Fan Interviews: Meet Michael Hell from Austria

Today, I would like to introduce you to Michael Hell, a very passionate Austrian blogger and a true Ovi fan, who delightfully applied to be interviewed for this Blog.

As I mentioned last week, I really love to connect to you, readers, fans, Nokia enthusiasts… Especially because I can always learn something from both your passion and your critic eye.
You don’t only love Ovi by Nokia, you want to make it better and you know that the best way to achieve this is using it every day, putting it under pressure and get back to us with your opinions and suggestions.

This is the spirit I’ve particularly felt while interviewing Michael and I’m sure you will share the same sentiment after reading his fantastic interview and, don’t miss it, his funny video

-Pino (@haikus)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Who are you and what do you do? Tell us the story of your life!
Hi everyone, Michael Hell here, residing in beautiful Austria, 26 years old (1984 FTW!).
I currently blog for 3 websites: FoneArena.com, ThoughtsFromHell and MobileWuchtln, which is a fully Austrian blog. In my life outside the Internet, I work for a wholesale company for isolation goods.

What makes you passionate about what you do?
Without a doubt the community. Getting my opinions out to the people I got to know over the past years and discuss with them. I love to get feedback on my posts and bits, whether it’s good or bad.
I’m a passionate, yet critical and open minded Nokia enthusiast for a very long time now: Nokia and its community has opened a lot of doors for me and brought me to places and situations i never thought I’d be.
It’s been one big crazy ride for me and i just can’t get enough of it!

What do you like to do on your spare time? Do you have any hobbies, pets etc.?
I’m a movieholic first of all, always up for a good flick.
I found a huge love for photography throughout the years, which i share at my Flickr Page. Events, trips, phone galleries… Whatever I get in front of my camera goes up there.
Other than that, I’m the average geek I guess. Social networks, meeting my friends and family, go to the cinema, attending punk-rock shows or just listening to music, which means the world to me.

How did you find out about this Blog?
I’ve been following the Blog pretty much from the beginning, when Ovi started off.
I love the open, super friendly approach you have to your fans and fellow enthusiasts, everyone feels right at home, which should be the most important thing on any blog.

How long have you been a Ovi/Nokia fan?
Nokia fan? Oh… probably since around ’98/’99 which was pretty much when I bought my first Nokia ever.
Ovi Fan, pretty much since when it all started off. I always like to have a tight integration on my phone, although there is room for improvements on Ovi in my opinion.

What do you like most about Ovi/Nokia?
As mentioned above, the community. I realized over the years that no matter how good the devices are, a company can only be as good as its approach to its customers and its community.
Nokia has done an amazing job in building up a community that tries to help Nokia and point out the mistakes. I blame my friends from WOM World Nokia for that, who are simply amazing.
I love to talk to fellow Nokia bloggers and fans from all over the world on a daily basis, it all goes on in a very warm, friendly tone, which i never saw anywhere else. So yes, i think the community is what makes Nokia that special for me.

What was your very first Nokia?
Nokia 5110. I bought it from a colleague around 1998/99 and i was the happiest guy alive since I finally had a Nokia!!

Which device do you use right now?
I’m currently switching between Nokia C6, Nokia N900, Nokia X6 16GB and Nokia N82. Depending on the situation

What’s your favourite thing you’ve downloaded from Store? Why?
There are 2 applications in fact that go on every Nokia I get in my hands.
The first is Gravity, which is a fantastic Twitter client, that offers so much more than Twitter.
Then Pixelpipe. If you take a lot of pictures or videos and want to spread it on all your sites at once, it’s the perfect tool to have. As simple as that.
I can happily say that I briefly met both developers (Jan Ole of Gravity and Brett of Pixelpipe) at Nokia World this year, very good guys!

What were you looking for the last time you used Maps?
Uhmmm… I was looking for an ATM on my way to a restaurant. Didn’t know either places, but Maps did the job without any problems.

What would you like tell us here at Ovi by Nokia?
You guys from Ovi by Nokia are on a very good path. You work with passion and dedication and listen to users. You develop everything but we have to use your products.
As powerusers, we know your flaws and we are willing to help you. We are ready to help you steer in the right direction. Work with us. Learn from us. Be the first company to work close with its bloggers, enthusiasts, fans and people from the street and i guarantee, everyone will benefit from this cooperation.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring my thoughts on this Blog, I truly appreciate it!