to play all songs from a particular artist on my older Symbian phones, and the fact that I can't any more is bloody frustrating, to put it politely.

Over all though, I think Anna is a great OS, and it offers a lot of useful features, some of which I'm still working out I should think, and after reading this post, it seems that the Belle update is going for looks first and functionality second. As a business user, I find that to be a big step in the wrong direction. I'll seriously consider holding off on the update until a further update becomes available, that addresses the initial issues that have been raised.

Thanks for the information, and keep up the good work 

[GeminiPhoenix]

---

metal_might wrote:

i really really will be very very happy if nokia folks give us any indication that they're listening, and that they'll deliver a patch to belle soon, quite very soon.

---

Oh, I'm pretty certain that they are reading this thread, and taking the feedback very seriously indeed!

---

dog8myscreenie wrote:

@GeminiPhoenix

Thanks for all of the effort you're putting in to this. I've actually only recently purchased an N8 (which was updated to Anna on the day of purchase), due to the fact that I'm a loyal Nokia user, and I wasn't confident enough to delve into the unknown realms of Windows Mobile just yet......

Like you, I really do not like the Anna music player. I used to be able to play all songs from a particular artist on my older Symbian phones, and the fact that I can't any more is bloody frustrating, to put it politely.

Over all though, I think Anna is a great OS, and it offers a lot of useful features, some of which I'm still working out I should think, and after reading this post, it seems that the Belle update is going for looks first and functionality second. As a business user, I find that to be a big step in the wrong direction. I'll seriously consider holding off on the update until a further update becomes available, that addresses the initial issues that have been raised.

Thanks for the information, and keep up the good work 

---

You're welcome!

I felt that somebody needed to speak up and summarise the issues with Belle. I'm glad that others agree with me, as I know a lot of people seem to be happy with the recent update. I'm not, therefore I am exercising my right to share my thoughts!

I don't blame you for sticking with Symbian. After all, the whole concept of Symbian is that it's supposed to have a familiar feel for those who have owned a previous Nokia handset within the last ten years. If you're used to using Symbian, then chances are you will hate the WP7 handsets. I've tried them, and given the choice I would rather suffer Belle's shortcomings than force myself to use a WP7 handset.

The music player issue has been there ever since the launch of the N8 with PR 1.0. We complained about it then, we compained about it after the PR 1.2 update, and again after Anna, and still they haven't separated Artists from Albums like it should be! Even more frustrating is that when choosing a ringtone, they ARE separated, so why haven't they fixed the music player by now?

I think you're right in regards to aesthetics over functionality. It's clear that they've spenta  lot of time making everything look all pretty, but neglected to consider what effect it has on functionality. You just have to take a look at the music player and eMail widgets to see this! They look nice, yes, but are they practical? In comparison to what we had previously, no, they are not!

It almost seems as if they're trying to please the wrong people. They're not interested in the people who've stuck with Nokia for the last fifteen years, or even who pre-ordered the N8 months in advance - They seem to be fixated on trying to attract former iPhone owners, by making the UI more like you'd expect to see on the iPhone, yet at the same time alienating the existing users

If you've read this entire thread, then you'll probably have made up your mind about updating or not by now. Whilst I admit some things I mentioned in my initial post were spur-of-the-moment thoughts which I have since muted, the majority of complaints still hold, especially the newer ones which I am only just discovering after a couple of days use

[GeminiPhoenix]

Something I haven't mentioned until now, mainly because I wasn't sure at the time, but which has been mentioned by others here and there:

* Battery life - After a few days with Belle, I have finally come to the conclusion that my battery doesn't seem to last as long as it previously did. It's taken me a few days to test this theory, but now I am more or less 100% sure that the battery life has been cut in half!

Until I updated to Belle, I would easily get two to three days normal useage out of my N8. A little bit of texting here, listening to some music there, with a bit of internet browsing thrown in every now and then etc. However, since updating to Belle I seem to be charging my handset at least once per day, and with far less useage...

I've run through all my settings, and turned off all unessential applications such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but the battery consumption definitely seems to be much higher than before, and I can't understand why.

Does anyone else feel that their battery power seems to be draining more quickly?

[nype78]

What GeminiPhoenix wrote is absolutely right. Why change things just for the sake of changeing things? I cannot understand why Nokia eliminated some features or made some features worse than they were in Anna. Some things I hate about Belle:

- Connection of network drives not supported in Belle

This feature has gone. I'm using a NAS at home as storage for music, fotos, videos, documents. No need to say, that transferring data from/to phone via WiFi and the network drive was a killer feature.

- Mail widgets need too much space

I have the same problem as GeminiPhoenix. I had five pop mail accounts on one homescreen and the "missed calls / messages / appointments" widget on top of it. Always informed of new messages without having to change the screen. Now that I have three new home screens, I need two of them to place my mail accounts. Of course one could think of forwarding the different accounts to a single one, but I don't want to change my mail accounts depending on the smartphone's ability to use screen space.

Needless to say, that settings and sent mails for all but one account were lost after update.

- Calender widget with one line is ridiculous

and it doesn't even show the date. There's nothing more to say about that.

- Conversation view for messages as default and not customizable

GeminiPhoenix already said it: If you want to be organized, this is very confusing and for shure not an improvement.

- Voice commands not triggered through call button

Now I have to use the widget - OK. Do I have to place it on every home screen? Why, that was perfect and very comfortable.

- Rotate screens button missing

Maybe not many people used that thing, but if the phone is in my docking station i prefer to push one button instead of swiping around. Now, that the menu button, which does exactly the same as the hardware menu button next to it, is placed in the bottom bar, the screen rotate button is gone - no improvement for me.

- Ringtones deleted

Maybe this sounds nitpicking, but why the hell did they drop ringtones from Anna to Belle? Well, since all group and individual ringtone settings were lost during update, one could expect, that noone would notice. It would be OK for, if they added some ringtones, but why delete some of the old ones?

- Missing weather app

Almost forgot the weather. Introduces in Anna, presented in the Belle trailer video - not available now. Just got used to it.

I don't know what else is not working. After the update, almost all email settings were gone, Wifi settings were gone, all apps have to be downloaded/purchased again (and of course set up again, and I'm not only talking about save games), Wifi Connection doesn't work, 3G connection does not seem to work either, didn't connect the bluetooth headset yet, but I heard this will also be lost, ...

If they had presented an update that preserved old features and let people operate their phone as they were used to, being offered new or alternative functionality, everything would be fine. But this one-way-ticket to a system that cannot be customized to work as the old one did, makes me really sick! I was happy with my N8 until yesterday. The reason, why I updated was, that I wanted to use six homescreens and the Microsoft Business Apps (which are not yet available ;-). There was absolutely no information about what was changed in terms of what was deleted. I will try to downgrade to Anna and wait for an improved Belle or Clara version.

I think, the main problem is, that Nokia tries to look like Android. If I want an Android phone, I buy one. I bought the N8 because of all the features (camera, FM-transmitter, HDMI, offline navi, network drive) and was happy with the usability of the first version and even more after the Anna update. Now I'm not and I'm not willing to live this new behaviour with just because the press calls menu folders 'old school'.

[GeminiPhoenix]

Another thing that other users seem to be worried about:

* Widget offline mode - Previously with Anna and pre-Anna Symbian^3 versions, we could turn widgets online or offline from the homescreen menu. With Belle, this feature doesn't seem to exist. If it does, then it is extremely well hidden!

Considering Nokia advise us to periodically switch our widgets to offline mode when not in use to prolong battery life, this is somewhat difficult when the function doesn't appear to exist in the first place!

[barisbabacan]

I have an E6-00 an I can turn off widgets by holding home screen button, but that's not a solution. I love Anna and spending 1 day with Belle, I HATE IT. I agree with everything you've said. I've discovered everything in Anna in 2-3 hours and it's really easy to use. Altough with Belle I can't be sure what am I doing, like you've said they hide almost everything. By the way I was able to see how much battery left in Anna. With Belle, do I have to say it?